Arm & Hammer Essentials Fabric Softener Sheets and $25 Visa Gift Card Giveaway!

Laundry is something I think a lot about.  It’s hard not to when you have three kids and an active husband.

I want laundry products that are effective and healthy for my family and the environment.  BUT, they also need to be affordable.

Little by little, I have been trying to wean myself away from using dryer sheets, since I worry about chemicals and their impact on my family and the environment.  In the past, I’ve checked out a few of the “earth-friendly” brands at the store and gasped at the price.  Totally not happening.

The trouble is, there are still times when I really like using dryer sheets… and hate to go without them totally.

A few weeks ago I received a package of Arm & Hammer Essential Fabric Softener Sheets in the mail as part of the Arm & Hammer Switch & Save Challenge.  Before opening the box, I didn’t know one thing about Arm & Hammer’s dryer sheets.

So I was happy when the box read:  “Naturally Derived Softeners” and “Biodegradable Softening Agents” Oooh, I like the sound of that.

The box was even made from 100% Recycled Paperboard and 35% Post Consumer Content…  better still.

I opened the box to find that the sheets seemed to be made to lessen their environmental impact.  They are less dense, thinner and smaller than the brand of sheets I buy.  Would that mean it wouldn’t work as well?  I aimed to find out.

On first impressions, the only downside was the smell.  It boasted a Lavender (one of my favorite smells) and Linen Scent.  But the perfume of the open box was a bit strong for my sensitive nose.

The real test would be the way a dried load of laundry smelled.

The warm laundry coming out of the dryer was a pleasant surprise.  The previously strong sent had mellowed to a much lighter clean scent on the clothes.

I was also happy that there was no static cling.  When you live in a dry environment like me, that’s a big deal.  And the clothes felt nice and soft.

So far, Arm & Hammer Essentials Dryer Sheets was a more environmentally friendly option, that did a great job softening clothes and preventing static cling, but what about price?

I compared the price of Arm & Hammer Essential Fabric Softener Sheets with popular eco-friendly brands at my local supermarket.  The price comparisons were stunning.  Arm & Hammer sheets were a fraction of the cost per box and had a much higher sheet count.  So, just for fun, I compared the Arm & Hammer Fabric Softener Sheets with a major competitor (not eco-friendly).  Again Arm & Hammer was cheaper with a higher per box sheet count.  That’s even before adding a coupon. Awesome.

My conclusion:  Arm & Hammer Essential Fabric Softener Sheets are great value.  They aren’t perfect in the eco-friendly department, but they are a great move in the right direction… especially when you compare costs.  They do a great job on clothes.  The box of sheets smells a bit perfumey for my taste, but the dried clothes smell nice, so that’s not much of an issue.  All in all I’m very happy to switch and save.

And now for a giveaway!

The nice folks at Arm & Hammer have provided another $25 Visa Gift Card for one lucky person today.

To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment on this post answering, “What’s your favorite scent?”

Do you love the smell of lavender, or is it hot baking bread?  How about your kids just out of the bath or the smell of a rain storm in summer?  Those are some of my favorites.

The Rules:

  • Contest closes on Thursday, August 25th, 2011 10:00 MDT
  • Only one comment per person please.
  • Random winner will be announced on Friday, August 26th

Be sure to head over to the Arm and Hammer Switch and Save website and enter for a chance to win $25,000!

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This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is paying me to try different products. Save $1.00 on ARM & HAMMER Essentials Fabric Softener Sheets. Then head over to The Switch & Save Challenge to keep up with all of the bloggers and enter to win $25,000.

103 Comments

  7. I love the smell of vanilla and lavender – it is so soothing and calming. Thanks for a chance to win.
    twelve30{at}gmail{dot}com

  8. I am also very sensitive to scents and often get the unscented variety and stay away from very strong scented products. I do, however, have a weakness for lavender.

  10. My favorite scent is freshly line-dried cotton sheets! Just what you need to beat insomnia!

  13. I love lavender too, although the smell fresh baking in the kitchen always cheers me up! Thanks for the chance to win!

  14. I love the smell of vanilla, apple pie or cinnamon rolls just out of the oven, and Johnson’s Baby Shampoo.

  17. I LOVE the smell of our Huggies baby soap…it is lavendar and something else. It is the same soap we’ve used for all 3 babies and the smell of it just makes me so relaxed and comfortable because it reminds me of snuggling a freshly washed child…

  23. Lavender is definiely a favorite scent! I also like the smell of home baked bread right out of the oven!

  30. I love the smell of homemade buttermilk biscuits baking in the oven…and when they are done and the steam rolls out of a fresh biscuit that’s just had it’s butter bath.

