Cheaper Tide Rises in Hard Times

Consumers skeptical about cold-water detergents, even as they improve

(NEWSER) - The science behind washing laundry exclusively in cold water has come a long way in recent years, but consumers just aren't buying it—literally. The New York Times notes that sales of cold-water detergents are languishing, even though they generally measure up to their hot-water counterparts and save on money, energy, and greenhouse gas emissions to boot. Consider industry leader Tide Coldwater, which has sales of $150 million in the US, compared to $1 billion for regular Tide. More»

Clearing the detritus of owners' dreams from bank-owned homes

(NEWSER) - Cindy Reid doesn’t want you to think she and her boss—and boyfriend—are the “bad guys.” But it is difficult when her man is the one “you never want to see pull up to your house. He has eyes that go flat when you offer excuses,” because he doesn’t have time for them: He’s there to empty your repossessed home. “On paper, the business is pretty straightforward,” Reid writes. “What's not on paper is how you feel cleaning up behind a family's dead hope.” More»

(NEWSER) - Even with two degrees and a book deal, Rebecca Golden has had a tough time keeping her bank balance above zero, she writes for Salon, so she's turned to an edifying, if often terrifying, sideline: cleaning houses. “I suppose I could find other ways to make ends meet,” she writes. “But cleaning has a physical aspect I relish,” and when “a filthy hellhole” becomes a habitable abode, "you know you’ve accomplished something.” Just don’t ask about toilets. More»

Recession prompts thrift at the laundromat

(NEWSER) - The recession may be making the US a little smellier, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Americans are scrimping on laundry by buying cheaper detergent, dry cleaning less often and—in the case of 60% of shoppers, according to one poll—wearing clothes multiple times between washings. More»

(NEWSER) - As affluent Americans downsize their household staffs, the once distinct lines between nannies and housekeepers are getting a little fuzzy, the Los Angeles Times reports. More and more, nannies are being asked to scrub the toilets along with watching the kids, and housekeepers are being asked to vacuum with a young charge in tow. “It just doesn't make much sense to keep them both," said one woman who gave her nanny cleaning duties. More»