Today's Kool Idea: Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets

Back in our college days, we spent a lot of time in laundromats. Like most other students, we did not have the luxury of our own washer and dryer. Yep, five years schlepping laundry baskets full of clothing and detergents down to the local Gatorland Laundromat (go Gators!). Not a bad way to meet potential dates, but sheesh...what a humbling experience for us spoiled folks who were used to Mommy doing the dreaded deed. Who knew there were many different bottles to buy for one measly load of laundry? Detergent, fabric softener, bleach, pre-treaters...the list goes on and on.

With many (we won't go into just how many) years of laundry now under our belts, we finally have the system down pat in our house. However, when we came across the Purex Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets in our local supermarket, we couldn't resist giving them a try. Plus, they were on sale...we're nothing if not bargain hunters. The starter kit is basically a package of 20 sheets in a refillable dispenser. We had the discount, so the starter pack was fine with us. But, anyone who wants to save a few extra pennies could always just buy the 24 sheet refillable package and transfer the sheets to a Ziploc or something.

The Purex Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets are a load's worth of detergent, softener and anti-static all in one powerful sheet. The company offers three scents, so we decided to try the Spring Oasis first. It smells fine, but it's certainly no Gain (our favorite detergent scent). We still have the same inexpensive (okay, cheap) washer and dryer that came with our home, so we threw a sheet in and then ran the water to release the detergent. Hmmm...an impressive array of bubbles. Not a bad start so far. After a few moments, we put the laundry load in the machine. Side note here: since we were stepping way out of our long-established comfort zone, we decided to test the Purex Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets with towels rather than clothing. We ran the wash on the typical cycle, then transferred the laundry sheet (which was now white) with the towels to the dryer. That's it.

We have to be honest...The Daily Kool is full of skeptics, and we were doubtful that we could get a truly clean load of laundry with this product. We were pleasantly surprised with the Purex Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets. They really worked just as well as your average laundry detergent and softener...everything came out clean and soft. We did notice that the scent was virtually undetectable by the time the load came out of the dryer...not a big deal for us, though. We didn't calculate it, but we can imagine that it might cost a little more per load when using the Purex Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets. We always expect to pay a bit of a premium for convenience so this wouldn't be a surprise. We do love that they are safe for all washers and dryers, and the company says they can be used in combination with bleach and pre-treaters when necessary.

Here's the best part about the Purex Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets. Without the need for pouring and measuring, these sheets make laundry a no-brainer. Do you see where we're going with this yet? No? How about this...we now have another chore to pass onto our children whenever we're swamped with other stuff. Woohoo! We watched gleefully as our seven-year old son ran a perfect load of laundry without us having to worry about machine overflow or detergent spilling all over the floor. What a little man! Our son felt great about doing this typically adult task...frankly, we felt just as great by not doing it (he, he...are we evil or what?).

While we honestly don't expect the Purex Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets to replace our everyday at-home routine, we can definitely see the benefits of this truly innovative product. For us, it's no big deal to measure and pour detergents, and over the years we've perfected the combination to get truly exceptional results. Purex Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets are great if you're looking for an average clean with super-convenient packaging...that's certainly enough for most of us! Did we mention that our seven year old was able to do a load of laundry with these little guys? Plus, carrying one lightweight box of Purex Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets is certainly preferable to handling bottles and boxes of your traditional liquids and powders, especially if you frequent a laundromat. This product is perfect for people who live in apartments, condominiums, dormitories...basically anyone who does not have his own washer and dryer. Purex Complete 3-in-1 laundry sheets are absolutely a "kool" idea that certainly no college student should be without...especially if they are as dependent on their mothers as we were.

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