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===Negative ions=== |
===Negative ions=== |
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Some laundry balls claim to release negative ions, which cause the dirt to weaken in its adherence to the fabric. It is possible that OH-ions, or hydroxide, could be created, but not in a large quantity. |
Some laundry balls claim to release negative ions, which cause the dirt to weaken in its adherence to the fabric. It is possible that OH-ions, or hydroxide, could be created, but not in a large quantity. |
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===Consumer Protection and Scientology Link=== |
===Consumer Protection and Scientology Link=== |
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In 1997 a [[Scientology]]-owned company, Trade-Net, sold a laundry ball product (the Blue Laundry Ball) in various US states. After complaints, their claims were investigated by consumer protection departments in [[Utah]], Oregon and Florida, amongst others, and the company was prohibited from making certain claims, including that "that such product cleans as well as conventional laundry detergent". Trade-Net offered a 'new' laundry ball product after this, but were forced to pay fines, including $190,000 to Oregon's Department of Justice, $10,000 to Utah and then in April 1999, $155,000 to the states of New York, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma and the FTC. The company disappeared shortly after.<ref>http://www.religio.de/publik/arsreview/100897.html</ref><ref>http://www.ftc.gov/os/1999/04/anujdg12.htm</ref><ref>http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/front-sight-safety-standards-failed.htm</ref> |
In 1997 a [[Scientology]]-owned company, Trade-Net, sold a laundry ball product (the Blue Laundry Ball) in various US states. After complaints, their claims were investigated by consumer protection departments in [[Utah]], Oregon and Florida, amongst others, and the company was prohibited from making certain claims, including that "that such product cleans as well as conventional laundry detergent". Trade-Net offered a 'new' laundry ball product after this, but were forced to pay fines, including $190,000 to Oregon's Department of Justice, $10,000 to Utah and then in April 1999, $155,000 to the states of New York, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma and the FTC. The company disappeared shortly after.<ref>http://www.religio.de/publik/arsreview/100897.html</ref><ref>http://www.ftc.gov/os/1999/04/anujdg12.htm</ref><ref>http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/front-sight-safety-standards-failed.htm</ref> |
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== Multilevel marketing == |
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The product is often sold by participants in [[multilevel marketing]] schemes.<ref name="dope">{{cite news |first=Cecil |last= Adams |authorlink=Cecil Adams |author= Cecil Adams|title= Do laundry balls really work?|url=http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_007b.html |format= |work= |publisher=[[The Straight Dope]] |location= |id= |pages=1 |page=1 |date=1997-07-25 |accessdate=2008-02-25 |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= }}</ref> |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
Revision as of 21:31, 31 May 2009
The Laundry ball is a pseudoscientific product whose sellers claim that when placed in a washing machine it will clean clothes without detergent.[1] The product is often sold by participants in multilevel marketing schemes.[1]
Claims
Some washing ball products contain "washing pearls", small ceramic balls which supposedly interact with the washing water or release substances into the water.[2] Others are sealed tight and contain a liquid solution,[3] but rarely anything of the cleaning method is told. Usually both types of balls are marketed as environmentally friendly alternatives to ordinary washing powders, because they are claimed to be able to wash several hundred, up to 1000-1500 loads of wash until they should be discarded.
Infrared and alkalization
Some of the pearl-based products claim to "generate powerful far infrared ray wave energy to cut off the hydrogen and binding of water molecule to have smaller water cluster to have the penetration and washing, at the same time, it radiates the anion electron to lower the surface tensile and interfacial tension for possible agent-free washing."(sic).[4] [5] The claim of emitting infrared is not false, as all material emits "far infrared waves", in other words, heat radiation. It is also true that heating reduces the surface tension of water, but the effect of the radiation emitted by the pearls is negligible compared to the radiation emitted by the water which is being heated. There are no independent tests showing that the pearls could generate stronger infrared waves by interacting with water than what they otherwise should.
The claim of alkalization is dubious, while it is true that the alkaline agents in normal washing powders catalyze the tensides, there are no studies suggesting that the washing pearls would affect the pH of the water.
Anti-chlorine properties
Many products also claim that the pearls contain "anti-chlorine" agents which are supposed to neutralize chlorine which has been added to the tap water.[6] Chloride and bleach related substances are actually common in washing powders and chlorine is used in the disinfection of tap water. The claims state that by removing chlorine from the washing water the surface tension is (again) reduced and harmful chlorine can't interact with the clothes, even though the amounts in tap water are very small both in Europe (0,3-1,0 ml/l) and North-America (4 ml/l).[7]
Antibacterial properties
Chlorine is a strong antibacterial agent, so neutralizing it from the washing water is illogical. There are no clear explanations of how the antibacterial substitute in the pearls work. A viable option would be silver pearls, as silver has documented antibacterial properties.
Magnetic properties
Some products claim to have magnetic elements which "minimizes the size of the water molecule which helps with scale and rust removal of the washing machine and pipes". Both of the claims are false from a proven scientific viewpoint: while magnets do interact with rust, magnets will not keep rust out of your laundry, and molecules can't be "scaled" freely.
Negative ions
Some laundry balls claim to release negative ions, which cause the dirt to weaken in its adherence to the fabric. It is possible that OH-ions, or hydroxide, could be created, but not in a large quantity.
Consumer Protection and Scientology Link
In 1997 a Scientology-owned company, Trade-Net, sold a laundry ball product (the Blue Laundry Ball) in various US states. After complaints, their claims were investigated by consumer protection departments in Utah, Oregon and Florida, amongst others, and the company was prohibited from making certain claims, including that "that such product cleans as well as conventional laundry detergent". Trade-Net offered a 'new' laundry ball product after this, but were forced to pay fines, including $190,000 to Oregon's Department of Justice, $10,000 to Utah and then in April 1999, $155,000 to the states of New York, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma and the FTC. The company disappeared shortly after.[8][9][10]
Multilevel marketing
The product is often sold by participants in multilevel marketing schemes.[1]
External links
Notes
- ^ a b c Adams, Cecil (1997-07-25). "Do laundry balls really work?". The Straight Dope. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
{{cite news}}
: More than one of|author=
and|last=
specified (help); More than one of|pages=
and|page=
specified (help) - ^ "Magicball product description".
- ^ "Portal Marketing liquid Laundry ball product page".
- ^ "Bio magic globe product description".
- ^ "EP patent 0,870,862".
- ^ "True Green washing ball product page".
- ^ "FAQ of water supply of the city of Pori".
- ^ http://www.religio.de/publik/arsreview/100897.html
- ^ http://www.ftc.gov/os/1999/04/anujdg12.htm
- ^ http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/front-sight-safety-standards-failed.htm