If you're crunchy ...

[Fairy]

... there must be something -- SOMETHING -- full of muck and crap and chemicals and HFCS and hydrogenated oils and just nothing good that you still refuse to give up. That you can't give up. please tell me it's not just me. Here's a list of things that I can't seem to migrate away from in favor of whatever the better choice is.

Ragu pasta sauce
The ingredients aren't egregious or anything. I've tried the organic or TJs or whatever 365, etc., but nothing is Ragu. I have tried loving other things, I've tried liking other things, but I just can't. I want a little pasta with my way out of balance serving of Ragu.

Aunt Jemimah/Mrs. Butterworths "Maple" Syrup
Pure corn syrup, I know. It's horrible. It's pure dibetics nightmare. But have you had REAL maple syrup? I've tried. Ick. I tried getting DS to eat it. I tried getting DH to eat it. I have just given it all up entirely cuz no one in my house will eat the real thing, and I won't let them buy the crap, but every now and then it ends up in my cart, and I dunno how it got there ...

Whatever sunscreen I can find at Walgreens
I get hives over this. the stress. I don't know what to get, I never know, I can't remember one year to the next what I was supposed to get, all I know is Badger is one of them, the best one, maybe? And it smells bad. And DS won't wear it. And I make him anyway, and resents it, and I can't handle the smell of it, either, so how is that fair? and then it's back to Coppertone and the like, and I get the shakes that I"m slowly killing us.

Eggs
I can't do the organic, they skeeve me out. As do brown eggs. For the organic ones, I have had alot of issues with organic eggs that I've never had or maybe once in a decade had with regular. So, i get the Phil's brand that are not organic but are treated in all the ways that matter to me, and I leave it at that.

Bounce
I rarely rarely use it. I have the same box from 3 years ago. But about once a month, maybe slightly more often, I find a reason to throw one in there.

Liquid Downy
A reply reminded me, I use this every single wash load. Our water is very very hard, and without a water softener of some kind, there is going to be crusty minerals building up in the fabrics. It's that bad. I guess there's no difference between that and the sheets, huh? I do worry about it, as we rely on our well water ...

K, how 'bout you?

[Simon]

You are not alone. Outside of foodstuffs, I think our family falls into the crunchy bracket for a lot of things. I simply crave carbonated drinks so there's no way I'd give up all sodas for water. I also like cookies a lot. Sometimes before breakfast.

[sntm]

I have a passionate love for Doritos with jalapeño cheese dip (the Frito Lay kind) and I love my diet coke. The aspartame makes it better.

[Simon]

... there must be something -- SOMETHING -- full of muck and crap that you still refuse to give up. That you can't give up. please tell me it's not just me. Here's a list of things that I can't seem to migrate away from in favor of whatever the better choice is.

Aunt Jemimah/Mrs. Butterworths "Maple" Syrup
Pure corn syrup, I know. It's horrible. It's pure dibetics nightmare. But have you had REAL maple syrup? I've tried. Ick. I tried getting DS to eat it. I tried getting DH to eat it. I have just given it all up entirely cuz no one in my house will eat the real thing, and I won't let them buy the crap, but every now and then it ends up in my cart, and I dunno how it got there ...

Whatever sunscreen I can find at Walgreens
I get hives over this. the stress. I don't know what to get, I never know, I can't remember one year to the next what I was supposed to get, all I know is Badger is one of them, the best one, maybe? And it smells bad. And DS won't wear it. And I make him anyway, and resents it, and I can't handle the smell of it, either, so how is that fair? and then it's back to Coppertone and the like, and I get the shakes that I"m slowly killing us.


It was Log Cabin for me. I've had to learn to like Maple Syrup and its still second best IMO.

We had good luck with Badger on Ds1, but Ds2 led me to the joy of spraying on the chemicals and I'm not sure I'll be going back anytime soon.

[boilermakermom]

cheddar cheese popcorn with melted butter and salt. Or Cheetos. They are my go to food when I am stressed. I can't keep them in the house. The only time they are here is when I am stressed out.

I have tried giving them up, but I can't find anything to replace them with.

