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There are a lot of accessories for washing machines that improve washing. Some are clever marketing moves, while others are quite useful gadgets. These include a magnetic ball for washing.
You will learn below how useful it is for a washing machine and what is its effectiveness.
Pros and cons of magnetic balls for washing machine
Balls on a magnet are small balls made of rubber or plastic. Magnets are involved in water softening, provoking a chaotic movement of insoluble salt molecules.
Pros of this ball:
- Water penetrates more freely through the fibers of fabrics, thanks to which detergents are better washed out.
- They serve at least 10 years.
- Thanks to its weight, the wash ball knocks out stains and dirt from the fibers.
- Provides savings in detergents and rinse aids.
- Do not harm health, do not cause allergic reactions.
The listed advantages are the assurances of the manufacturers, and the effectiveness of this tool still needs to be sorted out. Also, balls have several disadvantages:
- The noise of the washer increases due to the fact that the balls hit the walls of the drum.
- Magnetic balls should not be used when washing bulky items: jackets, blankets, down jackets – due to low efficiency.
As for protection against scale, magnetic balls are famous for this property. But you can use another tool – “Antiscale”, which you can learn in detail on the page “How to use antiscale for washing machines”.
How to use balls
Despite the fact that the balls hit the CMA drum, this does not harm the machine, so they can be used for washing in automatic mode. But it does not hurt to follow the rules so as not to damage the fabric.
Depending on the type of laundry, the number of balls that can be thrown into the drum along with the clothes varies. Much depends on the size and configuration of the balls.
The recommendations for washing with magnetic balls are as follows:
- When washing cotton, load a dozen small balls.
- When washing delicate fabrics, such as velor, use 2 times less balls – no more than 6 pieces.
- When washing wool, do not load more than 4 balls into the machine.
Attention! Using balls, reduce the amount of laundry detergent or liquid detergent by half.
The balls are not afraid of high temperature and drum speed, so set a comfortable cycle and wash safely. But temperatures above 80 degrees should be avoided.
Popular brands of magnetic laundry balls
There are many laundry detergents on the market. Popular brands of magnetic balls:
Aquamage
Balls “Aquamag”, made in China, can prevent the build-up of scale on the heater, because they soften the water. It does not provoke allergic reactions and can be used when washing children’s clothes to disinfect linen and fight odors.
The weight of the product is 0,9 kg, so one ball is enough for a full wash. To enhance the effect of using the device, soak the clothes with the powder and the ball in advance for 30 minutes, then load the clothes and the ball into the drum.
White cat
Balls “White Cat” are produced by the German company TECHNOTRADE and are supplied in packs of 12 pcs. The magnet is coated with a rubber shell, and the service life is not limited.
The tool eliminates scale, knocks out dirt from the fibers of the fabric. One ball may well soften the water. At a cost of almost 5000 rubles, you need to carefully study the real properties of the device so as not to waste money.
On a note! If you can’t find the balls in the household chemicals section of the supermarket, try ordering online.
Eco Life
The Eco Life ball also protects CMA parts from plaque. These balls are made in Austria, but the guarantee for the product is only 5 years. The manufacturer assures that with the use of Eco Life it is possible to save powder by a third and save 20% of energy costs.
The cost of the ball is not higher than 500 rubles.
User Reviews
To check if the ball is as effective as the manufacturers say, read the reviews of experienced users. We have selected the most reasoned comments.
Irene, Mr. Omsk
I have been using White Cat balls for more than three years, but have not yet realized what their charm is. These are small balls, up to 4 cm wide, weighing about 35 grams. I have been using it for a long time, and only now I realized that I wasted my money, especially since there was, is and will be scale, because the master recently changed the heating element and showed me this whole nightmare. And the quality of washing does not differ in any way, with or without balls. Lemon began to pour out of scale, and the quality of rinsing in my case depends only on whether I choose the “extra rinse” mode or not.
Svetlana, Tver
I noticed the novelty in the household store right away. A little later, the White Cat balloons were highly recommended to me by the saleswoman. Bought. I didn’t really notice the difference, well, except that I began to use less rinse aid. I can’t say about scale, because the machine has never been taken apart. I threw balls into the toilet bowl, then the raid for a week did not go anywhere. The big drawback is NOISE when using. I also encountered the fact that the balls get stuck in clothes, I constantly have to get them out of sleeves, pockets and socks. It seems to me that you can buy ordinary balls, without magnets – it’s cheaper and the effect is the same.
Lena, Moscow
I accidentally saw an advertisement for Eco Life balloons on TV. Mom caught fire, so I decided to buy them. According to the advice on the label, I did not use a water softener, reduced the amount of washing gel and rinse aid. I can say that with all this, the linen is soft and there are no stains. But then I checked – with the same concentration of detergents WITHOUT A BALL, things are the same, moreover, I checked it more than once. I use the ball only because I paid a lot for it, and since I spent the money, it’s a pity to throw it away.
We can conclude that with the high cost of the device and the promises of manufacturers, such an accessory can become both a good helper and an extra waste. The choice is yours.