Archive for Cleaning

ClosedBack To School With Lysol

Posted by html404 on August 12, 2011
in Cleaning, Health

And the winner is………comment #1…Karen!

!!!!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!

Since school is just around the corner lots of moms (including myself!) are planning ways to keep germs away from our children for the fall and winter seasons. And Lysol is helping get rid of all the germs with two new and improved products!

The first product is the LYSOL® Healthy Touch® No-Touch Hand Soap System, it was recently-named 2011 Product of the Year, it helps to eliminate the millions of germs that your children’s hands can pick up each day.

This no-touch hand soap system automatically senses hands and dispenses just the right amount of soap. My children and I love it! It is so easy to use and even my smallest children use it with ease. Since handwashing is one of the most important things that my children can do to stay healthy, I love that we don’t have to touch the germy soap pump! Plus, I love the new stainless steel look!

And the new LYSOL® Dual Action Disinfecting Wipes have two sides so that they will go beyond ordinary wipes. You can use one side for touching up your sinks, and you can use the other side to scrub through messes! Because these wipes are made by Lysol they will kill 99.9% of all germs! You can use Dual Action Wipes all around your home to clean and disinfect.

You can also enter to win Whirlpool® appliances on Lysol’s Facebook page. Go enter here!

Keep your kids healthy this back-to-school season with these great products from Lysol!

GIVEAWAY:

One reader will win these products from Lysol!

Mandatory Entry: Tell me your biggest cleaning problem.

Extra Entries;(Please be sure and leave a comment and link for extra entries):

1 Entry: Tweet about this giveaway. Include a separate comment for each and your tweet url with your comment:

Enter to win Lysol products! @faithandfamilyrewv http://bit.ly/pwTRvk #giveaway

1 Entry: Follow Faith and Family Reviews on Twitter

1 Entry: Like/Friend Faith and Family Reviews on Facebook.

1 Entry: Like Lysol on Facebook

10 Entries: Blog about this giveaway and link back this post. Be sure to leave me a link.

1 Entry:For every comment you leave anywhere else on this blog, but please leave a link with your comment!

2 Entries: Follow Faith and Family Reviews on Google Friend Connect (on the our right side bar).

Details:

This giveaway will run from August 12th, to August 26th, 2011 at midnight CST. The winner will be chosen through Random.org. Lysol will send one winner their prize. Winner will be contacted via email on or before August 26th, 2011 and will be asked for their contact and other pertinent info. Winners will have 48 hours to send me their e-mail at [ffr] [giveaways] [at] [gmail] [dot] [com] (without spaces and parenthesis). Please note: This giveaway is offered to USA only.

Thanks and have fun!

I received the above products from Mom Select and Lysol in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions of these products.

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“Green” Your Travels With Dapple Baby Products!

Posted by html404 on June 13, 2011
in All Natural Products, Cleaning

Anyone who has children and who travels with them knows that with children comes mess. And when you travel with your kids they probably create messes. But, if you are a family who uses natural baby products then you probably have a hard time finding 100% natural baby products and natural cleaners.

I recently came across a company called Dapple that sells 100% natural baby products and natural cleaners. Their cleaners are perfect for when you are traveling with your kids.

We got a chance to try their travel wipes and travel dish soap and we took them with us on a trip that we took recently and we found that they where quite handy to have with us. Plus, they smelled wonderful and worked wonderfully.

Wherever you travel this summer with your family and kids we highly recommend that you check out

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Review ~ Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes

Posted by Professor on June 1, 2011
in Cleaning, Family Stuff, Health, Personal Care Products

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

Cottonelle Flushable moist wipes are pre-moistened to provide a more thorough cleansing and freshening than with toilet paper alone! Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes are Alcohol-free, sewer and septic safe. For best results, only one or two wipes should be flushed at a time.

Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes are suitable for the following purposes:

With toilet paper as part of your bathroom routine
When traveling
To clean hand and faces

Visit www.cottonelle.com for more information about this and other products.

