My kids get into everything: Dirt! Sand! Grime! They pick up everything: “Look Mommy, what is this perfectly good toy doing here lying in a muddy gutter?” They make Sundaes of Doom that necessitate trips to the E.R. where very sick people cough all over the chairs and handle the Marie Claire magazine that suddenly interests my two-year old son.

I am not a complete germophobe, but when people nearby are hacking away or my kids’ hands are covered in slime, I worry...

Read the original review, posted to Kari's Couch

The center console of my van has a bunch of fast-food napkins “just in case.” In the way-back, I have a roll of paper towels, a spray bottle of window-washing liquid, and a bunch of old plastic grocery bags. Plus, I have a bunch of baby wipes that I use for various things.

When the Cat goes to his OT appointment, I use that time to quickly clean the van. I usually have to remember to bring additional supplies, such as a paper bag for recycling or an extra tote in which to put random items. By the end of the chore, the van may technically be cleaner, but the cleaning products cause their own clutter...

Read the original review, posted to Kari's Couch

It is no secret that I am trying to sell my house. And of course, an on-the-market house must be a clean house. Right around the time we decided to move, the Parent Bloggers Network enabled me to receive a free-for-review bottle of Kaboom Shower, Tub, and Tile Cleaner and their Never-Scrub Continuous Toilet Cleaning System.

The timing could not be better. I needed clean: fast and easy! And Kaboom claimed to do just that...

Read the original review, posted to Kari's Couch

At the start of the summer, I finally acquired a Dyson, after hearing its praises from many online and offline friends. Indeed, I was happy with its performance.

We’ve gone through many vacuums in our family. Many. My first vacuum was a canister-type. It died right as I was attempting to clean up my old apartment as I moved into a new one with my soon-to-be-husband. We tried a bagless at the beginning of our marriage, but it failed miserably. We were happy with a combination of a bagged-upright and small canister (for the attachments) for awhile, but we weren’t completely “wowed” by it. Still, the combination served us well at our old house; that is, until we put the old house on the market.

We needed some serious cleaning action!

Our steam cleaner had already gone to sleep with the fishes; alas, it couldn’t hold water, which was the problem. We’re still looking for a suitable replacement other than inviting Stanley Steemer into our house every two seconds.

The familiar orange-pink swirled envelope came in the mail last week. This time, enclosed within was a DVD offering a free trial of NoodleNet, a safe way for kids to browse the internet. Sometimes it will be a fabric softener sample, or a DVD of a new television show, such as when "Meerkat Manor" came out.

I still have fond memories of the show "Cover Shot," for which I voted on a "final shot" as one of the original VocalPoint members. I was in "the Club" so early in the game that I actually voted on the design of the envelopes in which VocalPoint sends their product samples, coupons, and announcements!

Why did I become a member?

Awhile ago I wrote a review of Clean Well. Since then, I have continued to be an enthusiastic consumer of their antibacterial spray (and hand sanitizer wipe.) Splig is even pictured on their website (Look for “Chalk and Cheese”.) As you can imagine, I was ecstatic to try out their new line of products via the Parent Bloggers Network.

Their All-Natural Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash is not like the traditional soap found on supermarket shelves. Like their hand sanitizer, the soap is made with Ingenium, a patented formulation of essential plant oils proven to kill 99.99% of harmful germs. Unlike those supermarket brands, CleanWell is the first all-natural Triclosan-free antibacterial hand soap.

Do you remember those horrible stories about alcohol poisoning from hand sanitizers? CleanWell jumped in with their alcohol-free variety. Similarly, most antibacterial liquid hand soaps contain the active ingredient Triclosan, a carcinogenic chemical which has been shown to act as an estrogen and androgen hormone disrupter. Why kill the bacteria but end up with cancer or hormone problems?

Well, CleanWell doesn’t have Triclosan.

