Planet - Cuz It'll Be On It Forever

So I get this sample of this 100% biodegradable heavy duty hypo-allergenic not-tested-on-animals 2x Ultra laundry detergent, 2 load sample, called "Planet". I'm looking at the bottle right now. The small plastic bottle. The small strong thick plastic bottle. I've seen their products around. They come in plastic bottles. I went to their site to find out a little more about them. Here's a fun quote: "The name Planet was arrived at when a child of one of the founding partners suggested that it would be a great name for a company that genuinely cared about the environment."

Gotta say, I can't really take seriously a product called Planet that comes in bottles that will only harm the planet. When you go to the FAQs, they kind of dance around that with the whole thing that it's hard far a small business to find good packaging etc etc blah blah blah and on. The bottle DOES, in all fairness, ask you to please recycle. That fixes pretty much everything. Yeah. Of course.

Now, this is an OK product. And if there were NO other alternatives and you could NOT avoid buying something in plastic, then hey! Sure! Go for it! And pay too much while you are at it! Oh and it's great for your HE machine too! You know, the one that get's to stinkin' every so often? But there ARE alternatives. Really good ones. I have written about them. We do NOT need packaging in plastic. So, they can call this stuff whatever they want, but I will not buy it, I will not recommend it. Seventh Generation is at least experimenting with alternative packaging. Not that I use that either. My stuff has next to no packaging, except the box they come in. My stuff from that one box lasts like a year. This stuff lasts... even months? I don't know. 

Don't call yourself all great and harmless, if you aren't 100% there. I know I'm not, personally, but I'm trying. This... well, take a look at images of landfills and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and tell me again how to justify adding more plastic to either. I don't. Do you? This product does. It just plain does. It may be superior to that other stuff that is not biodegradable and hypo-allergenic and not tested on animals, sure. But it's not absolved. Not even a little.

Harsh? Eh.

Encouraging Forgetfulness, Now With Chemicals!

I don't won't never will use dryer sheets. Can't stand the smell of them. The thought of them leaving all their chemicals behind on my clothes and my sheets to just sit on my skin makes me feel all crawly.

BUT DON'T WORRY! You no longer need to rely on your poor memory for dryer sheets! No more forgetting them! We are SAVED! Bounce has brought us the Bounce Dryer Bar. Procter & Gamble to the rescue, again.

Oh I shudder to think what gooey glop of chemicals make up this thing. Can't really find it easily on the site. But, yeah. for all those forgetful types who just can't be bothered to remember the dryer sheet, this thing just sticks right on in on the wall of your dryer. The heat and your clothes bumping up against it release its magic into your life.

If you discover you don't like it, guess what - you already bought it and you now have this plastic thing that you have to pry out of your dryer, just to toss out into the world. I was amused by this little blurb in the FAQs about if it should stain your clothes: "Well, the super smart scientists at Procter and Gamble spent a whole five years developing the Bounce® dryer bar to assure there will be even and consistent benefits to your glorious clothes. If it so happens that you do develop a stain, re-wash your garment and it should come out, no problem!" Great. It MIGHT stain, so now you have to use twice the water if it does. Lovely. Now, mind you, not only does this stuff get all over your skin and into your system, but next time you wash everything, there are still plenty of chemicals left there to wash back into the environment. 

Yay! It's such a win-win!

I've lived happily and relatively static-free without dryer sheets for years now. I can't imagine how this thing is a necessity in anyone's life. But by all means, watch the commercials. They are such a celebration of the massive airheads we have become. Let's keep going that way. It's so helpful.

I Feel Rude, but Justified

I'm really not, especially compared to other people in this town/country/world, but sometimes I feel rude even when I'm not being really THAT rude. Apartment living's bigger pain in the ass: shared laundry. I'm one of those that will see someone's finished stuff in the washer or dryer and give them the benefit of a little bit more time to get their stuff. It's a small building and we only have 2 of each machines. I can wait a bit most times.

Nicer than ours, frankly

Today, I went all the way down there (we are as far as you can get from the laundry room, so I just consider it good exercise and great stair-climbing) more than once, and I gave them at least an hour. No go. Still in the washers. I was done being patient. It's funny, I am always prepared to feel sheepish should the offending washer-hog burst in on my touching their stuff. I even considered putting an apology note. "Sorry, I waited as long as I could" kind of thing. But wait - aren't they the ones being rude by not being on top of their laundry, in a building on a day when laundry's gonna get done by lots?

Why am I worried about being rude when they aren't at all concerned?

As I remove their stuff and put it... elsewhere... I notice they have done both loads in hot water. This is not necessary. Pretty much ever. Everyone knows that. The only thing hot water does is waste energy. So now this person has wasted my time and some of that energy out there that we all use/need/pay for.

I feel justified. And I don't feel nearly as bad that I dropped an item on the floor for a second.

Now, if  you'll excuse me, I have to check my laundry, as I dream like I always do about my someday-laundry-room of my very own. It'll be magnificent. And chemical-free, thank you, please.