Archive for the 'Reviews' Category

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.

August 29, 2007 | Dusting, Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning tips, Cleaning products

Some dusters create static energy. They take away the dust for a moment, but the static attracts it back even quicker than before. Other dusters just kick it up into the air. Sure, your furniture looks nice afterwards, but ::achoo:: your air quality suffers. Those microfiber cloths are nice, but more appropriate for flat surfaces. When you’ve got picture frames and decorative items around, a lambs wool duster will save ages of time for you! They trap the dust, they’re gentle enough for your most precious heirlooms, and a lambswool duster on a nicely contoured wooden handle just makes you want to clean. It’s true.
That’s what works for me. For more tips, head over to Shannon’s place.

August 27, 2007 | Kids clean, Reviews, asthma, Health, Cleaning products, Pregnancy

We’ve talked about the dangers of alcohol-based hand sanitizers for children. But we’ve also talked recently about back-to-school germs. In the midst of all this, Germ-X sent me a new product to try that’s just showing up on shelves at Wal Mart. It’s an alcohol-free sanitizer with moisturizer, and it’s so new I can’t even find pictures of it online. It’s called Germ-X Advanced Protection, and I did find plenty of reviews and a few news stories toting its benefits though.

I tried it. It’s a foaming sanitizer, feels all nice and silky on the skin. And it has a nice fresh scent. But unfortunately, I can’t give it any more kudos. (more…)

August 24, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning products

What is this borax stuff we keep mentioning here at Broom Huggers? Borax is hard to figure out if you’re a traditional bleach/formula 409/amonia (etc., etc.) user. But once you get it, you’ll never stop using it!

What is it? Borax is a mineral, derived from sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, and/or disodium tetraborate. It is a completely stable additive for cleaning solutions, and is not flammable. It is found in nature and it’s completely bio-degradable and eco-friendly. (more…)

August 16, 2007 | Reviews, Cleaning products

Clorox Hard Surface anywhere spray has been advertising all over the children’s networks lately. Their main marketing point is that it’s ’safe enough for anywhere’ with a baby eating in a high chair or crawling all over the floor.

So I wondered, what’s it all about? Could something made by Clorox be safe enough for my babies? (I mean, after all, they are the most precious kids in the universe - and I’m not biased at all.) After some research I found this review, written by someone who actually knows a thing or two about chemistry.

But for those who don’t want to read all the many details of it, let me sum it up for you. It is in fact a bleach based spray. Highly diluted, but still, it’s bleach. Second, after an experiment involving comode-based bacteria and a petri dish, the spray didn’t kill all the bacteria. In comparison, a glass & mirror cleaner did kill it all.

This product is labeled as a ’sanitizer’ - which is not as effective as a ‘disinfectant’ or ’sterilizer.’

So, in terms of effectiveness, its claims are weak. In terms of safety, I wouldn’t trust it. You can be sure I’ll leave it on the shelf in the grocery store. No need to waste my money on this one.

July 23, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Being Green, Shopping

I’ve checked out every book my library system has on ‘green cleaning’ and ‘green living.’ Each had its pros and cons - useful for some things, not so useful for others. But I just came across Green Clean by Linda Mason Hunter and Mikki Halpin. It’s your go-to book for most situations, filled with a wealth of information about the importance of green cleaning and innovative ways to green your life.

Some things I learned - dishwashing liquid is the most frequent cause of childhood poisoning. (Wow!) Or a great idea, start a neighborhood curbside compost and sell it to local farmers - everyone wins! I love this stuff. And what else? The book is water and stain resistant! (well, maybe that’s just a marketing ploy) But how cool is it that I can use it on my cherry-juice covered countertops and not worry about the book! Or take it out with me while I’m working on that compost… I have to say, it’s a nice marketing ploy.

We like it (and no, I’m not getting paid to say that - it’s all me, honest and true). But we like it more for newbie greens or people who are ever so gradually making green changes. If you’re already there, you’ll want to look elsewhere for great ideas to keep you going.

July 17, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning products

After 9 long hours on the road coming home from Florida, I was greeted by a gratifyingly heavy white box with the familiar red and blue of Priority Mail. It was sitting on the front doorstep, welcoming me home in all it’s simplicity. The moment I saw it my heart soared - I knew perfectly well that it was the products from Barefoot Home Essentials that I’ve been anticipating. Getting home past the kids’ bedtime I didn’t really have time to test it all out yet - but stay tuned, there’s a review coming just around the corner.

I will tell you that as I opened the box and pulled out each elegantly packaged bottle I was greeted with a natural, yet gently sweet scent that awakened my home-y senses after 9 long hours in the car. Though I was too tired to clean house, I did open up the room spray and mist it around the family room and playroom. And let me just say, heaven is a clean, welcoming-scented home after a long trip. Stay tuned for a full review, but for now, I assure you there will be no shortage of lavender-disinfected surfaces in my home for some time.

July 16, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Health, Cleaning products

Thyme is used in worldwide cuisine for its earthy, aromatic, and slightly nutty flavor. No self-respecting cook would make Thanksgiving stuffing without it (or its most appropriate friend, sage). But did you know that it has a host of medicinal uses too? Historically, thyme has been used as a disinfectant, as well as an immune booster to ward off illness.

Add to that, it’s fully sustainable, quick growing, hardy, and doesn’t require the use of pesticides, and you have a Mc-Dreamy herb.

The folks over at CleanWell have harnessed the power of thyme to create a perfectly healthy sanitizer, complete with gel, wipes, and all sort of products to keep your hands and your kids’ hands clean. It’s the perfect antidote to all those alcohol-based sanitizers out there that have recently come to light as being serious health hazards.

So head on over to CleanWell and check out their product line. I can’t wait to get my hands on some (or, more accurately, to get some on my hands - oh, that was corny!). And when you get there, tell ‘em I sent ya!

July 4, 2007 | Reviews, Outdoors, Shopping, Lifestyle

Lots of areas in the US are experiencing severe drought right now, and many are exercising water restrictions. Here’s a nifty idea to salvage those trees and plants without draining your municipal water supply.

Landscape USA sells Aqua Cones -6 for $12.99. They screw on to the top of 2-liter soda bottles, and you insert the cone into the ground. They give water directly to the roots, where it’s most needed. That way water isn’t wasted on leaves or in places where it will quickly evaporate.

The truly green-minded will save ‘waste’ water from the tap - from washing dishes, or from waiting for the water to warm up.

June 18, 2007 | Reviews, Cleaning products

It was brilliant. The problem: I have to wait to sweep my tile floors until the kids are in bed so they won’t track through my swept-up-crumbs pile and kick it all over the kitchen. BUT (eurkea!) if I had one of those cool non-electric dirt-grabber-sweeper things they use in restaurants I could actually have my 3 year old sweep up for me! (And oh, how she loves to help clean! No really, I’m serious!) Brilliant. Right?

But then I went to the Oreck store to try their Restaurateur. It turns out they only work well on that thin restaurant-style carpet. Not on tile. Or hardwoods. There are a couple more on the market - Hoover makes one. Maybe I’ll go to my friendly Hoover store just down the street and try one. I’m still hoping. How much easier would my life be if my kids could sweep the crumbs off the floor? Hmm… If only I had that, I’d be happy… (well, no. Let’s try again.) If only I had that, I’d be a better mom… (still not right.) If only I had that, my kids could contribute more to the household upkeep and share the load with me! Now wouldn’t that be nice?