  39. I love the smell of freshly dried laundry on the clothesline. I put each load in the dryer for 10 – 15 min, then take it out and either hang on hangers or take outside on my clothesline. This method has saved me $15 – $20 per month.
    Dana

  41. Living in the high desert of northern Nevada, there is nothing like the smell of sagebrush after a good rain….ahhhhh!

  42. My favorite smell is coming home to a roast in the oven (like my grandmother’s house in the fall when I was young) – now just at Christmas at my parents but still wonderful!

  49. I love the smell of chocolate chip cookies and the smell of a fall day after a rain!! Ahhhh….

  54. Don’t know how you would describe this smell. But I love clothes that come off the line, and the smell that comes with them. First the clothes are crisp, but they have a nice sun/grass/outdoor smell. Takes me back to being little and getting in between the sheets.

  55. Though I love the smell of sheets fresh from the clothesline, I do love the smell of lavender as well. Each spring I mix my favorite lavender essential oil with some baking soda and sprinkle it on all of the mattresses, including the mattresses in our camper. Love it!

  56. I love lavender vanilla.

    I also love fresh cut grass.

    I love the smell of puppy paws.

    I love the smell of bonfire.

  57. I love the smell of the ocean and I have a vivid ‘smell memory’ of the wonderful scent of Sea & Ski sun lotion from my youth…how I wish it was still being made today!

    • I love the smell of fresh garden tomatoes. They never fail to remind me of my childhood and how I used to sneak into my mother’s garden and eat them off the vine! YUMMY!

  60. I have two: apple pie baking in the oven and fresh school supplies (like crayons, paper, etc.). I’m a teacher…. so I love that smell!

  61. Oh…I was just about to say my favorite scent was lavendar until you mentioned rain…that has to be my all-time favorite…especially living here in the desert!

  63. I can’t choose just one–newborn babies, lavendar and vanilla, cinnamon rolls, Christmas trees, and a freshly mopped floor…mmm!

  65. My favorite smell (this time of year) was new crayons and a big thick writing tablet or coloring book. I guess it was the wood pulp in the paper.

  68. Wood Smoke and Mountain Laurel… reminds me of good times and some of my favorite memories are swirled in with that scent!

  69. I love the smell of warm cinnamon, freshly cut grass, carnations in a vase and lilies in the garden! Thanks for getting me to think about simple joys :)

  76. I can’t even pick one! I think the best smell is my baby’s head just after her nighttime bath. Love it!!!!

  79. The smell of a freshly sliced cucumber! I don’t know why, but when I smell cucumber, I can’t help but feel happy…I think that the smell takes me back to happy memories and meals at my german grandmother’s table.

  80. Johnson’s Baby Lotion – the pink bottle. Takes me back to freshly bathed baby girls rubbed down with the lotion, wrapped up in a blanket anticipating those few quiet moments when they snuggled deep down into the crook of your arm and the world was right!

  82. Wow, great question. I feel like I’ve spent my life trying to avoid scents because so many give me headaches, especially florals, but lavender has never bothered me. I really like it. (So does my cat) :) I think my favorite scents are ones that remind me of the beach where I grew up, or any baking scents. Especially pumpkin/cinnamon scents.

  85. I love the smell of rain, probably because I live in AZ where we don’t get to smell it all that often.

  86. Do I have to pick one? I like the smell of cookies baking, coffee brewing, a fresh cut christmas tree, roses, lavendar and vanilla, rain, the ocean…

    Thanks for the chance to win.

  87. I really love the smell of snow in the air. That scent means so many different things – all good!

  90. Orange blossoms.
    Vanilla.
    Cinnamon.
    Rain.
    Puppy breath.
    Lavender.
    Honeysuckle.
    My grandson after a swim (part sunblock, part chlorine, part toddler.)

    It is impossible to choose 1 favorite smell!

  92. Onions and celery sauteing in butter…….smells yummy and happy, like holidays and family.

  93. I really love the smell of fresh rain. You know when its just fixing to pour down. Also, the smell of lavender if its not too strong. Thanks for the giveaway.

  94. I love the smell of newborn babies! My second was just born 2 months ago, ans she STILL smells awesome!

  101. Clean kitchen. Definitely the smell of a clean kitchen (cleaned by someone else) with the dishwasher running.

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