Magnetic Laundry Scam

By | January 1, 2009

Recently, while browsing for eCards to send on care2.com, I was presented with an ad for nomoredetergent.com, a Web site which claims to sell a “Breakthrough Invention Which Washes Your Clothes For Free Without Toxic Chemicals, Saves Your Family’s Skin Health, and Your Money!”

The “invention” they sell is two magnets encased in rubbery plastic, which you’re supposed to put into your washing machine instead of detergent.  The Web site claims, “Research by Physicist Dr. Hendrick Lorentz shows that with the right magnetic fields, water molecules (H2O) [sic] are made to have similar effects that detergent chemicals do… in other words, they stick to other tiny particles like dirt, and carry them off!”

I was dubious, as you probably are as well.  But Care2 is a pretty reputable site, and the upside of never needing to pay for or use laundry detergent again is pretty high.  Furthermore, I figured that if it was a scam, then I’d have fun performing an experiment to prove it.  So I went ahead and ordered a set of the magnets.

So, what do you think… Is it a scam or isn’t it?  Read on to find out.

Before I tell you the results of my experiment, let me point out some other good reasons to be suspicious:

  • There is no independent scientific research on the Web site pertaining to the efficacy of the product.  Under the heading “Clinical Research” on the Web page is not proof that the magnets work, but rather quotes from a 2005 Sierra Club press release about supposedly dangerous chemicals in laundry detergents.  The pamphlet that comes with the product says that it has been “independently proven,” but there is no evidence of this.
  • The endorsement logos on the home page (none of which are linked to anything) are:
    • “As Seen On TV” — in other words, “we ran some ads / infomercials”
    • “Mothering Magazine” — but a search of the site turns up no articles about the product, so this certainly also means “we ran some ads on this site”
    • “PRWeb” — anyone can pay to put up a press release on PRWeb, so this means “we paid for a press release”
    • “Care2” — again, “we ran some ads on this site”
    • “CNN” — there are no search results indicating that CNN ever did a news story about this product, so, once again, “we ran some ads on this site”
    • “LifeScript” — ditto
  • The “risk free trial” offered by the site promises that “You’ll have 21 days from today to use the Magnetic Laundry System and experience the results for yourself.”  The company charged my credit card $5.95 for shipping and handling on December 1; they shipped the product to me on December 23; it arrived on December 26; and the company charged my credit card $49.95 on December 27.  Yes, that’s right, my “21 day free trial” involved having the product in my possession for less than one day.
  • The research of Dr. Hendrick Lorentz didn’t have anything to do with laundry detergent chemicals.
  • Finally, the idea that magnets can substitute for laundry detergent has been thoroughly debunked.

A little digging on the Web reveals that the company which manufactures this product did publish an “independent lab test result,” which you can view hereYou can also view an “As Seen On TV” video evaluation of the product here.  [UPDATE 2010-06-22: The “As Seen on TV” video is no longer available. Perhaps Life Miracle stopped paying the advertising fee for it so they took it off the site?] Here are some problems I found with these:

  • The lab report claims, “As is standard for this type of testing, a water control was also run to provide baseline/control data.”  However, the published results include only before/after data for the load run with the magnets, i.e., they do not show how washing laundry with the magnets compares to washing with just water.
  • The lab results show only the results of washing in hot water, and the literature that comes with the magnets also says that they work best in hot water.  Of course, some clothing is too delicate to be washed in hot water, and therefore it is important to know how well any laundry product will work in warm or cold water, but we are told nothing about that. (A worthwhile aside: This product claims to be good for the environment because it reduces the need for detergents containing toxic chemicals, but washing all of your laundry in hot water is hardly good for the environment.)
  • The video claims that the magnets were more effective on dirt that traditional detergent, but (a) they don’t say what kind of detergent was used, and if I had to guess I’d guess that they used a particularly bad one, and (b) dirt is only one of many kinds of stains that detergents are designed to clean.
  • If you watch the video carefully, you will see that the tags on the two shirts they used were different, and therefore that the shirts themselves were different, thus invalidating the entire test.  Also, it’s impossible to tell from the video whether the two shirts were equally dirty to begin with (for some reason, they only give you a good look at one of the two shirts after soiling them).
  • In the video, they washed only the shirts in the washing machine.  This means that the magnets were free to move around the drum and bang against the shirt, thus helping to get it clean.  You could accomplish the same thing with a couple of rocks.  They didn’t test for that, nor did they compare washing with the magnets to washing with just water.

