Things We Love: The Laundress

So after my last post I got inundated with emails about laundry.  I welcome this because I am legitimately obsessed with clothing care.  My go to brand for advice and products is the Laundress.  I know you're looking at those prices and thinking "are you INSANE" but believe me they will save you so much money in replacing clothing and dry cleaning bills it's worth it.  I first discovered them when cleaning out my closet and trying to decide which items could be salvaged and which had to be tossed.  Shockingly only about 10% of the things I thought were total goners don't now look as good, or better, than new since going a round with the Laundress.  One bottle of their Wool Shampoo and a sweater stone saved me $300 so far in replacing knit wear alone.  

Now I won't lie to you and tell you it's all great because they also overcharge like WHOA for their laundry bags, clothes pins, spray starch and hangers.  $15 for 12 clothespins? CHILD PLEASE, I invite you to have several seats.  You can also make your own organic spray starch by adding a spoon of cornstarch to water in a spray bottle for cheap. 

That said the liquids are AMAZING.  I swear the secret ingredient in the Laundress is photoshop because your items come out so much brighter and the colors are more intense.  Actually I know why this is, and it pleases my OCD.  Their detergents are crazy effective at getting dirt out.  So many times I've washed an item and thought it was clean then soaked it in Laundress detergent and literally watched the water turn brown from dirt that immediately came out of it.  The Laundress gives you that gross and, yet, satisfying feeling of knowing just how much of your own filth you've been wearing around.

Don't believe me?  This is my sleep mask.  I wear it every night and it was once white.  The problem is I put on moisturizer before bed and it yellows the fabric.  This is what it looked like after I washed and soaked it in regular grocery store detergent and stain remover pre-treatment.  Look, I'm showing you this because we're friends don't judge me here..

And this is what it looked like after soaking in Delicate Wash for 10 minutes and being pre-treated with their stain solution.

I seriously thought this mask was a gonner so with this one item delicate wash paid for itself.  It also got all the pit stains out of some lace Agent Provocateur bras after a go with their stain brush without any damage to the fabric.  I have mixed feelings about the stain brush though.  It does it's job like crazy but it sheds, also, like crazy.  I think it's worth $10 but I wouldn't pay more given the shedding issue.

Onto how Wool Shampoo will blow your mind.  Now, I'm a knitter so I've always known you don't have to dry clean knits and that you can wash them with shampoo.  But what no one mentions is human shampoo leaves a film on your knits and they lose a lot of their body and take on an almost "mushy" appearance.  I've been looking for a wool wash that isn't harsh like woolite but doesn't leave residue like shampoo and wool wash is the answer.  Here are two cashmere sweaters both 6 years old that I wear probably daily in the winter that had gotten so pilled and disgusting looking I just hadn't gotten around to throwing them out.  Washing them and sweater stoning them was a hail Mary and I was blown away. They look better than they looked new now:

The Laundress said you could wash suiting in the machine with wool shampoo and I said "like hell." So I decided to try it out on this velveteen and wool blazer I had that needed a trip to the dry cleaner to remove some hot chocolate stains.  I AM A BELIEVER!  Blazer was fine after being washed and all the stains were gone.  $20 dry cleaning bill averted.

I also love wool wash to make itchy and too stiff cheap woolens feel better than they have any right to feel.  For instance my college scarf was made out of the cheapest wool I think they could find.  It was stiff as a board, itchy and just meh.  LOOK AT ITS BEAUTY NOW!  This is also 6 years old and be real, it looks new.  You'd never know how much I've worn and abused it.

Finally, I was asked if the Dark Detergent really does get rid of lint, pilling and animal hair as claimed.  Yes and no. If you have a new or newish item it does make a noticeable difference in removing lint/hair.  However, if the item has already started to get that greyish film of lint it doesn't make that much of a difference. Frankly, while it smells incredible, it hasn't blow me away in terms of cleaning power like the stain solution, delicate wash and wool shampoo.

Bonus Tip!
Following the Laundress's dark laundry recipe and assorted tips from their blog I stumbled upon a way to make your t-shirts fit like they were made for you.  You know how you see t-shirts on the model on websites and they always hug their curves, are never out of shape and always look immaculate and then on you it's just a shapeless blob after about 10 minutes of wear?  This solves that!

1. Wash your cotton t-shirts inside out using the best detergent you have
2.  Hang them to dry on a hanger
3. When still damp spray with starch and steam
4. Allow to fully dry on the hanger before folding and putting it away

That's it, but the next time you put them on those shirts will cling to your body in the most flattering way possible and won't stretch out during the day.

FCC disclaimer: Some Laundress items were purchased by the reviewer and some were provided as PR samples