This little love story post is sponsored by simplehuman.
Confession: I thought Brett wasn’t that in to me after our first date–which is, I guess, fine, but surprising considering I sensed so much chemistry. Whatever. There were more fish in the sea. It’s just that it took him two weeks to ask me out again even though we were talking on the phone and laughing at each other’s stories and asking questions about each other’s families. What I didn’t know at the time, though, was that Brett heard a bit of a “productive cough” on our phone conversation after our first date, and that two weeks is what he considered an appropriate amount of time for the cold germs he imagined I had to die off–lest he, GOD FORBID, be exposed to them. That’s right: Brett’s a Class 1 Germaphobe.
“Oh yeah,” my friend who set us up finally informed me, “I forgot to tell you. He’s, like, super freaked out by germs.”
The rest of the story is no secret. We overcame that little hiccup, and he braved another date with Formerly Contaminated, and have been married 10 years now, a union that is astounding given his opposition to germs and my God-made-dirt-and-dirt-don’t-hurt approach to everything. As I’ve revealed, I’m a wolf. Wolves eat Skittles they found on the floor and lick dropped pacifiers before putting them back in babies’ mouths. Wolves are immune to germs. Wolves are so loud and clumsy, germs run at the mere thought of us in their path.
A union of a germaphobe and pacifier-licker does, of course, come with its challenges. Like, say, he governs my comings and goings with repeated “Did you wash your hands?” requests. I, of course–despite the fact that he has trained me to religiously wash my hands after outings–like to taunt him with: “These hands just caressed the handle of a very dirty grocery cart, and if you ask me again if I washed my hands, I will rub them all over you.”
That’s the fun part, of course. His aversion to germs presents many opportunities for teasing, and our entire family has jumped aboard. When Brett hops in on my phone conversations with my sister to tease us about how long we’ve been talking, my sister always snaps back, “Hey Brett, why don’t you go wash your hands.” He laughs, of course, because humor is what fills the personality gaps between Wolf and—hmmm, what’s his animal representation? Paw-Licking Cat? Bacteria-Fighting Sucker Fish?
Here’s the other fun part. I KNOW WHAT TO GET HIM FOR CHRISTMAS. Soap. And not any soap, but soap that comes in a beautiful dispenser that apportions cleansing foam without ever needing to be touched by hands that have patted raw chicken or felt up a grocery cart handle or cleaned the toilet after a little boy misjudged his potty aim.
I don’t need lingerie. This picture, my friends, is a tantalizing display of modern cleanliness and my husband’s dreams come true. I give you simplehuman’s new foam cartridge sensor pump–sleek design and touch-free so no germs or smudges are left behind. That’s hawt.
For real though, he is all about this bass.
And so are the kids. “It’s magic,” Brett told them.
Refilling the pump is easy–just eject the old cartridge and click in a new one–no messy pouring. The pump is rechargeable–one charge lasts up to 3 months. And there’s a wide range of soaps and scents from simplehuman hand and dish soap, to hand soap from other great brands like EO and ARIA by Antica Farmacista.
For the extra clean-conscious, I imagine choosing these scents is a bit like picking out what donuts go in our dozen for the rest of us.
Lookie there. A box of Krispy Kremes.
(By the way, the Peppermint & Tea Tree is amazing.)
This little love story ends well. Because Love Conquers All. Especially if you keep your hands clean.
To make love easier (and cleaner), simplehuman is giving away a foam cartridge sensor pump (and accompanying soaps) to a lucky follower. Check it out.
Don’t think Brett hasn’t warned me numerous times that cold season is upon us. My hands are washed to rawness, folks. Because I try to speak his love language as best as I can. Don’t worry, though. I’m still a wolf.
*Note: This post was typed with clean hands on a sanitized keyboard.










I’d love the hand soap. My kids are always pumping to much soap and this”magic”dispenser might just stop that… And/or make them wash their hands more.
I love the soap dispensers! Thanks for the giveaway!
Mmm… Orange Blossom sounds FANTASTIC!!!
I would LOVE to try the Peppermint & Tea Tree.
I would really like to win one of these. The grapefruit scent sounds amazing!
Any citrusy scent would be lovely.
Funny post! I have a friend that uses these throughout her house and they really are magic! I would love to add them to our home!
