Once again, I have discovered the power of baking soda. This time it was by using Arm & Hammer’s Essentials Mountain Rain Laundry Detergent.
For years I had been using Eco’s Laundry Detergent (reviewed here) and was thoroughly satisfied with its cleaning ability. However, despite the pleasant scents the product came in, my clothes never retained that scent for more than a day.
I decided to branch out and consider other products to use. I went to a natural market down the street and considered my options. I was tempted to buy something from Seventh Generation until I spotted this bottle (see photo) from Arm & Hammer.
I am always cautious when considering a product that is labeled “all natural” or “chemical free”, because those terms are not currently regulated by the government. I checked the ingredient label on the bottle. As it turns out, this detergent contains baking soda, coconut-based surfactants, a natural water softener, and water. Hmm, “natural water softener”. What could that be? Salt? That ingredient, whatever it might be, made me a little apprehensive to purchase the product. I then considered the scent, another quality I was looking for. The bottle I grabbed was the “mountain rain” bottle. I unscrewed the cap, took a sniff, and was sold. It is not overpowering, but still smells amazingly good. I decided to give this product a shot and purchased a bottle of it.
I’ve noticed that my clothes now smell like mountain rain after being washed. My whites have actually become whiter too and I attribute that to the baking soda. The $5 (or so) bottle will last over a month, too, so it’s not overpriced.
Overall, I am pretty thrilled about this product. Who knows, maybe in a few years I will find something else that I like better, but for now I love it and would love to find other products with the same scent.