[wellyes]

I have my kids put honey on their pancakes. I think it tastes better than real maple syrup.

I do have a tub of Mrs Butterworth for when they're not around.....

[Puddy73]

You are definitely not alone. We are only semi-crunchy. You will almost always find the following in our kitchen:

Fritos Scoops (usually hidden in the back of the pantry so the kids don't eat them)
Good Seasons salad dressing mix
Oscar Mayer beef hot dogs, the only kind DH will eat
non-organic milk and eggs (the only organic milk available at our grocery store is ultra pasteurized and we don't like the taste)


I haven't checked the "safe list" for sunscreen in a few years. We are really fair skinned and the safe kinds that I tried didn't work or were impossible to find. I also use liquid Downy once in a while just because I like the smell.

[jgenie]

Cherry Icees.....yum!!

[TwinFoxes]

Two words: Diet Coke.

[mommy111]

Diet Coke
Doritos
The diet coke keeps me sane.
I was going to detox but that resolution went out the window

[belovedgandp]

Diet Coke - throw in the Sonic cup issue and I should be ashamed.
Clorox wipes - I have boys and company sharing a bathroom, sometimes you just have to be fast.

[HIU8]

Two words: Diet Coke.

:yeahthat: I've done DC withdrawl 3 times now and I know I can do it. I just don't want to.

In my kitchen you will find:
frosted flakes
cinamin toast crunch
cheerios
non-organic PB
Processed cheese
Fritos
Non-organic milk and eggs

[JBaxter]

Diet Coke

[bcafe]

I am very religious about labels, eating well, etc. But, I can't give up Miracle Whip with my egg salad. I feel terrible guilt when I put that crud on my organic, pastured eggs. I just can't recreate the "tangy zip" any other way, especially homemade. I am the only one who eats it though...

[crl]

Swifter wet clothes to mop with. Every time I try to give them up in favor of using my microfiber clothes, I end up giving up mopping instead.

(BTW, we love real maple syrup and won't eat anything else so if you have any left over from your experimentation, feel free to ship it to us.)

Catherine

[MontrealMum]

Well, you read about my Campbell's tomato soup issue over the weekend. We're off cans for the most part, but sometimes I just have a craving. I also really like Kraft Mac&Cheese. Yes, I make a mean homemade version, but sometimes I just like the box stuff.

[Jacksmommy2b]

Tide. You will have to pry it from my cold dead fingers optical brightners and all.
Oh and oreos, I don't care what's in them.
For the kids: cinnamon waffles for Sam - he needs a waffle anonymous meeting he loves them so much and for J it's Colgate. No matter what I buy he refuses the all natural stuff.

[Fairy]

Cheerios are bad why? Or is it just cuz they're not organic?

What's the beef on bleach? Or is it just clorox? I mean, yes, bleach is a chemical, is there something specific about it that makes it worse than other chemicals, like say Windex, etc.?

[cheri]

Bazooka bubble gum :love5:

[gibas23]

nutella
all the japanese candies, snacks, cookies, chips
indonesian instant noddle (fried noddle flavor, I kid you not, this thing is crack).
swifter wet wipes

[DrSally]

Speaking of noodles, I actually like Ramen every once and awhile. Incredibly salty and deep fried.

I use any shampoo/body/hair products that work well for me. Although, I do like Blue Lizard sunscreen, and I think it's one of the safer ones. Badger is too thick for me.

[edurnemk]

Oreos.

I see I'm in the minority, but I also prefer real Maple syrup, at first I didn't like it but once I got used to it I found I can no longer have the fake stuff. DS also likes it, but DH won't take it if his life depends on it. He's not crunchy at all, so I do buy several non-crunchy items just for him.



What's the beef on bleach? Or is it just clorox? I mean, yes, bleach is a chemical, is there something specific about it that makes it worse than other chemicals, like say Windex, etc.?

Bleach is a toxic chemical, it emits fumes that irritate the airways and it's REALLY bad for the environment.

