Review and Giveaway -- GreatCleaners.com

Here's a giveaway for a product I know every mom could use -- The Arm & Hammer Stain Fighting Kit, courtesy of www.greatcleaners.com!

Greatcleaners.com provided me with a sample of the Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda free of charge to review.

Here's what I love about this washing soda:

• All Natural.
• Boosts the performance of your laundry detergent by up to 40%! This was a big deal for us, since we have very hard water.
• No fragrances, dyes, or perfumes.
• Makes a great household cleaner too!
• Very economical -- Just $4.50 for a 3 pound box! You could save money by using less laundry detergent and it would pay for itself.
• The clothes come out smelling clean and fresh.

Now the fun part -- One lucky reader will win an Arm & Hammer Stain Fighting Kit (shown above), courtesy of www.GreatCleaners.com! To enter for your chance to win, leave a comment on this post with your email address in the comments field. Follow GreatCleaners.com on Facebook or Twitter, and you're in for three more entries - just be sure to come back and comment that you are a follower.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, October 14th @ 6:30pm EST and winner will be chosen by random.org.

Good luck!!

Make Your Own Foaming Hand Soap

Emily has been insisting that I blog about this little tip for quite some time now. Today seemed to be the perfect time to do it since she was fresh out of foaming hand soap this morning.

To make your own foaming hand soap, you will need an existing foaming hand soap dispenser, and some body wash. I love Arbonne's Guava Berry Body Wash. It is heavenly, but not so frugal. Making the foaming hand soap out of this makes it stretch a lot further.

To your empty foaming hand soap dispenser add 2 1/2 Tablespoons of body wash. Fill the rest of the bottle with water. That's it! Screw the top back on the soap dispenser tightly. Make sure it is really on tight.

Then, SHAKE THE BEJESUS OUT OF IT!!! Shake, shake, shake... Shake, shake, shake... Shake your booty... Shake your booty!! Shake up and down, side to side, around and around... SHAKE BABY SHAKE!

Now look at the beautiful foaming hand soap you've made!

All clean!

EcoStore USA Review and Giveaway

I use many different kinds of Earth-friendly cleaning products in our household, so when EcoStore USA contacted me to do a review and giveaway I was very intrigued. EcoStore USA is an e-commerce site that sells plant-based, non-toxic household cleaning, baby, and personal care items. I chose to review the Naturally Antibacterial Spray Cleaner and the Baby Shampoo -- two products I am particularly picky about!

First, the spray cleaner... Two things I noticed right away: 1. it has a light lemon scent (lovely) and 2. a little bit goes a long way. I put this cleaner to the test by tackling the crusty crud that lives under Clara's booster seat. You know, the spot that seems to regenerate almost overnight with grime and enough crumbs to feed a small flock of birds? Yeah, that spot.

Here's the before photo:

....and after (MUCH better)!

So, Earth-friendly AND it cleans very well using very little spray.... I am impressed!

Next up was the baby shampoo (seen here)...

Again, this shampoo did not disappoint. I had great results using a very small amount on both of my girls' hair. It lathers up quite nicely, has a unique and pleasant scent, and easily rinsed out leaving their hair clean and shiny.... beautiful!

Now the fun part, EcoStore USA is offering you the chance to win a $25 gift certificate to be used on their website, plus free shipping! Giveaway is open to all US and Canadian residents only.

Ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post and be sure to include you email address in the comments field.
2. Tweet or blog about this giveaway. Come back here and leave a comment that you tweeted/blogged about it.
3. Follow EcoStore USA on Twitter. Come back here and leave a comment that you are now following them.

Easy, right??

You may also be interested to know that EcoStore USA is featuring a BOGO back-to-school promotion on orders of $50 or more, and shipping is always free on orders over $25!!

Winner will be chosen by random.org and giveaway ends Wednesday, August 19th @ 6:30pm EST. Good luck!!

10 Chores for Preschoolers and up

Have kids? Think you need a maid? Think again! Put their boundless energy to work! Chores are a great way to teach kids about responsibility, and help build self-esteem. Here's a list of some suggested chores to keep the kiddos busy.

1. Make the bed -- Younger kids can help strip the bed, fluff pillows, and get fresh sheets from the linen closet.


2. Fold socks and/or towels -- This is a great way to introduce kids to folding their own laundry. 


3. Sweep the floor -- This is one of Emily's favorite chores.


4. Wash windows -- Another favorite. A soapy sponge and a towel works well.


5. Pick up toys -- Emily started doing this from the time she could walk, and now I am so grateful that she knows her toys are her responsibility. If possible, make this a habit from an early age.


6. Weeding/Watering Flower Beds -- Emily has kid-sized gardening gloves and small gardening tools to make this job a little more fun. She also loves picking up twigs, and raking leaves with a kid-sized rake. Teach your kids how to water the flowers, and you will be teaching them about science and nature too.


7. Dusting -- I get the high spots, and Emily gets the low spots. She loves using the feather duster!


8. Clean the car -- The car is frequently over-looked, but it is really an extension of your home. Kids can pick up toys, wash windows, and help give the car a good washing.


9. Set the Table -- I usually take out a stack of plates, and hand them to Emily to set the table for us. She can get the silverware herself, and Mark gets the glasses and drinks.


10. Clearing the Table -- Teach the kids how to scrape their plates, and place them by the sink or in the dishwasher. This can be a big time-saver.

For more great tips on Spring Cleaning with Kids, check out Sunny Side Up!

Have a great kid-friendly chore that I forgot to add? Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!

Tutorial -- No Sew Spring Cleaning Apron

It's that time of year again.... time for Spring Cleaning. Here's an easy and frugal way to make your own no-sew Spring Cleaning Apron. Start by making a pile of three flour sack towels. Lay them flat and place a ribbon across the middle as shown below.

Fold over the towels.

Tie the ribbon around your waist, and you are done. Whenever you need a cleaning towel, pull one out and hold the other layers  in place. Flour sack towels are perfect for this, since they are light and have large surface area for cleaning. You can get lots of mileage out of just one towel. 

Happy cleaning!