I love Glass Plus. While Windex and other high-profile glass cleaners tout their "no-ammonia" formula, to be honest Glass Plus has been the only glass cleaner that has worked well for me. I've tried some of the eco-friendly brands like Seventh Generation and random orange-based things that I've found around Whole Foods. But, they didn't work as well on a variety of tasks as Glass Plus did. (But wait...)

I've been without Glass Plus for awhile. Our local grocery store stopped carrying it, as did a major-chain multipurpose store (no, not Walmart - how dare you think I'd set my foot in there!? Harumph!) Whole Foods and other upscale stores have the more natural, eco-friendly stuff, which given my experience, I thought didn't work. I have found all the cleaning products under the sun, but no Glass Plus.

I thought perhaps the company had gone out of business, but it still has a website and I see I can order it online. But, in my desperation to actually have a clean house, I tried Seventh Generation again. This time, I purchased their Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner with ruby-grapefruit and herb. Previously I had used their Free & Clear glass cleaner (since I LOVE the Free & Clear dishwashing formula.) I found it in the discount aisle of Whole Foods.

I have since determined that the product I purchased on clearance must have actually been water poured into the container. After all, why would it have been on clearance when all other Seventh Generation products were priced normally, and why would it have essentially cleaned like just cold water? (Honestly, for a lot of cleaning tasks I've started using hot water, a clean slightly-but-not-super-abrasive sponge, and my arm muscles. But sprayed room-temperature water wouldn't do it.)

In other words, by purchasing a full-price Seventh Generation product, I purchased a product that actually works. Fancy that! Sure, it could be pure psychology at work, but I don't think so. I cleaned up a rather gross mess that Splig created this morning with no problems.

My one hesitation about the product thus far is the smell. Grapefruit with herb is an odd combination. I saw a lemongrass version right next to it on the store shelf; perhaps I'd prefer that smell. Or, I'll get used to this one; it isn't unpleasant, just not expected. Surely breathing in this particular combo is much better for my health than Glass Plus' ammonia. Also, I should note that the smell is only around during the actual cleaning process. I sprayed a ton to clean Splig's mess, but I cannot smell it at all anymore. If I really don't want to smell my cleaning, I may try Free & Clear again, but just not in a discounted-state in case such things are a bum-batch or expired or something.

By the way, cleaning products do matter on the Feingold Diet! Laundry detergent especially is important since you breathe in the scent of your clothes. We use any "free and clear" type formula. Seventh Generation has this, but so do Tide, All, and the Kirkland/CostCo brand; fortunately a lot of companies recognize that people don't want their clothes to smell, so there are many no-dyes, no-fragrances formulas out there now.

(This was the one point that many of us bloggers found hard to convince the Johnson & Johnson folks of during Camp Baby: we recognize the price-point is different for these types of products, but combined with recyclable "retro-packaging" a whole lot of new moms and my-generation folks purchasing baby gifts would be tickled to purchase a J&J gift basket, even if it costs more. A trusted company but with a modern upgrade? Absolutely! I do happily pay more money for products that are all-natural, dye-free, fragrance-free, organic, eco-conscious, recyclable, or all of the above. Most importantly, I think that more and more folks are willing to pay more, too. Don't make a "New Coke" mistake by completely eliminating the "traditional stuff" but provide choices and see what comes out on top moving forward.)

Strangely, dishwasher detergent is less of an issue, even though you may think otherwise. (Like I mentioned before, I use Seventh Generation dishwashing liquid for our hand-washed dishes, but I actually use regular ol' Cascade for the dishwashing machine.) What does matter though, is something like Jet-Dry because this actually remains on your dishes. It took us awhile one summer to realize that the Cat's sudden regressions during a period of time of absolutely no dietary changes may have been related to our sudden desire to use Jet-Dry in our washer. Duuuuuh. After stopping that, the Cat came back.

So... if I see Glass Plus on the shelves again, will I buy it? Well, for the time being, no. I'm happy with my Seventh Generation glass cleaner and my hot water supply, at least until the drought cuts that off too.

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Seventh Generation has not sent me any free samples, paid me to say anything nice about the product, or otherwise encouraged me to write about their product. Similarly, the majority of other products I mention in the "Feingold Tips" section are simply those which our family happens to use. I share them here just as information to other families interested in the Feingold Diet and all-natural alternatives to "popular" brands.