Now, here is the experiment I performed:

  • Start with three identical, clean, white, cotton undershirts.
  • Stain each of them with measured, equal amounts of four different contaminants: ketchup, peanut oil, soy sauce, and dirt.
  • Allow the stains to dry overnight.
  • Wash each undershirt in a separate load, in hot water, with no extra rinse, in a front-loading washing machine, with four clean towels (to balance the machine and simulate a full load of laundry) of similar size and thickness:
    • Load : the two laundry magnets positions on opposite sides of the washing machine drum (vertical axis)
    • Load : just water
    • Load : 1/3 of a detergent measuring cup of All Free Clear laundry detergent

Here are the results of the experiment:

  • All three methods left an extremely obvious ketchup stain.
  • All three methods removed most of the soy sauce; it’s hard to say whether any was left on any of the shirts.
  • All three methods removed most of the dirt but left some visible smudges.
  • The detergent removed the peanut oil completely; there was visible peanut oil left on the shirts washed with the magnets and with just water.
  • There was no visible difference in cleanliness between the shirt washed with the magnets and the shirt washed with just water.
  • The shirt washed with detergent was visibly cleaner than the shirts washed with the magnets and with just water.

Here are my conclusions:

  1. The laundry magnets are useless.
  2. Hot water combined with agitation do a pretty good job all by themselves of removing dirt etc.
  3. People are using detergent even when they think they aren’t:
    1. Washing machines leave some detergent on clothes even after they are rinsed.  These leftover detergents aid in cleaning the clothes the next time they are washed, even if no new detergent is used.
    2. Most people use too much detergent, because (a) most people are careless about measuring the detergent and (b) the detergent manufacturers tell people to use more than they actually need to get the clothes clean.
    3. The more detergent is used, the more is left behind after the clothes are rinsed.
    4. People who buy these magnets and think that their clothes are being cleaned by them are actually taking advantage of the detergents left behind on the clothes from before they switched to the magnets.
    5. The company selling these magnets is counting on the fact that by the time the detergents are completely washed out (it takes several wash cycles) and it becomes obvious that the magnets are useless, the 90-day money-back guarantee will have expired, and most people will be too lazy to fight with the company to get their money back.
  4. The bait-and-switch with the nonexistent “21 day risk free trial” is a conscious, intentional effort by the company selling these magnets to capitalize on the fact that most people are too lazy to complain and and get their money back.

In short, this is a scam, and I plan on doing the following about it:

  • Complain to Care2 about allowing this product to be advertised on their Web site. [done]
  • Complain to asotv.info about the fact that their test was bogus and their claim that the product works as advertised is false. [done]
  • Complain to Shuster Laboratories about the fact that their laboratory evaluation reports published about this product do not actually prove that it works. [done]
  • Demand from the company that they refund not only the $49.95, but also the original $5.95 shipping fee and the cost of shipping the magnets back to them if they want them back. [done]
  • If they refuse, then file disputes with my credit-card company for both the original shipping charge and the subsequent $49.95 charge. [not needed — the seller reimbursed both the shipping charge and the charge for the magnets]
  • Contact topclassactions.com and others with the suggestion that it might be profitable for an attorney somewhere to pursue a class-action lawsuit against the companies manufacturing and selling this fraudulent product. [done]
  • File complaints about deceptive and fraudulent advertising practices with the attorney generals of Massachusetts (where I am located), Pennsylvania (where the company manufacturing the product is located), and Utah (where the company that sold it to me is located). [done]

UPDATE: My response to the comment below from Life Miracle can be found here.

