“Mundane.” “Awful.” “Dreadful.” These are just some of the words experts use to describe the laundry process…and it breaks my heart. Want to know my dirty little secret? Well, one that I can share in a family magazine, anyway. I love doing laundry! Probably because I (and you) don’t really do anything when we’re doing it! The washing machine does the work, so does the dryer and so does the detergent. All I have to do is show up, load up and pick up. Pretty much like all those do-nothing dads who pace the sidelines and scream from the stands while somebody else coaches their temperamental 8 year old.
But I digress.

Unlike raking leaves, dusting or for the next couple of months anyway here in New Jersey, shoveling snow, there is no physical effort at all involved in doing laundry. Week in and week out, I and my trusty bottle of detergent—sorry, I haven’t graduated to pricey unit dose yet—tackle supposed tough grass stains, less-than-bright whites and other garment glitches, with no drama. No broken lawn mower pull start, no jammed leaf blower. Nope, after a few loads that only require me to “set it and forget it,” I’ve got clean clothes for a week. Why, I ask, is there so much angst surrounding a pile of dirty clothes?

Of course, my wife would say, “let’s see if you still love laundry if you have  to do it for the entire household!”

Maybe I don’t get it, but detergent makers certainly do. That’s why they’re rolling out an array of new product forms in 2014, nearly all of them designed to make the laundry process easier and less of a chore. You can read about them on p. 68 in this issue, where you’ll also find articles on trends in household product perfumery (p. 63), Procter & Gamble’s latest fashionable efforts (p. 72), up-and-coming skin care companies (p. 47) and natural personal care trends (p. 57).

Happy New Year from the Happi staff and Happy Laundry Day to one and all!

Tom Branna
Editorial Director
[email protected]