Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Super Concentrated

This week Shannon is talking about keepsake boxes for her own Works For Me Wednesday post of the new year. Shannon, at Rocks in my Dryer, hosts this tips carnival, where hundreds of folks give fabulous tips on Kids, parenting, cleaning, grocery shopping and who knows what! We took a month off from WFMW and I am so pleased to have it back again. Please read through my tip this week, leave a comment, then head on over to Rocks in my Dryer for more fabulous ideas.

Have you seen this bottle before? Mine is the fragrance free variety, but it's the newest bottle of Clorox 2. It is smaller, leaner and more concentrated than it's previous incarnation. In fact, the last change they made was an even smaller version than the one before. The thing that doesn't get well publicized is that the CAP is the same size as it was before.


Do you see those little tiny green lines in the green cap? Yep, SO easy to see. I decided to help you all out and put in black dots and black numbers to help you see the lines.

The bottle of Clorox 2 says that it contains "33 uses when measured to line 1." (That's the very first line at the very bottom of the cap.)

The next set of instructions say: "Fill cap to line 2 for extra dirty or large loads, OR fill to line 1 for the HE (High Efficiency) machines or for regular loads. "

I looked all over the bottle for a reason to fill up to the line 3 mark. There isn't a reason. Well, there isn't a stated reason! The reason the line 3 mark is there, is so that you will fill it all the way to the top of the cap. You use more product, you have to buy more often.

I filled it all the way up to the 3rd line the very first time I used this new bottle - I just wasn't paying attention. When I actually looked at the back of the bottle is when I realized that I probably used about 5 loads of product for one load of regular soiled clothing. I knew immediately that this was going to be my tip for the new year.

Don't do as I did and just fill 'er up! The containers are getting smaller and the amount of product we need to use is getting smaller. This is also true when it comes to laundry soaps and powders. Read the back of the box to see how much you are really supposed to be using. For my powdered laundry soap, I actually use half of what they recommend and then I also use the Clorox 2. My clothes look and feel and smell great.

Here's to a great new year!
Enjoy!
Kristin

12 comments:

Wanda said...

Dear sweet angel that you are! Thank you for reminding me. I have a hissy fit every time I go to buy detergent lately!

HAVE YOU SEEN HOW THE PRICES ARE HOCKED TO THE ROOF??????

I am t'd off! Not only are they shrinking the bottle (as you noted) but they are totally ripping us off!
Great reminder....my very smart new friend!

FishMama said...

I discovered the same thing. Great reminder. Thanks!

Janelle said...

I just got the front loaders, and HE detergent. The instructions said to fill to the HIGHER line for HE machines. I asked both the installers and the repairman (don't get me started - the dryer was delivered not working right) and both told me that was WAY too much! They both told me, separately, not to follow the bottle instructions at all, but to use 1-2 Tablespoons of detergent. That's all I use, and it works wonderfully. They really do try and get you to use too much with their directions!!

Lorie said...

They do that with so many things! Thanks for the reminder!

Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville said...

Thanks for that!

Kristin - The Goat said...

Hi Wanda! Your very smart new friend here lol Thanks so much! Yep, paying attention is the key!

Hi FishMama! Thanks for the comment!

Janelle - All of my instructions for my HE front loaders say to use half or even a quarter of what is used in a normal top loading washer. I can't understand why anyone would tell you to use more. That would be the opposite of Efficiency! I'm sure it was a typo, it had to be.

Lori - it seems like every where you go someone is trying to pull a fast one.

Leigh - Hi! Thanks for stopping by!

Wanda said...

I was born October 12th....my hubby on the 22nd.
I'm 10 days older.....he loves to remind me of that during OCTOBER! Sweet guy!

Bailey's Leaf said...

I admit that I buy Surf in bulk at Sam's Club. I think that I pay about 13.00 for the huge box that does an obnoxious amount of laundry. Our last box is dated October 11 and I'm not near done with using it yet. (Yes, I date to see how many months it lasts!)

Any laundry tips are always appreciated. I think that most of us probably use a bit too much soap anyhow. They just make those measurements as clear as mud, don't they?!

Deni ~Denesia Christine said...

thanks so much for this tip! I had no idea.. I've been using the "3" line for years thinking my "large loads" justified it.

Anonymous said...

I really need to measure. You are so right. I'm probably pouring money down the drain. Literally. Thanks for the tip!

Unknown said...

Hi Kristin,

I work in marketing for Clorox 2, and I thought I'd address your concerns about our new cap. You are correct, there are no instructions to use line 3, and in fact, you normally wouldn't have to use more than line 2. It is actually a common practice in our industry to include a line 3 for future planning (if you look on some detergent caps, you will find the same). Because we are constantly trying to improve our product, we know that the recommended dosage can change. Also, if we decide to use that cap for a different product entirely, the dosing would be likely to change as well.

Even though there is no current use for the line 3, we know that sometime in the future, we may need to use it, either for this product or for another one entirely. You'd be surprised how expensive it can be for the company to make new caps all the time! We do appreciate your concern, and will definitely bring up the issue next time we have a discussion on our packaging.

We're glad you like our product, and I hope this cleared up your cap questions! If you have any other questions, feel free to reach the Clorox 2 brand team at clorox2challenge@gmail.com.

"J" said...

Great tip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love how they left you a comment on your blog!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!