I've told this story to a lot of friends, but it's definitely blog-worthy.

Since I moved out of my parents house approximately 4 years ago, I have had to purchase laundry detergent exactly three times. Those three times were all within the past year, and due to the fact that I simply ran out of the detergent my family had been giving me each time I visited home.

The first time I bought detergent for myself was very exciting. I didn't realize the plethora of fruits, breezes, flowers, and hypoallergenic scents that were available. I immediately began unscrewing every lid to smell and re-smell each scent. Twenty minutes in I had settled on a tropical somethingorother that was relatively cheap, even considering the fact that everything was supposed to be compact and concentrated now.

For the next eight months (It was a portable washer and dryer, so they were small loads) I did my laundry and it smelled wonderful and fruity and I was happy. About 70 loads into my 72-load bottle, I decided it was time to go back for more. Once again I went back to the aisle and began sniffing, and upon reexamination of my current detergent (just to make sure I still wanted it) I read the scripty, small font 'fabric softener.'

"Oh great!" I thought.
"It contains fabric softener, too!"

But then I began checking the other bottles to see if I could get the same bang for my buck in other brand names, and sure enough they all said 'fabric softener.' Then I looked above me at the sign which labels the sections in the aisle. It, too, said 'fabric softener.'

It dawned on me that for eight months I had washed my clothes with nothing more than fabric softener.

Socks, bed linens, bath towels, ..... underwear. I rewashed everything.