Today’s post is written by our SB Atlanta editor, Katherine. With the purchase of her first home, a shedding yellow lab and a quest to be green, she has found some products that she loves. We thought you might want to know about these goodies as well!
Katherine:
I have a few friends (and certainly my mom) who are having a good chuckle that I am writing a post about cleaning products. You see, I am not someone who is necessarily tidy. I am very organized, but not very neat. Growing up my room looked like a tornado whipped through, but I could tell you where each Barbie doll was. As an adult, I quickly realized that the tornado whipped look is not a good for your home. Recently, I have come across a few cleaning tools through my quest to make cleaning easier, more efficient, and green. I won’t say I love cleaning now, but I definitely love these tools!
Green Cleaning Products from Shaklee
Cleaning problem #1: I am really striving to make our home as chemical free as possible. While searching for green cleaning products online I came across this eco-friendly line from Shaklee.
I recommend the spray bottles that Shaklee sells along with it’s concentrate because they have the exact measurements on the side for the different solutions.
The star of the line is the Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate. It is a 16 oz bottle that somehow miraculously produces 48 gallons of cleaning solution when mixed with water. I feel like I am somehow cheating when I fill my spray bottles with a tiny amount of solution and the rest with water. I also love that the concentrate is fragrance free. Perfect if you have allergies, but also great if you want to add your own scents. Yes, you read that right: add your own scents.
My picks: Lavender and Tea Tree Oil
I picked these oils up at Whole Foods and just add a couple of drops to a new bottle of solutions.
The other star of the Shaklee line is the Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste.
Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste
Seriously, this stuff is magic! It is a non-toxic paste that is made with natural abrasives and no harsh chemicals. It removes sticky messes, scuff marks, you name it. And while I can’t believe I am showing you a dirty light switch cover I wanted you to see the paste in action.
This very dirty light switch cover (before) got this clean (after) with the Scour Off
Cleaning problem #2: our yellow lab, Ellett. We love her with all of our hearts, but she leaves a trail of blond hair through every room in the house. Before, I used a Swiffer. The dry cloths seemed to get the job done okay, but it still left some hair behind. And, I hated buying and then throwing away so many Swiffer cloths. Not very wallet friendly or very green. I found my problem solver in the handy Hoover Linx Stick Vacuum. It has a powerful suction to get up all of the hair and it is lightweight so it zips around the room pretty quickly.
The Hoover Linx Cordless Stick Vacuum
One of the reasons I chose this particular vacuum is that it is battery powered. The only wire is on the small battery pack that I tucked into a corner of my laundry room. I find the vacuum stays powered for about 20 minutes on the highest setting before the battery needs to be recharged. Definitely not a long time, but long enough to go over all of my bare hardwood floors.
The rechargeable battery. One key tip I learned: don’t leave the battery in the charger. Let it charge and then pop it back in the vacuum.
Another great cordless vacuum is the Electrolux Bagless Stick Vacuum Cleaner. My Mom has this vacuum and loves it. It is similar to the Hoover, but it is charged on a stand base that must be plugged in. So not as easily concealed unless you have room in your pantry (near an electrical plug).
Electrolux stick vacuum. Love the orange color!
Lastly, the SB Nashville girls promise that the FURemover Pet Hair Brush is perfect for eliminating this hair before it even starts. Amy Norton, SB’s Managing Editor, says, “This time of year, our yellow lab sheds like crazy getting rid of her winter coat. Keeping the flying fur under control this spring was nearly impossible. Happily, I’ve discovered two things: teenaged children are, in fact, capable of operating a vacuum (with enough goading), AND the FURemover Pet Hair Brush makes easy work of removing fur from upholstered furniture and clothing.” $6.99 from The Container Store.
What is your go-to cleaning product? Any other fabulous cleaning products that we should know about? Let us know!
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