This looks pretty cool. As a nurse touching the soap dispenser with dirty hands BEFORE washing bugs me every single time!
I think the mandarin orange would smell nice!
Orange blossom sounds so lovely and fresh for spring!
I think the orange blossom soap sounds amazing!
I’d love to try the Mandarin Orange soap. I love the smell of citrus.
I would love to try the lavender.
I would love to try orange blossom, but I know my hubby would only use the unscented.
This would be a DREAM COME TRUE for my boyfriend! He is just like Brett – and he always tells me that all he wants in our future home is a soap dispenser with a sensor. The lemon and eucalyptus sounds amazing!
Your posts are always so clever and fun… and this one really made me want to go buy that &@$! soap!!
Spring water–or maybe lavender.
This post made me laugh. Guess I’m a wolf too cuz I always thought germs make you strong! But this soap dispenser is awfully pretty and would look good in my kitchen and simplehuman has lavender scented foam so we’re all set!
Hope I win and thanks for the chance.
Merry Christmas,
Dana
I would love to try the cucumber soap! I bet it’s a refreshing scent.
Orange blossom!
The grapefruit would be my first choice!
Live this! I really love the wolf stuff. That’s totally me!
I’d love to try any of them, although I don’t think it will stop my loss from taking too much soap, as they will just keep sticking their hands under until they get an appropriate mountain of soap.
I’m totally a germaphobe! I feel ya Brett!
I’m kind of a germaphobe too. I’d love to try the lavender scent!
THIS.IS.AWESOME!!! Coming from a fellow Class 1 Germaphobe I relished and laughed and related to Brett in this post 🙂 I’m a big fan of EO soaps so the French Lavender and the Peppermint/Tea Tree would be top 2 soap scents for me. I would also love to try the ARIA Bergamot one. That sounds yummy too!
Your posts make my day…thank you! I, too, am a wolf.
Looks so cool. My kids would have fun with this.
Apple or grapefruit sound amazing to me!
Thanks for the chance at the giveaway! Great gift and perfect for all ages.
I would love to win this, I have 3 little boys who are getting dirty all the time and honestly probably need to wash their hands a little more often than they do, lol.
Haha I love this, fun to hear little stories like this. This is a very cool product, hope I win!
I feel you, Brett, I feel you. ????
I love anything lavender, but the lemon and eucalyptus sounds nice, too!
Lavender everything forever!
This is so cool! I myself was a germaphobe, until I had my 2nd child. I think it is a 2nd child syndrome kinda thing?! LOL!
5 sec rule is a real thing, if you didn’t know? I’m sure for Brett that doesn’t apply…LOL!?
that looks so neat without having to touch the soap dispenser. I too am a wolf, i have numerous times cleaned my kids passy off with my mouth. Momma’s spit is better than 409!! 😉
what a cool concept!
I would love to try the lavender. This no touch pump makes my heart swell with love!
Ohmigosh, there are so many that I’d like to try! The lavender, the geranium, the orange blossom … I want them all!
So cool, I hate touching the dispenser with dirty hands! I would love to try lavender.
I would love this for my girls. They use too much soap and in these dry Wis winters, their hands get so raw.
I know some germaphobes who would love this! I’d love to try the grapefruit scent.
I would like to try the one you recommended! Peppermint and Tea Tree
I’d love to try peppermint and tea tree! I hate germs too!!!
Orange Blossom and Grapefruit. Those are the two I would use.
Very pretty,
Apple, sounds wonderful!
This looks so cool. I’d love to try Farmacista Bergamot (& find out how to pronounce it LOL)
I love mint and my boyfriend is happy when I pick scents that aren’t too “girly” 😉
Love the look of the dispenser. And I think mandarin orange would be my jam.
As a wife, mom and a nurse, I really appreciate products like this one!
Brett and I could shake (clean) hands ????. My poor husband and kids. I’m the total germophobe in this house. Would love the peppermint scent!
LOVED your comment about being a pacifier licking wolf!!! I’d like the grapefruit scent the best! What a cool gadget!
Oh man, I need one of these. My son has cerebral palsy and can’t operate a pump. What a great idea!
I always like lavender, but am also intrigued by orange blossom.
Thanks for the chance!
Cucumber would be awesome!