OUR REVIEW:

This was a very nice product to get to review. I have used Cottenelle before but never the fresh scented product. This wipe is nice and thick and has a nice clean scent. I found that they did their job as expected and we did not have any problem with them flushing down the toilet. I did find that they work well as a baby wipe also…I have a toddler still in diapers and this wipe did a great job cleaning my toddler.

The product is dispensed in a nice pop up container. The product came with an adhesive wall hook that you can attach to the wall above or around your toilet paper holder. Unfortunately I do not have space to hand up the product near my toilet paper so I had to forgo that idea…but for those who have space it is a nice addition to the product.

The only thing I did not like about the product was that sometimes the wipes could be difficult to remove from the dispenser. I had to reach in and grab the wipes to get them to come out…they did not “pop” up like a traditional wipe container would…but I suppose that since they stay in the container it is less likely that they would dry out.

All in all, this was a great product to try and we will be buying Cottenelle Flushable Moist wipes in the future!

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CLOSED Week 3 Giveaway of Scott Naturals 4-Week Test Drive!

Posted by html404 on April 25, 2011
in All Natural Products, Cleaning, Contests, Giveaways, Giving Back/Charity

Congratulations to Tamara for winning the Week 3 giveaway for Scott Naturals 4-Week Test Drive!

Thanks to all who entered and to Scott Naturals and TheMotherhood for sponsoring this giveaway! #12 winner chosen by Random.org.

Please note this week’s giveaway ends on Saturday night instead of Sunday night this week due to having to get next week’s giveaway winner’s info in by next Friday, May 6th!

Green Cleaning

Over the years of our journey to using safer, green products in our home, I have eliminated many of the chemical products in our home – going back to using what many of our grandmothers and maybe even mothers used. I do not remember my mother using very many chemical based cleaning products in our home growing up, now that I think about it.

Now, we use the basics of soap, water, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and thieves cleaner. This not only saves us money but is better for health.

Hot soapy water is enough to clean most things, it is usually the tougher stains that need a little more to get surfaces or floors clean, and a bit of muscle behind your scrub brush.

Baking Soda is an abrasive substance and is very good at scrubbing out dirt and grim with either vinegar or lemon juice. We can get strawberry stains out of the counter tops with lemon juice and baking soda. This is also a good way to clean the tub and grout around the tub tiles, floor or toilet. Plus baking soda is a deodorizer too.

Thieves Cleaner is a green cleaner. As many of you know we have used thieves cleaner and essential oils since discovering mold in our home (if you do not know this story click on the tab at the top of the page that says, “Health Scents”). We continue to use it because we like it. It smells good and is safe for even the children to use. Plus it is effective in hindering the growth of mold. I use it to clean our mirrors, windows, floors, walls, sinks, and tub. It also gets out some stains if used in its concentrated form. Not to mention the fact that I should be using it around my window sills where condensation collects during the winter months, but have been rather slack this year.

Essential Oils. We diffuse essential oils in our home to purify the air and for the aromatherapy.

Vinegar. I you happen to be one of those people who do not like the smell of vinegar or how it makes your home smell…join the club! You can mix a couple of drops of your favorite essential oils in with the vinegar to give it a better aroma.

God wants us to take care of what He has blessed us with the land, our earthly possessions and our families. Therefore, it is important to choose cleaning products that are not only good for the earth but for our the health of our families too.

Week 2 Winner

Winner of Week 2 Scott Naturals 4-Week Test Drive Giveaway is……….

momznite!!!!!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to momznite! # 7 as chosen by Random.org.

Thanks to all who entered and to Scott Naturals and TheMotherhood.com for providing this great prize package!

Week 3 Giveaway of Scott Naturals 4-Week Test Drive!

A 12 pack of toilet paper, a 6 pack of paper towel, a package of napkins and flushable moist wipes. Cool, eh? Yeah, we thought so too!

