One day in January 2021, Charlotte Higelin watches France 2’s Envoyé Spécial program and comes across a report on a producer of rainwater and ash detergent. She made her first recipe, collecting ashes from her neighbors and testing the result on those around her. Feedback is unanimous. It then embarked on the production of detergent on a larger scale under the Ecolave brand in March 2021.
– Ecolave
A natural and effective detergent
By the way, here is the manufacturing process: Charlotte Higelin collects ash from the wood boilers of two boiler rooms less than 5 km from her home: one in Saint-Jean-de-Thouars and that of the Bassins du Thouet, the swimming pool of Thouars. She sifts this ash, puts it in cans, adds filtered rainwater. She lets everything macerate for 3 days, stirring regularly. She filters her laundry to keep only the liquid part. It is its potash content that gives this detergent very good washing results.
I love the idea of not using any machines, electricity or tap water to do my laundry.
She offers her washing powder in one-liter glass bottles for sale in stores. The bottle will be reused for bulk at a more attractive price. Charlotte Higelin also manufactures an all-purpose cleaner, a solid cleaning soap and tablets for the dishwasher.
– Ecolave
Ecolave products are available in around thirty producer and organic stores in Deux-Sèvres.
Charlotte Higelin goes beyond zero waste and recycling, she is into upcycling, an upcycling of raw materials considered as waste.