Normsplash

Then I pulled out a white towel that I had previously relegated to "rag duty." It was white. Not gray. White. The kind of white that hurts your eyes to look at. The kind of white that makes you realize you’ve been washing your face with a petri dish for five years.

Let me paint you a picture: I am a 38-year-old man who has been "washing" his clothes the same way since college. That means: throw everything in, pour a cap of blue goo into the tray, press "Start," and pray. My towels felt like sandpaper. My "activewear" smelled like a high school gym locker even after a hot cycle. And don't get me started on the grayish film that had started living rent-free on my white t-shirts. normsplash

But after my partner threatened to stage an intervention regarding my "mothball scent," I caved. I bought the starter kit: the detergent, the fabric softener alternative, and the stain remover. Then I pulled out a white towel that

Normsplash isn't a detergent. It's a reset button for your fabric. It strips out the waxes and residue that normal detergents leave behind (which is why you don't need softener—your towels actually get fluffy again). It’s boring in the most exciting way possible. The kind of white that hurts your eyes to look at

Normsplash ruined my relationship with every other detergent. And I’m oddly okay with that. Just be prepared to face the uncomfortable truth that your "clean" has been a lie.