In partnership with Tide, I would like to share with you one of my most significant wardrobe malfunctions as a busy parent. Also, I’ll share with you how something as simple as my choice of laundry detergent could have prevented this mishap.
Is this an outing or Arctic expedition?
Now, if you’re a parent reading this, you know what an outing with a child is all about. There’s a level of planning involved that I’m sure would impress the scientists working on the next moon landing. There are healthy snacks, water, favourite toys, strollers, unhealthy snacks for when the healthy snacks get rejected, and your kid is getting hangry. You get the idea.
Anyway, another necessity when going out with a child is a change of clothes, maybe even two. It never fails that, kids find a way to get mud, dirt, ketchup, and anything in between all over their clothes within the first 10 minutes of going somewhere. So you rush off to the changing area, change your child, and stuff the dirty clothes into the bottom of the backpack, letting the stains set-in, more on that later. It’s probably at this point you realize that whatever was all over your child is now all over you. It never fails. Now, for those of you that have followed me for a while, you know I love wearing t-shirts. So, it always pains me to see mud and smoothie splattered all over my shirts. It also pains me that after all the planning, the one thing I never remember to bring is a change of clothes for myself.
Alright, here is the embarrassing story.
Okay, are you ready for this embarrassing story? It’s also a story of pure parenting perseverance. The type of stuff Ellen might invite you onto her show for, hint.
It was at this point that the entire seam that restricts the world from seeing my posterior decided it was no longer willing to cover my butt. As I knelt, a loud “POP” echoed through the room.
Alright, so on this particular day, Benjamin and I were at the zoo in the middle of the winter. We were in one of the warm buildings, because, you know, winter. I was following Benjamin around from one animal to the next when he locked in on one of his favourites, the turtles. On this day, the turtles were extra cute, nibbling on some tiny turtle lettuce, or something. As a result of their cuteness, a crowd gathered around them. Benjamin, not aware of standard society rules, barged up the front of the group and yelled back to me to come and see the turtles. So, I apologetically made my way to Benjamin. Since I am aware of standard society rules, I knew that I must crouch down so that the people behind me can also see the turtles.
It was at this point that the entire seam that restricts the world from seeing my posterior decided it was no longer willing to cover my butt. As I knelt, a loud “POP” echoed through the room. Now, you’re probably thinking, well, no one noticed, right? Wrong! It was apparent that other people saw my mishap. The sound was so loud, and I was left with no choice but to acknowledge the rip. “Oh man, I ripped my pants,” I said, contemplating my next move. Do I tie my coat around my waist? That wouldn’t make any sense; it’s pretty cold for that move. Now you’re probably thinking, you could leave, right? Wrong! This building was the first stop. And after all that planning and packing, there was no way I was going home so soon.
So what did I do? For the rest of the time, I just stayed standing up, refusing to bend over or kneel, which is surprisingly tricky when accompanied by a barely 3ft person. Of course, it was a little drafty, but I don’t think anyone noticed.
I could have prevented this.
As much as I love telling that story now, I didn’t think it was all that funny at the time. And it wasn’t until I had a chance to talk with the great people at Tide, that I learned that there are better ways to treat our clothing and prevent them from failing when we need them the most. Furthermore, it’s days like this that our clothes are put to the test. We are walking in the cold weather, into a warm building, letting the sweat absorb into our clothing. Then there’s the dirt and food stains. Those clothes go into the washer, and the cycle repeats itself the next day.
Washing and wearing your clothes can cause things like permanent stains, dinginess, and fading, which can keep them from looking great. Tide Power PODS contains specific ingredients that help maintain clothing appearance over time.
First, they contain builders and chelants. Builders lock up calcium and magnesium to reduce water hardness, allowing surfactants to do their job, which is removing stains.
Secondly, Tide Power PODS contain scavengers. Scavengers seek out things like chlorine, which is often found in drinking water. Chlorine has been shown to damage and fade fabrics over time.
Third, Power Pods contain polymers. Polymers keep stains and soils from re-depositing onto other garments after the surfactants have removed them, preventing dinginess on clothing over time.
Finally, Tide Power PODS contains cold-water enzymes. The enzymes are part of an overall formula designed to function well in cold water. Since washing in the cold maintains bright colours and prevents fading.
Alright, if you didn’t want to read all that technical stuff, I’ll sum it up like this. Tide Power PODS are designed to keep your clothes looking better for longer, and maybe saving you an embarrassing moment along the way.
If you want to learn even more about Tide Power PODS, or you’d like to try them out for yourself click here!