Laundry Is My Nemesis

Posted On July 21, 2009

There is one phrase that has never been uttered from these lips, at least since the arrival of Boy #3:
“I’m all caught up on laundry.”

I marvel at people (and you know who you are—*cough* middle sister *cough*) who actually view the task of doing laundry as something that has a beginning and an end. There’s a goal to work toward, and that goal is getting all the clothes, towels, and sheets clean. At one time.

Imagine a house with clean T-shirts and shorts neatly folded and put away in drawers. Imagine getting out of the shower and finding a whole herd of towels, freshly laundered and all folded the same neat way, waiting just for you in the linen closet, where they belong. [Sidebar: What is the correct word for a collection of towels—herd? gaggle? kit?] Maybe you don’t have to imagine it. Me? It’s so far from my reality that it’s difficult for me to even imagine it.

I swear, I can’t go anywhere in my house without it finding me. Dirty socks that have been flung on the hearth in the family room. Piles of clean clothes that have been waiting on our bedroom floor to be put away (and then have been knocked over and trampled by a stampede of boys). Dirty underwear on the kitchen table. (Just kidding.) (Not really.)

It’s the epic struggle of good vs. evil, hero vs. nemesis. Batman has the Joker. Luke Skywalker has Darth Vader. Jerry Seinfeld has Newman. Dr. Doofenshmirtz has Perry the Platypus.

I have my laundry.

So when I was invited to try out the new all® small & mighty® laundry detergent, I was like, “Bring it on!” Anything to help me battle this growing army of mud- and spaghetti sauce-stained clothes that seem to multiply faster than rabbits. (Especially if rabbits are wearing said clothing.)

The new all® small & mighty® is a whopping 96 oz. bottle that claims to clean 96 loads of laundry. (In my house, that’s about a week’s worth. I’m so not kidding.) I’ve started using it and was going to actually count how many loads I got out of it before it ran out, but—hello, people!—it’s me we’re talking about. Yeah, I totally lost track after about load 3.

But here are some of my observations about all small & mighty so far:

• First of all, the all® Free Clear detergent is the only detergent recommended by our pediatrician, and we’ve used it ever since Boy #1 was a baby. It’s the #1 detergent recommended for dermatologists for sensitive skin. Since my boys suffered from eczema and still have sensitive skin, this was extremely important to me. And it really is gentle on skin. Love that. Since we received the all® small & mighty® Stainlifter instead of the Free Clear, and since my boys are now older, I thought we’d give it a try. So far, it’s been gentle enough for their skin.
• The detergent features “Fresh Release Essentials,” which provide “time-released freshness throughout your day.” Since I’ve started using it, I’ve noticed that our clothes smell fresh longer. Even when they’ve been sitting on the bedroom floor for a few days… I like that the smell lingers even when you’re wearing the clothes. That’s a plus.
• The company claims that the “all® small & mighty® has a unique stainlifting formula that is tough on stains yet gentle on clothes.” I will back that up. I admit that I took a brief break from using all and switched to a cheaper brand of detergent that was also free of dyes and perfumes. I began to notice that our clothes were not getting as clean. Stains were not coming out as well, even when I used an additional stainfighting spray. So I agree that the all detergent is excellent at fighting stains.
• Although I appreciate the fact that you can get 96 loads out of the huge bottle, I’m not really digging the push-button dispenser. It seems to be messier that the regular pour-spout dispenser, and right now I’ve got lines of blue detergent running down the front of my washer. There is a cap to put on it, but it’s still a bit messy. However, that’s my only complaint, and hopefully that’s something the company will be working on.
• All is a company that has stood the test of time. In fact, they’re celebrating their 50th anniversary this year! That says a lot about a company’s dedication and commitment to their market.

Get coupons for all laundry products here.

What about you? Is laundry your nemesis, or are you on friendly terms?

Disclaimer: I received free product, as mentioned in my post. However, I was not instructed on what to write or when to write it.