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81 thoughts on “Magnetic Laundry Scam

  1. sara sparks

    I have been using blue magnets exclusively for over 3 years. They work…or…just using cold water works. In either case. I have not found the need to use any laundry detergent and my clothes and bedding are clean. No stains etc. So…bottem line…laundry detergent is kinda useless.

    Reply
  2. Page Prewitt

    Much appreciate your information and your diligence in finding and sharing .
    I was thinking about trying these magnets.
    😳🙄

    Reply
    1. jik Post author

      There’s no evidence in that article that they actually did any tests.

      Reply
  3. Sharne

    I sincerely appreciate your succinct review. You have just saved me an unnecessary expense. I’m also impressed that you set and followed through with a plan to protect others from being scammed in the future.

    Reply
  4. Jaime

    Any outcome with the class action lawsuit filing? I bought these magnets to test from Amazon and am returning. Can’t believe these snake oil salespeople haven’t been hit with a lawsuit yet.

    Reply
  5. DorothyT

    Thanks so much for your effort. I am like you. I speak out for justice. Even better because you really went to a lot of trouble to test the products in fairness to them as well.

    Reply
  6. Roni

    Excellent review with superb controls. The only thing I could think to add would be testing the water itself prior to washing anything.

    Thank you for doing your homework! $100 saved; Aggravation and costly repair bills avoided … PRICELESS!

    Reply
  7. Tracie

    The magnetic laundry system totally trashed my front loading washing machine. The electrics went nuts after only three washes, stuck on 1 minute spin cycle, when stopped by main switch I opened the door to find smoke coming from the machine. It was a 30 degree wash by the way.

    Reply
  8. Ray

    Thank you for the information. Was thinking of getting a pair. Not now!!

    Reply
  9. Ray

    Thank you all for the information. Was thinking of getting a pair. But not now!

    Reply
  10. Jan

    Wow! This was quite informative. I am sorry you all went through this “crap”. I am so trusting and have gone through this kind of thing with other products and learned too late of the scam and usually lost money and time and my temper and to no avail (nothing done about it). You all saved me from this mistake on these magnets. While I am sorry you are going through this and trying to get your money back or some solution — I thank you very much for being a pioneer to the truth. Jan

    Reply
  11. Andrew

    Magnets only attract Iron; Iron alloys– or other magnets. Magnets can be quite heavy and I doubt washing machine manufacturers envisioned consumers placing rubber coated magnets into their washing machines.

    Reply
    1. lori

      I also was suckered in, did 3 loads, did three loads again with detergent! Second loads, clean as usual, first load with magnets, lots of staining and door remaining.
      After 5 emails and phone calls I was told I would get the full refund, but not the s & h! So you pay for a product that does not work, pay for the s & h to receive it and pay for the s & h to send it back to the merchant, looks like the post office is the only entity benefiting from this classic scam!
      Don’t waste your time, it is a useless product!

      Reply
  12. Cory

    I bought one last month but have never received it. My bank had sent me a notification that my card had been compromised & had been cancelled due to a purchase that I had recently made. I figure it was probably there. And now that the website is no longer up, it tells me that I have lost my money. :'(

    Reply
    1. DorothyT

      Depending on your bank, you have a 180 day disputed paper based transaction form that you can lodge with your bank. It came in when they changed from using cash and supporting the use of cards with insufficient security for hacking. Check with your bank.

      Reply
  13. Gail

    If you want to stop using chemicals and are trying to do your bit for the environment why not try using soapnuts or also called soapberries… all natural grown by mother nature herself…

    Reply
    1. valerie R-Jones

      I’ve been using soap nuts for a few years. Gets my laundry clean.

      Reply
  14. Tina Huston

    I just got a full refund on these crap magnets. I’m not getting a refund on the clothes that have baked in stains in them, now. Second, my Samsung steam washing machine now errors out during the wash cycle and have to restart the cycle. Did the magnets ruin the programming on my washing machine? Those fuckers. Where’s the class action law suit? I want to sign up.