When I was younger, my mom taught me the "circle sweep" method of cleaning a room. From her older sister, she provided me a list of "how to be a good guest." It would seem then that I wouldn't need Were You Raised by Wolves by Christie Mellor, but when the Parent Bloggers Network asked if I'd be interested in perusing Ms. Mellor's advice, I was eager.

After all, while I understood the need to keep things clean and to be respectful, I didn't necessarily know the best methods to do so. Time spent perfecting a little whorl on an appetizer may not be the best spent. Also, advice that comes via parental lips isn't as revered as that which comes from your best friend, so I may not have listened to all of the wisdom my mom tried to impart. Thankfully, Mellor can be simultaneously a best friend and a mentor. She may be older than her target audience, but she is still hip enough to not create a stodgy new adult. Her tone is friendly and casual, but she is also direct. She can give advice, but she can also shrug and say, "more martini for me" which is something I would never expect to hear from my mother.

And about those martinis:

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.

I am one of those people who values a clean home but hates the actual cleaning process. My mind feels much clearer when my space is less cluttered. It is pretty dramatic how my mental state waxes and wanes depending on whether the house is "presentable."

That said, I'm usually up for reviewing cleaning products since many of them aim to do their job in an more efficient manner. Such is the case with X-14 Mold & Mildew Stain Remover, a product that claims to remove stains without scrubbing and to keep stains away for up to two weeks. Thanks to Mom Central, I got a bottle free-for-review.

I've tested "no scrub" products before, and typically there was scrubbing involved, but even a little reduction of elbow grease is enough to make me happy. Still, many of those other products didn't work even after I scrubbed.

My test location for X-14 is a shower that I don't use. Our house has a family room that was created out of what used to be the garage. Off the garage was a utility bathroom, including shower. Our backyard used to include a neighborhood pool, but many years ago the property lines were redrawn and the pool removed. And so, I think our garage bathroom doubled as the pool shower. We use it as a bathroom and a laundry room (oh! and the cat's litter box / food room) but I didn't want to set foot into that shower... until this test.

When we have people over, we naturally convene in the family room. Unfortunately, that means that the closest bathroom is this funky one that is pretty messy. It is embarrassing to have people go in there, but it seems awkward to direct them to go back into the kitchen, through the dining room, past the living room, and then finally to the first door on the right to the "proper" bathroom.

And so the best solution would appear to be to clean up that nearby bathroom.

Let's cut to the chase. Here are photos of the disgusting bathroom shower before X-14:

Here are photos of the same shower stall after a single application - NO scrubbing:

Here are photos of the same shower stall after a second application - STILL NO scrubbing:

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the "before" with the "after second application" (so time span about a half-hour since each application and rinse took 5-15 minutes:)

Between both applications I rinsed well, as per the instructions. After the second application I was going to do "in action" photos, but the stains disappeared before I got my camera pointed. Seriously. I just sprayed, waited a few minutes, and then rinsed. No scrubbing.

To "finish" the shower, I did take a paper towel to clean up some of the metal parts. As per the X-14 instructions, it is recommended for hard, non-porous interior home, RV, and boat surfaces, including: bathroom tiles, grout, fiberglass and vinyl showers, vinyl bath mats and shower curtains, plastic garbage cans, and pails. It can also be used on outside surfaces like walls, decks, concrete, masonry, tile roofs, plastic furniture, awnings, vinyl (but not on cotton stitching,) mortar, plastic tubs, boats and marine surfaces and vinyl covers, swimming pool liners, and hot tubs. X-14 CAN be used on metal surfaces, but the instructions state to avoid prolonged contact with metal because it may cause rust stains. And so, I didn't spray the metal portions of the shower head-on, and was sure to rinse well, then wipe residue with a paper towel that didn't wash off with the water.

I didn't scrub.

I only wiped little flakes of gunk off with a paper towel.

Most of the gunk came off rinsing off with the shower spray.

X-14 Mold & Mildew Stain Remover worked as promised. Many people will probably wonder: so just how strong is it, anyway?