Tea tree is one of my fav scents.
I would love to try the peppermint and Tea tree soap with this magic dispenser!! It’s a genius invention for us germaphobes and our keep it clean as possible family and friends. Love reading your blog.
Sounds wonderful in lavender.
I just checked out their site–I’m really interested in the bergamont soap! That’s one of my favorite scents but the peppermint and tea-tree, I’m sure is invigorating!
I would love to try the peppermint and tea tree!
Lavender!
I’ll take all the lavender please!
You sold me on the peppermint! Grapefruit sounds nice too!
My best friend and I joke that we were raised by wolves. We’re both healthy and happy! lol. The dispenser looks great and would be helpful with the littles. Love it!
Jen in OK
It would be a toss up between tea tree and lavender- This dispenser does seem like msgic!
i WOULD LOVE TO TRY THE PEPPERMINT & TEA TREE SCENT!!
Too funny!!! I am a fellow pacifier-licker lol, so ya know….I could probably use some of this soap in my house as well. I think the orange blossom or peppermint sounds fantastic! 🙂
While I’m also more of the wolf variety and think some germs and dirt are good….I also know there is a time and a place when we need to wash our hands and I could see how a magic dispenser could entice even the little ones to wash regularly!
My husband is also a germaphobe, sigh….
Always Lavender! My daughter would love this.
I love Simple Human’s products- such a cool company. Would love to try this!
I make my own foaming soap with Young Living Essential Oils and castile soap. It’s A LOT cheaper and I know that the oils are 100% natural. Young Living has it’s own farms for their oils! Maybe you should check them out. The even have a kid’s line! If you’re interested, please let me know so I can give you my member #.
With a 5 year old, 3 year old and newborn on the way this sounds like a great giveaway! The first few months with a newborn is the time in my life where I am extra germ conscious…especially when it falls during flu season!
Apple!
the grapefruit scented soap would be wonderful!
Grapefruit!!
I have five kiddos also. I was kind of a germaphobe with the first two, but now I’m much more in line with your style! But this contraption looks awfully cool and I’d love to have one!
I would love to try the tea tree and geranium! This is so needed in a house with littles that can’t always reach the soap pump!
Oo I would be excited to try the geranium! The peppermint and tea tree though does sound amazing!
There are certain members in my family that would love all aspects of this soap dispenser.
I would LOVE to give this to my mom. She has a non-treatable lung disease and has to be very careful about any germs that she comes in contact with. She has always been a bit of a germaphobe too so this is just ideal for her! She loves all things peppermint so I would definitely go with the Peppermint & Tea Tree soap! What a cool product!
This is super cute! I love flowery smells!
Grapefruit soap sounds divine!
This post made me laugh! I’d love to try the Peppermint Tea Tree scent!
This is hilarious! And also- my life. Me = wolf, husband = bacteria fighting sucker fish. My poor 7 year old has washed his hands raw and now just turns the water on so dad can hear it running from the other room, while I sit back and giggle….
Lavender sounds peaceful!
With a 5 year old, 3 year old, and baby on the way, this would get LOTS of use in our house!
Oh I’d love to try this with the dish soap! I always worry about touching the pump when I’ve just handled raw meat.
i’d love to try the cucumber!
EO French lavender would be my pick!
Ohhh…I love tea tree anything so the peppermint tea tree EO sounds incredible! The cucumber would be refreshing too.
The EO French lavender (heart eye emoji. Heart eye emoji. Heart eye emoji.) is my all time fav scent!!
This sounds great!
Would love to try the lavender
hilarious. Tea tree looks amazing.
Love the dispenser! I’d love to try the grapefruit scented soap.
I LOVE this! I want one for me!!!!
Between my germaphobia and my husband’s undying love of foaming soap, this dispenser looks perfect! Lavender is one of my all time favorite scents.
I think I would try the grapefruit – I’m just like your husband when it comes to germs, so this would be perfect for my home!!
love to try the orange blossom
Oh yeah I give the soap dispenser in the kitchen the side eye because of the raw meat covered hands
I love a good smelling soap! The Lavender………ahhhhh!
Would LOVE to try the lemon eucalyptus scent. Would also Love to try the dish soap! Nothing like raw chicken hands on soap containers to send me into a cleaning frenzy in the kitchen.
