Laundry, Laundry Everywhere

Interesting.  I noticed yesterday at Target that Tide liquid (I didn't look at powder) was 3 times more expensive than Gain or Arm & Hammer.  It was $11.99 while the other two were both $4.99.  I have always bought Tide, and never even looked at other brands simply out of habit.  Shocked, I got Arm & Hammer, took it home, and tested it out.  It seems to do just as good a job at first, and the scent was ok.  After another wash, I can see that Arm & Hammer is harder on clothes.  They were a little faded from just two washes.

Maybe I'm weird, but I'm really particular about the way my laundry smells.  I rarely use dryer sheets because my organic chemistry teacher in undergrad described their molecules as "long greasy strands."  Do you know that's why it makes your clothes soft?  Because it's making them a little bit greasy?  It's true.  I still do use them occasionally though for things like towels that have gotten rough.  When I buy them I have to smell every single box twice though.  Are you particular about any certain part of your laundry process?  Stain treater?  Detergent?  Fabric softener?  Liquid or powder?  Please tell me I'm not the only one...

I said I've only used Tide, but really there's one other special occasion brand of sorts that I use called Dreft.  Every time I've been pregnant, I buy liquid Dreft in the week or so before the baby comes, and wash all their newborn clothes.  The one and only reason I do this is that I love the smell!  Smells have such strong ties with emotions and memories, and Dreft is cemented to newborns for me.  For my first child, I told myself it was better for her sensitive baby skin.  I washed all of her clothes separately, and scrubbed out stains by hand with a bar of Dial soap.  By baby three, his clothes were thrown in with the rest often times and the Tide didn't make a bit of difference except in the cleanliness of the clothes!  I have heard from family that Dreft is great for kids who are sensitive to other brands, but when it comes to getting clothes clean I think it falls far short.  So, I still have it and use it for my almost not a baby, Luke, but mostly just for blankets and bedding.  I've had the same container for his whole 22 month life!

Anyway, in an article from Good Housekeeping published at Yahoo News, they tested 74 different types of detergent, and they came up with some interesting results.  The best overall cleaner was Tide Powder Detergent.  (Huh.  I always thought liquids cleaned better!)  Among liquids, Tide won again but Gain Original was a very close second!  Nearly the same, but 1/3 the cost?  I'll take the Gain!  That'll be my choice next time I go shopping!

Another interesting tidbit: across the U.S. there has been a rash of Tide laundry detergent thefts.  According to snopes.com, people were stealing it and selling it for money or trading it directly for drugs.  They are $10-20 each, not traceable, and everyone can use it.  Maybe this combined with the fact that they're the most popular is the reason they can get away with charging triple?  I don't know.  I was not excited about Arm & Hammer, but I may try Gain next.  Lord knows I have enough laundry to test!!

So, to recap:

Tide:

Pros:

• #1 cleaner among 74 tested by Good Housekeeping (liquid and powder)
• I like the scent
• Cleaned my clothes well

Cons:

• three times the cost of other detergent

Arm and Hammer:

Pros:

• Pretty good scent
• cleaned clothes just as well as Tide
• 1/3 the price of Tide

Cons:

• Tested worse than Tide and Gain by Good Housekeeping for tough stains
• I like the scent less than Tide
• Harder on clothes than Tide

Dreft:

Pros:

• Baby smell
• Hypo-allergenic
• Gentle on clothes

Cons:

• Cleaned my clothes noticeably worse than Tide
• Most expensive at $15.99 for 100 oz.

Laundry Schedule

Four kids + two adults= loads and loads of laundry!! The reason I originally got on this laundry examination kick was because of a blog post I saw at hallelujahismysong.blogspot.com.  My friend Catherine writes this blog, is an excellent organizer, and came up with a system of doing laundry that doesn't involve one full day of load after load.

Currently I do at least one load of laundry per day, but it involves going to hampers, grabbing out a load's worth of some color group, and tossing it in the washing machine.  There is no set end point; no goal for me to finish during the day so it just feels like I'm doing a never ending monotonous task.  Most of all, I hate doing socks, especially tiny baby socks.  I told my husband I think my personal hell would be eternally sorting and folding socks in some cold, damp place...and somehow you'd have to work running in there.  I can't stand running.....

Anyway, my point is that this system makes it feel manageable and gives you a goal to finish each day.  You have something to check off as done at the end of the day, and that doesn't mean every stitch of laundry in the house.
You can view Catherine's list and tips here.

I started with her idea, but modified it to fit with my family.  You can modify either list and make it work for you!

Today is Wednesday, I did all of today's work in a few hours and felt very satisfied when I was done!  I told myself I could go onto the next day, but not until the previous day was done.  We'll see how this system lasts over time, but I have to say so far so good!