1.12.2007

laundry

I'm so happy about laundry right now! I know that sounds insane, but let me tell you why.

Florida is famous for mildew. I know, I used to be all hung up on the bugs, but now that they are under control, I've just about had it with the mildew. Seriously, if it would ever get below like 75 degrees it would help!!!! Our shower smells like mildew all the time, but we've finally figured out that it grows on the bottom of the drain. So if we take the drain off and clean the underside of it every few days, we're good. HOWEVER - our washer has been having a mildew smell and it's been making me very upset.

For those of you who don't know, I have a VERY sensitive sense of smell. I'm seriously like a super-smeller or something. It's not good when I walk in the door and immediately smell mildew. I've cleaned and cleaned the washer, run empty loads with bleach, and done everything I can figure to do.

So I researched it online. I eventually found my way to this website called SmellyWasher.com. It was nice to know that I was not the only one dealing with mildew in their washer, and I was certainly not the only one from Florida dealing with it! Long story short, when you use liquid detergent and liquid fabric softener, the wax in them builds up on the components of your washer, and over time, fungus grows. Ick! I immediately ordered their Purewasher product and followed the instructions for running it through 3 empty loads, letting one of the loads with water sit overnight. Each time I had to add hot water once the washer finished filling, because the fungus is supposedly the worst at the high water line.

Well, guess what! Now my washer is clean, it looks beautiful, smells normal, and my clothes are getting cleaner than ever! By the way, I immediately switched back to fabric softener sheets and POWDER detergent! It has made all the difference in the world, and I'm a happy girl. Sometimes it doesn't take much! :-P

Pretty good for my first post of the new year, huh? That just goes to show that we're not up to much. I'm back to walking every single day (I had slacked off a bit during the holidays) and feeling better than ever. I've been cooking a TON and each day I find myself excited to cook dinner! We've been eating vegetables like crazy. I've been scrapping some, counting points for Scrapfest (see previous post), and just trying to be happy. That's all I've got to say right now!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year Kerri!

Anonymous said...

Kerriosity - THANK YOU so much for the info on the "purewasher" at smellywasher.com !!!! We were ready to get a different washer the odor was so bad. I don't know if it was fungus, mold or mildew but our towels, clothes and machine all smell new again! Thanks again!

Anonymous said...

Kerriosity,
I am a life long resident of central florida. I stumbled upon your blog after googling washer mildew. :-) I had smelly towels and have just spent $200 on new ones...only to have them eventually smell too. I was going to buy the 'purewasher' stuff, but was wondering...do you have a front load washer? I have to do something. The smell is driving me mad! Any more info you have would be appreciated! dlfarrow@cfl.rr.com

BTW, your scrapbook pages are beautiful!