The New Standard

The ads for Swiffer are right—you’ll never go back to your old mop and broom after trying the WetJet. Cleaning floors now can take less than half the time and the result will be a floor that is cleaner than if a regular mop (any kind—sponge or the antediluvian swab-the-deck version ) were used for the chore.

The idea for the Swiffer WetJet, which came on the market in 2001, emanated from studies that found that people who cleaned were looking for something that would eliminate the strain and fatigue of floor cleaning, rated as one of the most tiring tasks. So the Swiffer WetJet was born, reducing a lot of the drudgery and inefficiency associated with floor cleaning. It’s more efficient because there’s no scrubbing on your hands and knees or carrying buckets from room to room. With one less thing –a heavy bucket filled with cleaning solution and water--to drag around the house, cleaning the floor is a bit less tiring.

In 2005 P & G’s Swiffer WetJet underwent some upgrades including reconfiguring the pump and nozzle to reach a wider distance and streamlining the spray pattern. A triple layer core was implemented to the WetJet pads to trap and lock away all the dirt leaving behind virtually no residue. That’s also about the time the color was changed to purple. And now there are several formulas, including the new Wood Care line, complete with WetJet Wood Floor solution that dissolves dirt and is quick drying so there are virtually no streaks or hazing. They are also about to launch a new and improved Swiffer WetJet Antibacterial cleaning solution that kills 99.9% of bacteria.

Here are a couple of suggestions, though. How about using a refillable container to hold and dispense the cleaning product liquid? It seems like a bit of a waste to have to buy a new container when a concentrated refill should do just as well.

The cleaning pads are easily attached to the WetJet by Velcro strips and for the most part work very well. After a period of time, however, sometimes the Velcro strips can start to become separated from the machine and so partially come off when you remove the dirty pad. Crazy Glue works to reattach the Velcro but this might be an area for some improvement. It is true that Swiffer is constantly enhancing its products based on consumer feedback and insight and they are genuinely interested in consumer comments.

Again, these are just a few suggestions. The Swiffer WetJet as a whole is a superb and truly innovative product. It is lightweight, cleans more thoroughly and is easier to use than a mop and a bucket and is now pretty much the benchmark for how to clean a floor.

You never will go back.

A New Dawn

Even though many people have dishwashers (automatic, not human) there are still plenty of households (some 22 million) where the dishes are washed by hand. Even if you have an automatic dishwasher, there will be many times when dishes have to be washed by hand, either because the machine is too full or because some of the items are better off being cleaned by hand.

But what about your hands? Sure, you can wear waterproof gloves but they can make your hands uncomfortable and some people just don’t care for them. Dawn recently came out with Plus Hand Renewal, a posh lotion-soaked dishwashing liquid that will leave your hands feeling better than if you hadn’t washed the dishes. The dishes will get perfectly clean, of course, but it is your hands that will really appreciate the creamy treat the more-lotion-than-dish liquid provides.

So if you wash any of your dishes by hand any time, you might want to try this product. Many dish liquids promise smoother hands while doing dishes, and perhaps they deliver. We know that this one does.

Scents available are: Invigorating Pomegranate and Splash with Vitamin E, Delicate Lavender and Silk with Vitamin E, and Soothing Aloe Vera

The Scent of a Dog (or Cat)

We love our pets. We don’t love the odor -- in spite of timely baths and grooming --that sometimes lingers in a room long after the dog or cat has left the premises.

A few products have started appearing on the market that should help not just layer the air with a more pleasing fragrance, but might actually help dissipate the malodorous scents that don’t leave the area when your pet does. Glade is one company offering pet odor patrol products. Febreze is another.

The Febreze line offers a few ways to eliminate pet odors gracefully. Air Effects Pet Odor Eliminator did so well in the marketplace that the brand has launched companion forms of the Febreze Pet Odor Eliminator. Use one or several for layers of fragrance that will purge offending smell from the premises:

Plug-In Febreze—the oil this works continuously to help keep the air in a room from screaming, “A very lovable but wet-cornflake smelling dog was just here.”

Candle: Light this to diffuse a warm scent that can light the area with a glowing fragrance.

Febreze Air Effects Pet Odor Eliminator: A nice light but hard-working scent to recharge the atmosphere with an aggreeable secent.

Febreze Fabric Refresher spray: The one that started it all. The Pet Odor Eliminator fragrance can help freshen fabrics on sofas, curtains, pillows and your pet’s bed (just remove the pet and any toys and chews before you spray).

All of these work very nicely, indeed.

Cleaning Scents

One of the latest ubiquitous fragrances added to cleaning products—from Mr. Clean floor cleaner and counter spray to Downy (and some store brands ) fabric softener and laundry detergents and air fresheners-- is Febreze—which seems to have become the name of the fragrance itself..

But it is the brand name of a particular range of fragrances.

Once the most popular scent in household products was Lemon. Green Apple had a turn around the fragrance merry-go-round, as did, and Vanilla. Now it is Lavender. Or Lavander with Vanilla.

What is the next scent waiting in the wings?

Some Compounds to Avoid

The International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec), in collaboration with leading environment, women, health, labor and consumer public interest organizations in the EU and beyond has released its REACH "Substitute It Now" (SIN) list under the working name of the "NGO Priority List of Substances of Very High Concern."
This list was created to ensure that within REACH, the authorization step is an effective tool to fast-track the most urgent high concern chemicals for substitution, and to facilitate toxic use reduction by businesses. This list was announced at the Substitution Conference held today in Brussels.
Among those chemicals on the list are some materials that are used or can be used in the production of cosmetics, including:
Lead di(acetate);
Dibutyl phthalate;
Triclosan;
Formaldehyde (anhydrous gas);
Ethylene oxide; and
Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (INCI: Cylcotetrasiloxane)

One industry expert cautioned that the release of this list by NGOs could cause alarm across the board, internationally, for any products containing these materials. Starting in Europe, products could be pulled from shelves and it may only be a matter of time before the state of California and others follow suit, including some of the larger mass-market retailers.

NGOs collaborating to compile this list include: European Environmental Bureau (EEB) WWF European Policy Office Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE) Greenpeace European Unit Instituto Sindical de Trabajo Ambiente y Salud (ISTAS) The European Consumers’ Organization (BEUC) Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF) The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)
For more info, see www.chemsec.org/list.

To anti-bacterial or not?

Was it that long ago when cleaning a home meant using soap and water? Just when did it become necessary to use hospital-strength cleaners on your kitchen floor?

When is soap enough? What is the difference between cleaning and disinfecting? When is which necessary?

These seem like pretty simple questions. It turns out the answers, and the roads to them, are not that straightforward.

There has been some discussion about the place for anti-bacterials for some time. One concern is that the overuse of these agents result in bacteria, which, being resilient and endlessly clever, become more and more resistant to the point that virtually no remedy can adequately vanquish them.

Another concern is one agent in particular, Triclosan, which can irritate the skin and be hazardous to the environment. http://74.125.45.104/search?q=cache:Q97AT-uxe54J:www.panna.org/files/factsheetTriclosan.pdf+Lysol+AND+Triclosan&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/emci/chemref/3380345.html