The main ingredient in X-14 Mold & Mildew Stain Remover is sodium hypochlorite (bleach) at a level generally 60 percent higher than similar products on the market. The product is activated by "pH adjustments." Of course the instructions recommend ventilating the room well.

I opened the bathroom window, left the shower stall door open, and left the bathroom door open. My kids said, "What's that smell?" at one point during the cleaning, but once I had rinsed, they didn't mention it again. They didn't leave the sofa by the bathroom nor did they complain. I didn't wear gloves during application, but perhaps some might want to "just in case." Since there is no scrubbing and the product spray doesn't leak, it didn't get on my hands anyway.

I am notorious for being bothered by smells, but X-14 didn't bother me. I didn't feel overcome by the fumes. Other products have made me feel a bit woozy before, plus other products have required more product to get the job done (as well as scrubbing and thus more "intimate" involvement with the product) and so although X-14 might technically be stronger than those products, it didn't seem that way to me.

I will definitely use X-14 again. The cleaning of the dreaded ikky shower ended up not being a disgusting production as I had feared. Instead, it was a bit of spraying, a bit of rinsing, and then a quick wipe to pick up gunk the water was unable to dislodge. it was surprisingly painless.

Thank you X-14 for making our shower presentable again!

The last Saturday of May, our whole family (plus other Silicon Valley Moms) set out to The Tech to see Bill Nye the Science Guy thanks to Activeion. (Perhaps you caught a few of my photos of the event on my main blog?) My first thought was more about the family fun at the museum (and meeting Bill Nye!) but I quickly became interested in the actual product - and have since put it to the test in many situations.

When I heard of Activeion before the presentation, I thought it was a device that would heat up water to then assist in cleaning. I wondered how "safe" that would be even if there were no harsh chemicals involved. But then within moments of the presentation starting, one of the Activeion executives sprayed himself in the mouth. Minutes later, so did Bill Nye the Science Guy. Hey, they weren't gagging!

The Activeion uses cold tap water - and magically charges the ions in said water to attract the gunk on your counter, on your carpet, or even on your skin. (One of the Activeion execs said his daughter uses it to remove her makeup.)

No, it isn't hot. No, the charged ions do not create some caustic situation for humans. Run away if you are dirt, but even then, you'll just be swept carefully onto a soft microfiber cloth.

I was thrilled to receive my own Activeion to take home for free - and I'm happy to report that I have another to give away to a reader who is also interested in giving this terrific technology a shot.

Because it uses plain tap water, this device is eco-friendly and safe. There are no harsh chemicals, and there is no need to continue to purchase bottles of soap - so Activeion is recession-friendly as well. (The initial purchase price may seem daunting at $299 - but consider all the different products at $5 and higher that end up in the shopping cart nearly every week.) No "running out of cleaner" mid-job - just turn on your tap to refill the Activeion chamber to continue cleaning.

Some time ago, I was begging people for recommendations on carpet cleaners. The response was crickets. None have worked for me. All that happens is a bunch of soap ends up stuck in the carpet fibers - soap which then attracts dirt, right onto the carpet. And so, although I was curious as to how Activion would perform on my countertops, my real target was the little black spots on my white carpet.

And what-do-you-know, they came up!

A couple cycles of spray-then-wipe, and the spots really did lift

Now, I haven't erased all the spots, because to do so would be time consuming. (I am praying that Activeion creates a mega-sized carpet-cleaning gadget that would use the same technology.) In the meantime, I'll do little blocks at a time. But the important thing is that when a spill occurs I'll be able to get it up before the dreaded carpet stain occurs.

Thanks to Spliggle's surgery last week (the additional messy food and medicine load with tired people and a weak, shaky boy) plus a stomach flu situation at the same time, I've had plenty of opportunity to use the Activeion on new messes. But I've been pretty darn impressed with its job on the old messes as well.

