Gibson Embers

🧪 CLEAN TALK with Gibson Embers

Episode 024 • Cleaning Science

Why Does Your Towel Smell Clean… Until It Gets Wet? 👀

You grab a freshly washed towel.

It smells perfectly fine.

Then it gets damp and suddenly…

WHAT is that smell?! 😂

There’s actually more than one reason this can happen.

💡 THE SCIENCE

Towels repeatedly collect body oils, sweat, skin debris, and other soils while also spending a lot of time damp.

If those soils and odor sources aren’t adequately removed during washing or the towel repeatedly stays damp too long you may notice that musty smell again once the towel gets wet.

And a towel smelling fresh while it’s dry doesn’t necessarily mean everything causing the odor is gone.

🧺 A FEW THINGS CAN CONTRIBUTE:

💧 Staying damp too long

Towels need a chance to dry between uses. The American Cleaning Institute recommends hanging bath towels to dry and washing them after about 3–5 normal uses.

Leaving them balled up or hanging where they can’t dry thoroughly can contribute to odor problems.

🧼 Your laundry routine

Too much or too little detergent can leave laundry less clean than using the proper amount.

Load size, water conditions, wash temperature, and cycle choice can matter too.

🚿 Hard water

Minerals in hard water can affect laundry performance and may contribute to residue depending on the detergent being used.

🖤 THE BOTTOM LINE

If your towel smells fine dry but funky again when it gets wet, don’t just cover the odor with more fragrance.

Take a look at how it’s being washed, rinsed, dried, and stored between uses.

And remember:

“Smells clean” and “is clean” aren’t necessarily the same thing. 👀

🧺 AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHY FORMULATION MATTERS

This is also one of the reasons I’m so intentional about how I formulate Gibson Embers Laundry Detergent.

Laundry isn’t just about making fabric smell clean. The goal is to actually lift and remove the body soils and odor-causing residues that can become trapped in fabrics so they can be carried away in the wash.

That’s an important distinction because simply adding more fragrance may temporarily cover an odor, but it doesn’t necessarily address what’s causing it.

Clean first. Fragrance second. 🖤

And that philosophy is a HUGE part of how I approach every Gibson Embers cleaning product.

💬 LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!

Has this EVER happened to one of your towels? 😂

Fresh out of the laundry = 😍
Wet again = 😳

Tell me I’m not the only one who’s experienced this! 👇🏻

🎬 Your question could be our next Clean Talk episode!

Have a question about cleaning products, ingredients, labels, laundry, or cleaning science? Leave it in the comments it might inspire a future episode! 🧪🖤

🖤 Clean Talk Reminder

Clean Talk isn’t here to tell you what to buy.

It’s here to help you understand product labels, ask better questions, and encourage you to do your own research so you can make informed decisions for yourself and your family.

✨𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔? ᥫ᭡✨

© 2026 Gibson Embers. Original written content. All rights reserved.

🚨 UNHINGED THURSDAY: ADULTING LOST & FOUND 🚨

Because apparently adulthood is just continuously losing things we KNOW we had five minutes ago. 😂

WELCOME TO THE ADULTING LOST & FOUND.

Please describe the item you’re currently missing.

Possible items include:

🔑 My keys… that are probably in my hand.

📱 My phone… while actively talking on it.

🧠 The thought I had approximately 4 seconds ago.

🧺 The motivation I had when I started the laundry.

👓 The glasses currently sitting on top of my head.

🛒 The ONE thing I actually went into the store to buy.

💻 The browser tab containing the very important thing I was definitely going to come back to.

As for me?

💻 I’d like to report the browser tab containing that VERY IMPORTANT thing I was definitely going to come back to.

It’s currently somewhere among the other 46 tabs I refuse to close because I might need those too. 😂

At this point, finding it would require a search party and possibly federal assistance. 🚨🤣

👇🏻 YOUR TURN:

What are we putting on the Adulting Lost & Found board today?

Wrong answers, ridiculous answers, and suspiciously accurate answers are all encouraged. 😂

✨ 𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔? ᥫ᭡

© 2026 Gibson Embers Original written content. Not to be copied or reused without permission.

🌙 Evening Exhale 🖤

Whatever today held, you’ve done enough. Release the stress, quiet your mind, and let tonight be for rest, peace, and recharging. ✨

Tomorrow is a new beginning. 🖤

🌙

🖤 10-DAY SMALL BUSINESS CHALLENGE 🖤

I was nominated by Get Spiked Greens to participate in a 10 day challenge showcasing my handmade products. Thank you!!

Day 4 and today we’re talking about another Gibson Embers favorite… Bowl Blasters™! 🫧✨

Now, the name may say Bowl Blasters… but apparently nobody told them they had to stay in the toilet. 😂

These little tablets are one of those products that started with one purpose and quickly turned into a “wait… what ELSE can I clean with these?!” kind of product.

Just drop + fizz + scrub + rinse/flush and let them get to work. 🙌🏻

🫧 Toilets — help fizz away stains, rings & buildup
🫧 Sinks — great for that deep-clean refresh
🫧 Pots & pans — helps loosen stuck-on grease & grime
🫧 Crockpots — because we all know what gets baked onto THOSE 😅
🫧 Garbage disposals — cleans + freshens
🫧 And honestly… I’m still finding new ways to use them!