    Reply
    1. lori

      I also was suckered in, did 3 loads, did three loads again with detergent! Second loads, clean as usual, first load with magnets, lots of staining and odor remaining.
      After 5 emails and phone calls I was told I would get the full refund, but not the s & h! So you pay for a product that does not work, pay for the s & h to receive it and pay for the s & h to send it back to the merchant, looks like the post office is the only entity benefiting from this classic scam!
      Don’t waste your time, it is a useless product!
      My machine also malfunctioned after use with the magnets, carful not to place these next to your motherboards on your washers or your initial investment could be even more costly.

      Reply
  15. Rod

    The magnets make excellent fridge magnets and because of the plastic coating do not mark the fridge surface. They are strong enough to hold even a large calendar onto the fridge door. Just what I had been looking for. We have also started to use them in a new game called magnetic bowls. The game involves rolling the balls along the floor and trying to push your opponent away from a pilot ball. he who is closest wins. Similar to Pétanque but different.

    Reply
  16. Tammy K

    The ONLY reason I use these is this: My hubby is a machinist and has metal shavings and metal dust in ALL his work clothes. The magnets will pull it out of the clothes and keeps most of it from getting all in my machine. There are far cheaper magnets out there.

    Reply
    1. Diane

      Thank you thank you for the effort I did not need to make and money I did not waste.. almost bought it.

      Reply
  17. Dayle Clements

    Wouldn’t the magnents eventually magnetize the metal in the washer and ruin it?

    Reply
    1. jik Post author

      Nope, for two reasons:

      1) There is too much metal in the washing machine for these magnets to have a measurable magnetizing effect on it.

      2) For a magnet to magnetize a piece of metal, the metal has to be passed through the magnet’s field in a specific orientation repeatedly. This really doesn’t how these magnets move in the washer.

      Reply
  18. Nicholas Dollak

    I just heard of these “laundry magnets” last week, when I visited my ex’s house after her brother-in-law’s memorial service (and, of course, brought a bag of laundry to do since it’s expensive/difficult to do laundry where I live). Her sister had just got those magnets, and the two of them swore by their efficacy. I was intrigued, but sadly knew that any questions I might have about just HOW a pair of magnets are supposed to remove non-ferrous matter would go unanswered. Neither my ex nor her sister did well in any Science class (well, my ex passed Intro to Biology in college…), and her sister has a reputation for being what I call an “all-day sucker” – she has clutter from at least 5 different pyramid schemes filling up their house, and hasn’t made a penny from any of them.

    Because of the logistical problems of doing laundry where I live, I have to wear the same outfit for a week; my clothes get extremely dirty. I figured this would be a good test of their magnets. To my surprise, my clothes came out pretty clean! Almost sold… ALMOST. Gotta figure out how this works, because as far as I can tell, this SHOULD NOT WORK.

    Today I remembered to do my research. I didn’t bother with the ads – as soon as I saw “Magnetic Laundry Scam” in the search engine, I knew I’d found what I was looking for: a dissatisfied customer. And, unlike some such customers, you, my good man, actually ran a scientific test to reveal exactly what’s going on. Kudos!

    I tend to use about half the amount of detergent prescribed on the detergent bottle – Mom recommended this practice; and although I use vinegar as a fabric softener, my skin is very sensitive to soap residue; and I’m aware of how many companies fudge the numbers to boost sales. Having used those laundry magnets and ended up with a clean load of laundry, I now know that I could probably skip the detergent altogether at least every other load.

    Reply
  19. Tdiguy

    To me its simple why these don’t work. They are magnets. The only think i would expect a magnet to remove out of my laundry would be ferrous metal, and even that would only work if it happens to pass withing close proximity to one of the magnets. Otherwise magnets have no properties to them that would clean clothes. They have a magnetic field but that only affects ferrious metals. If magnets worked to remove even something as mundane as dirt you could go outside and pick up dirt with a magnet. You cant though because dirt is not affected by a magnetic field.

