Really Clean Dishes; Softer Hands

 A brief word about a little power-pack that  will help you save a bit of time when you use your dishwasher. Cascade ActionPacs are convenient, light, and dissolve completely.   Each little power-pillow has four times the cleaning power with an assist from Dawn to help eliminate grease. Other similar manifestations of dishwasher detergents have been disappointing in the past. 

This one fulfills the promise on the package.

And if you have to do dishes by hand, you might try Dawn with Hand Renewal and Olay. It does help your hands come through the chore a lot more comfortably.

A Cleaner Sweep

The original Swiffer WetJet was an innovation in cleaning and the New Swiffer has indeed improved on that innovation. The latest Swiffer WetJet has two spray nozzles to increase coverage and cleaning efficiency. A larger Scrubbing strip on the front, rather than on the side, makes it easier to get at stubborn dirt. The handle is more ergonomic and the pole is stronger while the whole machine seems a bit lighter and easier to operate and maneuver around corners and under furniture. The battery compartment ( four AA batteries are needed) has also been improved for easier access and stability. The triple-layer cleaning pads have also been updated to be more absorbent and trap the dirt and dirty solution.

The different types of cleaning solution are more easily recognizable—Multipurpose, Antibacterial and Wood-- and are available in a larger size.

The improvements are noticeable and what has become the new standard in floor cleaning is now even better.

The new Swiffer Wetjet starter kit (sugg. retail $21.99) comes with 500ml bottle of cleaning solution and two pads.

www.swiffer.com

Go Green without Going Broke

Any product that is eco-friendly and works is always new. Marcal Small Steps 100% recycled bath tissue, paper towels, napkins and facial tissue, are all made from 100 percent recycled paper – not from trees. When use products made from recycled paper, you are making a difference. Marcal states that if every household in the US replaced one roll of traditional paper towels with a roll of 100 percent recycled paper towels, we would save nearly one million trees.

And the cost for Small Steps is about equal to other mainstream brands, and the tissue is soft to the touch and the paper towels are absorbent.

And keeping the environment in mind is no new for Marcal. The company has been saving trees and reducing landfill by making its paper products from recycled paper, sourced from curbside pickup from residential neighborhoods, the small blue baskets in office buildings, unwanted junk mail, waste from printers and more.

Small Steps is hypoallergenic, virtually lint free, manufactured without chlorine bleaching and are made without added dyes and fragrances. Who needs blindingly white paper towels anyway?

Hold the Bleach!

If you want to brighten your clothes but don’t want to risk damaging fabrics with chlorine bleach, try Spray & Wash Bright & White, a new liquid that you use with your regular laundry detergent to safely brighten colors and white alike. From Reckitt Benckiser, the makers of the original Spray ‘n Wash spray, this is a laundry product is so very worth buying and adding it along with your detergent.

Now you can have cleaner and brighter clothes without the risk of bleach.

The highest compliment we can give it is ----It works!

Don't Do Windows?

Cleaning the outside windows has always been kind of a big deal. It’s a bit easier now, thanks to Windex Outdoor All-in-One. From SC Johnson, this new product enables you to forgo a ladder and use a hose and this long-reaching cleaning tool complete with Windex streak-free cleaning pad to quickly clean the outside windows.

One disposable pad cleans up to 20 windows. All you do is spray the windows with water from a hose then wipe the HOW LONG handles pad up and down and then immediately rinse the window with the hose. If you can get 2 people in on the job it is even quicker. One rinses and the other cleans. It is almost enjoyable to do.

This really works and the windows are streak-free. The handle is long enough to reach first floor windows so if you need a longer pole, you will have to attach the end of the pole that comes with the product to a broom handle or other long pole. (The pole that comes in the package is hollow so another longer pole can be fitted into it easily.)

Windex Outdoor-All-In-One will have you doing your own windows, and even liking it.

Cleaning the Grill

It is definitely time for firing up the grill for outdoor cooking. Nothing like it. Nothing like the mess left on the grill, either, when all the cooking is done. True, at least the mess is outside but, it’s still a mess, waiting to be cleaned up for the next time.

Here is a great way to take care of all that. Grill Daddy-- the first grill cleaning tool of its kind, and ultra lightweight, eco-friendly and made to last. The Grill Daddy and Grill Daddy Pro are specifically designed to thoroughly, quickly, and easily clean any barbeque grill with the power of steam no matter what the mess!

