Consumer affairs columnist (and my former colleague) Dan Higgins stumbled upon a well-guarded secret—the real reason the Maytag repairman has nothing to do. It isn’t because the appliances are so reliable. No, apparently it’s because Maytag dispatches Sears repairmen to make warranty repairs, then refuses to reimburse customers because Sears isn’t an authorized repair provider. At least that’s what happened to this nice elderly lady.
laundry
Sorority Sisters Suffer Ironic Laundry Detergent Injuries
By 5.2.09
A fraternity fundraiser for the D.C. Firefighter’s Burn Association at George Washington University included a super-fun Slip ‘n’ Slide lubricated with laundry detergent. Detergent isn’t supposed to be slathered all over the body, though, and can lead to severe skin irritation and chemical…um….burns.
Handwash Small Loads With The Laundry Pod
By 3.24.09
This is pretty neat, The Laundry Pod, an ecofriendly, oversized, salad-spinner-like device that you use to handwash your small loads. And, presumably, make a salad for 30. [Dexigner] (Thanks to c-side!)
By 3.3.09
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How To Cut Back On Dry Cleaning Dry-cleaning isn’t the only way to safely clean garments labeled dry clean only, and other methods might even do a better job. But it can be tricky to figure out when to dry-clean and when to hand- or machine-wash. [CR]
Tide: Mystery Of Different Loads For Different Scents Solved!
By 11.12.08
Reader Zack was curious why three different kinds of Tide detergent on the shelf had the same price and same volume, but the label said they delivered different amounts of loads. Consumer Reports investigated, and they have the answer.
Cheer Color Guard’s Newer Scoop Wastes More Detergent, Money
By 6.29.08 — Updated: 12.29.15
Adapting to the threat of informed consumers, the insidious Grocery Shrink Ray has mutated to enlarge select items. The Grocery Shrink Ray is seen here needlessly inflating the size of the scoop bundled with Cheer Color Guard detergent. Is Cheer encouraging consumers to burn through their product faster, or is the new Cheer simply less effective? Reader Mark investigates, inside…
Tide: Good For Removing Feces Stains
By 4.3.08 — Updated: 10.25.12
One of the many uses for Tide is feces stains, so the company decided to open up the discussion by starting a whole thread devoted to their removal. Sprinkled in and amongst the legitimate feces stain removal company area a few suspect comments, like “im david michler. i had feces all over myslef the other day and this tide works great! i dont know how i got it on me but when i woke up 3 guys ran out my room. and it was all over my shirt and pants. i used tide about 3 days after the incident and it got it out with very little stains left over. thank you tide. i love you.” Then there’s “Josie” who says that until Tide came along, she used to take his soiled underwear back to Walmart for a refund, and “tammy ampersand” who warns against using Mountain Fresh for douching, “as it attracts birds.” No doubt sociologists will some day come up with a technical term for this juvenile online behavior, which has been seen in the past in the Amazon product reviews for the “Oozinator” toy gun, and milk. My only disappointment is that the related thread, “Big Game Stains and Solutions” had nothing in there about getting elk blood out. The sure-to-be-soon deleted message board posts, inside…
By 3.21.08
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Laundry detergent is expensive. One “debt free” blogger has taken the time to mark up a detergent cap to show you how much product you’re probably wasting with every load. [No Credit Needed] (Thanks to J.C.!)
Use Every Last Drop Of Laundry Detergent
By 8.4.07
Reader Mark came up with a way to get at that last bit of laundry detergent, the stuff that intransigently clings to container walls, refusing to drip into your measuring cup. By punching a hole in the bottom corner of the container, Mark is able to extract enough detergent to clean a small or medium load of clothes. Do you have other ways of freeing residual detergent? Tell us in the comments.
Prevent Your Dryer From Catching Fire
By 3.17.07
Krunk4Ever! says that if you use dryer sheets you can extend the life of your dryer and prevent it from catching fire by washing the lint filter with hot soapy water and a brush once every six months.
Save On Laundry With Dryer Balls
By 3.16.07
UPDATE: Curbly might recommend, but it seems our readers don’t, with comments like: “Suck”, “Make[s] a racket,” and, “Dismayed.” Oh well.
Scented Clorox 54% Weaker Than Regular Clorox
By 2.12.07
Scented Clorox contains less than half the bleach of regular Clorox, reports Mouseprint.
Best Laundry Bag Ever
By 10.8.06
IKEA’s BULLA transcends the common sad sack to become a laundry bag worthy of accolade.
Tide Downsizes, Charges Same Price
By 7.28.06
New boxes of Tide have 17 oz less than before, yet consumers are asked to pay the same amount. But is it really an outrage?