They’re plant based, septic safe, handmade right here in Alton, and of course… highly scented because this is Gibson Embers and we don’t do boring cleaning around here. 😂🖤

One of my favorite things is hearing customers tell me what THEY’VE discovered these work on. Sometimes y’all give me ideas. 😂

And depending on your water, you may notice your Bowl Blasters foam differently hard vs. soft water can absolutely affect the fizz and foam, but they’re still doing their thing either way. 🫧

Four scents pictured today:

🤍 Simply Clean
🖤 Bleu Capri
☀️ Citrus Sunrise
🍉 Watermelon Splash

So for Day 4, I want to know…

👇🏻 Where are YOU dropping a Bowl Blaster first toilet, sink, pots & pans, crockpot, or garbage disposal?

And if you already use them somewhere I didn’t mention, TELL ME because you know I need to try it. 😂🙌🏻

Today I nominate skylo_designs to keep the challenge going! 🖤

𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔? ᥫ᭡

🧪 CLEAN TALK with Gibson Embers

Episode 023 • Ingredient Spotlight

ENZYMES: Tiny Stain Specialists 🧬

You may have seen ingredients like protease, amylase, or lipase on a detergent label.

But what are they actually doing in there?

💡 THE SCIENCE

Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts, helping speed up specific chemical reactions.

In cleaning products, different enzymes help break certain types of stains into smaller pieces that can be more easily removed during washing.

And here’s the cool part:

Different enzymes specialize in different messes.

🥚 Protease → protein-based stains like blood, egg, and grass

🍝 Amylase → starch-based stains like pasta and potatoes

🧈 Lipase → fats and oils like butter, grease, and olive oil

There are other cleaning enzymes too, each with particular jobs.

🖤 WHY THIS MATTERS

An enzyme isn’t simply a generic “cleaning booster.”

It’s chosen because of the type of material it can help break down.

That’s also why some detergent formulas contain multiple enzymes one enzyme doesn’t specialize in every kind of stain.

🖤 THE BOTTOM LINE

Think of enzymes as tiny stain specialists.

They don’t all do the same job, and they aren’t the only ingredients doing the cleaning.

But when they’re included in a formula, they can target specific types of soil and help the overall detergent do its job.

💬 LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!

Before today, did you know different enzymes were designed to tackle different types of stains? 👀

Or have you seen names like protease or amylase on a label and wondered what in the world they were? 😂👇🏻

🎬 Your question could be our next Clean Talk episode! Have a question about cleaning products, ingredients, labels, laundry, or cleaning science? Leave it in the comments it might inspire a future episode! 🧪🖤

🖤 Clean Talk Reminder

Clean Talk isn’t here to tell you what to buy.

It’s here to help you understand product labels, ask better questions, and encourage you to do your own research so you can make informed decisions for yourself and your family.

✨ 𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔? ᥫ᭡✨

© 2026 Gibson Embers. Original written content. All rights reserved.

🎤 Welcome back to another completely unofficial TED Talk…

…that nobody asked for, but here we are. ☕😂

SESSION 005: THEIR SUCCESS IS NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK.

Can we talk about the weird little thing our brains sometimes do when another business is absolutely KILLING IT?

They sell out a launch.

They hit a huge milestone.

They have an amazing sales day.

Their post goes viral.

They announce some incredible opportunity.

And you’re genuinely happy for them…

BUT THEN…

That tiny as***le voice in your head goes:

“Soooo… what the hell are WE doing wrong?” 😂

Nothing.

Literally nothing.

Someone else winning is not evidence that you’re losing.

Their sold-out launch didn’t take sales out of your cart.

Their viral post didn’t use up Facebook’s last available view.

Their opportunity wasn’t stolen from some imaginary pile that had your name on it.

And their packed order table is not a performance review of your business. 😂

We have GOT to STOP treating other people’s success like it’s some kind of personal attack on ours.

And while we’re here…

CLAP FOR PEOPLE.

And I mean clap HARD. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Celebrate the launch.

Congratulate the milestone.

Comment on the post.

Share their excitement.

Tell them you’re proud of them.

Even when they’re in your niche.

Actually…

ESPECIALLY when they’re in your niche.

Because you know what it took.

You know the late nights.

You know the doubt.

You know the work nobody saw.

You know how fu***ng GOOD it feels when something finally pays off.

So why would we withhold our applause just because we want something good for ourselves too?

Two things can be true at the same time.

You can look at somebody else’s success and think:

“Damn. I want that for me.”

AND…

“Damn. I’m so happy for you.” 👏🏻

Those feelings are not mutually exclusive.

Let their success remind you what’s possible not convince you that you’re failing.

And if their win pokes at one of your own insecurities?

Fine.

We’re human.

Feel the little twinge.

Check yourself.

Then clap anyway.

Hell, clap LOUDER.

Because someone else’s light does not dim yours.

And being the kind of person who can genuinely celebrate another person’s win while still working toward your own?

That’s the kind of table I want to sit at. 🖤

👏🏻 Thank you for attending my TED Talk.

The coffee is in the lobby. Please leave your imaginary competition there too. ☕😂

© 2026 Gibson Embers Original written content. Not to be copied or reused without permission.