136 The Costco Connection JANUARY 2017
MY TWO children are natural athletes. It
is a pleasure to watch them have fun playing sports and to know that they are developing their athletic abilities as much as
they can.
Until I have to wash their laundry.
All of that sweat, the damp Northwest
weather and the uniforms that get forgotten in the bottom of their duffle bags
make for laundry that is, shall I say, ripe
for change.
So when I saw a new “Odor Eliminating
Technology” label on Kirkland Signature™
Ultra Clean Premium Laundry Detergent
at Costco, I had to know more. I met with
the laundry care team at Costco to get the
full scoop, and I spoke at length with an
executive in the research and development
area of the company that supplies Kirkland
Signature laundry detergents to learn
about the science behind these products.
The cold truth
Andrea Padilla, Costco’s laundry, dish
and home care buyer, can relate to my o;-
LG ELECTRONICS USA
INSIDECOSTCO
The smell
of success
Odor elimination is Costco’s latest laundry development
BUYINGSMART
Freelance writer Kerry
Johnson ;lls this month’s
consumer reporter slot
with this behind-the-scenes
look at a Costco program.
Email questions about this
article to buyingsmart@
costco.com.
spring’s olfactory o;ensiveness. She has
two multi-sport-playing teenage boys who
she says “are at the prime of their stink.”
But then she reassures me that it isn’t
necessarily because our kids are excessively sweaty or don’t practice good
hygiene. A lot of it is due to the clothes
they’re wearing during practice and after.
Padilla explains that synthetic fabrics
used in today’s sportswear and “
ath-leisure” wear not only wick moisture, but
also can trap odors, especially when they
are washed in cold water as the labels recommend. And because many
people use detergents not optimized for cold water, the odors
tend to stick around.
But it’s not only active families who are experiencing
laundry odor issues, she says.
More people are washing
their loads in cold water to
save energy or to prevent colors from running. Others can
notice an unpleasant musty
smell after washing depending on what type of washing
machine they have.
So Padilla worked closely
with the manufacturer of
Kirkland Signature laundry
care items to improve their
odor-fighting power. The
result is the addition of pro-
prietary odor-eliminating technology to
three Kirkland Signature products: Ultra
Clean Premium Laundry Detergent Pacs,
Ultra Clean Premium Laundry Detergent
and Ultra Soft Premium Fabric Softener
(pictured below).
A clean start
From the supplier I received a helpful
lesson in Detergent ;;;. The path to truly
clean clothes starts with a detergent’s
cleaning power. That’s critical, because
laundry odor issues, she says.
smell after washing depending on what type of washing
So Padilla worked closely
with the manufacturer of
odor-fighting power. The