And the real beauty is that you can clean up the grill soon after you’ve finished cooking, while the grill is still warm. The Grill Daddy uses the warmth of the grill to steam it clean. There are 3 versions available starting at around $20.

The Grill Daddy and Grill Daddy Pro can be found at retailers such as Home Depot, Wal Mart, Ace and True Value Hardware Stores while the Grill Daddy Platinum is currently available by special order. Detachable replacement brushes are available online. www.buygrilldaddy.com.

Thoroughly Flushed

Whether or not you agree that the modern toilet was invented by Thomas Crapper, it is certain that the basic design of this necessity has not changed much over the years. The question—usually asked when trying to clean the toilet—is why? True enough that toilets in most public bathrooms, being attached to the wall, are a bit easier to clean and that design may or may not be adaptable for residential use. Either way, those bowls still have to cleaned and it is a job that is sure to keep you humble. But here is a product to make it a little easier, while still doing a thorough job.

The new O-Cedar® Scrub Fresh™ Toilet Bowl Brush is the perfect solution for those who want to battle bacteria build-up in their toilet bowls and bathrooms. The brush’s anti-microbial bristles prevent odor-causing bacteria growth on the brush, while the caddy’s built-in hygienic spray freshens the brush. And, the child-safe locking system allows you to cleanly and safely store the brush.

The longer bristles and shorter bristles work together for a thorough scrubbing. The angled brush provides easy, heavy-duty cleaning under the rim, where lime scale builds up. The bristles of the Scrub Fresh Toilet Bowl Brush contain anti-microbial protection that inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria and since the anti-microbial treatment is built into the bristle manufacturing process, it will not wash out when you clean the toilet.

There is also a hygienic spray inside the caddy to freshen the brush after each use, so you are not storing a dirty brush. To freshen the brush after each use, push the handle down to activate the spray. After a few seconds, your brush will be refreshed and ready for its next use. Each can of hygienic spray will last for approximately three months and is available in 1.5-ounce refill cans. The innovative design of the Scrub Fresh Toilet Bowl Brush results in 30 percent less debris getting left in the brush after cleaning. The Scrub Fresh Toilet Bowl Brush caddy has a child-safe locking feature on both the hygiene spray compartment and the brush caddy.

This product makes cleaning a toilet bowl more agreeable.

True Innovation in Laundry Care--NO Liquids

Purex is living up to its name. They recently came out with Purex Natural Elements, a biodegradable laundry detergent made from naturally-sourced cleaning ingredients, which does an excellent job cleaning and softening clothes. A plus is there are several special and refreshing scents made with natural fragrance extracts: Linen & Lilies, Apple & Melon, Cherry Blossoms & Vanilla and Lilac & Lavender. When you open the bottle your senses are hit with an exhilarating wave of freshness that translates into the cleanest laundry.

Purex Natural Elements Fabric Softener is a more recent addition and comes in two fresh scents, Linen & Lilies and Apple & Melon, that complement the detergent fragrances. The softeners also contain natural fragrance extracts, are hypoallergenic and free of dyes and the formula is biodegradable.

But the newest member of the Purex cleaning team is a real breakthrough. Purex just introduced their new 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets – and unlike any other detergent - there is NO liquid involved. Imagine washing and softening your clothes with one sheet that does it all. These sheets are amazing and do everything promised. And there are no bottles or liquids involved so they are lightweight and spill-free and so make perfect sense when you need to pack laundry products for travel.

Simply drop a Laundry Sheet into the washer (either Standard or High-efficiency), the blue detergent portion of the sheet is released during the wash cycle. Once the washer is complete, transfer the laundry sheet with clothes to dryer. The color stripe is heat activated by the dryer to soften clothes and remove static.

3-in-1 Laundry Sheets are available in three unique fragrances: Spring Oasis^TM, Tropical Escape^TM and Pure & Clean.

Highly recommended. And Purex recently launched their Purex Changes Lives program (www.purexchangeslives.com) in partnership with Kiva.org, a global person-to-person micro-lending website that helps low-income families create their own sustainable sources of income. We wanted to let you know that for every Purex Complete 3-in-1 UPC registered at PurexChangesLives.com Purex will donate one dollar to help a hard-working entrepreneur of their choice.

Fragrant Glade

After you have cleaned your surroundings you’ll want to keep the environment smelling fresh and fragrant. There are ever-increasing types of air fresheners out there—some passive, some active—some a combination.