[elliput]

BBQ chips and novelty ice cream flavors. Just tried Blue Bunny's Coconut Macaroon Crunch tonight. Wish I had thought to get some pineapple topping for it. :tongue5:

I'm curious as to why not brown eggs? Egg color is dependent on the type of chicken- basically white chickens lay white eggs, brown chickens lay brown eggs.

[kijip]

Before I dropped sugar- coke. It's been an on again off again addiction since college. Forget diet, straight up sugar rush was what I was after.

Also I love hotdogs and while we buy the "good ones" I don't think twice about one at the ballpark or in a corndog.

Frigo brand cheese sticks taste better than organic.

[Fairy]

I'm curious as to why not brown eggs? Egg color is dependent on the type of chicken- basically white chickens lay white eggs, brown chickens lay brown eggs.

I know. Logically and factually I know this. But I'm TELLING you, I get weird, bad juju in my brown eggs. I think in my region, if they're brown they're organic -- not that all brown eggs are organic, but there aren't so many brown eggs up here that aren't organic -- that I've run across, anyway, I mean who knows. but I think that's why i run across more weird stuff in brown, not cuz they're specifically brown but cuz they brown are organic. I'm just ruined on them now.

[geochick]

Lol. This thread cracks me up.

[Fairy]

Oreos.

Bleach is a toxic chemical, it emits fumes that irritate the airways and it's REALLY bad for the environment.

Yeah, I just was wondering if there was soemthing specific about bleach over the other toxic chemicals out there ... which I continue to use in abundance. I think I should add that to my list:

* Bleach
* Windex (I may as well be the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding)
* Clorox and Kirkland wipes
* Whatever the cleaning people tell me to buy

[mikala]

Processed cheese. 98% of the time I'm fine with the real stuff but there's a little devil sitting on my shoulder that makes me crave concession stand nachos. This craving is about 1000x worse during pregnancy.

P.S. You're also welcome to send any of that extra real maple syrup our way.

[MontrealMum]

I also prefer real maple syrup. I live in Canada...if I didn't like it, they'd probably revoke my citizenship!

I recently discovered Ben & Jerry's red velvet ice cream. I'm not up on the specifics of why it's bad for you, but I'm sure it must be. Generally, I don't read ice cream labels. I figure if I'm going to indulge, I'm not going to do it with a guilty conscience!

[ahisma]

I LOVE maple syrup! We buy it by the half gallon.:rotflmao:

Mine - grocery store bread and bagels. Pure crap carbs. Horrible. I like the alternatives but have never made the switch.

Earth Balance vegan "butter". Vegan, sure - but it's chemical soup. Organic - whatever. Chemical soup. Real butter would be SO much better for me. Or, ditching the egregious amounts of pure crap carbs (see above) so I wouldn't need the butter.

[citymama]

I'm pretty crunchy.

I love potato chips - sure, kettle cooked are my faves but I'll chow down on the junkier kind if available, without hesitation. Total addict.

I love regular Coke (cannot stand diet). I limit my consumption to air travel and with burgers and fries or pizza. So probably no more than a dozen or so times a year. Not too bad.

We do disposable diapers and have never ever done cloth. We do chlorine-free/good dipes ahd wipes but I swear by Dessitin, which gets a poor rating on EWG.

I try and buy good sunscreen, but sure, I'll grab Banana Boat at Walgreens at a pinch. my real vice is how infrequently I actually use sunscreen. :bag pretty much only on a beach vacation or at the pool.

I love junky candy as much as my kindergartner. I do love good chocolate, the darker the better, but given a chance, I'd probably live on Reese's peanut butter cups. Snickers comes in second.

I love ketchup - Heinz, always Heinz. never the organic kind.

I have other weaknesses I don't give in to as much any more. And others I've probably blocked out so I don't run out to the 7-11!

Btw, I love real maple syrup! The fake kind makes me sick!

[lovin2shop]

For me, it's Prego instead of Ragu.

Goodness, I didn't know the Good Seasonings was that bad. Thought maybe it was just seasonings that you add your own oil and vinegar to? Sigh, I probably don't want to know cause it is one of my childhood favorites!

[Globetrotter]

Snickers and Ant traps

I honestly can't think of anything else, but there must be more!

