Purex Crystals: Good But Use SPARINGLY!

As a lot of you know, I make my own homemade laundry detergent, my favorite recipe being that used with Zote soap, Washing Soda, and Borax.  I really love the scent of Zote – very fresh, clean and citrusy – but once it does its job washing the laundry, the scent disappears.  My laundry is left with absolutely no scent once it dries.  Which is okay for my sheets and underwear because I don’t necessarily like them scented.

But I do especially like my towels with a bit of scent.  I hang up, dry, and reuse my bath towels several times between washings.  Really, how dirty do most people get?  And you’re clean after bathing anyway.  But I find that without a laundry scent, the towels seem to take on a neutral cotton fabric smell between washings.  It isn’t unpleasant…just blah.

On the advice of a commenter on my Zote recipe blog post, I bought and tried Purex Crystals.  I didn’t mix in in with my detergent as she suggested because I don’t want all my laundry to be scented, just select loads.  I used the smallest amount as suggested on the Purex label – just to the lowest level line on the cap.  I threw it in the washer along with my homemade Zote detergent and washed a load.  It definitely scented the load!!  I air-dried (as I always do)  the load indoors on drying racks because it was raining.  The scent was almost incredibly overpowering, and I had used the suggested smallest amount!   Not only will it scent your laundry, it will scent the entire house.

Yes, I am more sensitive to laundry scents than the average bear, but this stuff is S T R O N G.  Purex even suggests for “longer lasting freshness”, fill to top or add an additional capful.  I can’t even imagine it; it would be completely overwhelming!

I did try another load, and used half of the lowest amount suggested, which is probably about a teaspoonful.   This time it worked out well, with the laundry retaining a slight fresh scent.  So my suggestion is to use it sparingly with the laundry you want scented, and use the regular homemade detergent for just plain old non-scented.  It’s a happy medium.

-Marilyn