Sounds great for the home!
I love that this is a soap dispenser that I wouldn’t mind having out for people to see.
Grapefruit sounds lovely
I’m all about the grapefruit, bet it smells delish
I have been on an orange blossom kick lately and would LOVE to try this scent!
This is wonderful & would be so helpful with 2 pre-teen boys who could care less about hygiene. Bergamot (with jasmine) sounds amazing!
Bergamot — fore sure. Anything that smells like Early Gray is a plus in my house
Orange blossom sounds fabulous! I’ve tried other touchless soap dispensers but this is much shmancier!!
Sounds wonderful…dispenser and all scents. Peppermint and tea tree.
Love the blog…thanks for the giveaway opportunity. ????
I would love the Peppermint and Tea or the Orange Blossom! I sympathize with Brett….I too am a germaphobe!
I would love to try the cucumber soap, the dispenser looks so sleek!
The Peppermint & Tea Tree one sounds amazing!
I would love to try the orange blossom!
I always do wonder about those germs on the soap pump handle… yuck. Thanks for the giveaway! And a very funny post.
I love a citrus scent,so the orange blossom is perfect!
what a wonderful product!
Lavender or orange would both be amazing, what a beautiful dispenser too!
This is perfect… I am paranoid about germs!
hilarious! i used to be germaphobe, but now i’m too tired to care lol. and gosh, i love how your ad posts don’t even feel like ads. love hearing ab these hilarious snippets of your life.
My 3-year-old would LOVE this “magic” soap. And me, too!
My kids would love this! And given that it is germ season, it would be a win-win!
What a cute soap dispenser! And so much better than buying new disposable plastic bottles all the time!
Great giveaway!
Obsessed with having the perfect guest-bathroom-soaps! =)
GRAPEFRUIT would be awesome
I need this in my life and in my bathroom!
I would love to try the Orange Blossom!
I would LOVE to try the foam dispenser in lavandar scent! Then, I’d probably gift my germaphobic son one!
This made me laugh out loud! Two weeks for your germs to go on before he could ask you out again. Man, I love that.
I’d love to avoid cold and flu season! Thanks for the giveaway.
I want!!!
I would try any scent as they all sound wonderful! I just need a soap to please help my dry hands especially this time of year…freezing in Maine! Thank you!
I love everything SImpleHuman produces. I don’t have a fancy automatic soap dispenser, but I use one of their simple pump ones by my sink for dish soap, and it’s really about 1000x better than the regular store brand one I bought first. I learned my lesson – from now on, I am willing to shell out a little more for a SimpleHuman product!
This would be so helpful with 2 boys who need constant reminders about hygiene. I’d probably go with something citrus or the cucumber.
I can totally relate. I don’t call my husband Mr.Clean for nothing. Family and friends evem call him that. I’ve had a cold the last couple weeks, a side hug is all I’ve gotten out of him. That’s it!
I had not heard about SimpleHuman but that dispenser would be terrific especially with the orange blossom soap.
Very humorous post. I assume Brett had a flu shot?
This might be the “magic” I need to convince my 3 year old to wash his hands! I love anything citrus, so I would try the grapefruit or mandarin orange hand soaps.
Love the humor and the post…thanks for always keepin’ it real…
This is hilarious! I loved that you called it astounding that you’ve been married that long… 11 years for us this week and I often marvel at our marriage because we are sooooo different. Although we are starting to become more like each other with time which is almost more scary! Haha
Love Brett’s expression when he’s helping Nella with the soap… everything about this post and the pics was perfect.
Thanks for the laughs!
I want to try the geranium soap.
My husband insists on hand soap at each sink! Lemon and Eucalyptus sounds wonderful!
The grapefruit soap sounds amazing!
I love this!!!
I like to try the peppermint and tea tree.
As a second grade teacher, I cannot even count how many times a day I wash my hands. They are raw!
Simple human has great stuff thanks or the chance to win!
I’m the germaphobe in our house. I’m SO bad. My kids pediatrician told me to lay off on the sanitizer ????
I’m a bit of a hand washing freak myself. All of the soaps look awesome, but I would be most excited to try grapefruit or the peppermint and tea tree first. Thanks for the giveaway!
