Archive for the 'Broom Hugged' Category

February 29, 2008 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning products

We wrote a post about GreenWorks when it was first released, and most of our readers commented that they love it. We did have one complaint about the All-purpose cleaner, but the reader didn’t tell us how she used it or why she was disappointed. The word on the street is that it’s an awesome product - people seem to love it.

So, as promised I bought a bottle of it. And isn’t it pretty? (more…)

February 28, 2008 | Broom Hugged, Being Green, Shopping

Just when I was about to spend $15 a pop on 4 Foogo sippies for my kids, I came across this awesome post at The Soft Landing (another Co-Op America member). They’ve done their research, and it turns out that Nuby sippies, bottles, teethers, and spoons are BPA-free! This is great news because (a) I already have a few of them and don’t need to chuck them and (b) they’re CHEAP! I can buy them at WalMart for a couple bucks. (more…)

February 17, 2008 | Reviews, Company news, Broom Hugged, Cleaning products

There are so many great companies out there who make non-toxic, safe, environmentally-friendly cleaners. As a company, it’s always hard to weigh the pros and cons of each and make an informed decision about what to use. Until now we’ve been using Organic Excellence (whoops! There goes a trade secret), and we were quite happy with it. In fact, we’re still happy with it. It does a great job, it’s fully biodegradable, Green Seal approved, and it’s highly concentrated. All around, it’s a great product. But it lacks a ’sexy’ quality. And well, we are Broom Huggers, aren’t we? We want something affectionate. Something hot. And to meet that need, we found Shaklee!

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February 4, 2008 | Broom Hugged, Shopping

Thermos has come up with a new line of sippy cups called Foogo. These things are pretty awesome.

First off, they’re BPA-free. (And they look cool too!) (more…)

January 17, 2008 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning products

Clorox, the famed makers of bleach and 17% of the cleaning chemicals listed as “most toxic” by Women’s Voices for the Earth (an environmental health and justice organization), just released their “Green Works” brand.

This is the first product launch of this type by a major consumer brand, and it’s Clorox’s first new brand launch in 20 years. They’re doing it right though.

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December 20, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Health, Cleaning products

I was so excited when earlier this month I walked into Target and saw that Method had their new holiday scents out! I use a lot of Method products at my house so already knowing what the company stands stands for I grabbed up my favorite holiday scent, cinnamon bark, and waltzed out with dreams of a beautifully clean and fragrant household. (more…)

October 22, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning products

The great people over at Barefoot Home Essentials sent us an introduction set of products to try out. Try we did, and love we do. They have all-natural all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, disinfecting spray, and room freshener. How do we love thee? Let me count the ways…

The all-purpose cleaner has something we’ve never found in any other cleaner: cinnamon! The scent is amazing. It makes me want to clean more. And more. And more. Somebody stop me. It really is an all-purpose go-to cleaner. I’ve used it to remove scuffs from my tile, dried on food from the wood table (thanks to toddler food-painting), washable crayon off the wall, and clean the toilets and countertops too. The one thing it couldn’t handle was the soap scum on the shower door, but I wouldn’t typically use an all-purpose for that anyway (vinegar and salt work best on soap scum).

The glass cleaner makes my mirrors shine, streak-free, and smells lovely. I’ve also used it as an all-purpose in a pinch, and it does a great job on the counters and stainless sink.

But let me tell you, the disinfectant spray makes my dreams come true, especially this time of year. My family has been passing some awful germs around, including bronchitis and pneumonia. The disinfectant spray is gentle enough to use on the toys in the playroom, and helps me rid our home of germy-germs. I spray it on the light switches, door knobs, playroom, kids’ rooms, faucets - and no wiping necessary. I love this stuff.

And the lavender room spray is just what I need before guests arrive. Yes, I just wrote a post against perfumes for your home, but this is different. This is lavender. It eases headaches and stress. It disinfects. It stimulates your immune system. It relaxes. It’s all-natural. It’s heaven in a bottle.

Do you know what I like best about this company? Barefoot Home Essentials is family-run. And their priorities and values are much the same as mine. They promote health. They build their business around their family, not vice versa. They believe in safe, all-natural products that are family friendly. They stand behind their product.

So. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Go straight to Barefoot Home Essentials and get yourself some of this stuff! You will not be disappointed. I promise.

And, the folks over there are just so wonderful. They’re offering - to Broom Huggers readers alone - buy 3 get 1 free! Just mention Broom Huggers sent you. You can’t beat that! Go ahead, buy yourself a full set. Your home deserves it. And international readers? They ship international too! Of course you’ll have to pay a wee extra for the all the extra miles it’s going to travel, but when you’re buying 3 and getting 1 free, it’s so worth it. Do you realize that’s 25% off? Wow, people!

September 11, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning products, Shopping

We had a recent question emailed to us about microfiber cloths that I want to share.

Q: I noticed that Method has 4 different types of microfiber cloths. Are they actually specialized or can you just get one and be done with it?

A: In fact, you can find those same 4 microfiber cloths branded by several different company in different places, and so far the prices I’ve seen at Target for them are the best.

I can’t give you the scientific lowdown on it, but the one for glass is most definitely worth it. You can upkeep your mirrors and windows without any spray (unless there’s toothpaste or something) - spray will make it easier if there are a lot of spots, but the glass cloth is most certainly worth its weight in gold. And none of the others do the same job on glass.

The one for dusting does a better job at dusting than the others. It has a different weave on one side, and it catches the dust well. With a little furniture polish it gives a nice finish.

As for the other two, one is for kitchen and bath, and I don’t remember what the other is for, but I found them to be virtually interchangeable.

In short, the 4 are different, and the glass alone makes it worthwhile. I end up washing the kitchen and bath one most frequently, because when cleaning the kitchen and bath the cloth needs to be washed after (you can imagine why). But the one for dusting is probably my most frequently used - daily, or at least every other day to dust something or other.

September 7, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning products

2 well known mild abrasives. Both natural. In my mind, they do about the same job of cleaning up. Sure, Bar Keeper’s Friend cuts grease a bit better, but Bon Ami rinses easier and leaves less residue. Otherwise, they’re pretty close when it comes to performance. But what about health? After all, here at Broom Huggers we’re all about health. That’s the whole focus of our green and natural maid service. So here’s the lowdown.

Bar Keeper’s Friend’s active ingredient is Oxalic Acid. It’s found in nature all over the place (in small quantities) and even occurs naturally in some foods we eat, like nuts, chocolate, rhubarb, poppy seeds, and more. In trace amounts in food, it’s harmless to healthy people. When processed for use in cleaning products, it can be related to breathing difficulties, skin irritation and skin burn, severe eye irritation (don’t use it to clean your contacts), and convulsions, nausea, and shock if ingested. If you compare it to something like Comet, Bar Keeper’s Friend is pretty darn friendly.

The problem is, compare it to Bon Ami and Bar Keepers Friend comes up short. Bon Ami’s active ingredients are Feldspar, Calcium Carbonate, and Sodium Carbonate. All of these occur naturally, and none of them are associate with any severe health irritation. Sure, if you take a bath in it your skin won’t be too happy. And if you decide to use it as flour in your next batch of bread you’ll probably end up with a tummy ache. But all in all, it’s safer than Bar Keeper’s Friend.

You’ll find Bon Ami under my sink, though I wouldn’t be opposed to using Bar Keeper’s Friend in a pinch.

September 5, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning products

This week’s theme for Works for Me Wednesday (hosted by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer) is brand loyalty. The question is what products and brand could you not live without? And we’ve got a few.

Vacuums: Oreck. Only the best. Fantastic filtration, great functionality, and lightweight too! What could be better? Oreck, we’ll never leave you.

General All-purpose cleaner: (I’m giving away secrets here, so competitors, please close your eyes and scroll on down to another post…) Organic Excellence chemical free Organic Choice concentrated cleaner.

Home fragrance: Barefoot Home Essentials Room Freshening Spray. It’s natural, it’s heavenly, it’s perfection in a bottle.

Other loyalties: Anything that doesn’t fall into the above categories will be governed in our purchasing preferences by the following (in no particular order): locally-owned small businesses, locally-grown produce, fair trade goods of any sort, responsible business (those that make a priority of giving back), eco-friendly businesses, and chemical-free everything.

For more brands you might like, head over to Rocks in My Dryer.