To find this smell offensive?

[GreenMonkies]

We live in a maisonette which shares a communal garden with about 5 other households, mainly elderly folks. We are an "Ecover" household, we don't use "mainstream" cleaning products or air-fresheners.

I am sitting in the garden whilst the DD's play on thier bikes etc, and two of my neighbours have hung washing out, and the stench of Lenor/Comfort/whatever is all but making me gag, I am seriously thinking of going inside the smell is so strong. Bleurgh!!!!!

I don't bother with conditioner because it shortens the lifespan of your clothes and because two of the kids get rashes from them.

Also it attracts wasps.

I've heard in soms places in America outdoor washing lines are banned.

At least they are using the washing line, rather then the tumble dryer.

When DH and I were on honeymoon in Tuscany we shared this set of cottages with an American couple. When they did their washing they put their clothes in the crappy little tumble dryer under the swimming pool area. DH and I were like this: . It was Tuscany in June and beautiful weather!

smug, sneering, troll, and so on, all untrue (jeminthecity have you been away for a while?)

I was being only slightly serious when I posted the original message, but I'm becoming increasingly frustrated by the way so many of you are totally missing the point. It's not just about the smell, the smell is a symptom of how toxic these things are.

But you like the smell, so you use it. Who cares if the surfictants strip the protective mucus off frogs and fish, so what if the synthetic fragrances are pheramone disruptors that interrupt the breeding cycle of insects. It won't matter if all the frogs and fish die, or that the butterlies and bees are all gone, at least your rooms smell like synthetic lavender and your clothes stink of black diamonds (what ever they smell of?).?not to mention what all these chemicals are doing to you and your children........

Hello! Hello! Wakey wakey!!

GreenMonkies Oh you would go and spoil everyone's fun with your true things!

Sorry

I tried ecover for a while.

Then I went back to having clean washing.

BUT I am a clean freak in a selective sort of way. I started cleaning like a loony when DD got cancer. The obsession has remained with me to a certain extent.

I do worry about chemicals (another left over from the cancer) but need my house to be proper, proper clean.

Thank the lord for Method stuff. I scoffed at them as poncey, yummy mummy nonsense.

I was wrong and I lurve them. They dont aggravate DS's eczema and my house is all sparkly warkly!

Still think ecover is pants and the packaging is just not pretty enough for me.

......do you not find method stuff abit expensive though?

I would like to use it, i have tried some of it in the past, but say, mr muscle is £1.20 (special offer) round here whereas method is £2.99ish? I am always cleaning aswell, so would be worried about the cost?

I did think it was expensive but it lasts for ages so it works out ok. I also look out for special offers and stock up.

Homebase was selling it pretty cheap at one point and it is often reduced in Sainsburys.

It does work and it smells nice.

I dont buy the wipes because they are silly money. One bottle of all surface spray lasts me for months and I dust at least once a day.

I also use those Ecloths and think they are great too.

I do care about the environment but my main motivation is DS's skin condition.

If they didnt work I wouldnt use them though. I am far too obssessive

Why not get a bottle of the all surface stuff and see how long it lasts?

I dont work for them honest!

i love method as well. it does last long.

I think it's like the smell of cigarette smoke.

We had a teacher in primary school who smoked secretly - she imagined. She thought that she just had to suck on a peppermint afterwards and we'd never know.

What she'd forgotten - and I think a lot of smokers forget this - was that if you're a smoker, cigarettes don't have a very strong smell, but if you're a non-smoker you'll smell a smoker from miles off.

Same with any strong smell really, including perfumed laundry stuff - if it's on your clothes all the time you'll stop noticing it or think it a very faint smell. But if you don't have it on your own clothes it's obvious on other people's, especially when the clothes are wet.

Lay off the OP, do.

I was a bit mean last night, sorry.

I agree Greenmonkies.

I have just had to use the free washing liquid that came with the washing machine (2 years ago!!!) because I had ran out my normal, non smelly, stuff. It stinks! It feels like the smel is following me around the house!

Ecover is also a bit expensive - i think a lot of shoppers - the eldery among them chose mainstream as its cheaper!

Considering that pensions are pitiful (yes, mum I know you're skint now you've retired), I agree with messymissy about the cost.

Tesco do value washing powder for about 75p and value fabric conditioner for about 44p. Ecover and the like are considerably more expensive than that. And still considerably more expensive than Supermarket own-brand frog-killing washing powder and fabric softener.

I think a lot of people have more immediately pressing concerns than the environmnent at the moment - finances, etc.

If we're going to be all serious.

thanks chegirl, I will get a bottle and give it a trial run

I just use fairy and don't bother with fabric softener. Once you stop using it does really stink. If I help my mum fold her washing I find it a very sickly smell, despite having grown up with it!

I'm not sure it would bother me in the garden though.

Interesting, Franny, about the bf. I didn't feel like wearing perfume while I was bf and have just started again. Hadn't thought about why.

I never breathe when I walk past Lush either, that gives me a headache.

Lush is foul (I have to give it a wide berth when walking past) and I always wonder about the people who work in perfume departments or anywhere that sells potpouri - do they have no sense of smell? I find my nose blocks and my eyes water just walking through those areas.

However the worst cleaning smell by far (and one that really does make me feel very sick) is Pledge. It is so naty and lasts for days. dh unfortunately loves it, but will wait until I leave the house to use it (I go a nice shade of green, so the effect is fairly obvious). Beeswax polish on the other hand smells lovely (what I use to polish - admittedly once in a blue moon).

Agree, go inside then. Can't believe anyone is complaining about about washing smells.... unless you want to go on about how efriendly you are and how wonderful you must be . Anyone comparing smoke to washing powder should get to the dr quick smart tbh, COMPLETE difference there. Laughable tbh...

Every one is entitled to their own sense of smell, but also every one is entitled to use what ever product they like too.

Your neighbours might not like the smell of your washing either, would you stop hanging it out just to please them??

nooka - I can't stand Lush. I also can't walk down the washing powders aisle at the supermarket without getting irritated eyes.

I dont care if Cilit Bang DOES pass the penny test - it stinks!

I tried it because I must try all new cleaning products and its foul.