    Reply
  20. Kathy

    I bought some for myself & some as a Christmas present. At first I was happy. Now after 5-6 uses I can see my whites are grubby & the stains are not removed. I agree it’s a scam. How do I return them?

    Reply
    1. jik Post author

      Contact whoever sold them to you and ask how to get a refund. Prepare to be stonewalled, but if you are persistent you will probably succeed. As a worst-case scenario you can dispute the credit-card charge.

      Reply
  21. Mary

    I purchased the magnets and man was I ever taken for a ride. Yes the 21 day send back runs out fast and lucky if you get to use them 2 times. Do they work? Not in my eyes. The stains were still in the shirt the dirt in the sole of the socks was still there. The collar ring was still there so I think I got took on this and can’t believe I fell for that. Well I got to say the magnets did do one good thing. There was some screws in one of the pants pockets and the magnets caught them and no damage to the machine’s motor. I might still use them to catch any kind of screwes or nails in pockets that I miss.

    Reply
  22. Anonymous

    What is the size of the magnetic Laundry magnet? What strength? Why not
    just use a large magnet from a speaker???? Very strong and good sized.

    Reply
    1. jik Post author

      It doesn’t matter what size magnet you use. Magnets. Don’t. Clean. Laundry.

      Reply
    2. CECE

      I tried that. Only I uses a couple of toy magnets that seemeded the same size. They work great as far as I can tell.
      Then I added a stainless soap bar (can purchase on amazon) and put it in a sock. Between the both my laundry has never been cleaner. I dont kniw what alk the fuss is. Don’t buy the product and expairment. There is nothing like DIY.

      Reply
  23. Silly Girl

    Yep. I bought the products. Washed a few loads with them. All the stains remain, of course, because the “enzymatic cleaner” is the real hook and, with it, I’m guessing most who report being “satisfied” with their results also purchased the cleaner. What disappoints me most is the smell of my clothing; hard water, antique pipes, and I get clothes that smell like iron and whatever else is lurking in the pipes. But, in addition, dirt remains – the kind under the cuffs of sleeves and on the edges of garments that have brushed up against the car covered with sooty snow….

    I’d say that marginally intelligent people like myself who retain vestiges of total gullibility will have fallen for the “toxic detergent” bait. However, completely rinsing my clothing of that residue, to the tune of $69, is the real joke.
    Too much of a bother sending them back. They are, after all, magnets, and who knows? Maybe I’ll learn a couple magic tricks to redeem my public idiocy. They should be right handy if that day ever comes.

    Reply
    1. Datig Hand

      Left handy, also, so as to better facilitate mag(net/ic) tricks 😀

      Reply
  24. Andrea

    The video about the magnetic laundry system popped on my computer, so I listened. Sounded interesting. I decided to do some additional internet research about this product to see what else is said about it out there. Happened across this website. Sounds like the magnetic laundry system is full of holes. Last summer I had already started making my own laundry soap. It cost me about $25-$30 to buy the ingredients. And the recipe I made last summer is still being used. And it works just as well (I think better) than store bought detergents. You can make it scent free or add a scent if you want that. This is the way to go. Waste of my time to listen to the video about the magnetic laundry system. But glad I am a savvy shopper.

    Reply
    1. Judy

      How did you find out how to make your own laundry soap? I would be very interested in that information.

      Reply
      1. Amber

        I am not Andrea, but I make my own as well. I got the recipe from Betsy & Matt Jabs website & book, diynatural.com, the book is entitled, “DIY naturals household cleaners”
        •  1 bar Fels-Naptha laundry soap, Kirk’s Castile, Ivory, or Dr. Bronner’s
        •  1 cup washing soda
        •  1 cup borax

        Grate bar soap with a hand grater, then mix in washing soda and borax. Thoroughly stir, or for best results, blend together in a food processor. (Some use a dedicated processor for mixing detergents.) Use 2 tablespoons per load (some use more for larger or heavily soiled loads – find the right amounts for you).

        HE washers HE washers require special, low suds detergent because they use less water. This detergent is VERY low suds.