Eta: I signed up for and quit diaper service within a week.

[stefani]

nutella
all the japanese candies, snacks, cookies, chips
indonesian instant noddle (fried noddle flavor, I kid you not, this thing is crack).
swifter wet wipes

Ooo... IndoMie or Mie Sedap? DS and I love the "Mie goreng Pedas" flavor from IndoMie.

[essnce629]

Bleach-- which I use on my microfiber towels weekly and on my white towels. I'm hoping that I won't need it anymore when we finally get a new washer.

Clorox wipes-- I keep one of those small travel packets in my diaper bag to clean off DS2's FP booster seat after eating at restaurants.

That's all I can think of. We're pretty crunchy over here!

[roseyloxs]

Grape Jelly. I basically have just given it up but if I want a PB&J it has to be with grape jelly.

Peanut butter. We get the skippy natural as a compromise. I wish I could get used to the even more natural (no sugar) options but I can't.

Every so often a bag of doritos or pretzels end up in my cart. I cave and buy the kids some goldfish or other processed snacks every so often. Since being pregnant I have gotten worse. I am currently re-addicted to Lender's onion bagels which HFCS in them. Ugh... I still have resisted buying diet coke for the house but I seriously am relishing it every time we go out to eat. It tastes so good!

[pastrygirl]

I love Doritos so much that I can never buy them. I can and will eat a whole bag by myself. I want so badly to try those Dorito tacos from Taco Bell, but never will. A Dorito taco shell??? :heartbeat:

ETA: Oh yeah, I eat those crazy spicy ramen noodles for lunch just about once a week. I even bought the big package at BJ's.

[pastrygirl]

indonesian instant noddle (fried noddle flavor, I kid you not, this thing is crack).Great, now I'm going to go in search of this today, LOL!

[musicalgrl]

Crystal Light.

[Nicsmom]

I'm a crunchy wannabe - I don't consider myself crunchy, but I would love to be crunchier. The one thing I feel guiltiest for is using paper towels. I don't use that many, but I tried to live without them and I found it VERY hard.

I still love Coke, regular, not diet. I can't stand Diet, I'd rather drink water.

Ruffles.

Disposable diapers - seventh generation most of the times, but still disposable.

I could go on and on but these are my major obstacles on my road to crunchiness.

[lizzywednesday]

For me it's ...

Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleanser. (Yeah, I know. But I kind of love the stuff even if it aggravates my asthma!)

Lysol Concentrate in the dark brown bottle.

Lysol 4-in-1 Cleanser liquid.

Pepperidge Farm cookies.

M&M Mars candies - M&Ms, Snickers, etc. - even though I can taste the red dye on red (& probably brown) M&Ms.

I think, with me, it was easier to give up a lot of things because the "bad" stuff made me violently ill while I was pregnant and I still feel icky if I have them now.

I don't have time to feel icky - I have a Very Busy toddler!

For DH it's ...

Cleansers with bleach. (Ack! Bleach nauseates me on a good day.)

Continuous spray sunscreen (it's either that or he doesn't wear any and gets red as a lobster & b!tches about how much pain he's in)

Head & Shoulders dandruff shampoo.

Well, actually, most things he used before we were married and before I went nuts with the super-schnozz during my 1st trimester, he still uses. I'm not going to go nuts over his choices unless they make me sick. The only one I really get snippy about is his use of scented laundry detergent because if he uses it on bedding or towels, I get allergy and asthma issues until they're washed in unscented.

[AnnieW625]

Fabric Softener sheets
DH uses Head & Shoulder
disposable baby wipes
All or Gain detergent (the diapers do get Charlie's, but I think it sucks for washing regular clothes)
Spray sun screen
Best Foods Mayo (that is Hellman's west of the Rockies)
Pepsi Throwback
Non Earth friendly cleaning products (they stink, but they work)
Bleach
Liquid Plummer Professional
non organic strawberries (I just can't pay more than 50 cents more for them)
non organic granny smith apples

I love the following things, but we don't buy them often:
Cheetos
Velveeta (don't laugh it is the secret to my macaroni and cheese)
slurpees (gotta be a mix of cherry, and Coke)
Doritos (love the retro taco flavor)
Miracle Whip



Frigo brand cheese sticks taste better than organic.