Consider Glade’s lovely multi-wick Soy Based Candle. For about $8.99 you can have a delightful fragrance wafting throughout the room without even lighting the candle. Three wicks are better than one in a candle this size and the idea behind a soy-based candle is that soy wax is all-natural, burns cleaner and produces less soot and can burn up to 50% longer than candles made from paraffin.

There are six scents available including Currants & açai, Orange vanilla, and Sheer white cotton (a blissful blend of floral, woody and fruity notes such as freesia and lime), The six fragrances are also available in a single wick candle and a Reed Diffuser.The aroma is subtle yet heavenly.

Another option of course is spray fragrance. With the Sense & Spray you can have the fragrance without pushing the button. Sense & Spray has a built-in motion sensor and automatically releases concentrated burst of freshness. It works well and after about 30 days it can be refilled with cartridges in scents such as Clean Linen, Apple Cinnamon, Powder Fresh and Country Garden.

A favorite air freshener with a bonus is Glade's Wisp Flameless Candle. Not a candle at all-- there is no flame--you get the effect of a scented candle without any of the safety issues. The glow is very realistic and the scent that automatically puffs out over time is very refreshing, indeed. This is really an innovative product.

All these are easily available and affordable so you can put one of

each in rooms throughout your environment to create an atmosphere of inviting

and relaxing fragrance.

http://www.glade.com/

Cleaning a Wide Swath

Cleaning the floor is about to get a little easier, thanks to the new O-Cedar Microfiber Flip Mop.

This long handled wonder has a generous 18” by 6” cleaning pad and a neck so flexible it can get under the lowest cabinets. Perfect for hardwood and other smooth floors, it can be used dry or damp. Dry, the microfiber pad acts like a magnet, picking up an impressive amount of dirt and pet hair. If you want to damp-mop the floor just use a spray bottle of water. The microfiber pad is washable and comes off easily by opening the Velcro strips. Then just toss it in the washing machine and allow to dry flat. The pad is also reversible. Just flip it over and start cleaning with the other side.

The whole unit is lightweight and a pleasure to use.

The history of O-Cedar goes back to the early 1900s –when it became a popular brand. After introducing its waxes and polishes to residents in and around Chicago in 1906, the Channel Chemical Company developed and sold oil-treated dust mops under the O-Cedar name in 1908 as a companion to the popular cleaning products. Parlaying its success selling O-Cedar waxes and polishes in the “Windy City,” Channel Chemical Company achieved not only national distribution in 1910, but took the products overseas as well.

During the early 1920s, a prosperous time for the country, demand for consumer goods ran high and radios became a staple and O-Cedar was thrown into national prominence. During the
1920s, O-Cedar used radio to advertise its products to millions of listeners, catching their
attention with a clever slogan: “O-Cedar Makes Your Life Easier®.”

The Depression that followed the boom times (sound familiar?) forced people to use what they had and careful cleaning became a way for people to preserve the life of their home furnishings.

During the 1930s, O-Cedar published A Book of Household Tips, which
contained practical advice for quickly and thoroughly accomplishing everyday chores. One tip in the book was “…to clean scorched pans, sprinkle with some dry baking soda and let stand.
Then pans will clean readily.”

The point is, O-Cedar has been around a long time and they know what works.

Sugg. Retail price is $14.99 and is available at select food, drug and mass merchandise stores nationwide. For more information about items in the O-Cedar family of cleaning products go to www.ocedar.com

Environmentally Conscious Cleaning

Keeping clean doesn’t have to mean multiple bottles of mostly water coming into your home full and leaving empty each week. With Arm & Hammer Essentials Refillable Cleaners you buy the bottle once and then purchase small refills when the spray bottle runs out. There are three types of spray cleaners:-- Multi Surface, Glass, Cleaner & Degreaser.

The cleaners combine powerful plant-based and other biodegradable cleaners and environmentally sound packaging to help us develop cleaner, greener cleaning habits. And they do the job.

First you buy an ARM & HAMMER® Essentials™ Cleaners Starter Kit, which contains an empty trigger spray bottle and one cartridge of concentrated cleaners. You fill the spray bottle with tap water and add the concentrate to the bottle. When you run out of cleaner, you buy refill cartridges—not a new bottle. The bottle can be used at least seven times before it can be recycled.

It’s a way to save money and the environment. You will be helping to cut down on landfill waste because the refill 2-pack uses 93 percent less plastic and 80 percent less packaging than standard, pre-filled 32 oz. cleaners.

And those little power-packed cartridges are easy to carry and use. Who needs heavy bottles that, honestly, contain mostly water anyway? Get the concentrate and fill them up at home.