A Cowboy's Wife » laundry

He Reads, I Clean

A Cowboy's Wife — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:38:00 +0000

When you have 3 kids (3 boys to boot), you clean and clean and clean. I ain’t gonna lie either, their bathrooms are disgusting. I usually make them clean them since they are the ones that create the mess but thought I’d try out these Seventh Generation Cleaning Supplies that I was sent. I was challenged to swap out at least 3 of my regulars with these and also read The Lorax book with my kids. The book is about being more Earth friendly and while it’s great to teach little man those things early, I thought it would also be great to have my older boys read it as well so that he can see that every little bit he does to help the Earth, is totally worth it. To my surprise, he actually did read the book!! LOL It was funny that Toby got the shot. I didn’t know they were taking pics but apparently Toby and Tyler had this all set up. Ahhh, the life of ‘kiddos of a blogger mom’ you know? My boys are nerds…just sayin’. I’ll clean all day if it means my son will sit there and read!

Anyways, back to the cleaners. I used them all but the three I’ll discuss are the disinfecting wipes, natural dish soap, and the laundry detergent.

Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes

They do kill the influenza virus as well as salmonella botanically. That means they only use plant ingredients. They have a lemongrass & thyme scent that would describe as a very springy clean smell. I really like them. I kept these in the kitchen to wipe down the refrigerator and faucet knobs. I also gave my counters a swipe with them. Two thumbs up!

Seventh Generation Natural Dish Soap

This is by far my favorite out of all the cleaners sent. I LOVED the lavender floral & mint smell and found it to clean just as well, if not better than others I have used. What you should know about this product is that it is non-toxic, biodegradable, and hypo-allergenic. That means it’s safer (in case little man were to stumble upon it and get curious), safer for the environment, and safe for pretty much anyone to use. Not too shabby eh?

Seventh Generation Natural 2X Concentrated Laundry Detergent

Also non-toxic. It uses enzymes and plant-derived/plant based cleaning agent to remove all the stains. I don’t’ know but that’s pretty cool that a cleaner made from plants can do that, don’t you think? It’s free & clear of any dyes, fragrances, and masking agents. I know these things are so important to many of you. While I have not jumped on that wagon, I do want our Earth to be healthy so I’ll definitely be substituting products like these that I love. Anyhoo, I found that this detergent cleaned great. I tested it out on Truett’s pants and they looked very clean so no complaints.

Overall, I was completely satisfied with the products. I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t use them. I think that people get so comfortable with products they’ve used for years that they are scared to try anything new, especially natural cleaners. Also, sometimes we want to try natural cleaners but have the mentality of “it probably won’t help the environment anyways…I’m just one person” but in truth, every single little thing you can do for our Earth, it’s meaningful and worth the time, efforts and you getting out of your comfort zone to try new things. I think the Lorax book’s message was just that…we can all make a difference and by being that example, others will see, ask and eventually follow suit. We all need to be educated and I was happy to learn more about Seventh Generation and teach my kiddos a little more about how they can help keep our Earth and environment healthy!

Disclosure: I am an official Walmart Mom. Follow me and my fellow Walmart Moms as we share our experiences and ideas! Walmart has provided me with compensation and gift card in return for my time & efforts to create this post. My participation in this program is voluntary and my opinions are my own, always have been, always will be.

Mom, You Want Me to Paint on My Shirt?

A Cowboy's Wife — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:17:51 +0000

It really should be me saying that because my family knows how often I spill things on my shirts but this time it’s Truett that purposely got to smear his shirt with ketchup for another test of Wisk’s Stain Spectrum detergent. You can probably imagine how fun this was for him but also how hesitant he was since he’s taught to not spill things on his shirt.

We started off by cooking hamburgers using our cool patty press because we knew this experiment would work up an appetite! Aren’t the patties pretty? I loved this thing!