Target's Market Pantry ones are just as good.



I try and buy good sunscreen, but sure, I'll grab Banana Boat at Walgreens at a pinch. my real vice is how infrequently I actually use sunscreen. :bag pretty much only on a beach vacation or at the pool.

I love junky candy as much as my kindergartner. I do love good chocolate, the darker the better, but given a chance, I'd probably live on Reese's peanut butter cups. Snickers comes in second.

I love ketchup

I have other weaknesses I don't give in to as much any more. And others I've probably blocked out so I don't run out to the 7-11!



:yeahthat: to most of that, except I usually buy Hunt's, and I don't like Snickers.


Bleach-- which I use on my microfiber towels weekly and on my white towels. I'm hoping that I won't need it anymore when we finally get a new washer.

Clorox wipes-- I keep one of those small travel packets in my diaper bag to clean off DS2's FP booster seat after eating at restaurants.


Don't count on it. Good idea about the Clorox wipes. I need to do that.:bag

[lizzywednesday]

...

...Good idea about the Clorox wipes. I need to do that.:bag

I keep a container of those in my desk at work. I do a monthly wipe-down of all surfaces, including keyboard, mouse and phone, with them.

I'll do it more often if I've been ill or there's sickness going around the office.

It's definitely a good idea about the wipes for the booster!

I didn't mention the 'sposies (dipes & wipes) in my post. Oops!

I try really hard to make up for the 'sposies by doing other "green" things; I am not perfect and I readily admit this.

[Kindra178]

American cheese. We mostly buy the organic tjs kind but I love the Kraft line.
Diet coke
Diet lemonade
Cookies generally

[bostonsmama]

Maltodextrin! It's the MSG/corn-derived nightmare that's in EVERYTHING, even organic soup base, broth/stock. I also try to do no artificial dyes/colors in food, but I've eaten my fair share of M&Ms. I also can't give up my paraben-ladden Aveeno daily brightening scrub. Sorry...there's just nothing like it. But I think it's not about what you do 1% of the time, it's what you do 99% of the time. If I use one product with parabens, I'm light-years ahead of people who use 10 products every day with it.

[Fairy]

What's wrong with Swiffer and microfiber?

Oooh, Head and Shoulders has parabens, I assume ...

[daisymommy]

We're about as crunchy as it gets over here.
And I love Coke. The real thing. Not diet which leaves a horrible chemical taste in my mouth. I prefer the real sugar Coke in glass bottles, poured into an icy mug. Or from a fountain over crushed ice. Num!

Candy. Especially anything gummy or sweet and sour. I have an internal struggle everytime I walk past the bulk candy store in the mall :)

[baymom]

What's wrong with using dryer sheets for static?:bag

[Fairy]

What's wrong with using dryer sheets for static?:bag

Parabens. I use dryer balls.

[baymom]

Parabens. I use dryer balls.

Ahhh....good to know--thank you! I use four dryer balls (mainly because I think they help get the load dry in less time) but still always toss in a dryer sheet. Time to stop that habit!

[Fairy]

Ahhh....good to know--thank you! I use four dryer balls (mainly because I think they help get the load dry in less time) but still always toss in a dryer sheet. Time to stop that habit!

I still use a dryer sheet now and then, and I use liquid downy every day. It's so hard to give certain things up when the alternative makes things so difficult. Ihave hard water, and the dryer balls just aren't enough with no liquid softener. My clothes get crunchy. You do what you can!

[Reader]

. I prefer the real sugar Coke in glass bottles, poured into an icy mug.

Me, too. Thank goodness Costco carries Mexican Coke.

Also, I thought I was the only one who didn't like real maple syrup initially. Haven't tried the fake stuff in years but real maple syrup just didn't taste right in the beginning.

[ChristinaLucia]

Paper Towels. Lots of them :(

Disposable Diapers. We used cloth for awhile but they started to stink and I tried everything and then just gave up.