Voilà, the Vase:

In most cases for the dried-on stuff, it required several cycles of "spray then wipe" - but this is absolutely to be expected. The gunk came up much more readily than with other methods, and I'd rather use a little elbow grease than a harsh chemical anyway. For my refrigerator, I used to employ hot water in an attempt to melt the gunk. Of course, in the refrigerated environment, hot quickly became cold. I really didn't want to spray harsh things directly onto my refrigerator, but even when I did the resulting mess took quite a bit of scrubbing to clean. The Activeion cleaned my fridge in less than five minutes. I'm not kidding.

I know I sound like an infomercial. But here's the deal: I've received other cleaners before, but they haven't shown up on this blog because they haven't worked. At last year's BlogHer conference, I eagerly picked up a carpet cleaning system for free -- but all it did was embed powdery smells-like-moldy-flowers bits in my carpet that I still smell nearly a year later. (So no, I didn't plug it on my blog.) And so, when I find something that works, I gush.

And gush about Activeion, I will.

Another problem I've had in the cleaning arena is those precious stuffed animals. Most contain a little tag that reads "spot clean only" and yet if a child throws up on them, defecates on them, or otherwise creates a disastrous mess, a "spot clean" is exceptionally difficult to pull off. We are advised to "dab with water" (which is the same not-really-working advice most people give on other porous surfaces like upholstery or carpet.) Water in its regular form alone can't cut it. And a soap-based cleaner isn't a good idea since there is no way to rinse the soap out - and any residue would be very close to a child (if not in the child's mouth.)

Here is Big Doggy - who has had several little who-knows-what stains on his paws that have remained there forever (and I am not so cruel as to throw him in the trash pile, yet I cringe when the kids actually snuggle up to him.)

Big Doggy is now clean - hallelujah!

When Splig lost the contents of his lunch last week on the couch, Activeion helped me wipe it up in a flash. Once we gave him a puke-pan, I got a little system of two vessels going on, where I'd rinse out the used one - Activeion it to sanitize - and then replace it when called into duty. The pans were clean and didn't smell from the prior use.

I could go on and on about the different things I've tried with Activeion - and yet I know there are more - like my car dash, various things outdoors that always seem to have water-spots or streaks, and the shower. (One of my favorite uses for Activeion is those seemingly always grubby doorknobs and crown molding. I can spray and wipe once and the gunk is gone.)

If you are interested in winning one of your own, simply leave a comment below. You can tell me about your hardest cleaning challenge, or anything else that shows how you'd really appreciate an Activeion. Leave your comments by June 20th. The winner will be determined using random.org on or about that date. Please make sure to leave an email address with your comment so I can reach you if you win!

Good luck - the winner will be very lucky, I can attest!

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Yes, Activeion gave me a unit for free. Blogging about it is optional, but I chose to do it because I really do believe this product works well - and because I thought it would be terrific to give away another unit to a reader. Activeion also paid our way to the Tech museum and gave us a yummy lunch. No additional compensation will be provided to me (aside from the giveaway - which will go directly to the winner) because I chose to blog about this product. They would not have hunted me down and made me give back the unit if I hadn't blogged about it. They are nice people.
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Thank you all for your entries -- the winner will be chosen (via random.org) and notified (via email) shortly!

I can think of many ways that people can argue over toilet paper, but none is so polarizing than whether you "roll over" or "roll under."

Cottonelle knew such a question would get plenty of opinions. Indeed, they conducted a Roll Poll.

Not surprisingly, my side won.

Yeah, that's right. I am a roll-over!

It was with passion for my roll-over-ness that I gladly decided to participate in Mom Central's blog tour about Cottonelle. After all, I love validation, and who is to turn down free toilet paper, particularly soft and fluffy paper like Cottonelle?

Win a Treatment Pack for Yourself or Your Teen!

Zits. Pimples. Poppers. Blemishes. Spots. Acne.

Whatever you call 'em, they are a fact of life for most teens, and for many adults as well. What started out as almost an exciting rite-of-passage quickly became a complete horror for me. (I wanted braces, too, go figure. But of course once they were on I wanted them off.) We all have stories of the perfect date-face gone wrong at the last minute because of a horrid inflamed red bump. Or how those darn blemishes showed up on Picture Day and during the school play.

