Febreze Laundry Solution, R.I.P. ?

[Otter]

First off, I'd like to ask your forbearance for having crossposted this to three groups. Mea culpa magna. I do believe that the best answer would probably benefit Febreze users on all three groups though. The situation is this: My wife and I use Febreze laundry additive on a regular basis to remove pet and other odors from laundry. Unfortunately, our local Albertson's here in Northern California seems to have stopped selling the product, and none of the other big chains in the area have it either. There are OTHER Febreze products, but not the laundry additive. My wife believes that P & G have stopped making it, and that leads us to wonder how we're going to find a substitute that works just as well as the Febreze did. She has written a letter to P & G asking why the product appears to have been cancelled, but hasn't received a response yet. So I suppose that this plaintive cry from the wilderness is to ask three questions:

1. Does any know of a substitute for Febreze Laundry additive that works just as well ?
2. If you know of a place that still sells and ships it, would you please share the phone number and/or web page ?
3. Failing the above two, does anyone have a home-grown recipe for something that would be just as effective ? I've heard of a 1/4-Downy to 3/4-Water combo, but I don't know if that's for real or not.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Eddie

[Nicole H]

[Chloe]

I hate when stuff like this happens. I think P&G has been doing major repositioning on Febreeze and I suspect they've discontinued the product. Their web page specifically suggests the following--don't know if this is where you wrote or not:

"For questions about Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator, please contact Changing Paradigms LLC. Here's how you can reach them:

Changing Paradigms LLC

7786 Service Center Dr. West Chester OH 45069 1-888-334-4890 [e-mail] "

[Gary Heston]

What was special about the laundry additive? I.e., could you simply unscrew the top of a spray bottle and pour in some of it's contents?

For pet odor removal, Natures' Miracle or Simple Solution work well; perhaps adding an ounce or two to a load would work. Alternatively, you could spray the clothes when putting them in the hamper.

Gary

[Clark W. Griswold, Jr.]

This reads to me that they have sold off the prodict to someone else. P&G likes to concentrate on brand leaders. If the product doesn't meet sales targets, they spin it off to a management team or some other company.

[Bill Seurer]

Normal laundry detergent. If you have to add stuff to get smells out then you are doing something wrong in washing. Are you overloading the washer? Using hard water? Is your washer about to die? What detergent are you using?

[Nan]

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 15:24:51 -0600, Bill Seurer scribbled:

Incorrect. My dh and ds both have had horribly dirty and smelly work clothing that regular laundry detergent doesn't clean completely. No matter what I've done. I have found that adding a cup of ammonia to the wash water helps immensely.

Nan

[ing]

You're right, Nan. Ammonia is terrific for eliminating odours from clothes that laundry detergent doesn't get out. Specially pet smells. I know, I have two dogs and a cat. Plus, ammonia is almost as cheap as water, so it's frugal as the dickens. One thing to remember though is, DON'T EVER use ammonia and bleach together in the same wash. Ammonia jug has a big warning on the side about that.

ing

[Chloe]

No. Febreeze is designed to work on dry fabric.

[Chloe]

Maybe. It also reads to me like they may have an outside company handling consumer questions, complaints, etc. for a product they simply discontinued. From doing consumer testing for them I have some knowledge of the subject at hand, but wouldn't want to breach my confidentiality agreement, even if they couldn't figure out who I am .

[SoCalMike]

febrese?

i always thought it was a stupid idea.

[Chloe]

I don't know anything about the product that's the subject of this thread. The spray-on stuff for use on dry fabrics is excellent when it comes to getting odors out of things like upholstery that can't be easily cleaned otherwise.

[SoCalMike]

does febrese actually eliminate the odor, or just mask it?

[Serendipity]

It's good for freshening and removing odours from vertical blinds made from heavy fabric. That's about the only thing I use it for. I find the smell of febreze a little strong myself.

[Viviane]

[Serendipity]

Viviane wrote:

If I'm not mistaking, the OP has pets that creates odours on certain washable items that they need an odour eliminator. I've never used the product in question so can't really comment on it. With respect to using clothes dryers, those with allergies, asthma, or other respiratory disorders are well advised to use a clothes dryer rather than hanging clothes on the line outdoors. Outdoor allergens such a moulds and pollens create a real problem. While a clothes line is frugal, not everyone can use one. Aside of the health issues, certain rental units prohibit outdoor clothes lines as does some new subdivisions and condo units. Another problem is weather. We had a very wet and cool summer and autumn, not very conducive to drying clothes outdoors. It has been wet or damp with heavily cloudy skies here for the past two weeks, again not very conducive to drying clothes outdoors. Few of us can go two or three weeks without doing laundry. Wet and damp conditions are perfect breeding gounds for moulds and mildews that are not only potententially dangerous allergens but also destroy perfectly good clothes! In the winter, clothes freeze on the lines without actually getting dry and if you are really lucky an ice storm with blow up to freeze them again. DH isn't too fond of putting on frozen skivies ;) Better yet is when the birds leave their calling card and you have to start all over again.

Oh, and I'm not a yank either. I dry my clothes in a clothes dryer though because that is what is dictated by my situation. Please don't judge everyone here with one paint brush!

[Chloe]

Eliminates it.

[Chloe]

I think the original scent was a problem for many consumers. I don't know about in Canada, but in the US they now sell it in several new scents, most of which I find less objectionable. IIRC allergies were a problem for you. There's a version they claim reduces allergens. I don't use it, but one of my friends swears it works.

[Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.]

Hi Bill

We use OdorOut and like it better than Fabreze!

Rather than using it in the wash, we keep a tattered washrag in the dryer that is lightly dampened with the Odor Out between each load.

In a few closets, we have 'spent' air freshener modules (the plastic flat cylinder with the 'ink blotter' ring inside) that we rewet the ink blotter with OdorOut about once a month.

TTUL Gary

[Nan]

On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 19:04:40 +1100, "Viviane" scribbled:

"most yanks". Hmmmmm. At any rate, drying clothing outdoor is not recommended for people who suffer outdoor allergies. Where we live, outdoor lines aren't allowed by management, but I do get away with putting it up and taking it down each time I use it. People living in apartments, condos and the like also cannot line dry. Try to understand not everyone is trying to stuff up the environment!

Nan