It’s hardly a new product – being on the market for at least one year now – but it’s certainly one of my favourites. Folks, if you haven’t tried Downy Unstopables yet – You.Are.Missing.Out.
Now I suppose this would be a good time to add a disclaimer – if you’re sensitive to fragrance, or have an aversion to having your clothes smelling heavenly for weeks on end – perhaps this isn’t the product for you. But for all those who adore the scent of freshly washed laundry, read on.
Unstopables are marketed as an “in wash scent booster”, which roughly translates to “pebbles of deliciousness that you toss in your washing machine.” They don’t clean; they don’t soften clothes; but hot damn do they ever deliver on the whole scent-boosting phenomena. Currently available in four scents – Fresh, Lush (my personal fave), Shimmer and Spring, the scent beads are dissolved during the wash cycle, infusing your fabrics with lasting fresh scent. Just use a little (or a lot!) and you have total control over the amount of fragrance and freshness.
When I first received the product for review I was skeptical about a) the effectiveness, b) the value for the price ($8.99 per bottle), and c) the effectiveness. Oops, did I already say that? Call me a skeptic, but I’ve been disappointed before by laundry products claiming long-lasting freshness.
After using Unstopables just once, I was hooked. Not only did our clothes come out smelling heavenly, but the fragrance lingered on for days. And days. And days. In fact, when retrieving a pair of jeans from Reid’s dresser – some 2 weeks after doing a kid’s load in the wash – I was overjoyed to be hit with the lush scent of lavender as soon as I opened the drawer. It was glorious! I actually stuffed my face in the jeans and took a deep breath; never before had boys clothing smelled so divine.
The official claim from Downy is that Unstopables will keep laundry fresh for up to 12 weeks. I’m not exactly if this a true statement, but I can tell you this: if you’re only doing laundry every 12 weeks, you have too many clothes. Like, way too many. Hence, I don’t think we’ll ever be able to give it the full 3-month test, but I can certainly vouch for its efficacy up to 2 weeks and slightly beyond.
Aren’t those little pebbles just adorable? I wish our computer screens were scent-enabled.
Since one of my prior concerns was price, I can tell you this: I’ve since purchased two more bottles (on sale for $6.99 each). I was able to get at least 25 washes per bottle (using about a tablespoon in each wash), and so to me, it’s worth an extra 28¢ per wash to get lasting freshness and fragrance. I always break things down on a cost-per-use basis, because it allows me to track where I spend too much money – and where I’m happy to indulge. For Downy Unstopables, I will indulge.…