Have been using my washer for over 1 year

I bought the Whirlpool washer because it was advertised as a large capacity washer.  It does have a large tub.  The problem is that about a month after it came out of warranty, it developed a loud squeal from a belt.  Had to pay to fix that.  And it does not clean.  Put a comforter in there and wash, it still has clumps of pet hair on it.  It takes at least two washings to get a comforter clean.  And that tub will not fill adequately to do the job.  Not happy with it, but I will keep it because it is paid for and I am not in the mood to buy another one.  It does have a removable agitator, but I have found that top loaders with no agitator allows the clothes to twist and tie in knots.  So I keep the agitator in at all times.  It is just not good for me.  

Mulch and garden soil

 /when it comes to mulch, I use hardwood mulch that has been composted.  And my garden soil is Kellog's Potting and raised bed soil.  Never use the colored mulch.  They use chemicals to color it.  And make sure that the hardwood mulch is organic so you get no chemicals in your yard.  

I have bees and I have a bed of lemon mint for them blooming.  I also have bee balm, but it has not started blooming yet.  Planting Zinnias and Marigolds.  I am using plants from Lowe's and also starting my own so I will have them coming along all summer.  Gotta feed those bees.  

Quick Dams

Quick Dam Flood Bags and Barriers.  Not great.  They help but they do not stop the water from coming in.  I used them on my back patio which slopes to the sunroom.  I still had to be out there sweeping water off the patio.  The may have helped a little but not much.  Not really worth the money.  

Colgate toothbrushes

I just purchased new Colgate 360 Whole Mouth Clean.  So far I like this toothbrush.  It does work in between the teeth well, does clean well.  It is made in Switzerland.  The handle contains 25% recycled material.  I would like better use of recycling, but some is better than none.  All in all, I am happy with this toothbrush.  

update on keds/rifle paper company

 It is a definite NO on the Keds slipons/Rifle paper company.  That memory foam is useless and only causes my feet to hurt.  I wore them for 5 hours yesterday and my feet were killing me.  I came home, put on my traditional Keds and felt great.  No more problems.  So no more experimenting.  I'll stick with the traditional ones.  Absolutely no memory foam.  

Keds.

Having old feet that stood and worked on concrete for 40 years, my feet give me a lot of trouble.  I am now wearing Keds.  My first two pair, one slip on and one lace up, are just basic shoes made from organic cotton.  I love them.  My feet feel so good in them.  

Just ordered and received two new pair.  First up, print made in partner with Rifle Paper Company.  It has a memory foam foot bed and I am not sure I will like that.  In my experience, that memory foam does not hold up lone.  We will see.  The next is a lace up touted as vegan leather.  I just assumed it was plant-based.  Nope.  It is polyester which is plastic.  So probably returning that one.  I do not do plastic.  One, it does not let your feet breathe.  And 2, it is very bad for the environment.  I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how to download from my phone.  Old school here.   

Update on new washer

 I am not a fan of it.  The only real feature to like is the huge tub.  Do not like that I cannot manually stop it to add something.  Do not like that it does not balance easily.  And one of the belts is slipping and am going to have to have a repairman out.  So not a fan.  When I replace it, it will be with one with manual controls.