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The other night, as hubs was getting into bed, he remembered he hadn’t switched the laundry to the dryer. “No problem,” I said, and headed to handle it. That’s when I noticed a couple of new-to-me bottles on the laundry shelf: laundry soap and liquid softener.
Normally, I use soap nuts with a couple of wool dryer balls and dryer sheets, so these bottles immediately stood out. Hubs likes “good smelling clothes,” so I assumed he had bought the new laundry stuff himself.
Here’s how our conversation went:
Me: “Babe, did you buy new laundry soap?”
Hubs: “Uhh, nooo? Why are you asking me…wait, what did I use?!”
Me: “Oh my God, babe…you used the empty bottles I had filled with water! HAHAHA! Did you leave the soap nuts in the washer?”
Hubs: “No! I took them out! WHYYYY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!”
I couldn’t stop laughing…until I remembered I had just put that load in the dryer.
When Prep Meets Confusion
Y’all are probably wondering the same thing as hubs. Why would anyone fill laundry bottles with water? Living in Florida, I learned early on about hurricane season and disaster preparedness. Empty bottles filled with water are perfect for washing hands and bodies when water is scarce. My in-laws experienced this during Hurricane Charley – about two weeks without running water because their well required electricity. Plus, you never know when the zombie apocalypse might hit.
The problem? I never labeled the bottles. I have many unmarked bottles in the garage, and while they’re safely tucked away from the washer, apparently hubs was searching for soap.
Thankfully, this story ended in laughter and not tragedy. But imagine if it had been bleach or another chemical instead of water. Imagine a child getting into an unlabeled bottle…yikes.
The Hidden Danger in Unlabeled Bottles
That thought took me back to my own childhood. I was around 10 years old, taking showers with my 6-year-old sister. Our stepdad was home while mom was at work. I grabbed a small spray bottle from the dryer, assuming it was water, and sprayed it in the shower. My sister started crying immediately after, gagging at the smell. Our stepdad banged on the door, my grandmother was called over, and we all realized…
It was bleach.
We survived without serious harm. The bathroom was sparkling clean, but I felt like the worst big sister ever. Mom had assumed we were “old enough” not to touch it – but that assumption could have been deadly.
The moral of the story: LABEL YOUR BOTTLES. Always. Especially if they contain chemicals, bleach, or anything that could be dangerous if mistaken for water. A few minutes of labeling can prevent a lot of panic…or tragedy.
Daily Deals from a Nerd Mom 
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