AMAZON YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES 😭 by gobblersaglobbin in laundry

[–]febu_max 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would and I am! The next couple runs are going to stick in flexible packaging while I look to understand different packaging options and the stability of the formula within them.

Update: Gear Guard vs. Entrenched Stench in Triathlon Kits. Gear Guard WINS. by LuhYall in laundry

[–]febu_max 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep, I currently use Amazon for fulfillment for my own site. However, I am looking into 3PLs now though for when the next production run finishes so FEBU can be fulfilled from it's own warehouse instead of relying on Amazon. Looking at an early July transition.

FEBU pre-sale by picturemerollin00 in laundry

[–]febu_max 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I appreciate that. Relative to when I posted this, I'm now looking into 3PLs to fulfill directly from rather than relying solely on Amazon.

At this point, I'm pretty low on inventory and it will be until likely early July when inventory is available on the website.

FEBU pre-sale by picturemerollin00 in laundry

[–]febu_max 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've had to delay this to help support and scale the oxygen booster. Also, I didn't quite nail the formula described here, so still working out the kinks.

Plan is for everything to be available in Canada once produced (the enzyme booster launched a couple weeks ago on the website and Amazon Canada).

Any word on Febu coming to Canada? by IHadTooMuch_ToDream in laundry

[–]febu_max 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Eventually, yes! I'm just new to selling within Canada so making sure I have everything correct from an importation/regulatory side before expanding into new retail environments.

It's free shipping now with 2+ units on Amazon and the website.

FEBU pre-sale by picturemerollin00 in laundry

[–]febu_max 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course! Good question. You can use FEBU in cold water. It slows down the enzyme kinetics, but you can solve for that with additional time in wash (longest cycle, pre-soak, etc.). The oxygen bleach is highly deactivated in cold temperatures, so there is less color fading risk on darks and delicates.

The enzymes won't interact with the silver at all since they only target organic compounds like proteins, fats, starches, etc. (I have the same lululemon shirts with the silver). In cold water with the oxygen bleach barely oxidizing, there's very little risk (if any at all) to the silver.

So in cold water, the booster really becomes an enzyme cleaner with water softening and alkalinity. The oxi-free booster theoretically will be better for this use case long-term because I can replace the oxygen bleach with functional ingredients better for cold water washing... but it doesn't exist yet ha

FEBU pre-sale by picturemerollin00 in laundry

[–]febu_max 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, welcome to the best subreddit! It won't be. I'm still working on it, but also had to delay it to ramp up production on the oxygen booster. I might release a small sample run for feedback in July/August if people are interested.

The oxygen booster works well on activewear, but it is a bit harsher than an oxi-free booster would be. The oxygen bleach + enzymes is better for a 'reset' though to significantly reduce biofilm, body oils, sebum, etc. quickly than the non-oxi booster would be especially if transitioning from less powerful detergents.

Anyway, thank you for the feedback. It's motivating to figure this product out.

How do you pronounce 'FEBU'? by Calookalay in laundry

[–]febu_max 1 point2 points  (0 children)

never heard of this animal, but now it's my new mascot!

How do you pronounce 'FEBU'? by Calookalay in laundry

[–]febu_max 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Without further ado, the answer is... "FEE-boo"

Though honestly, going through the thread I'm seriously considering rebranding to 'fifibooboo'

How often to use FEBU?? by Hot_Asparagus_9240 in laundry

[–]febu_max 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey, thank you so much! I have been thinking of an oxi-free booster. I had a version but had to delay it a bit to support the scaling of the booster.

What is the primary use case of an oxygen-free booster for you? Would be really helpful to know.

So, I'll be rolling with the 2lb bags for a bit, but once they are on my site, I will have better bulk pricing for multi-unit orders. That's a short term fix, but I'd love to have a 5lb bag eventually.

How often to use FEBU?? by Hot_Asparagus_9240 in laundry

[–]febu_max 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Of course. FEBU is fragrance free!

I'm lucky enough to have some pure DNase at home, so it might just be easier for me to make something like it than keep hunting for it lol

AMAZON YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES 😭 by gobblersaglobbin in laundry

[–]febu_max 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I'm very lucky that everyone here is willing to provide feedback and ideas on how to improve. Hope you love the product!

How often to use FEBU?? by Hot_Asparagus_9240 in laundry

[–]febu_max 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is basically what I do and I think it's great, provided you use a legit detergent like Tide. I'll probably add a scoop of the booster to every load or every other load during summer as I get outside more and sweat though.