        Savings At current prices your cost will be approximately $0.08/load ($0.04/tbsp.) Comparatively, store-bought detergents are closer to $0.21/load – saving you approximately $0.17/load or 212%.

        To make washing soda, bake a thin layer of baking soda at 400°F for an hour, mix it up. Bake for an hour again. It should look uniformal & have a different texture.

        I use vinegar for softener & aluminum balls in the dryer with no use of dryer sheets. No vinegar smell. If there are stains from kids, pre treat them & then wash. You could also use essential oils in the detergent.

        Reply
        1. Adriene

          Remember that soap and detergents are not the same. Unless you are washing by hand, a washing machine can not thoroughly rinse soap like detergent. It gunks up your washer and your clothes. Do a strip on clothes washed with soap and you will be DISGUSTED! Find a good coconut based detergent.

          Reply
          1. Kate

            I think about that often when I see this “homemade laundry soap” recipe. Soap and detergent are not the same and it’s why we don’t use soap to wash things like floors. Surfaces require rinsing or wiping down with cleaning cloths to remove the remaining soap in order to remove the residue of fat. For laundry I suppose you could use a larger than expected amount of hot water for both wash & rinse to hopefully keep the particles holding your dirt in suspension in order to send them out the door.

            I think vinegar helps as a rinse aid.

            Now about these soap nuts … ?

            Reply
        2. Linda

          The best soap to use is Zote soap I’ve found. Buy it off eBay. Great deals. I put mine in a cheap food processor. Fast. Easy!

          Reply
  25. dpnna

    So Glad I read the information here.. I was going to buy it !! Tooooo Good to be true.. If people are scared of the toxins by a detergent that is organic!! Works great..

    Reply
    1. winona

      I have found that the skin irritation from laundry detergent is from the fragrance. I cannot be in the same room as a box of Gain detergent. I use the kind without perfume. I remember when most homes had a bar of Naptha soap for laundry, it worked great.

      Reply
      1. Lynn Balllantine

        I do miss my Naptha Soap. I can’t find it anywhere. I don’t even know who made it but I don’t think they do, any more.

        Reply
        1. Rita

          Lynn, check with your store manager. It is still made and I have seen it in stores. Also check on their websites like Wal Mart, Target, the online drug store, etc.., they may carry it. 🙂

          Reply
        2. Mik

          Naptha is a carcinogen, along with other petrochemical esters…

          Reply
        3. Heather

          I can get it in wisconsin at my grocery and dollar stores I use Dr Bronners castile cleanser and aloe vera gel with baking soda and washing soda. Two drops lemon essential oil. Apple cider vineger at rinse time. My clothes are brighter, Never dingy or stinky.

          Reply
        4. Page Prewitt

          Hi
          I live in NC and buy Naptha soap at my local Boone NC Walmart.

          I use it to remove artist oil paint from fabric i.e. clothes etc: Learned this trick from a 92 yr old artist I met at a painting workshop 🙃

          Reply
  26. Tina Mills

    I can’t thank you enough for taking care of this business… I was suspicious of this product and wanted to research it. I found this site and told my husband to read along with me….Racked my brain how such nonsense was allowed on a public site…For most of us, to see that saving is possible we tend to lean to get a product that will allow this saving or any method…Trickery at it’s worst…

    Have a great day!

    Reply
  27. jeannib

    here it is, 2014, and the price is $69.99 with $9.00 shipping and a 90 day money back guarantee. glad i found this site. however, sure wish it really did work!!

    Reply
    1. winona

      You usually don’t need to use as much detergent as the company recommends. I start with the minimum recommended by the company, it usually works just fine for all my clothes. We own boats and my husband comes home with really gross dirty clothes and I will add a little extra then. Same goes with dish detergent. When I cured myself of filling both detergent cups in my dishwasher, my dishes were still clean, I just didn’t go through as much detergent

      Reply
  28. hanya

    I was ready to buy until I read the report above. I should know better.
    I will reduce the detergent I use and I already rinse with vinegar after the wash. I really appreciate people taking the time and effort to prove/disprove claims on the internet.

