We love this posting from PLAID+HOUND Blog!

"You’ve just dropped part of your lunch on your pristine white blouse. Again. Don’t fret, the stain will be history after you hit it with the Wash & Stain Bar. Brought to you by The Laundress, this multi-tasking bar removes stains from problematic areas like straps, collars, cuffs and more, and is ideal for hand washing and cleaning up while on the go. The crisp scent also makes this bar perfect to use as a sachet; tuck one into your dresser drawer, luggage, or closet to freshen and renew the contents. Your clothes will last so much longer when you can successfully remove those stubborn stains!"

We find these facts so interesting from www.nowirehangersbiz.com!

• According to the EPA about 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable, yet our recycling rate is just 28%.


• An energy-efficient home saves up to $400 a year in utility costs.


• About 3.5 billion wire hangers get dumped into U.S. landfills every year, according to the Hanger Network. Thats about 60,000 cars.


• We wear 20% of the clothes we own 80% of the time. The rest hangs there, just in case.


• Each year, 100 million trees are used to produce junk mail. Each year, about 100 million households receive 16.6 billion catalogs.


• According to a study conducted by a Boston marketing firm, the average American burns 55 minutes a day looking for things they know they own but cannot find.


• If all U.S. households received and paid their bills online, it would eliminate more than 800,000 tons of waste each year.


• The National Soap and Detergent Association believes getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40 percent of the housework in the average home.


• If every household in the US replaced just one roll of 1,000-sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissue with 100% recycled rolls, we could save 373,000 trees, 1.48 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 155 million gallons of water. -Seventh Generation


• In the United States right now, landfills are filling up and closing at the rate of approximately 2 a day.


• If every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars annually.


• Americans toss out more than 100 million cell phones every year.


• A glass bottle thrown away today will still be there in the year 3000.


• Harris Interactive reports that 23% of adults say they pay bills late (and incur fees) because they lose them.


• Ikea did a survey of customers in which 31% reported that they were more satisfied after clearing out their closets then they were after sex.

THE LAUNDRESS GIVEAWAY...

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Tell us about your machine and the first 15 people get a

FREE Machine Cleaner.
(Only valid to US clients, post your comments with a valid e-mail address)

We are always getting recommendation requests for washer/dryer units. I asked Ted, a long time Laundress client and laundry enthusiast about his washing machine......needless to say, I'm jealous! -Gwen

Gwen - As for washers - I could go on forever, but I will try to spare you. To cut to the chase, I love my Asko W6761 (5 years old) and wouldn't part with it for the world. It is a European-style front loader with its own built-in heater. It has only a cold-water fill, and it heats the wash water from cold through various stages to the final temperature. This so-called "profile wash" enables enzymes to work at the optimal temperature for each kind of stain, then holds at the final temperature for a minimum of 20 minutes. A warm wash (40°C) with The Laundress detergents provides unbelievable results with my daughter's play clothes... Grass, grime, food stains, etc., just disappear. The machine also rinses up to seven times, removing every last trace of detergent residue (but not The Laundress lovely scent!). Since I have a whole house water softener, the extra rinses are especially important, as it takes longer for the foam to go away in soft water. Finally, it is superb at extraction, so the clothes are nearly dry when you take them out. Also, the Asko is amazing at removing lint. They did a feature on this once in Consumer Reports - washed some black shirts with linty towels, etc. - and the contrast between the Asko and everything else was incredible.

That said, these washers are not for everyone. First, they run on 220v, which many Americans do not have in their laundry rooms. There are other non-standard requirements, such as a shorter drain standpipe. And although Asko used to get very high scores in almost every area from Consumer Reports (when they still rated this style of machine), they were always downgraded for "capacity". These are 5kg machines (11 pounds) - which is fine for me, but they will not hold a king size comforter. Also, the cycle times are long, up to 2 hours, so to save all your wash for one day is impractical.

Finally - although they have a great warranty of 3 years parts and labor - one would need to be very sure there was good service in their area. The service in Los Angeles has been superb, but I would call Asko customer service about other cities before buying. Oh, and did I mention these are expensive? Currently over $3000 for washer and dryer together.

Here is the link to the current model (W6903).

This is not to be confused with Asko's "XXL Laundry Series" which is built especially for the American market. That model (WL6511) runs on 110V and holds a king-size duvet, but it cannot do a profile wash and its vibration is terrible, according to CU.
Unfortunately, Asko's only real competition, Miele, has pulled its 220V European machines from America, and now only sells its version of an American machine, which was also down rated for vibration.

Most of the upscale new front loaders (Speed Queen, Duet, LG, etc.) have a heating element, but note that they cannot do a European-style profile wash.
They depend on hot-water fills and can temporarily boost temperatures from around 50°C to 70°C, but could not for instance maintain a long 40°C wash cycle.

For more information on current upscale front loaders, I would refer customers to Consumer Reports. They update their ratings every few months (latest in Feb. '09, where they top-rated the Samsung WF448AA for $1500).

Washing with The Laundress

Lindsey and I moved our offices in December but it wasn’t until around February that our office washing machine and dryer got all set up. We kind of “acquired” a washing machine so despite our wish to get the LG steaming machines we accepted the Whirlpool we had. The Whirlpool is sort of odd or rather unique in which it is a top loader, HE, agitator-less machine (while most HE non agitators are front loaders).

We called Gringer and Sons to get the appropriate matching dryer and found out we had a new option for a “steam” dryer. PERFECT! It was almost as good as our dreams of the LG steam cleaning…..and so it begins...

Welcome to washing with The Laundress!
-Gwen