I like the lavender soap. My hands are washed to rawness too, and I still am sick. I love your germaphobe story!
total germaphobe here too! the bergamot soap sounds amazinggg
I’d love geranium!
I’m a pacifier licker too, but I would still love to try the mandarin orange.
so cool! this would be great for kids!
I am so diligent when it comes to washing hands, using wipes on carts, using my foot to flush the toilet. What I have a hard time not doing is snuggling with the grandkids when they are sick. They are like white on rice when they are sick. I can wash my hands a million times but tend to forget not to kiss and hug their slimey little bodies! The tea tree and peppermint sounds lovely!
I’d like to try the Spring Water hand soap
I would like to try the geranium or the grapefruit soap. My granddaughter is named Aria so I think these are meant for me.
I think the Spring Water hand soap would be a great everyday, every occasion soap to have on hand. Of course, it looks there are so many fun scents to try. Thanks for the giveaway!
I need the orange blossom! Anything citrus, I can’t resist. Always wakes me up and energizes me. Very cool soap dispenser. This momma of two little, messy, boys is intrigued…
I would love to try the lemon eucalyptus soap! This thing looks amazing,plus with 4 kids we need more hand washing around here!
Genius AND magical! I’d like to try cucumber!
Ooh, orange blossom sounds heavenly!
Would love to try the lavender scent. Family of 5 germaphobes in my house and we use ALOT of soap!
the peppermint and tea tree sounds awesome 🙂
Looks like fun to me! We have one germaphobe in our messy family of 6. Thanks for the chance to win!
ps…the mandarin orange sounds the best to me!
I love the soap dispenser.
Oh we are awfully germy over here (dirt eating, puddle drinking, creature holding germs)…with 4 little ones, it’s hard to stay on top of who has washed and who hasn’t! My kids might just be the cleanest on the block with a contraption like this!!
You had me at peppermint and tea tree.
Green tea and peppermint!
I think the mandarin orange scent would go over quite well in my house!
Would love to try this!
Wow, what a cool dispenser. I think three peppermint and tree tea signs amazing. I would buy it in a heartbeat.
Orange Blossom sounds amazing.
Peppermint & Tea Tree sounds ahhhmazinggg! However, there were quite a few scents that sounded good, too!
I would love to try the peppermint and tea tree that you mentioned. The dispenser even looks clean :).
Oh this would be great, hands free, love it!! My kids would love this as well, they would actually find more reason to wash their hands lol.
I would love the cucumber or spring water, both would be wonderful!
I would like to try grapefruit or mandarin orange.
this I love!
Lavender!
Owning one of these “magic” dispensers would alleviate those times when I am attempting to use my forearm to press down the foam pump so my raw chicken hands don’t touch the pump, but my attempt results in the dispenser flying off the kitchen counter and sliding across the floor…. *sigh.
I am on a big lavender kick, so i’d have to go with anything lavender 🙂
Orange Blossom
Grapefruit is right up my alley!!! Looks like an awesome product!
Too funny…. My husband and I fall the same way! He’s a clean freak, I’m a “listen, you gotta build your immune system somehow” kinda gal. 🙂
I love anything grapefruit, so grapefruit!
I am so not a wolf mama – I am all about that hand soap! All the scents look amazing but I do love geranium!!
I swear the soap pump is one of the dirtiest and stickiest things in the bathroom sometimes! This looks great. 🙂
This would be so amazing for my kiddos!
This would be awesome for my youngest little who enjoys pumping the soap a little more than necessary! =) At least he’s clean!
My husband likes the hand soap we have now because it smells like apples and cinnamon…he always want to try to taste it though. EWW!
I LOVE Simple Human! I have their covered trash can with the step-to-open lid, and it is amazing. I’ve been eyeing these soap dispensers – they look amazing! I want to try the Grapefruit soap.
I love me some good smelling soap!!
Our 2 year old would flip over this thing and gosh I would do anything to have her want to wash her hands more!
I’d like to try the grapefruit or orange blossom soap. I always lean citrus.
I’m a wolf, too! 😉 EO is my favorite hand lotion, so I can’t wait to try this soap!
Thanks for the opportunity to win the giveaway!
My husband would also love this! He is VERY into proper soap etc 🙂 I’m more of a wolf myself!