    Reply
  29. Manorita

    “People who buy these magnets and think that their clothes are being cleaned by them are actually taking advantage of the detergents left behind on the clothes from before they switched to the magnets.
    The company selling these magnets is counting on the fact that by the time the detergents are completely washed out (it takes several wash cycles) and it becomes obvious that the magnets are useless”

    After reading your article especially the above paragraph I am now even happier to use the laundry magnets. I have been using them for over a month and before that was using the pellet balls, I am saying this to inform you that I was not using any chemicals prior to using magnetic balls and they still did a good job and I am satisfied with them especially after reading that even plain water cleans thus you don’t really need any harmful chemicals to wash your clothes !! especially if they leave a chemical residue on the clothes even after the rinse cycle. Who wants nasty chemicals on their skin ?? I have a 4 year old boy and comes home with a very dirty uniform, magnets (or maybe just the water) do a very good job in cleaning it. I wash with cold water and don’t use any softner and clothes come out soft too. You might consider them as a scam but I am happy with the result. My mum has been using them too for over a month and she is pleased with the results. For any stubborn stains I use a pre treatment just like I did long ago when I washed with good quality detergents. Maybe you should investigate the harm the “common detergets” are doing to people and the environment and evaluate the pros and cons. Clothes are eventually discarded or grown out of in case of kids but not in the case of our health and the environment.

    Reply
    1. jik Post author

      I am confused.

      If you know that it may in fact be “just the water” that’s cleaning your clothes, which is indeed the whole point of my exposé of the Magnet Laundry System, then why would you be “happy to use the laundry magnets”? Why would you be happy to pay for something you don’t actually need? Why not just wash in plain water and not waste your money on the magnets?

      Reply
    2. jik Post author

      As for your comment about the harm that detergents do to people and the environment, you’re committing the same fallacy that the purveyors of the magnets do in their slimy advertising about them. Whether or not detergents are bad has nothing whatsoever to do with whether or not the magnets make clothes cleaner.

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        I want to punch that guy in the video. I wasted my time listening to that freak who can’t even button his own shirt.
        Thanks for doing the legwork.

        Reply
  30. Italics Mine

    Thank you for your informative results. That’s the reason why I subscribe to Consumer Reports, and other magazines that test various products for performance.
    Sometimes it’s a matter of personal preference: I like Hunt’s ketchup and my partner likes Heinz. But valid testing of getting dirty clothes clean leaves no doubt on which method or detergent is mor effective.
    I saw the ad for the magnets the other day, and was tempted to buy them. The comments on the ad were glowing in praise. But the show-me skeptickism prevailed. Yes, it was shown to be too-good-to-be-true. Thanks for your testing methods!

    Reply
  31. John

    I read your entire site and was impressed with your thoroughness until I noticed the HUGE laundry detergent ad on your page, which takes away EVERY bit of credibility you may have had.

    Reply
    1. jik Post author

      I have no control over the ads on my blog. They’re selected automatically by Google AdSense based on the content of each page. And since I’ve made a total of something like $200 in the four years or so since I put ads on the blog, believe me, nobody’s paying me to run ads in support of the laundry detergent industry.

      Reply
    2. Anonymous

      I do wish that bloggers had more control over the advertisements that get published on their site. But, sadly, it usually is out of their hands. If you are against oil companies, but blog about them and accept advertising, you might have ads show up for Shell. That’s just the way it works – very unfortunately.

      Reply
    3. Mik

      Hey, John! Google automatically places those ads. The author of the blog doesn’t. Google auto-scans each page and assigns an ad its robots deem relevant…. Wake up, man! That’s what FB does too…

      Reply
  32. Gloria

    Very analytical mind… without reading your results it was almost concluded it is a scam. Thanks for spending time on it. I use vinegar to wash my clothes, by the way. Ecologic, hypoallergenic and cleans very well.
    I learned about it because it is the only thing an allergy hospital permits to any guest to use. It doesn’t leave any oddor

    Reply
    1. B Kayton

      Dear Gloria, I’ve been trying to learn about using vinegar & 2 tsp of salt as a laundry detergent replacement, and haven’t found any studies. Your comment gives me hope – do you have any references, or information/websites I can show my family? Thanks heaps!