Most everything else we don't use anymore. As soon as I find out it's not safe my mind can't let it go. I know I am a huge PITA.

What I wish I could find is beauty products and makeup that works fairly well but is not toxic.

[crl]

What's wrong with Swiffer and microfiber?

Oooh, Head and Shoulders has parabens, I assume ...

Nothing wrong with using a microfiber cloth on a swiffer. My problem is I used the disposable wet clothes instead.

Catherine

[Pear]

Coca-cola

[flashy09]

Fly spray for my horses. I tried citronella and other natural sprays and it doesn't work. The one I use is basically pure poison, but it keeps the flies away and the horses happy.

[marymoo86]

Paper towels and wipes and bleach

[hellokitty]

I'm over the 50% crunchy line, but I have to admit, that there are, "bad" things that are so hard to give up.

Soda (which I have kicked, but I do still like it on occasion)
Cheetos
Ramen noodles (it's hard to be asian and not eat ramen noodles, lol)
Pledge multi-surface cleaner
Icees, the kind you get at the movie theater with a bear on the dispenser, I love the most artificial blue ones, lol.
Disposable diapers (we use cloth during the day, but disponsables at night and when we are out of town)
Merrells (yes, I know that they have that bad microban inner sole, but I really like merrells)
I'm gong to be honest here and just say junk food in general, things that I know I shouldn't be eating, but I still want to eat it. :bag

[123LuckyMom]

I use Wisk, bleach occasionally, Oxyclean, Clorox 2, Bounce, and I use the dryer. My laundry room, except for the vinegar, is NOT crunchy!!!

We also use disposable diapers. I bow down to those able to manage cloth diapering. I could not.

As for food-- When I'm good, I'm very, very good, but when I'm bad, I'm awful!

[khm]

I still use a dryer sheet now and then, and I use liquid downy every day. It's so hard to give certain things up when the alternative makes things so difficult. Ihave hard water, and the dryer balls just aren't enough with no liquid softener. My clothes get crunchy. You do what you can!

Have you considered a water softener? I fought getting one and looked into all manner of dubious alternative solutions, but really, there aren't any. Hard water is brutal on all of your appliances and fixtures. I remember hating my parents' softened water, but the new equipment is so much smarter re: not over-softening. I LOVE our water now. No more spots, no more cloudiness, we use very little soap (laundry, dish and body/shampoo). We've had the same large bottle of HE Tide forEVER, and our clothes are great! I literally just use a tiny teaspoon or so.

And, my parents have also upgraded. Much better!

Our house was three years old when we bought it and the previous owners did not have a water softener and the effects were evident everywhere! Faucets, dishwasher, water heater, etc etc etc.

[alexsmommy]

There is very little for me, but for the kids and DH....
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Doritos
Potato chips (with tasty chemical flavorings)
Cheezits
... and when sick, Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup. Nothing else compares for all of us.

I do use oxi-clean as needed. I have three boys. Laundry can be, um, interesting.

Oh, had to go back and add paper towels... we're getting there, but I doubt we'll ever go totally without.


On maple syrup - it took me a YEAR to get my kids off the fake stuff. We had to stop cold turkey and go to jelly on waffles and pancakes and reset the tastebuds. Now they love real maple syrup and wrinkle their noses at the fake stuff. I consider this one of my rare big kids taste bud victories.

[TwinFoxes]

I do use oxi-clean as needed. I have three boys. Laundry can be, um, interesting.




I don't think Oxyclean is harmful, especially the "free" version with no perfumes/dye. Am I wrong? (I hope not!)

[rin]

Not that much . . . we occasionally buy Blue Bunny ice cream sandwiches (once or twice a year), and every now and then (also once or twice a year) I'll buy a box of that TJ's maple frosted shredded wheat cereal. I was raised by pretty crunchy hippy parents, so for the most part I just never got to like the taste of a lot of processed stuff, and it's always just tasted bad to me. I did develop an appreciation for Doritos and Frito-Lay bean dip in college, though, and maybe once every two years will buy some and consume the whole thing in one sitting. MMmmmmmm!