This would be perfect in the kitchen when your hands are covered in chicken, butter, etc. Not having to touch the soap pump would be wonderful. How do you choose a scent, so many sound great. I guess grapefruit or mandarin orange would be top on my list.
Spring water would be my hubby’s pick, but I would choose the peppermint and tea for this time of year!
Automatic soap dispensers are awesome!
Maybe you are exaggerating a bit for the sake of entertaining us, but what you are describing with Brett sounds a LOT like me. I have contamination-type OCD and it can be so debilitating to live with. It’s also a major pain for those who live with the OCD sufferer and can cause a lot of stress in the relationship. People laugh about being OCD all the time but for those who truly are, it’s no laughing matter.
How neat! Peppermint and tea tree smells amazing! Would be fun to win! 🙂
I hate when the kids yucky hands get the soap dispenser all dirty…I need this!
I’d love to try the apple dish soap.
This post is GREAT! As a germaphobe myself who is currently in bed with a stomach virus, this soap dispenser sounds like a dream!
The Spring Water scent sounds refreshing!
I bet the Orange Blossom smells amazing! We could use this in our house since we have two totally non-germaphobes (not sure how my husband and I are both so Type A, but both so “la, la, la” about germs). Someone should be looking out for some handwashing over here. Maybe my 4 year old is up for the task.
So cute!
what a cool idea.
I would love to try the lavender!
I would love to try the lavender!
Love this technology! Cucumber or mandarin orange is what I’m digging.
Maybe I’m boring, but I love a deep smell of lavender
This is amazing! Would love this with an infant in the house…lotsa hand washing!!
omg-same! I am like a broken record around my house “have you washed your hands?! With SOAP AND WATER?!”
We already have 1 similar to this in our kitchen that I refill constantly. Definitely need to get one if these for the kids bathroom!
My kids may enjoy washing their hands a bit more now!
Would love to try them all!!
Is this an international giveaway? I want to know if I can enter!
That would be so cool to have, I’d love to try either lavender or French lavender – I’m an addict!
This dispenser is a genius idea… and I vote for lavender!! And as always, I enjoy your words and your beautiful pictures!
I would love to try the Lavender soap.
Orange blossom!
peppermint
I bet I’d love the Mandarin Orange! I love citrus scents 🙂
Our family needs this! Among many others, we would try the mandarin orange hand soap!
This is awesome awesome! lol
Mandarin Orange and lavender look good to me!
EO french lavender!!! my calming scent!
I would love the EO Peppermint and Tea Tree foaming soap. I love anything that smells like peppermint.
My favorite soap!
Who knew one could get so excited about soap?!? YAY! I would love this and the lavender scent to try and get my kiddos a little sleepier. 🙂
The bergamot scented soap sounds lovely. I would like to try that scent:)
Cleanliness! Wahoo! I love the lavender…
The scents sound yummy!
Would love to try the cucumber scent!
What interesting soap scents! I would try geranium (my parents used to own a greenhouse and raised thousands of these for sale!) and grapefruit.
I would LOVE to try the Antica Farmacista Grapefruit!
A magic soap dispenser? My kids will love that!!! Honestly though, something that looks nice on the counter and helps keep them clean is great!
Grapefruit scent in any type of soap is my favorite! With four sons, I’m always trying to keep my house smelling nice. 🙂
I’d like to try the bergamot hand soap.
I am CONSTANTLY asking my family to wash their hands. I feel so validated. 🙂
Oooh, so many look amazing but I have to go with the grapefruit!
Sign me up!
Love it – I want one in every bathroom and in the kitchen too!
This post made me smile. I am somewhere in between you and Brett – a pacifier-licker by no means, but wouldn’t have needed more than a couple of days to see you again. Love the sounds of the grapefruit scent! Thanks for the chance to win!
I would love to try lavender. It reminds me of the violet and lavender colors we chose for our wedding this Summer!
Oooooh – I’d love to try the Bergamot. That’s my latest scent for the laundry soap I make. 🙂
French Lavender…yum!
This is hilarious! I’m constantly getting hounded about washing my hands. You should have seen my man on the hunt for those giant things of hand sanitizer when we had our first baby.
mmm… would love the orange blossom.
As a germaphobe, I am openly weeping at the thought of having one of these??
I’d love the dispenser!! i get a little grossed out everyone touching our pump dispenser!