Earthworm Cleaning Products Series Odor Eliminator and Upholstery Cleaner

Good morning folks and thanks for joining us for the final installment of the Earthworm cleaning products series. Clean Earth Brands sent me two full boxes of their fine products to review and Leaf Rate. I have used all of the products sent to me to date and today I would like to discuss both the Odor Eliminator and Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners.

Before I go on I would like to remind everyone that this is the final installment of a long running series on Earthworm products and that out of the gate there were some fabulous benefits as well as an overall impressive factor to the products that did seem to work but sadly as I have used more of these items I have become less enthusiastic and more concerned for their effectiveness and truthfulness in marketing.

I shook up and sprayed the Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner on a small spot on Matt’s chair (that you can see just in front of the bottle in the picture above) and the Odor eliminator across our kitchen where we had cooked with onions the night before & they were still lingering. As instructed I let the Upholstery Cleaner sit for about seven minutes. I grabbed the suggested rag and began blotting. Nothing happened so I figured perhaps I didn’t leave it on long enough and re-sprayed, this time leaving it on for twelve minutes. This is the result of two applications:

As you can see there was literally no change at all to the spot. I tried it on a black spot on my carpet with similar results. Sadly the Odor Eliminator also gets my thumbs down as my kitchen still smelled like onions.

As I mentioned yesterday -- What most concerns me, is that every single product I have tested so far is comprised of the exact same ingredients, which leads me to wonder if it is the same product repackaged with a new name and sold as something different -- how could a mildew remover take a spot of dirt off my upholstery or smells out of the air?

Sorry Earthworm, although I truly send ♥love♥ out for your effort to make the planet a better place through lack of chemical composition, I smell Greenwashing here and I can not grant more than a Two Leaf Rating for these products, collectively.

It saddens me to end this series on a downer note but I truly believe that the consumer should be aware of what it is they are buying when they spend money on an alleged Earth friendly item.

Earthworm Cleaning Products Series Floor Cleaner

Welcome back to the Earthworm cleaning products series! Clean Earth Brands sent me two full boxes of their fine products to review and Leaf Rate. Now that I have had a chance to put the rest of these products to the test, today I would like to share my feelings on the Floor Cleaner.

Our back hallway is a rolled vinyl that has definitely seen a better day so I was interested in what the Earthworm Floor Cleaner could do to possibly bring some new life to this older floor.

I shook it up and sprayed it on a small section of floor including the scuff mark shown in the picture above. As instructed I let it sit for about seven minutes. Since our floors are not level some of the liquid pooled up in one spot and I could see that it was a brownish color which had me encouraged.

I use a Bona mop at home so I wet the reusable cleaning pad and started to wipe down the floor. And then I continued to rinse and ring out the cloth to wipe down the floor some more. And then more. All told I rinsed and wiped four times and still there was a film of bubbly something left behind. It mortified me how much water I had to waste to remove the product from the vinyl and it didn’t even take all of it off in the end! Sadly, many of the marks did not come off either which leads me to believe it rides on the surface only and does not penetrate to really clean.

Here is my after picture of the same spot:



**As with the other products I have already reviewed the ingredients contain preservatives. Again, I would like to be clear as to what these preservatives are?

What most concerns me, is that every single product I have tested so far is comprised of the exact same listed ingredients, which leads me to wonder if it is the same product repackaged with a new name and sold as something different? **

Overall I was somewhat happy with the performance but saddened by the waste of water which still had me not even fully remove the product so I am granting the Floor Cleaner a Two and a Half Leaf Rating!

Sorry Earthworm but this one did not impress like the rest ♥love♥


Coming up tomorrow -- Earthworm Odor Eliminator

Earthworm Cleaning Products Series Bathroom Tub and Tile Cleaner

Welcome back to the Earthworm cleaning products series! Clean Earth Brands sent me two full boxes of their fine products to review and Leaf Rate. Now that I have had a chance to put the rest of these products to the test, today I would like to share my feelings on the Bathroom Tub and Tile Cleaner.

We do not have tile in our home but our tub surround is a little grimy with soap scum and build up from time to time so I was eager to give this a try. Again, as per their directions I shook it up well, sprayed it on and allowed it to do its thing for about seven minutes. It indicates an absorbent sponge or cloth should be used so I made use of the one in the photo, which also has a mild scrubby side.

The formula did not immediately run down the wall which was nice, it was more of a spray on foam that adhered to the surface but lightly covered. I scrubbed gently with the sponge and then used moderately hot water from my removable showerhead to wash it off. The result was pretty good. It did not remove any stains that had set in previously but it did take off all the soap scum and left the surface feeling clean.

**As with the other products I have already reviewed the ingredients contain preservatives. Again, I would like to be clear as to what these preservatives are?**

I am leaving the above paragraph static as I feel it bears repeating in all of the Earthworm reviews. What most concerns me is that every single product I have tested so far is comprised of the exact same listed ingredients, which leads me to wonder if it is the same product repackaged with a new name and sold as something different?