[alexsmommy]

I don't think Oxyclean is harmful, especially the "free" version with no perfumes/dye. Am I wrong? (I hope not!)

I don't think Oxyclean is horrible, but I also use Charlies Soap so it sometimes seems counterintuitive to use something so "green" and then add to it. Someone else listed it so I felt I needed to acknowledge this one too.
I'm very sure there are very knowledgeable mama's who will have a better answer.

[edurnemk]

I don't think Oxyclean is harmful, especially the "free" version with no perfumes/dye. Am I wrong? (I hope not!)

Oxygen bleach is OK, especially if it's fragance and additive-free. It's actually recommended in the book Green up your clean up. Basically it's just sodium carbonate (washing soda) and hydrogen peroxide.

[Fairy]

Have you considered a water softener? I fought getting one and looked into all manner of dubious alternative solutions, but really, there aren't any. Hard water is brutal on all of your appliances and fixtures. I remember hating my parents' softened water, but the new equipment is so much smarter re: not over-softening. I LOVE our water now. No more spots, no more cloudiness, we use very little soap (laundry, dish and body/shampoo). We've had the same large bottle of HE Tide forEVER, and our clothes are great! I literally just use a tiny teaspoon or so.

And, my parents have also upgraded. Much better!

Our house was three years old when we bought it and the previous owners did not have a water softener and the effects were evident everywhere! Faucets, dishwasher, water heater, etc etc etc.

Dude. That's WITH a home-wide water softening system, and a really good one, too. Next step would be a home-wide reverse osmosis system, and that's serious bucks.

[o_mom]

Does anyone else see this thread title and think:

"...and you know it, clap your hands! <clap clap>"?

[khm]

Dude. That's WITH a home-wide water softening system, and a really good one, too. Next step would be a home-wide reverse osmosis system, and that's serious bucks.

That stinks! Our water is of the extra hard variety too. Like, Home Depot water softeners last a few months. We did spend more than I wanted to, but appreciate it now. We do not have a RO, we do have a dechlorinator filter, but it wasn't too pricey.

I was stunned the prev owners didn't have one, yuck.

Ours has made a HUGE difference. I used to adore Downy, but no longer feel the need at all!! The amount of laundry detergent we use is sooooooooooo small now, I love that! Shampoo, too, really.

[Fairy]

That stinks! Our water is of the extra hard variety too. Like, Home Depot water softeners last a few months. We did spend more than I wanted to, but appreciate it now. We do not have a RO, we do have a dechlorinator filter, but it wasn't too pricey.

I was stunned the prev owners didn't have one, yuck.

Ours has made a HUGE difference. I used to adore Downy, but no longer feel the need at all!! The amount of laundry detergent we use is sooooooooooo small now, I love that! Shampoo, too, really.

What brand do you have? The next big home purchase after the windows and the ever-present driveway repaving need (we just keep skipping it every year while other things break that we need while the driveway crumbles slowly) will be the water softener, as it's old. Plumbers have said it's got a few good years left, so enjoy them. You like what you have, do you know the brand?

[khm]

What brand do you have? The next big home purchase after the windows and the ever-present driveway repaving need (we just keep skipping it every year while other things break that we need while the driveway crumbles slowly) will be the water softener, as it's old. Plumbers have said it's got a few good years left, so enjoy them. You like what you have, do you know the brand?

Kinetico.

We met with Culligan and Kinetico. With Culligan, we'd have needed their top dog model, with Kinetico, the 2nd to top. I kind of liked knowing we had "one more model to go" if needed (they had a 30 day try it timeframe).

But, no problems with the Kinetico. It is small, silent, didn't need electricity, etc. It doesn't take as much salt as I thought it would, it is "on demand", there's not a huge tank.

[Fairy]

Thank you. Will remember that (or come back to this thread ;-)). I hate the salt. It drives me batty. And my hair and skin can just FEEL it when we're out of salt. I've been known to shout from the shower

HONEY, WE NEED OUT OF SAAAALT!!!

Which is why I pine for the RO.

[larig]

Diet coke
kraft mac n cheese
there are lots of other things.