We then had Truett put his shirt on to get the ketchup smeared in nice and deep into the fibers! He even used the basting brush to really rub it in. He thought that was funny and was like, “huh? You want me to paint on my shirt?” lol

He’s looking a bit evil in this last photo don’t you think?? I don’t know but I see BWUAHHAHHAHHAHAHA…….

We got the stain in good, now we needed to get it out! Our instructions were to pour some Wisk Stain Spectrum on the ketchup stain, let sit for a couple of minutes, then wash out.

I washed under our faucet so that you could see the stain disappearing and that it did!

VERY impressed! Ketchup is very hard to get out and thisndidnt have any problems at all! I probably washed and rinsed for 3-4 minutes max and you can see nice again how well it works!

And just in case you want to know, this stain, along with BBQ sauce and fudge brownies are considered carbohydrate stains. On the sheets Wisk has been sending us, there are several different types of stains which I thought I was interesting. For example:

Bio Stains- Blood and Body Soil
Synthetic Stains- Watercolor Paints
Oil Stains- Peanut Butter, Ranch Dressing, Olive Oil
Bleachable Stains- Fruit Punch, Orange Juice, Worcesterershire Sauce, Beets
Particulate Stains- Dirt, Baseball Clay
Protein Stains- Grass, Eggs, Baby Formula

It was fun because while doing the experiment, I was asking my older kids if they knew what would be classified under each category. And then Truett got to hear us talking all the nerd talk so now it’s in his brain.

Anyways, the whole experiment was a blast to do. Truett had so much fun and I had so much fun. I just really enjoy doing these experiments that Wisk has created for us and can’t wait for number three! I’d say that Wisk’s Stain Spectrum is doing its job, wouldn’t you agree?

If you’re just tuning in, you can see the Wisk ‘Ring Around the Collar‘ commercial first, then check out my mad little scientist, then print yourself a $1 0ff coupon and give it a try yourself!

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Wisk for my time and efforts to create the post but review & opinions are my own, always have been, always will be. Read my full disclosure for all my blogging ethics smackdown.

The Little MAD Scientist Cleans!

A Cowboy's Wife — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:45:26 +0000

Oh my gosh, Truett is just adorable in this lab coat and goggles!! He had so much fun wearing it and helping me with our little Wisk with Stain Spectrum experiment. It made me realize how much we should do more fun things like this. I mean, we do stuff but this was different and I could see his brain concentrating since it was out of his element and something so new to him.

Anyways, I’m part of this fun campaign with Wisk where they occasionally send us packages with experiments to process. I’m a little behind so you’ll see this one today and then another soon after. I apologize for that but I think you’ll love seeing how cute Truett is and how well the Wisk worked! You can also see my other post over at ELM. Remember the “Ring Around the Collar“??? Love it!

OUR EXPERIMENT

We were to take the swatch (which was to represent a green grass stain), create a name, shape or whatever on it using some Wisk with Stain Spectrum, let sit a a few seconds, swish in the beaker of warm water, and see the results.

We started out by making a star because that was what Truett wanted, but then he took over and made it one big mess! lol I tried to put the points out a bit more so that it still looked like a star!

As you can see, it came out really well, especially considering Truett barely swooshed around in the water! And I do think you can tell it’s a star!! He had so much fun doing this. I LOVED doing it with him.

I was definitely impressed with how well it worked but then again, I knew it would. See, for a few months now, I’ve been using Wisk because I had heard how well it worked and it was more budget friendly on top of that. Wisk wanted to send me some bottles to try and because of it, I have become a full blown Wisk convert and am proud of it. Seeing how fast the detergent worked on the swatch should give you incentive to try it. I think we let is sit for like 10 seconds, swished for maybe 30 seconds and viola.

If you haven’t tried it but want to, use their $1.00 off coupon to give yourself a small price break! I’d also like to know if YOU have ever tried an experiment like this and if you’re a Wisk user? If you are not, when is the last time you gave it a try and if you are, what do you love about it?

Why Do They Motivate Me So?