      Reply
  33. Kiks

    Thanks for being proactive enough to post this article on web…. your saved a lot od money and embarrasment on my part…. I met a guy in delhi who as he claims with the help of a website http://www.skyquestcom.com/wealth has figured a money laundering method and the product is magnetic laundry system…. thank you so much

    Reply
  34. Pingback: Magnetic laundry scams at JonStarbuck.co.uk

  35. Pingback: More on the Magnetic Laundry Scam « Something better to do

  36. Judy

    I just want to comment here, as I represent the manufacturer of this product. I COMPLETELY disagree with Jonathan’s assessment of the product itself, and believe he has gone way overboard of his criticism of our product. I can’t spend hours on end debating point-by-point all he has posted, but I believe all of his critiques are without merit, and the vast majority of our customers would disagree with him as well. This is the first time in eight years a customer has so virulently attacked this amazing product.

    We are a very small company, and our sincere goal is to do as much good to help people and the environment as we possibly can. We believe life is far too short and precious to try to do anything but our best to help heal a very fragile planet. There are a lot of companies trying to do bad things to good people. We absolutely aren’t one of them. If you don’t like our product, fine. But please don’t make personal attacks on our character and make terrible assumptions about our intentions. That is just wrong.

    I do not know Jonathan’s motivation to spend such an enormous amount of effort and time to attack a product and a company that is doing our very best to do a little good in the world, but all we can do is move on from here.

    With that said, Jonathan claimed he did have difficulty in dealing with the product through the ordering process. What someone says about our product is completely outside of our control. What is within our control is how we treat our customers. We have a number of companies who buy the product from us and retail to the consumer. Jonathan purchased the product through one of our distributors. I cannot confirm the information posted above, but I will nevertheless take his word for it. I am also taking steps to communicate to this distributor so it never happens to another customer. If it does, their ability to sell our product will be jeopardized. Period. Our customers deserve our complete honor and respect.

    I have apologized to him directly for his alleged experience, and have offered him a full and complete refund (including shipping costs) from us if he does not receive satisfaction from the reseller. We will do this even though we did not sell it to him or collect the money for this order. According to his written account, Jonathan deserves, and will receive, a full refund. Though it represents a total loss to us, we believe it is absolutely the right thing to do, and the right thing for Jonathan.

    This was expressed to him in private, and now again publicly on his blog. Our money back guarantee is exactly that. A Guarantee that our customers can try the product in their own home and evaluate it for themselves to form their OWN opinion. If their opinion is that the product does not work as advertised, they will get their money back. This product is NOT, in any way shape or form, a “scam”. It is a product that was awarded two patents from the U.S. Patent Office that truly works and provides many benefits to the end user. We all have been using it for many years and have experienced outstanding results, as have thousands of others.

    Although Jonathan is certainly entitled to his opinion and his assessment, his voice is the extreme minority of actual users of the product. I respect him for his activism on other issues, but he is simply wrong on this one. I truly wish him and his family the best. He may also keep his product free of charge for his trouble.

    P.S. And just to comment on the “Laundry Solution” link above: That was a hollow plastic ring filled with blue water. It was NOT magnetic in any way, and has NO association whatsoever AT ALL with our twice patented concept. None. This is the problem–people jumping to wrong conclusions in a very extreme way.

    Although magnetically influencing water is a concept somewhat “out of the mainstream” (our patents were some of the first in the field) there has been scientific precedence to support the theory. Although it is fair to challenge theories that are new, different and out of the mainstream, it is exceedingly unfair to call them a “scam”.

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      Show us the Science behind it. Show us the test results

      Reply
    2. Mik

      Please supply Patent Office references so that we may all have elucidation. That would be the most honorable thing to do, Judy. Or are you just a troll…..

      Reply

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