You may also choose to participate in the Scott Naturals 4-Week Test Drive between now and September 30 and enter to win a Ford Fusion hybrid car! Once you pledge to take the 4-Week Test Drive, coupons for each product are available -http://www.scottbrand.com/community/savings/scott

Scott’s Press Release says:

According to a recent poll, one third of consumers believe eco-friendly products don’t work as well as “regular” ones. That’s why Scott Naturals is on a mission to get people to rethink their notion of environmentally friendly products. As the world’s first line of “hybrid” paper products, including bath tissue, paper towels, flushable moist wipes and napkins, the Scott Naturals brand combines the green benefits of recycled fiber with the quality people want, making it easy to take a green step forward. If every American pledged to use Scott Naturals for four weeks, it would save two million trees. Starting on April 4, as part of the “Take the 4-Week Test Drive Sweepstakes,” Scott Naturals began challenging Americans to test out its line of hybrid paper products for four weeks and enter for a chance to win a new hybrid sedan.

Our Review of Scott Naturals Paper Towels

We were satisfied with the performance of Scott Naturals paper towels. They are comparable to other brands we have used. Scott Naturals are fairly thick and absorbent. They function well when used for cleaning. They do not seem to tear too easily. However, they have a pretty rough texture to use for napkins (if you have ever done that when you have ran out of regular paper napkins!) or to wipe a child’s face while dry, but are fine if moistened a bit.

Overall we are very satisfied with Scott Naturals paper towels.

The Giveaway

Enter to win a Scott Naturals paper products!

Mandatory Entry: Tell me which products you want to try the most from Scott!

Extra Entries (Please be sure and leave a comment and link for extra entries):

5 Entries: Visit http://www.ScottBrand.com/4WeekTestDrive to help increase the amount Scott Brand will donate to National Wildlife Federation. Scott Naturals will donate $1 per unique click to the NWF, up to $25,000. You can do this as many times as you like!

1 Entry:Follow Faith and Family Reviews On Twitter

1 Entry:Like/Friend Faith and Family Reviews on Facebook.

1 Entry: Like Scott Naturals on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall saying- Faith and Family Reviews sent me.

2 Entries: Follow Faith and Family Reviews on Google Friend Connect (on the our right side bar).

2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway. Up to three tweets per day. Include a separate comment for each and your tweet url with your comment. You may write your own tweet or use this one:

Enter Week 3 #ScottNaturals paper products! http://bit.ly/ScottNaturalsGiveawayWeek3 @faithfamilyrevw! Please share! #ScottTestDrive #Win

5 Entries: Blog about this giveaway and link back this post.

1 Entry: For every comment you leave anywhere else on this blog, but please leave a link with your comment!

Details:

This giveaway will run from April 25th, 2011 to April 30th, 2011 (Please note that it is Saturday night not Sunday night this week!) at midnight CST. The winner will be chosen through Random.org. Scott will send one winner their prize. Winner will be contacted via email on or before April 27th, 2011 and will be asked for their contact and other pertinent info. Winners will have 48 hours to send me their e-mail at [ffr] [giveaways] [at] [gmail] [dot] [com] (without spaces and parenthesis). Please note: This giveaway is offered to USA only.

Thanks and have fun!

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review and is being compensated by Scott Naturals andTheMotherhood. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review and compensation, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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Prefense Alcohol Free Hand Sanitizer ~ Review

Posted by Professor on April 25, 2011
in Cleaning, Fun Stuff, Personal Care Products, Safety

Have you ever used a hand sanitizer only to be overwhelmed with a harsh alcohol smell that lingers long after use? Prefense hand sanitizer is completely alcohol free and proactively and persistently offers protection from germs up to 10 hand washings! Amazing!

Prefense Botanicals Benefits:

· Alcohol free
Sanitizes nails and skin on contact
Protection from germs up to 10 hand washings
Works wet or dry
Safe for kids and adults!