A Cowboy's Wife — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:35:33 +0000

Isn’t it weird how the look & feel of something can motivate you to do something. Silly really because it makes me feel materialistic and I am not that way at all. But there’s something about this Frigidaire Affinity Washer and Dryer set that comforts me.

Maybe it’s because it has options, lots of options and every gal needs those. All of which are as simple as turning the knob or pushing a button….we’re good at pushing buttons.

Maybe it’s because it has these ruby red corners…reminds me of Dorothy’s shoes.

Maybe it’s because of the huge, shiny cylinder that would even make me wrinkle free.

Maybe it’s because it’s organized, outlined, and sophisticated; something I’m not but occasionally play like I am when I’m on TV.

Maybe it’s because I’m in control and we all want to be in control and have balance in our lives.

Maybe it’s the name…..Affinity; reminds me how easy it was to fall in love.

If you want to know more about my adventures with the Frigidaire Affinity Sets, you’ll find them here, here, and here. And since I was supposed to be on the dishwasher team first, you can see that lovely helper here.

My Two Lovely Helpers

A Cowboy's Wife — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:00:46 +0000

Appliances like washer and dryers are things that are taken for granted many times. I know I do until one of them breaks down and we need clean clothes. Can you imagine how they did it back then?! I would not survive the olden days.

Anyways, it’s been a while now that I’ve had these two beauties and I must say, I never thought I’d fall in love with them like I have. There is just something about the look and usage of them that actually makes laundry more enjoyable. Seriously. Of course putting the clothes away is a whole nuther thing but washing and drying them is actually quite fun. Even my boys love them much more than the old ones and that’s sayin’ something.

I really like the front loading. It’s cool and reminds me of the days me and my mom washed clothes at the laundry-mat?? LOL Anyways, I loved when it was time to put them in the dryer or when we got to use the mega front loading one for our comforters.

I like the detergent tray. I love having one place to put the detergent, fabric softener and bleach. You just pull it out and bam, you’re done. Simple function that saves time and that’s important to me because the last thing I want is to spend extra time on laundry.

I like the buttons and knob. Maybe it’s the geek in me but I really like pushing buttons or better yet, just turning a knob and all the default, most used settings already be in place. Another time saver and makes me feel silly for loving it so much. I am a gadget girl at heart though.

These my friends, are the Affinity Washer and Dryer from Frigidaire, and I heart my two lovely helpers.

See my early post about it specs…they RAWK.

Forming a Laundry Habit and Sticking to It

A Cowboy's Wife — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:20:15 +0000

We all hate it and if you don’t, please feel free to come by my house and do mine! The fact is, it has to be done so you might as well create a regimen to get you through the chore easier. My husband has always told me to do at least one load a day so that it doesn’t pile up so that’s what I do.

This survey was given to me and I thought I’d share it with you along with my answers.

PLANNING

Do you keep a list of items you need? Mental or written?

I keep a list using my Smartshopper. Otherwise, I’d be a mess and forget everything and since I live so far from town, I can’t forget!

Thinking about laundry, once an item is on your list, what triggers you to re-purchase? Is it the same for all laundry segments, for instance stain fighters or fabric softener?

Loyalty and sale price. When it comes to detergent, I’m a loyal user of 3 brands. I’m willing to try new things but since I’ve used the same ones for so long, it’s just habit to keep buying them. I always wait for it to come on sale too. Even if I have 3 bottles, if a good sale is happening, I stock up. I always Now with stain fighters and fabric softener, I usually go for what’s on sale.

How do you choose which retailer to shop at?

I shop at Wal-mart or Kmart because that is what we have. There is only one other grocery store that is way to expensive to shop at.

SHOPPING

How do you identify the laundry aisle?

It’s before the beer and after the toilet paper! lol

Do you go to the laundry aisle if laundry isn’t on your list?

No. Do y’all?

How do you select your laundry items in the aisle? What do you select first, second…? Do you start at one end of the aisle and work down? Only pick up what is on your list?

