I can't stop smelling my laundry....

[Shellie]

I posted about 6 weeks ago that I was ready to take the plunge to safer, more eco-friendly household products but that I was particularly worried about laundry because I was in love with Gain and Lavender/Vanilla Snuggle.

I finally used up the last of my huge stash of those (had promised dh I wouldn't trash any more products after trashing most of the pantry and rebuying stuff) and I bought Bioleen powdered detergent, Sun and Earth liquid detergent, liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets, Country Save powdered detergent, Mrs. Meyers Lemon Verbena dryer sheets and also some PVC-free dryer balls (in which I could put little fragrance sticks...haven't tried the sticks though....use them plain).

I was skeptical at first, because our clothes are no longer heavily perfumed or super-soft (whch I now refer to as "sticky-soft"). Dh and I made jokes about whether or not we would start to smell once our clothes heated up while wearing them. In fact, I have several modal blend tops that seem to have perpetual BO in the pits even though I never have had BO like that...but those shirts have a stink that won't wash out! And that was when I was using Gain, Tide, etc.

Everything smells so fresh and clean though. Colors and lights are brighter, the whites are whiter (and I'm only using oxygen bleach now) and everything is soft without feeling sticky or gooey.

I haven't decided which products I like best. The Sun and Earth smell awesome straight from the bottle but the smell doesn't stay in the clothes. The dryer sheets are the same way...I don't think they really do much except smell nice when you grab them. Long term I can see myself sticking with the liquid Sun and Earth softener and maybe the Biokleen powder. I'm not sure yet.

Just wanted to report back so that anyone reading who *wants* to make a change but is afraid to will know that it is possible to make this change, be happy and wear very fresh-smelling clothes!! I keep sniffing the top of my t-shirt...can't get enough. LOL

[ASusan]

I find it particularly ironic that the ad inside you post (before I logged in) was for Cascade, a dishwashing detergent that has a scent that STAYS ON YOUR DISHES. I used it once - NASTY. I could smell the chemicals imbedded in my coffee mug and other plastic ware (also speaks to the inadvisability of putting plastics in the dishwasher, but...). I called Cascade and they were not perturbed in the least that chemicals of their product were making their way into my coffee. They sent me coupons, lol.

(The form of Cascade that did this was the little plastic packets that go into the dishwasher all-in-one and are supposed to dissolve in the wash.)

Glad to see you're having success getting the scented funk out of your clothing.

[georgia]

I'm not a fan of Sun & Earth's softener sheets, but I love their liquid softener. THe liquid smells just like their detergent, but actually lasts unlike the sheets I typically just use vinegar as my fabric softener, but occasionally, like if I'm doing sheets or blankets, I'll pull out the S&E. I just LOVE the way it smells If you sign up with S&E online, they have really great specials, too. We buy ours in bulk.

My mother uses Gain and Snuggie or whatever that is, and the "scent" literally makes me sick to my stomach and gives me a headache. There's so much build-up that they create---it's really icky, not to mention the chemicals involved. Anyway, yay for laundry converts