How to Become a Laundry Goddess

1. Decide that you need more storage for your mudroom. Put all hats and mittens in a basket. Have no idea what to do with kids' sweatshirts, which are rarely worn in the winter.
2. Buy a cherry-stained poplar bench that opens up for storage.
3. Be unable to ignore strong toxic stain odor once bench is uncrated.
4. Leave hinged lid open for a week in the mudroom, and leave mudroom window open when weather allows. (Weather will allow for a couple of hours one day during this period.)
5. Decide that strong toxic stain odor has diminished. Do not realize that you're just so used to it, you can't even notice it anymore.
6. Put all of the kids' sweatshirts in the bench and close the lid tightly. Be sure you have not left out a single sweatshirt.
7. After another couple of weeks, suggest that your oldest child wear a sweatshirt to Sunday school, since she insists on wearing a T-shirt but you fear she will be chilly.
8. Remove sweatshirt from bench. Recoil from strong toxic stain odor emanating from sweatshirt. Realize with sinking heart that all kids' sweatshirts could now be used as airborne biohazard warfare weapons. Wish you'd paid more attention to HazMat warnings.
9. Wash everything in liquid Tide. Notice virtually no improvement in odor situation.
10. Call Nancy. Ask her whether Febreze can go in the washing machine, since you don't want to be spraying it for the rest of your life. She doesn't know, but she suggests adding Borax to washing machine.
11. Call Febreze people. Learn that there is a new Febreze product, a Laundry Odor Eliminator! Go to Shaw's but be unable to find it. Call Stop & Shop. No luck. Call Omni. No. Call <shudder> Wal-Mart. Nope. Target. Nix. Give up. Discover online laundry discussion group. No one can find Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator anywhere! But someone who asked whether regular Febreze can go in the washing machine is told that no, it must be sprayed on dry garments. Suspect that Febreze spray and Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator are the same product in different bottles but be too cowardly to test this hypothesis.
12. Wash everything in liquid Tide and Borax. Notice a slight improvement in odor situation.
13. Wash everything in liquid Tide, Borax, and Oxi-Clean. (Be unable to recall why or when you bought Oxi-Clean.) Notice a slight improvement in odor situation.
14. Repeat Step 13 three more times. Declare sweatshirts odor-free! Realize that your entire day was spent in the laundry room. Shake fist at people who stained bench so stinkily. Shake fist at Febreze people for not distributing Laundry Odor Eliminator widely enough.
15. Notice that bench is missing. Discover it airing out in garage. Thanks, Andy.

Comments

[jo]

They sell the Fabreze laundry stuff at Shaw's, at least the one in Auburndale does(did at least) Have you tried Victory in Waltham on main street? Just look for a small version of a whisk laundy jug, you know with a big wide mouth cap. Dark blue bottle. It's in that shape, not the Fabreze shape. Then head over to Container store in Chestnut hill and buy Trash magic. They are charcoal filters about 3" square that have a small piece of sticky tape on the back to stick them to the lid of a trashcan. You don't need to stick them, just sprinkle them liberally in the new bench.

[Karen]

The Shaw's in Auburndale is where I went! Hmmmm...either they were out of it, or I totally missed it. I'll look again, thanks! And thanks for the tip on the charcoal filters. I haven't been to the Container Store yet.

[John]

Febreze Laundry odor eliminator available at:
Wal-Mart($8.68 1.5L), Hy-Vee($5.99 1L),
Schnucks($5.49 1L). Great stuff!

[Roberta]

Did you really find the non-spray kind of Febreze at Walmart? I 've been looking for months (Longs, Target, Safeway), but haven't tried there. I can't believe P&G has discontinued this because it's clear that there IS no competing product and that there are a lot of us out there looking for something that works. I wrote them, but no reply (what a surprise. Not!) The first (and last) bottle I bought worked like a dream, love to find it again or something to substitute.

[Jo - Help!]

Nobody in Mississippi has it. I've GOT to find it. Anybody? Is there somewhere to order it online? I'm a desperate housewife (well, no housewife here, lol)!!

[Jennifer]

I've been looking, too. I suspected that P&G may be working to get the product exclusively into their own laundry products, so that you need to buy the detergent to get the febreze. I did some searching tonight and saw this from their websites: http://www.tide.com/freshapproach/?venue=2230030
Looks like Tide, Downy and Bounce with febreze.

[jordan]

Why all the fuss over Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator? What does this product do?

[Karen]

I don't know, I'm just hoping that someday there will be a product that you can add to the laundry that will remove strong odors without adding some horrible "fragrance."

[your mom]

ok, the company in charge of the stuff is named 'changing paridigms'

its website can be found here: http://www.cparadigms.com/

you can find places they are available at this page: http://www.cparadigms.com/wheretobuy.asp

but you still dont know if it is available in ur city, only if the store carries it.
: /

anyway... i guess you could click on the contact link and email them abt your city. that would be helpful

[Randy Chambers]

I work for P&G and sell febreeze. Good stuff

[Jenifir]

I work for the company who manufactures Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator under license from P&G. It has NOT been discontinued and there are no plans to do so!! In fact, we're putting marketing $$ against it to boost awareness and trial of this product. It is NOT the same formula as Febreze spray. If you're having trouble locating the product locally (we are working now to expand its distribution), you can order it online at www.newfebreze.com. Currently, we have a $2 coupon you can use for an online order or download and use at your local retailer.

[Elizabeth]

I buy the Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator @ kmart. In NJ, it is about $9.50 a bottle, but it really works on the smelly beach towels, clothes worn for fishing and gardening. But it really works on sweaty clothes left in the hamper!!!!!!!!!!!

[bibelot]

when i began searching for the aforementioned febreze product over 2 years ago i usually found nothing. now all i find is people complaning that they can't find it. it is completely ironic that the company apparently responsible for marketing this product has the name paradigm. and, the link above from mr. chambers gives an error page if you try to request a coupon. enough is enough, shift this - i found another product: biokleen Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator. anyone for a boycott of febreze for possibly the worst example of customer service?

[bibelot]

ooops, sorry, the offending link is from jenifir not mr chambers.

[tina]

I too saw that lone commercial that aired one time. I then went on a quest looking for febreze odor eliminator. I live in the Wash DC area near Baltimore. I found the product at the Super Fresh in Elkridge. I don't know if all the Super Fresh chains in the area carry it. I did notice that the price has gone up from $5.99 to $6.29 in two weeks time. I also called the phone number on the back of the package--the representative said that you must request for the product where you normally shop. Good Luck

[Maritza Luciano]

Would like to know where I can find the NEW sent of Febreze called :Fresh Evergreen and Snow:Limited Edition..We have gone to Walmart and it is out of stock in Orlando Florida..Please help where we can purchase?
Yhank-you!