I always get my detergent first, fabric softener second, static sheets third, and bleach last. And I only get what’s on my list. Who wants to spend extra in that aisle? I don’t.

Do you ever stock up on laundry items (buy more than what you immediately need)? Why or why not?

If it’s a great sale, then yes I do. If I got a coupon that makes it a great price, then yes I do.

Do you spend time in the aisle to notice what’s new or to browse?

I really don’t. Like I said earlier, the last thing I want to do is spend my extra time shopping for something I hate to do. The best way to get my attention with a new product at the store is to have it in the middle aisle or on the end cap.

Anything that irritates you about the aisle or that would make it a better shopping experience?

Not really. The only thing that comes to mind is when a brand does a new design and I can’t figure out which one it is that I normally buy. I love the variety of scents though because I like to mix it up, even in the laundry room.

USAGE

Describe your laundry routine?

I have a laundry basket with the 3 bins separating whites, colors, and darks. My “darks” are our jeans and I have another laundry basket for towels, sheets, etc. I start with whites always just in case something happens to bleed from the colors. I move to jeans, colors, then towels. I use detergent and softener, putting them in the washer first. Once done, I throw them in the dryer while tossing another load in the washer. Once dry, I throw them all on the folding table I have directly across from the dryer. I have a bar to hang up shirts and I fold everything else and leave it on the table until done. Once everything is folded and hung up, I use my awesome laundry basket, like the ones you find a laundry mats, to take the clothes to their home. It makes it much easier for me instead of walking back and forth. The whole process repeated daily, over and over again. blech

Do you have an HE machine?

Not yet!

Do you have help from other family members?

Yes, my two oldest boys do their own laundry. I don’t touch theirs. My oldest is great at it. Washes, puts in the dryer, and puts them up immediately. My middle son is not as disciplined. He does the washer and dryer but then throws them on the folding table until I make him put them up.

What products do you use in your laundry routine? What laundry additives do you use? Do you use them in every load?

Every load except whites get detergent, softener and static sheets. Whites get that and bleach. Tough stains get pretreated.

Are you happy with the results you get?

Yes, I’ve developed a regimen that works for me and I’m very happy with it. Our clothes are clean, don’t fade, and smell good.

Do you have any personal tips or tricks that you use to approach laundry problems (ie, tough stains)?

Most of the time, I use coke to get stains out like blood and grease, which is common ’round here. Coke seems to get out anything. And yes, even on whites.

Also, I find that having a bar to hang clothes and a folding table really makes it easier. I’m more apt to get them out and put them up right then. Always keep hangers on your bar.

What problems/stains do you have in the laundry room that you would like help with?

My problem is motivation. The only help you can give me is a maid that will do it for me.

I’m not a spotless gal by any means!!! I could have totally cleaned this up before taking pictures but I knew I had to keep it real with you guys. Below is my folding table where we throw everything to from the dryer. Underneath is out dog food, another basket of dirty clothes, and our wet/dry vac.

Here’s my washer and dryer. I keep the detergent on the dryer and the bleach, softener, stain fighters, and static sheets up in the cabinet. You can see my bar, with hangers.

And this is my favorite laundry basket. It’s just like the ones at the laundry-mat! lol It was here when we moved in and I ain’t givin’ it up! It has dirty sheets and stuff right now but normally it’s filled with clean clothes to be put up.

So, these are the things that work for me. To recap:

Do at least one load a day.
Have a hanging bar for when clothes come right of the dryer. Prevents wrinkling too;)
Use a folding table.
Use a laundry basket with bins so that your clothes are already separated.
Make your kids do their own laundry! lol

ENTER TO WIN

As part of the entire “Complete the Cycle” campaign, the folks at Clorox & Collective Bias sent me a very nice little laundry kit, and have given me FIVE kits to give away here onACowboy’s Wife Each kit includes:

* A laminated copy of the Complete the Cycle Laundry Regimen Guide
* 50 oz bottle of Laundry Detergent
* 34 oz bottle of Downy Ultra
* 22 oz bottle of Clorox 2 Ultra
* A Clorox Bleach Pen
* Coupon for 1 Free bottle of Clorox Bleach
* A Flip Fold- Ultimate Folding Tool
* A laundry basket

Collective Bias and their client, Clorox, used our input to come up with this free printable “Complete the Cycle” laundry guide. It covers how to use various additives and has a handy stain removal chart!

