Have you ever shoved your head into your washing machine and taken a good whiff and thought, “pee-yoo!”? And then you’re having mojitos with the girls one night and you all lean in towards each other where you confide in a low voice, “Ladies, what do you do when your washing machine has that…not-so-fresh feeling?”
Who knew that appliances that clean required cleaning? Do you know that until now, I have not once, never ever ever, cleaned my washing machine or dishwasher or garbage disposal? I once saw Monica on Friends vacuum her vacuum cleaner and the audience roared because that was crazy behavior. Although, part of what probably makes it funny (and this is how comedy works so get out your pencils and take notes) is that Monica’s anal behavior is something many people can relate to because either they do the same thing, or want to do the same thing, or know someone who does the same thing. It SPEAKS to them.
And if you have OCD of the housecleaning mind, have I got the obsessive cleaning product for you! Reps from Affresh® sent me a couple of products to try and try them I did.
First, I threw an Affresh Power Puck® (yes, Power Puck® - that’s trademarked - you can’t borrow that) into my washing machine.
But my husband, who does the laundry, told me I couldn’t run a normal cycle in spite of the instructions instructing me to do so, because we can only run “hand wash” cycles in our house because we have a machine that likes to walk away during the spin cycle.
So I ran the puck through a hand wash cycle. That’s right, we have a washing machine that washes your clothes by hand. How’s THAT for progress and American Manifest Destiny?
Anyway, the puck still remained, albeit a bit smaller, after washing it by hand. So I begged and pleaded and told my husband that this was in the name of science and the blogging hopes of children all over the world, and the instructions said “normal cycle”, as in, what normal people do with their clothes, so he let me wash it in the normal cycle. That is, after he showed me where the buttons were because, like I’ve told you guys before, I don’t do the laundry, he does.
After that you take this little handi-wipe thingy called the Grit Grabber® - again, trademarked, don’t use it for your own fabulous product you invent - and you wipe the inner seal.
Wha….? What inner seal? There’s an inner seal? So I asked my husband to show me this alleged inner seal.
Oh my God, you guys. Did you know there’s this whole rubber seal thing with the door and it catches all kinds of water and dirt and whatever?
Only, because I’m married to Monica the Vacuum Cleaner Cleaner, my inner seal was already clean (don’t go there, this is a family-friendly blog.) He wipes it down periodically already so there was essentially no “residue”, or no “grit” to “grab”. (you’re still there, aren’t you.)
I’m still not sure what to make of this product. I shoved my head into the washing machine and it did indeed smell nice, or “fresh” if you will. So I asked my husband who has far more emotion invested in the laundry department than I and he said that such a thing was a good idea.
So all you Monicas out there, run right out and buy yourself this stuff. Just be sure and use the “normal” cycle because that Power Puck® knows how to withstand a mere hand-washing.
Find it in your grocer’s laundry aisle. Wherever THAT is.
Next up…the Affresh® dishwasher and garbage disposal cleaner.
I know! Who cleans their garbage disposal? Have you ever heard of such a thing? You have? Is your name Monica?
I wasn’t exactly sure what differences I should expect to notice, so I shoved my head into the machine and sniffed and tried to commit it to memory. And I looked all around the inside, studying the general look and feel of the thing. What was going to be different, I wondered. Would it suddenly sparkle? Would the Hallelujah Chorus burst into song when I opened it after using this stuff? Who knew?
What I did know was that whoo-boy! did the kitchen smell like citrus when I kicked this thing off. It smelled like powdery orange candy…mmmmm, orange candy.
If you’re on a diet at the moment - excuse me - food eating lifestyle change, one that involves abstaining from sugar, this dishwasher washing and garbage disposal cleansing could be a good experience or a bad one, depending on whether or not you dive into the pantry and polish off the Skittles and baby aspirin because of the wonderful aroma of orange candy. Let this be a warning.
At some point, you throw another one of those cleaning tabs down the sink drain with hot water and turn on the blender down there for a few seconds, wait 30 minutes and rinse with hot water. Wanna see?
Admittedly, I couldn’t “see” a difference as much as I could “smell” a difference. Even the garbage disposal smelled nice and I bet you can’t say that about yours at the moment.
So, if you’re a “Monica”, I’m thinking this stuff would be right up your alley. Or right down your drain. Or something.
Affresh®, for that not-so-fresh feeling. Of your home appliances.