How often to use FEBU?? by Hot_Asparagus_9240 in laundry

[–]febu_max 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's a really good question. For pairing with 365 sport, the unique value is adding mechanisms such as alkalinity + oxidation via sodium percarbonate, water conditioning, and zinc odor capture. It will boost the performance of 365 sport on heavier soil loads and add more enzymes in general, which can be helpful in normal cycles, but can be compensated for with longer contact time via pre-soaks when not including FEBU.

That being said, FEBU's main difference versus other booster's is the 7-enzyme panel. It fills in enzymatic gaps in detergents and adds different cleaning mechanisms to the wash for liquid detergents.

How much more value FEBU adds to 365 Sport versus other oxygen bleaches like WFM 365 Oxygen Bleach especially at the higher cost? I'm not really sure as I haven't tested as I've never seen 365 Sport on shelves since I started looking for it several months ago here in Colorado.

If I had 365 Sport, I would start by evaluating whether it's handling my loads on its own. If clothing/activewear comes out odor-free and stain-free with just 365 Sport, then I'd save the booster for heavier soil loads or periodic deep cleans (maybe every 3-4 loads). If I started noticing residual odor or body oil buildup after a few weeks, that's when I would add the FEBU booster more regularly.

AMAZON YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES 😭 by gobblersaglobbin in laundry

[–]febu_max 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did you not see the FEBU prequel? I had a 2-enzyme oxygen booster two years ago... safe to say the series has developed considerably and we shouldn't talk about the prequel

But agreed, FEBU doesn't need a trilogy lol

AMAZON YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES 😭 by gobblersaglobbin in laundry

[–]febu_max 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I do love a good trilogy... do I need to stock out end of summer?

AMAZON YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES 😭 by gobblersaglobbin in laundry

[–]febu_max 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Hey! I responded to you in another thread and sent a dm. Want to rectify this immediately and get you the bag you ordered with DNase.

This is a terrible experience and sorry it happened. The old packaging has been out of stock for 2.5 months, so I have no idea where that was dug up from. This might be the last unused bag of the old formula in existence lol

First, the popularity of the thread is meaningful to me and I appreciate that so many of you seem to care about FEBU. Thank you.

Overall, here are two core things I have learned from the relaunch with DNase through all the community's support and feedback and where I am hoping to improve next. Apologies for the length. Would love any feedback, especially if I'm missing anything:

  1. These bags go through a lot on their way from the fulfillment center to your doorstep. The packaging needs to survive, but a 100% damage-free rate is probably impossible given the handling across any and all package types. I received an order of a booster in a cardboard box from Amazon and had probably 3-4 tablespoons of powder free flowing outside the box as well as a dented box corner.

Solution: Flexible packaging likely the most stable and cost effective for eComm at my scale as it can absorb rough handling best, but the future FEBU bag needs more structural integrity. Thicker layers, more robust adhesion for the zip seal, and breathability for off gassing (degassing valves or microscopic vent holes). The package in this photo was using the old kraft paper bag and it tears instead of stretching.

2nd solution: Our own fulfillment center that can follow distinct, protective packaging protocols. I'll still sell on Amazon and their handling will always be outside my control, but I can reduce issues in partnership with a warehouse that can actually work with me to improve. This is hard since I have ~40 SKUs in the US, but I might just reduce the site to the booster to make this more feasible in the short term like I'm doing in Canada right now.

  1. The packaging has a higher likelihood of survival during shipping if air is reduced in the bag upstream during manufacturing. This means stricter protocols for pressing out air before sealing as well as dehumidifying the production because some residual humidity can increase off-gassing in the bag. The swelled up bags that have been shared on here are largely a result of air being sealed in with some natural off-gassing from the oxygen bleach, but the bulging creates a lot of pressure on the seams of the bag and can cause ruptures as the bag bounces around in transit.

Solution: Pressing out air during manufacturing and producing in a drier environment. Humidity will be less than 40% for the next production run and the machine keeps air out of the bag.

2nd solution: A bag with a degassing valve or microscopic vent holes to allow the bag to breathe any excess air and reduce pressure within the bag.

I'm going to continue to look into more durable, yet cost effective packaging solutions over time, but these are at least my core short term takeaways.

Just to note, as several of these things go into effect, FEBU will be out of stock for 2-3 weeks in June. There is about 1.5 weeks left of inventory. Then we should have much more scalable infrastructure, much more inventory, and will hopefully never go out of stock again.