To enter:

Leave a comment telling me YOUR laundrey habits?? What tips can you share with us about the way you do laundry? Share your favorite brands and why you love them or tell me the ones you don’t like and why. Lemme hear all about it!

This giveaway will run from 8/17 until midnight EST 9/1.

Frigidaire – Moved to Team Affinity Washer and Dryer

A Cowboy's Wife — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:15:08 +0000

Some of you may recall me being on Team Dishwasher for Frigidaire and Mom Central but the appliance was in such demand that they could not fulfill the orders in time so I’ve been moved to Team Washer and Dryer! I will received a brand new RED Affinity Washer & Dryer that are front loading. OH YEAH BABY!

Check out the features too on these suckers! I’ve never had anything so fancy. I don’t know if I’ll even want to put bloody, caked on mud jeans into these red beauties but I reckon it’ll be quite the test to just how well they do work.

Frigidaire has a whole line of new appliances so check them out if you get a chance!

Frigidaire Affinity 3.5 Cu. Ft. Front Load Washer

Affinity Washer Available in Classic Red, Classic Black and Classic White and shown with optional pedastal.

27″ W x 36″ H x 28″ D
Features:

* WashSense™ Technology: WashSense™ technology ensures clothes get clean with care.
* Advanced Rinse Technology: Final rinse uses fresh water to ensure whiter whites and reduce allergens.
* Balance Control System: Vibration control technology keeps even oversized loads balanced for smooth, quiet operation. Ideal for use on second floors.
* Express-Select™ Controls: Easily select options and cycles with the touch of a button.
* Quick Cycle: A fast, 25-minute wash cycle.
* Add-a-Garment: With just the touch of a button, easily add an extra piece to the washer once a cycle has started.
* TimeWise™ Technology: With TimeWise™ technology, wash time equals dry time – so you don’t wait for clothes to dry.
* Save Your Settings: Automatically save your last wash setting so you can save time when doing laundry.
* Energy Saver Option: Reduces water temperature which saves energy when washing clothes.
* Multiple options: Over 15 wash options including Energy Saver and Stain Clean
* Multiple Cycles: Seven wash cycles including Whitest Whites and Deep Clean Sanitize.
* NSF Certification: Washer includes cycles up to 153 degrees to ensure your laundry will be 99.9% bacteria free.
* Delay Start: Set your washer to begin washing on your schedule. It can be programmed from 1 to 14 hours.

Frigidaire Affinity 7.0 Cu. Ft. Gas Dryer

Affinity Dryer Available in Classic Red, Classic Black and Classic White and shown with optional pedastal.

27″ W x 36.25″ H x 29.7″ D
Features:

* Fits-More™ Dryer: 7.0 cu.ft. Dryer The largest capacity dryer in a standard size¹ lets you dry more at once.
* DrySense™ Technology: Dries your clothes more precisely, reducing wrinkles.
* Express-Select™ Controls: Easily select options and cycles with the touch of a button.
* Quick Cycle: A fast, 25-minute dry cycle.
* Save Your Settings: Save your Settings: Automatically saves your last dry setting so you can save time when doing laundry.
* Multiple Cycles: Seven dry cycles including Ultra Delicates and Heavy Duty.
* Multiple options: 12 dry options including Shrink Guard Ultra and Extended Tumble.
* NSF Certification: Dryer includes ‘Sanitize’ temperature settings to ensure your laundry will be 99.9% bacteria free.