Two New Products to Help Make Laundry Duty Easier

Laundry duties have become easier, faster, and more convenient, because of several manufacturer's new products. The latest laundry machines practically sort, iron, and fold your laundry. Laundry detergents and fabric softeners have become compact in size and more convenient to use.

It began with the "Downy Ball." You filled up your "Downy Ball" with fabric softener, closed the lid and added it to the washing machine at the beginning of the cycle. It ended trying to rush to the washing machine and catch the rinse cycle before the machine filled up again. The, "Downy Ball," opens at the spin/rinse cycle and adds fabric softener to your wet laundry. There are also dry fabric softener sheets. You add one to the dryer at the beginning of the cycle. Liquid laundry soap and fabric softener are now combined in one easy product. Ultra concentrated laundry liquid detergents are more economically cost wise, but you have to remember to carefully measure to prevent detergent overload.

Purex has introduced a new laundry product called "Purex Complete 3-in-1." It's a fabric sheet with a combination of detergent, fabric softener and anti-static ingredient. "Purex Complete 3-in-1" comes in the form of a white soft fabric sheet, size, 7 by 4.5 inches, with a layer of blue detergent and a green stripe of fabric softener and anti-static material at the top. You drop a sheet of "Purex Complete 3-in-1" in your washer and after the wash cycle is complete just transfer the sheet with your wet laundry to your dryer.

Purex recommends using a medium dryer setting. If you have a front loader washing machine, add "Purex Complete 3-in-1" to your laundry and then start washer. If you have a top loader washing machine, start washer, add "Purex Complete 3-in-1" and then add laundry. Purex also recommends you use one sheet for a large load and two "Purex Complete 3-in-1" sheets to extra load laundry sizes. Purex also advise you don't use "Purex Complete 3-in-1" for any flame resistant clothing because it retards the flame resistant factor.

I tried "Purex Complete 3-in-1" spring oasis scent, and found it easy to use. It eliminates lugging large bottles of detergent and fabric softener, and messy measuring. It performed well cleaning my large loads and softened them, leaving a fresh scent. My only complaint is that it's not convenient for smaller loads because of the pre-applied detergent amount. It seems too much for small loads. The cost for a 20-count "Purex Complete 3-in-1" was $5.54 at Wal-Mart. It's available on all retail shelves.

Another new product called "Bounce Dryer Bar," by Procter and Gamble, is a new and easier way to use fabric softener in your dryer. It comes prepackaged with a fabric softener bar and a holder. You remove the paper backing off the holder and firmly apply it to your flat dryer wall. You insert a disposable softener bar into the holder. Be sure you place it securely in the end tabs or the bar will fall off into the dryer while spinning. "Bounce Dryer Bar," provides freshness, softness and static control for approximately two months depending on laundry frequency. As the, "Bounce Dryer Bar," wears down, a replacement indicator will appear, and then you remove the old bar and insert a new, "Bounce Dryer Bar." A two month bar runs around five dollars, which is great considering the two month usage time. "Bounce Dryer Bar," also comes in a four month bar size which runs around $8.

I tried the, "Bounce Dryer Bar," fresh linen scent, and found it easy to apply. My laundry came out soft and static free. I like the convenience of not having to worry about adding fabric softener with every load.

Procter and Gamble recommend you don't use, "Bounce Dryer Bar," on flame retardant items because it may reduce flame resistance. If spotting occurs they recommend you rub the laundry item with a bar of soap and rewash in warm water.

Both "Bounce Dryer Bar" and "Purex Complete 3-in-1" should be kept from children and pets to prevent accidental ingestion per manufacturer's recommendations.

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