Hello, I am an american fan of K&A and I was wondering if anyone knows what the american versions of biological powder and sugar soap are?

Thanks!

Janie

Where's my reply gone? I replied to this & it's vanished! Anyway, biological powder is just normal soap powder that you put in the washing machine, if you go to a DIY shop they may be able to tell you what the American version of sugar soap is - hope this reply doesn't do a vanishing act!

I'm american and I was wondering that as well, I want to know what sugar soap is. I live in London at the moment and i use Clorox clean up for EVERYTHING its great but i can't get it here

I believe that Clorox is just the brand name of a bleach. Maybe Doestos would be a substitute.

DIY stores like B&Q sell sugar soap, but you can also get it from some supermarkets & stores like Wilkinsons.
I thought Clorax was just the name of a bleach too

Jenny,

Do you know anybody in the US Foreign Service or the US military stationed in London? They have commissary privileges and can obtain Clorox Clean Up for you.

Also, you can achieve the same end by wiping your surfaces down with a mild bleach/sudsy water solution. It's a lot cheaper!

To the UK Clean Queens: Clorox Cleanup is essentially a bleach and detergent formula packaged in a spray bottle. I've never seen the equivalent of it at Tesco or Asda, but that's probably because UKCQs are too savvy when it comes to slick packaging and, when presented with the product, would just say No Thank You, I'll just get bleach!

Sugar soap is available in the States as a product called TSP. You may be able to find it at hardware stores though the availability was limited some years back due to the high amounts of phospate, which led to ecological problems in water supplies. I seem to recall something about a substitute ingredient being added to TSP to allow continued production. A word of caution: the product will corrode metal.

Good luck!

Hello, another American fan of Kim and Aggie, and the How Clean show.

As a retired chemist (no, not pharmacist) I was curious to learn at this thread that "sugar soap" was actually the compound TSP [trisodium phosphate, or Na3PO4. Here we ask for TSP at the local DIY or hardware stores to prepare walls for painting by removing mold or grease, using a water solution of TSP. Correct, it is not environmentally friendly in the older form, and in significant quantities, and perhaps not even in the modified form, but I do not know.

My question for this thread is, on the show, serious cleaning, or pet-stain removal, requires an enzymatic (biological")washing powder. I've never heard a brand name mentioned on the show, perhaps for advertising reasons.

By doing a Google search online, the enzyme washing powder came up with one source, and by the brand name of "ECOVER". Here in Texas, a health food chain store called Whole Foods does sell several environmentally friendly products of ECOVER brand products such as laundry detergents both powder and liquid, as well as dishwasher detergent and general purpose liquid household cleaners.

ECOVER here does not market any enzyme-containing products according to their ingredient labels, and do not sell anything in powder form, only premixed/diluted liquid products, other than for the laundry.

The enzymatic washing powder by ECOVER websites were only UK sites.

Is there any other brand-named enzymatic powder (concentrated form) other than ECOVER that might be available here in the U.S.?

The only enzyme-containing products I've found here are two: pre-diluted pet stain liquids, containing strong masking fragrances, distributed by pet stores [can't use anything with a fragrance, allergies to chemicals/solvents too severe], or a product sold for folks to add to their rural septic tank/waste systems to add beneficial microbes (enzymes?) by the product name of Rid-X. I'm concerned about using a solution of the Rid-X to clean the flooring as any residue might be picked up by children or pets if not rinsed completely.

So far, I've been using a superheated steam machine called Vaporetto by Polti to disinfect without the use of chemicals, so I do have a method of cleaning, but for pet (organic) stains, etc., I would like to have some kind of safe product to use around the house.

Can anyone help in this situation?

Thank you in advance, and please pass on my cyber-hugs to Kim and Aggie -- I think they're the best!

What about using bicarb of soda? That's pretty good, even though it's usually used for baking Also the old HC stand-by's of white vinegar & soda crystals. Sorry, no idea about enzyme cleaners, but surprised you can't get Ecover washing powder in America. I won a box of it in a comp

Thanks -- yes, white vinegar and socium bicarb is used for most routine cleaning at this house; however, on the show, when there are some more-than-minor projects, they seem to resort to the "biological washing powder" routine.

Seems I'm regularly on the research for progressive items that are available elsewhere -- maybe it's just Texas that's in a fog? Don't get me started about the lack of environmental approaches to most everything here! So frustrating.

I'll keep searching for the enzyme-based powder but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting. In the meantime I am waiting for a reply from the Rid-X company to know if it is safe to use inside the home, rather than just down the plumbing pipes.

Best to all...

Won't it say on the bottle/pack if it's not safe? Our products have a big X on them if they could be dangerous, and would have thought American products would have warnings too. Good luck, hope you find a product you can use.

Pet stores have enzyme cleaners, the ones I've seen are liquid not powder. Might work for you anyway.