I must admit that even though the product boasts that it is alcohol free…when I took my first pump of the product I still was expecting that alcohol scent to waft to my nostrils. I was pleasantly surprised when I smelled a nice clean botanical scent instead. I had to laugh at myself because the product did exactly what it promised, why would I expect any different…perhaps because the thought of hand sanitizing evokes a memory of harsh alcohol scent. Let me tell you this was a great experience…a wonderful scent and it forms a proactive antibacterial barrier wet or dry! The scent is derived from a silica complex with soothing organic botanicals. This product is truly a new generation of hand sanitizer! We also liked that the sanitizer was a foam and not a gel. Gels can be messy…prefense is a foam that is neatly pumped from the dispenser and goes on evenly. We also like that it comes in handy purse size (1.50z) or a larger (80z) family size.

To find out further information about the product check out their website http://www.prefense.com/

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Spring Cleaning: A Monday Motivation

Posted by html404 on March 28, 2011
in Cleaning, Monday Motivation, Organization

On Saturday my five older children were away with my husband at the Liberty Day conference for a history, fun filled day. They came home animated and talking non-stop about how much fun they had, who they got to talk to and what dresses they wanted to make for next year!

Meanwhile back on the home front I was home with the three younger ones. It is not very often I have just the three younger ones by myself. My what fun we had! I did a little craft with them – stay tuned this Thursday for a new thirfty tip. We read, we colored, we had a picnic lunch and supper and I even managed to clean when the little ones played.

Organization Brings Peace

While the children played, I got the boys room cleaned and organized. Packed away clothes, got a couple bags ready to give away and summer clothes are standing by.

I don’t know about you, but when things are neat, clean and organized I am at peace. Chaos runs rampant in our home with ten people doing ten different things and I relish in the times when there is calm and I get to have things the way I like them.

Spring Cleaning is My Monday Motivation

This week spring cleaning is my Monday motivation. After getting the boys room organized, I decide it was time for spring cleaning before the warm weather is here to stay.

This morning I was able to get our linen closet neat and tidy. It was overflowing due to certain little people just shoving things in there without folding them.

The upstairs bathroom got cleaned over the past three days.

Two bedrooms, the bathroom/laundry room and the rest of the downstairs left. Slow and steady wins the race, right? I am feeling good about our progress so far and am hoping we can get the cobwebs vacuumed, curtains washed and really clean house by the end of the week, if not before.

How about you, have you started any spring cleaning or spring projects around your house? If so, please leave a comment to share what you have been working on!

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Easy Ways to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

Posted by html404 on January 20, 2011
in Cleaning, Eco Friendly Products

Easy Ways to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

We all want to do our part to protect the environment and preserve what God has given us, but without a large hole in our pocket book. It may seem difficult, if not impossible with the high cost of eco-friendly products these days. But doing your part doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. Baby steps in the right direction make a big difference, you just have to know which ones to take.

Use less water.

Saving water is all about small steps, here are a few that will help save big.

– Shut off the water while you brush your teeth
– Take showers that are a minute or two shorter
– Only flush the toilet when you need to
– Only run full loads of laundry and dishes
– Buy from sustainable producers. These are farmers, ranchers, and other producers that use techniques that pollute less and use less water. You can do some research online or ask at your local organic market to find these products.

Use less energy.

If you don’t have the money to buy a hybrid car or convert your house to solar power, you can make a big difference with small changes like these:

– Buy energy efficient appliances. They may be more expensive, but in the long run make up for the increased cost in lower energy bills.
– Unplug chargers when you’re not using them. Cell phone and other chargers use up powers even if there’s nothing attached to them.
– Put devices with remotes, like T.V.s, VCRs, and stereos, on a power strip and turn it off when you’re not using them. These devices use a lot of power to run the remote receiver even when the device is off.
– Walk or ride your bike for short trips.
– Buy local products. It takes energy to transport food and other products across the country. Buying local not only supports your local economy, it helps them use less energy. Support small, local farms!

When it comes to saving energy and water, it’s a great idea to get the kids involved. You can even make it a game. Have them track how much water and electricity everyone is using. You can compete to see who uses the least water. You can often count on your kids to help keep you on track when given the task.

