I've not just let you down, I've let myself down.

Inspired by this article in the Times, Dom over at PR-otagonism has looked into the ways in which he is a failed ethical consumer.

He's created a meme called  "the three brands that you use/consume most regularly, which you would loathe to admit in civil company". Never one to let a small matter like not being asked stop me from joining in the conversation, I thought I'd share my own dark secrets here.

Pressed for Time: I haven't owned an iron or ironing board since I accidentally left them behind in Finsbury Park when I moved house. That was in, er, 1999. Mostly, it's not a problem since I wear a lot of jeans. However, since acquiring a fantastic pair of cord jeans and a new pink shirt that goes great with my favourite bracelet, I need ironed clothes. However, I can't bring myself to buy an iron, so I pay the nice people at Pressed for Time to do it for me. And they will also be ironing Flea's brand new pre-school uniform this week, once my mother has finished making the alterations. (No, I don't sew either. I'm that bad a mother)

Confused.com: I sneer with the best of them when those stupid, stupid TV ads come on. I would cheerfully punch the bloke who pretended to be so sad he couldn't enter the stupid, stupid competition. And I'd very much like to burn all the stupid, crappy cardboard props in the ads. But it saved me £250 on my car insurance this year, so I used the site. Except I wrote off my car a month later, so that's karmic justice for you.

Domestos: Like Dom, I know I should be using eco-friendly brands of cleaner, and mostly, I do. But I find when life gets chaotic, freakish tidyness and order give me an illusion of control that I find comforting. For anyone who shares this tendency and has equally shaky environmental credentials, I highly recommend the Flylady's weekly sink cleaning ritual.

I now feel thoroughly ashamed of myself. But I bet I'm not the only one with dark secrets in the cupboard under the sink - so I'm tagging Amber, Linda and Louise.

Comments

[Louise Bolotin]

Ok, I'm a sucker. I blogged in response to your tag. But I cannot believe you do the sink cleaning ritual. Are you barking? What's wrong with a quick squirt of Cillit Bang and a wipe-down with a spontex cloth?

[Sally Whittle]

Haha.

Yes, I probably am barking - but I do find order soothing, probably because the rest of my life is laughably chaotic.

When life gets messy, my books are alphabetised, my soup tins all face forwards and if it isn't a right angle, it's a WRONG angle.

[Louise Bolotin]

I like order too. My vinyl LPs are all in alphabetical order by artist (but really because I have several thousand so would never find one if they weren't) and my book shelves are organised by genre. I hate dirt but don't mind a bit of mess. But I'm afraid that when my chaotic life gets really out of control, order goes to hang! Housework tends to take a back seat when other things have a bigger priority for me.