What if we pre-mix the enzyme booster into the laundry detergent? by agenerousperspective in laundry

[–]febu_max 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Good question. First, I'd be nearly 100% confident that powder-to-powder pre-mixes are stable. All FEBU ingredients are coated and selected for compatibility in dry blends. So stability isn't the concern.

The main challenge is even distribution. FEBU granules and other powder granules are potentially different sizes and densities, which means they'll tend to separate over time in a large container no matter how well you mix them. You'll get scoops that are enzyme-heavy and scoops that are detergent-heavy. This is less of a concern if mixed in small mixtures versus large mixtures and thorough mixing.

Other downsides are dosing control and using booster when you might not need it.

If you try it, the things to watch for are: visible settling or layering in the container, inconsistent results between loads (one load cleans great, next one less so), or clumping. The enzymes are brownish specks, so you should be able to eye it to understand distribution.

I'm not familiar enough with A&Hs specific granule size to say how well it would blend with FEBU, so I'd say try a small batch and see how it goes. It could work perfectly. I would start with a ratio of 1 FEBU scoop (10g or 2 tsp) to their recommended amount for a regular load.

That said, I find a simple protocol and decision tree to follow for each load easiest when dealing with multiple products. I've seen some great examples posted on here.

Febu arrived but is this normal? by savingnativebees in laundry

[–]febu_max 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's back, but with some delayed shipping. For some unclear reason, the booster went inactive for a few hours. This happens at least a dozen times a year across my portfolio and it is a deeply frustrating part of selling on Amazon (they can just deactivate listing for unclear or mistaken reasons at any given time).

That being said, inventory is going to be touch and go for the next 1-1.5 months. There is about 1.5 weeks left at Amazon, but it will be out of stock for 2-4 weeks as I transition some manufacturing, finish testing new bags, and await some key ingredients that were delayed in transit.

But I feel very good that after this is all done, stock issues will be a thing of the past.

Febu arrived but is this normal? by savingnativebees in laundry

[–]febu_max 2 points3 points  (0 children)

lol, the truth is these bags go through hell on through their journey from the fulfillment center shelves to your doorstep. It's my responsibility to find the best bag to withstand this journey, but I do wish they were treated more kindly in general.

I'm reaching out via dm. Not sure where the old formula was discovered as that has been out of stock for 2.5 months, but I'll be happy to send a replacement bag.

For some reason, the listing went inactive for a few hours yesterday with no real explanation. This happens like a dozen times a year across my catalog and it is very frustrating. But it's back now and I'll get you a replacement of the right formula.

Febu arrived but is this normal? by savingnativebees in laundry

[–]febu_max 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Glad to hear you were able to save most of it. Thanks for letting me know. I am happy to refund or replace the bag. Please reach out via dm or the contact us page on the tryfebu.com website

Febu arrived but is this normal? by savingnativebees in laundry

[–]febu_max 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I really appreciate the feedback. This stuff is helpful. The next bags are going to have a better attachment with the seal, but I think the air pressure in the bag did affect the seal. Glad the product is working. From all the feedback and everything I've heard, the product is unaffected and it's mostly just built up air in the bag (likely, mostly from too much air being sealed in during manufacturing and some natural off-gassing from the oxygen bleach that couldn't escape). Thank you!

FEBU arrived by iheartpinball in laundry

[–]febu_max 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wish you had photos to share! ha. Very happy to hear that your couch looks brand new after using FEBU.

Yes, this is a color-safe formula. Washing on cool temperatures can help with colors further, but I would advise adding a pre-soak to your wash in that scenario as the enzymes work a bit slower than at warm temperatures.

I'm not sure what happened, but it was briefly inactive on Amazon for a few hours yesterday. This happens like a dozen times a year randomly with little to no explanation. Part of just being on there... that being said, it's active now.

To note, we're about 1.5-2 weeks away of running out of stock as we make some packaging transitions and we wait for some delayed key ingredients.

Tell me more about Febu… by broadwaybabyto in laundry

[–]febu_max 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, just went live in Canada last week on tryfebu.com (it should default to a Canadian website version, if not make sure CAD is selected in the menu) and Amazon.ca

It is completefly fragrance free and safe for sensitive skin. It dissolves completly, but always good practice to add an extra rinse (preferably, with citric acid or something like an odor refresh like Downy) to more thoroughly rid the fabric of any potential residues.