Read the Bottle

A public service from two people in sheep suitsUn servicio público de dos personas disfrazadas de oveja

Read the bottle.Lee la botella.

Before you pay extra for a word. “Organic” on a detergent is a farming promise, not a cleaning one.Antes de pagar de más por una palabra. “Orgánico” en un detergente es una promesa agrícola, no de limpieza.

Try the Label LensPrueba la Lupa Am I being fleeced?¿Me están trasquilando?
Barnaby, a man in a homemade sheep costume, holding a magnifying glass to an organic detergent bottle
BarnabyGot fleeced once. Never again.Lo trasquilaron una vez. Nunca más.
Shirley, a young woman with curly hair in a sheep costume and round glasses
ShirleyTypes fast. Reads the fine print faster.Escribe rápido. Lee la letra pequeña más rápido.
1

The Label LensLa Lupa de Etiquetas

Drag Barnaby’s magnifying glass over the back of a typical organic detergent bottle. Our hosts explain each line.Arrastra la lupa de Barnaby sobre el reverso de una botella típica de detergente orgánico. Nuestros presentadores explican cada línea.

ORGANIC
ORGANIC LAUNDRY DETERGENT · Gentle, plant-powered clean for the whole family. Lavender & eucalyptus.
Made with organic ingredients* · *70% of agricultural ingredients certified organic.
INGREDIENTS: Water, plant-derived surfactants, sodium citrate, sodium chloride, glycerin, organic lavender oil, organic eucalyptus oil, enzymes.
FREE OF dyes · phosphates · parabens · synthetic fragrance · optical brighteners.
Certified organic by: ______________________
DIRECTIONS: Use 1 cap per load. Safe for all water temperatures. Store in a cool, dry place. Keep out of reach of children.

A typical label, not any real brand. On a keyboard, use the arrow keys.Una etiqueta típica, no una marca real. Con teclado, usa las flechas.

2

Don’t Get Fleeced: the adsQue no te trasquilen: los anuncios

Three short films. Every fact in them is sourced at the bottom of this page.Tres cortos. Cada dato tiene su fuente al final de esta página.

The Fine PrintLa letra pequeña

Barnaby stops a shopper before she pays extra for a word.Barnaby detiene a una clienta antes de que pague de más por una palabra.

1:04 · EN audio · EN/ES subtitles

The Water Doesn’t CountEl agua no cuenta

Shirley explains the math behind “organic.”Shirley explica las cuentas detrás de “orgánico”.

0:55 · EN audio · EN/ES subtitles

And the Award Goes To…Y el premio es para…

“Organic” wins Best Supporting Word on a Label.“Orgánico” gana Mejor Palabra de Reparto en una Etiqueta.

0:51 · EN audio · EN/ES subtitles

3

Fleeced or not?¿Te trasquilan o no?

Five quick ones. Each answer comes with its source.Cinco rápidas. Cada respuesta trae su fuente.

4

Your hostsTus presentadores

Barnaby in his sheep suit

Barnaby

A regular guy in a homemade sheep suit. He got fleeced once and now reads every label with a brass magnifying glass. Cannot type. Hooves.Un tipo común con un disfraz de oveja hecho en casa. Lo trasquilaron una vez y ahora lee cada etiqueta con una lupa de latón. No puede escribir. Pezuñas.

“Look it up. I ain’t no wool.”

Shirley in her sheep suit

Shirley

Same suit, more curls, fingerless gloves. She does the math on the label and the typing for both of them.El mismo disfraz, más rizos, guantes sin dedos. Ella hace las cuentas de la etiqueta y escribe por los dos.

“Look it up. Ewe can do better.”

So what does clean?¿Entonces qué limpia?

Don’t take our word for it. Look it up.No nos creas a nosotros. Búscalo.

The smell in “clean” clothes is a bacteria story. Researchers have found harmless soil bacteria in washing machines that don’t smell, and hospitals have tested cleaning with beneficial bacteria. We’re not selling anything.El olor en la ropa “limpia” es una historia de bacterias. Investigadores encontraron bacterias inofensivas del suelo en lavadoras que no huelen, y hospitales han probado limpiar con bacterias beneficiosas. No vendemos nada.

More reading: The Truth About Organic Laundry, the evidence file behind these ads.Más lectura: The Truth About Organic Laundry, el expediente detrás de estos anuncios.

SourcesFuentes

  1. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, “Labeling Organic Products.” ams.usda.gov
  2. 7 CFR Part 205, §§205.301–205.303: water and salt excluded from the organic percentage. ecfr.gov
  3. Happi, FTC–USDA roundtable on consumer perception of organic claims for non-food products, Nov. 2016. happi.com
  4. S. Morath, “Buyers should beware of organic labels on nonfood products,” The Conversation (via Salon), 2020. salon.com
  5. USDA AMS / NOP fact sheet, allowed detergents and sanitizers in organic operations. ams.usda.gov (PDF)
  6. Kubota H. et al., Moraxella and laundry malodor, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2012. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  7. Jacksch S. et al., microbial communities in household washing machines, Microorganisms, 2022. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  8. Caselli E. et al., probiotic-based hospital sanitation, PLOS ONE, 2018. doi.org