A Laundry AFFAIR

I came home the other day, walked in the front door, and I could smell something throughout the house.

I sniffed around, and couldn't figure out what it was - it smelled like perfume.

Was hubby having an affair? Not likely - there's no way he has enough free time for that! I puzzled over the scent for a long time, not sure of what it was. After a while it did give me a slight headache though (Or was that just my toddler's screaming that did that?).

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Anyway, one area that I have been experimenting in, for the past few years, is that of laundry detergent.

Boring - I know.

I have lugged home countless different varieties of laundry detergent, all in the hope of getting clean clothes, minus the noxious chemicals. (I do mean "lugged" - I can't believe how huge and heavy those plastic containers are getting.)

Many of the products that you see everyday in your grocery stores and in TV ads are really irritating (the detergent AND the ads), and often headache-inducing (once again, the detergent AND the ads).

As well, my hubby and I have many sports clothes with "wicking" and all those other wonderful properties, that need special care.

And then there's the baby clothes, that are to be washed in their own "special detergent" for delicate baby skin.

Currently, I have far too many different products lined up on the laundry room shelf. What's a person to do?

I have finally found the laundry answer that green moms like me dream of - Nature Clean 3X Concentrate Laundry Liquid.

It comes in the smallest bottle imaginable. Now, if you carry laundry detergent around to get a workout, then this bottle won't do it for you - it is positively dwarfed by the humongous other brands on my shelf. You aren't paying for "water" and the small bottle is having a MUCH smaller environmental impact than the massive ones that line store shelves these days.

It has no scent, no phosphates, no SLS, no chlorine or brighteners, no excess water (hence the "concentrate"), no huge plastic bottle to toss in the landfill - NO BRAINER!

I use it on all the laundry that I do....diapers, technical sportswear, baby clothes. And it only takes a tiny amount ( I use about a tablespoon - really!) for each load of laundry. A small 1 Litre bottle will do 43 loads!

Of course, 43 loads feels like the number of loads of dirty clothes I deal with each week....

But what do I do with all those other detergents that are taking up space in my laundry room?

Well, they have already been manufactured and done their part towards the destruction of the environment, so rather than throw them out (and thus doing further harm to the environment) I use them for laundry items that don't require TLC, such as the dog's bed, the throw blankets for the couch, those sorts of things.

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So about the perfume throughout my house? It was a load of laundry, on the drying rack, that I had washed in "regular traditional laundry detergent that you see on so many TV ads". The smell had permeated the entire house.

Hmmm, maybe I will be saving that one to use when I can dry the clothes outside in the spring.....

At least hubby is off the hook!