I've died and gone to laundry heaven

Laundry is kind of like cilantro… Most people vehemently hate it or simply tolerate it. I personally love cilantro—which may be why I’m also one of those outliers who actually enjoys doing laundry. I won’t let my housekeeper go near my hampers, and I wouldn’t even let my baby nurse wash the endless stream of onesies, bibs and burp cloths when I had one (despite the fact that I was a new mom recovering from childbirth and on barely any sleep). The actual folding is probably the main reason, as I’m all into the Kondo folding method to keep my drawers tidy (but I fold my husband and son’s clothes normally).

Growing up, my mom’s detergent of choice was Gain, so my detergent of choice was Gain. (OMG, when the scent-booster beads came out I was over the moon.) Even now, when I give one of my friends my son’s lightly-worn clothes for her younger son, their family actually calls it something along the lines of the “Axel smell.”

But shortly after I started eliminating chemicals from my personal-care routine, I knew my household cleaning products had to be next. The thought of giving up Gain caused some anxiety, so I eased into the potential transition by buying trial-sized “clean” detergents as I came across them at Publix or Target. In the meantime I found myself doing a lot of online research about the ingredients most commonly used in clean detergents—and which I should try to avoid.

Throughout this process, I kept going back to The Laundress. It’s hard not to thanks to the bountiful laundry and cleaning-product options, seemingly endless stream of content about how to wash specific fabrics and spots in your home—and the Stain Guide is my absolute favorite. (Try it and you’ll understand.) Oh, and the fact that The Laundress teamed up with Le Labo and created a detergent form of my favorite perfume (Santal 33) made it a no-brainer. (It also didn’t hurt that I’ve been working with The Laundress’ publicist for a few years now, and we’ve become the sort of work “friends” who talk about our personal lives, too.)

I told her about my laundry conundrum and she graciously offered to send a bunch of stuff my way—and I was like a kid on Christmas morning as I unboxed. (I’m not sure my husband will ever look at me the same.) Between the Signature Detergent, Wool & Cashmere Shampoo, Sport Detergent, Delicate Wash and Le Labo’s Santal 33 and Rose 31 detergents, I couldn’t wait to fire up the machine.

Yes, it may seem ridiculous to have an entire menu of detergent options, but I’ve used each and every one of them (except for the Wool & Cashmere one, since it’s been a rather warm winter). I’ll admit that I only use the Santal 33 detergent on MY delicates—and the scent is slowly but surely becoming a bit more noticeable when I walk into my closet. (Yay!) I truly enjoy all of the fragrances (and have no issue with the fact they don’t match), and every one gets their specific job done. But the best part is that everything is non-toxic, biodegradable, allergen-free and formulated without petrolatum, phosphates, phthalates or artificial color. (One less thing to worry about!)

Although I definitely have enough detergent to last for quite a while (and a Trader Joe’s backup for those random loads I wouldn’t want to waste the “good stuff” on), I can 100% say I’ll buy The Laundress when it’s time to replenish my supply—and I’m sure I’ll be trying several of the other products before that happens. (The Crease Release and Home Cleaning Best Sellers Kit are calling my name!)