What a Difference! {{Purex Giveaway!}}

My husband is a junior high teacher and coach.  Last week baseball began.  On Tuesday Andy came home and the minute he walked through the door I could smell him!  Ew.  The combination of sweat, dirt, and manure from the pasture next to the ball field is not my favorite scent.  Andy changed shirts and put on fresh deodorant before we ate supper and were off to basketball games.


The next day the kids and I met Andy at church after his practice and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw him.  He didn't stink.  He actually smelled nice.  Interesting.  After a minute I realized why- Purex Complete Crystals!  I used this new fabric softener on a couple of loads of laundry and apparently it made difference!


I don't usually use fabric softener for a number of reasons but Purex sent me a sample of their great new product and after reading about it, most of my reasons were obsolete! 

• I don't like to use fabric softener on the kids clothes because it lessens the flame retardants of their jammies.  Purex Complete Crystals does not because the PJs are not coated in oil, instead they are infused with freshness!
• The oil in fabric softener makes towels less absorbent, but this does not contain all those oils!  That means my towels can smell nice and dry things too!
• My workout clothes!  Exercise attire is expensive and fabric softener can mess it up, once again, Purex Complete Crystals does not!

I'm still not using it on my cloth diapers and I probably would not use this if I had a newborn.  The fragrance and color may irritate sensitive skin.  On that same note, I think that if you had sensitive skin Purex Complete Crystals, like other laundry products with additives, could bother you.

I like this stuff.  I think you will to and I want you to try it!  That's why I am giving away a coupon for a FREE bottle of the NEW Purex Complete Crystals.  To enter the giveaway leave a comment with your name letting me (and Purex) know what laundry issue you need a fix for!  This giveaway ends Sunday, March 13 at 11:59 pm!

I was provided with a complimentary bottle of Purex Complete Crystals to review as well as a coupon to give!  I was compensated in any other way and my opinions are my own!

SOCKS!

I was going a bit of laundry today, just a load of darks and a load of lights.  Nothing major.

While folding these loads I kept pulling out socks.  I just throw all the socks in a pile then match them when I finish folding everything else.  This is the pile of socks I ended with.

You will notice none of these socks belong to me or my young children.  Yes, that means they are Andy's.  It is a bit difficult to tell how many socks are there, so I matched each pair for you and counted.

14

That is the official pair count.

Then I found myself wondering, does Andy have any clean socks left?  Was I a bad wife who had neglected to take care of her husband?  I went to Andy's sock drawer and found this.

A still very full drawer.  Apparently I only need to wash Andy's socks once a month. :)

Washing Cloth Diapers

Washing diapers is not complicated, but it does have to be done right! And sometimes it takes a little bit to figure out what works for each person because of factors like hard or soft water, type of machine, how often one washes, etc. I can tell you what I do, but it is different from person to person. There are several websites that have tips for washing diapers.

I wash every 2 or 3 days begin with a cold rinse and a tablespoon of laundry booster like OxyClean or Tide Stain Release. Then I do a hot wash with 1/2 the detergent recommended. I use All Small and Mighty Free Clear or Purex Free and Clear. If there is any lingering scent I will do an additional rinse.

I hang dry all PUL diapers, like covers and pocket diapers. I dry inserts, fitted diapers, and wipes on hot. When the weather is nice I will hand dry everything outside and sun out stains.(Yes, the sun does take out stains!!!) Then I stuff pockets and sort wipes, covers, and fitted or extra diapers. I put everything away in one of Carmody's dresser drawers until she needs a clean diaper.

I have enough diapers to last about 5 days, but I have some I like better than others so I wash more frequently. Also, the diapers can be harder to clean if they sit too long. I store the diapers in an open pail in Carmody's room. When it is open the smell isn't bad. I have not had any problems with Eli or Carmody getting in to it, but that could change because Carmody is a moving girl!

The diaper that Carmody is wearing here is a Flip one-size cover from BumGenius with a Flip microfiber insert!

Laundry

Yes, laundry, the dreaded task. I like it in general. The machine really does the majority of the work. I like my cloth diaper laundry. I know that's odd. It soothes me. Maybe because it doesn't involve folding. It's not that I don't like folding everything, just certain items. I like to sort socks and undergarments, I enjoy folding pants. It is shirts that get me. I wish I could just shove them in a drawer, but I would regret it later. Like when I want to wear one...

So that was the background- here is the thought for tonight.

I had been slowly working on folding a load of laundry throughout the evening between facebooking, blogging, watching The Bachelor (yes, I know it is a worthless show), and drinking hot chocolate. All that was left: two of my husband's t-shirts. I thought, 'I'll just leave them here and let him fold them and put them away. Hahaha' (that was sinister laughter in my head.) I knew he would do it if I whined about it.

But then I remembered how wonderful he is and how he is always serving me and our children. I folded them. I put them away. I gave him a kiss and a 'thank you honey'.

Laundry reminds me of one little way I can love Andy.