eco balls are great and do a marvellous job. But once in a while [month or 2] I put through a wash of whites with a detergent simply to brighten them a bit. I have set up grey water system to water the garden with the washing machine outflow, it goes into a settling tank down the garden and then through some drip hoses into the fruit and veg gardens. This has been running for about 4 years to excellent effect, in fact 2 years ago I used it to water the lawn. I know that strictly speaking the water should not be put on the plants so it just goes on the roots rather than leaves. In winter when it doesn't need to go on the garden, it runs by gravity into the soakaway area of our septic tank. Recommended them to a friend and her grandchild who has eczema had an almost miracle cure when her clothes had no detergent residue on them.