Reuse.

Most of us know the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle, but when we work on conserving, we often leave reuse out of the picture. While you can often find tips on how to reuse common products from other people, what you need most is creativity. With a little thought there are many items around your home that can be reused – toilet paper holders can be used to sow seeds for the vegetable patch. And old yogurt containers can be cut into strip to make plant labels. Old food jars can be refilled with homemade foods or can make great impromptu vases.

Use environmentally friendly products. When you go to the grocery store, you probably see more and more “natural” or “eco friendly” products every time. There are generally two big problems with these products: 1. Just because they’re more natural than regular products, doesn’t mean they’re entirely natural. 2, They’re often expensive.

If you want inexpensive, natural, safe products, why not just make them yourself? Vinegar is a great way to clean and disinfect glass and other surfaces. Need to remove stubborn stains? Just add some baking soda to your vinegar cleaner. Some quick searching online will lead you to hundreds of other natural safe home-made cleaning products.

We all knowing that going green means better for the environment, but it’s also better for you. Conserving resources also helps save you money, which is something most of us are happy to accomplish for our families.

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Monday Motivation

Posted by html404 on November 29, 2010
in Blog Stuff, Cleaning

Sorry I missed last week’s Monday Motivation, but things really haven’t changed much. We had a busy week working on blog stuff, giveaways, writing reviews, besides getting ready for Thanksgiving. Plus this week I am back to work full throttle with my client I took some time off from (but still worked 4-8 hours/week so it really wasn’t a vacation. It was a semi vacation.)

Monday Motivation two weeks ago:

~ Cleaning and purging. Cleaning Walls and hoping to start painting! But I fully realize that my aspirations are much greater than I could ever humanly accomplish with this large family of mine. So by God’s grace, I will get done what I am meant to get done. Some of the walls got cleaned….and got dirtied again…as far as we’ve got. I received a Merry Maids gift card in the mail that I fully intend to use in December! Thanks to the Munchkins, Inc. (I cannot even remember what I did, but I did something in the blogging world and forgot about this little stipend of a Merry Maids gift card. What a wonderful surprise to find that envelope in the mail! I have never had a cleaning company come in and clean my home so this will be a new experience. I feel like I have to clean in order for them to clean! Bizzare, I know. Anyone ever use a cleaning service before?

~ I start a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) course this week and have a few meetings away from home. Thankfully, my husband’s work schedule is flexible that he is able to be with the children while I am gone.This went really well. Sir Eats Alot did great at my four hour meeting and again in the evening during my class. The class is going to be very beneficial, I think. Looking forward to the next 8 or 9 classes spread out over the next few months.

~ Finish up our business plan finally and finally submit it. This is my weekdend project.

~ Get to the Thrift Store. Nope, didn’t get there. Too many things at home to keep us busy.

~ 77Kids holiday charity event! Looking forward to that! Thanks to The Motherhood and 77Kids. As you already know, we enjoyed this outing very much.

Hope you all are staying motivated as we head into winter. I’d love to hear some of your ideas for staying on top of things and keeping your motivation running so you remain an effective mommy/parent/friend/sister/daughter etc.

This week’s Motivation:

~ Ongoing: Cleaning and purging. Cleaning Walls and hoping to start painting! But I fully realize that my aspirations are much greater than I could ever humanly accomplish with this large family of mine. So by God’s grace, I will get done what I am meant to get done.

~ Finish up our business plan finally and finally submit it. I really mean it this time. My laptop crashed this week so I even paid to have my hard drive ripped so I could finish it this past weekend. My goal is November 30th at the latest.

~ Get to the Thrift Store and YMCA.

~ Play Christmas music every day and watch at least one classic Christmas movie.

~ Hopefully get my laptop back in one piece saving on the expense of purchasing another one. If we do have to purchase another one, we are going to get a Mac (Apple MacIntosh). We’ve heard how little they crash.