When I was a teen, I had a lot of "white-heads" and of course a bunch of "black-heads" as well. I even had plenty of bumps on my face that weren't discolored in any way, but were just not smooth. And everyone knows your skin has to be smooth to be beautiful. And you have to be beautiful to be popular or accepted in any fashion.

My mom took me to a fancy dermatologist who poked and prodded my face, and then prescribed various creams that burned my skin or otherwise didn't do the trick. I had the most consistent results simply using those familiar Oxy circular slightly-abrasive face-wipes on a daily basis. And honestly, I still use them to this day.

It isn't surprising, then, that I was happy to try out Oxy Clinical Solutions thanks to Mom Central. After all, Oxy has been a winner for me for decades. This new Acne Solutions Pack is an over-the-counter trio of treatments that deliver prescription-strength results - or at least, that is their claim!

Eighteen months ago I received an Activeion. Since then, I've used it religiously, and people have been shocked at how I can spray "just water" and end up cleaning surfaces like windows without a streak. No joke, I brought my Activeion with me to school so I could spruce up my van right before driving a bunch of kids on a field trip. I was mocked for the last-minute hustle, but the mom who busted me was fascinated with my Activeion.

My mom in particular was really skeptical, but she came around too, when she saw what a good job it did. In fact, she started using it. And then she lost its charger.

Some time ago I was running a giveaway here. I posted it on Prizey, and while I was over there, figured I'd check out the other giveaways going on. One in particular caught my eye - for some bars from Core Foods. As a super-busy person who is always in my van chauffeuring someone to something, or at my computer with deadlines that don't involve the oven timer, I was attracted to the idea of 100% organic, raw, whole food to-go. Often convenience bars are filled with bleech, but these sounded good. And so I entered to win a case. Why not? I figured.

Well, I didn't win. But, Core Foods emailed me promoting a deal from this company called blissmo. For a deep discount I could get a sample set of all the Core Food bars, plus a voucher for an entire case of my favorite flavor.

I've been a fan of CleanWell for awhile. I was first introduced to them back in 2007 when I reviewed their hand sanitizer, and again in 2008 when I reviewed their anti-bacterial hand wash. I've kept their products in my car and in my bathroom since then.

Last weekend I was introduced to another aspect of CleanWell: disinfecting wipes! In particular, I learned about 3M's Scotch-Brite botanical disinfecting wipes.

I clean with both disinfecting wipes and my Activeion. Sadly, the latter has lost charge and the chargers aren't doing the trick. So, it might have to go to the Activeion hospital. As a result, I'm definitely leaning heavily on the disinfecting wipes.

Unfortunately, the wipes I had on my counter before leaving for BlogHer leave residue of whatever their various active ingredients happen to be. To work properly, the surface must be cleaned, then allowed to dry. But there is a note in small print on the side of the container that reads "If surface will be in contact with food, rinsing with potable water is required." Yup, required. Realistically, do I rinse the surface after it has dried? And realistically, will "rinsing" really pick up the chemicals? Um, no.

The Scotch-Brite Botanical Disinfecting wipes kill 99.9% of household germs (including the scaries like salmonella, staph, MRSA, influenza, and even HIV Type 1) but are safe around kids, pets, and food. Hooray plant extracts!

I know cleaning isn't "sexy," but I admit I got pretty excited about this product because I definitely want to keep my house clean, but not at the expense of introducing other harmful things into our home. I'm always looking for "natural" ways of dealing with more modern problems, and the Scotch-Brite Botanical Disinfecting wipes fit the bill.

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Disclaimer: I visited the 3M booth at the BlogHer11 Expo and received a free canister of disinfecting wipes since I gushed about how much I love CleanWell and how excited I was about the concept of not having to rinse after use. The 3M gal was probably shocked at my enthusiasm about cleaning. I will not receive compensation - monetary or otherwise - for posting about this product.