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.
hillarious as usual ma’ammmm,
I clean my garbage disposal with citrus.
drop a frozen orange, lemon or tangerine in there
and turn on the water low then start your disposal.
it cleans, and freshens; in addition to sharpening.
also I put celery leftovers from chopping into my
disposal to also get rid of odor. celery neutralizes
as does white vinegar.
once a week I pour a cup of hot water and 1/2 a cup
of white vinegar in there before I go to bed; and its
fresh in the morning.
also use white vinegar in your rinse cycle and your washer
will never have an odor. as well your whites will be brighter.
oooo,tell monica that last tip. I’m sure she’ll love it.(wink*wink)
Why clean your washer with harsh chemicals? Smelly Washer is all natural, has 24 treatments (up to a 1 year supply) and after it cleans your washer it safely & easily removes mildew odor from your towels and clothing. To compare affresh & Smelly Washer go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua6OJPn0-fU
Oh boy. I have cleaned my dishwasher but neer my washer. One more thng to add to the do to list…. That I’ll get to about 20 years 🙂
Jj
I know! Can’t you just wait til it explodes from stinkyness and just buy a new one?
You can just toss a lemon or lime peel down the disposal for the same effect.
I’ve heard that very same thing. Of course now I’m hearing you shouldn’t put ANYTHING down your drain anymore because it still all blocks up the pipes.
Oh baby I’m a totally freaked out clean nut and here I’ve been usin’ bleach in my dishwasher, washer and drains once a week on Deep Clean Fridays. Who knew there were special product for such things??? Heck I use dishwasher detergent plus bleach (yep,I can be a scientist too!) in my jacuzzi bath each and every week to clean out the water jets. Products for such things….gee…I do need to get out more!
Heeehehehehe!!!
God bless and have a squeaky clean fresh smellin’ day sweetie!!!
Wait a second. You have Deep Clean Fridays? We call that Spring Cleaning in these here parts. And we do it every third Spring, whether it needs it or not.
I don’t know what either of you are talking about. Deep Clean Fridays? Spring Cleaning? Huh?
Like you, Margaret, I had no idea that appliances built for cleaning, had to be cleaned. As soon as I post this, I am going back in time to before I read your post, so I still won’t know. The closest I come to maintenance on said appliances is when I buy oranges that I don’t eat because they give me chapped lips. I wait until they are just about ready to explode, they put them in the garbage disposal and flip the switch. It makes it smell oh so orangey…..going back now.
I found the fact that oranges chap your lips intriguing. I’ve never heard anyone say that before. Also? You cracked me up when you say you wait until they are just about ready to explode. When is that exactly, and have you ever accidentally waited until it was too late? Of course, since you’ve gone back in time, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about. Again.
I kind of get the Affresh thing because when the front load washers first came out, some models had a problem with moisture building up in the front panel and the whole machine getting a mildewy smell. I used to do in home surveys for a moving company and walked into many a fancy laundry room with high-tech washers and dryers that smelled ooky.
ooky! I love that word. What’s that called when you say a word that sounds like what it means? An onomatopoeia? Yeah, that.
Nice chatting with you tonight!
I used to be Monica, and then I had kids, but NOT a boob job,
Kimberly
Hi Kimberly (fka Monica)! It was nice meeting you too. See you at the next “thing” event.
Um, I live with 4 men. Everything they touch, look at, and think about, smells.Do they make a “puck-bomb” version so I could just throw into the house, slam the door shut and let it explode? Or could I just send all these men to the lovely people at Affresh™ ?
Dear Nicky,
Thank you for your interest in Affresh products. Puck bombs are available online only as they have to be kept in a sealed vault some distance from our warehouses so as not to pervade and corrupt the powdery orange smell of our standard line of pucks.
I know all about the innerseal. Because one time, the maintenance guy (that came for free with the agreement) told me I needed it replaced (for free) so I let him. BUt he put it in wrong and the water shot OUT THE SIDE of the washer the second he left and completely destroyed my laundry room. I have never been so furious.
But I am thrilled that my washer has never smelled. I’ve heard that the Maytag ones smelled really bad and I didn’t buy that brand, so I’ve never worried. I have heard other people say something about smelly front loaders. Thankfully, mine is not!
See now we have a Maytag front loader and it has never smelled. Not that I’ve ever gotten close enough to it to notice. 🙂
Here I thought this was going to be a way to freshen the goats! LOL!
I think I may have to try the dishwasher tablets for sure!
They should be tracking you down to review it!
“And if you have OCD of the housecleaning mind, have I got the obsessive cleaning product for you!”
Um, hello! Have we met? I AM MONICA. And I am LOVING these products. I did know all about cleaning you washing machine/dryer & disposal. And now, these will make my life SO MUCH BETTER.
Thank you!
Well, hello, Monica. It’s so nice to meet you. And I’m so glad to be of service to you and your people. 🙂
My OCD is doing round-off-back-handsprings right now!
I have a cow-orker (hyphenation intentional) who has chronic meat-eater breath. I wonder if I put one of those in his coffee, would it help?
Thank you for your interest in Affresh(circle R) products. Your questions are very important to us. We have thoroughly researched your question and can confidently say that yes, it is perfectly safe to put one of these tablets in his coffee. Just make sure it is hot coffee and that you put it on the most aggressive setting.
The publicist says I am her garbage disposal and she does not think I should eat one of these although she thinks she would much prefer my goat gas smell like orange candy than what it currently smells like….
I just checked the instructions and it doesn’t say anything about whether or not to feed it to goats. I would call the manufacturer on this one, if you’re still considering it.