Overall I am pleased with the performance and granting the Bathroom Tub and Tile Cleaner a Three Leaf Rating! ♥love♥

Coming up tomorrow -- Earthworm Floor Cleaner

Earthworm Cleaning Products Series Drain and Septic Treatments

In our continuing series on Earthworm cleaning products which I received from Clean Earth Brands to review and Leaf Rate, today I will be talking about two products -- the flagship product Drain Cleaner and a non-liquid based Septic Treatment.

All the drains in our bathroom tend to be slow so I decided to test out the Drain Cleaner in the tub, sink and toilet. Following the packaging directions I shook and poured a few ounces down each drain. The toilet received about half a bottle and a flush, as instructed.

The directions indicate that slow drains should be treated with 6-8 ounces 3-5 nights in a row. I used it for three nights in the tub and sink and overall I have actually noticed a difference! Especially when taking a shower because we utilize a drain trap that catches hair but it tends to slow the flow of water.

I will not say it has been fixed 100% but it certainly is faster so I believe I will continue to use it the next two nights and see if that finishes off any clogs that might be trapped. As with the other products I have already reviewed the ingredients contain preservatives but this one also contains fragrance. Again, I would like to be clear as to the birth place of this fragrance -- is it natural?

Overall I am pleased with the performance and encouraged that this is another product comprised of 80% water as well as natural enzymes and surfactants as this makes me so much more confident about using it in any capacity let alone pouring it directly down the drain and I am granting the Drain Cleaner a Three and a Half Leaf Rating! ♥love♥

As far as the Septic Treatment goes I unfortunately will not be able to grant a Leaf Rating as we do not have this type of system so I can not test it out. Matt has given the two boxes I received to a friend at work and asked him to make some mental notes as to the viability of the product so I should be able to report back on this one with some feedback soon.

In the meantime, I can share some of the information directly from the box. They claim the product is 100% biodegradable and made using sustainable ingredients; it is petroleum, phosphate acid and chlorine free. Additionally it will not release odors, vapors or heat while it cleans and it is even good for greywater treatment systems. They recommend using a whole box once per month.

In completing some additional research I discovered that most septic systems are not recommended to have any additives as the system itself should already have sufficient enzymes to enable breakdown of solids. I am not sure as to the validity of either claim considering I do not have this system so I suggest doing your own research prior to purchasing, like all products.

We will return with the rest of the Earthworm series beginning on Sunday November 8, 2009!

Earthworm Cleaning Products Series All Purpose Cleaner

In this continuing series on Earthworm (by Clean Earth Brands) cleaning products which the company sent to me to review and leaf Rate, we turn today to the All Purpose Cleaner. I used this product on something that would truly test its capability -- our thirty year old, off-white, heavily dinged kitchen table.

According to the directions I shook it well, sprayed it on and let it sit for 3+ minutes while I took the photo of the product and got my rag ready. We use old tee shirts as rags so I pulled one apart and got a clean section dampened.

The smell was pleasant on this item as well, no chemical but I couldn’t put my finger on its somewhat nutty aroma. Reading the ingredients and seeing natural surfactant I imagined it is likely coconut oil base.

Here’s a before and after photo of the table side by side:

I used flash for both photos but even without the pictures I could see the difference right away. It isn’t as if we had never washed this piece, the table gets wiped down with a warm soapy sponge after every meal, but clearly we had been trapping dirt and grime in all the little divots regardless! With a tiny bit of extra elbow grease I was able to take almost all of the dirt out of every crevice including the smallest of holes. I was floored!

But just a word of caution -- My rag had a slight white film left on it which I imagine was the paint from the table so I would not recommend this product for painted surfaces (we are stripping and refinishing this piece this winter so I was not overly alarmed).

Just as I mentioned yesterday with the Mold and Mildew Treatment -- ‘The proteins in this product actually convert the organic yuckies into nutrients and water and they are safe to use around pets and humans’. Again, the final ingredient is preservatives and because I am very curious as to what that preservative is, I have now reached out to the company for clarification.

I am granting a Four and a Half Leaf Rating to the All Purpose Cleaner!

Earthworm this one has me so psyched and I fully intend to use it over and over on all my hard surfaces like countertops or even my office desktop! ♥love♥

Up tomorrow I share thoughts on Earthworm Family Safe Drain Cleaner and Septic Treatment.

Earthworm Cleaning Products Inch Up the Eco List

For quite some time now I have been very concerned with the products we use in our household to clean as I do not want to wash loads of chemicals down the drain. We have experimented with an array of products containing natural surfactants such as coconut oil and I have found that these cleaners do just as good, or better, of a job than their chemical based counterparts. So when Earthworm (by Clean Earth Brands) sent me two boxes full of natural enzyme based cleaners to try I was truly looking forward to putting them to the test.

Today’s review will focus on the Mold & Mildew Treatment. Tomorrow and Thursday two more products will be tested and reviewed and then beginning on Sunday November 8th I will run a six day series to individually use and rate the rest of this company’s fine products.

We are not ghastly people when it comes to grime but like most people, the bathroom is one of those rooms we despise cleaning but simultaneously get the most satisfaction from when it is sparkling. I noticed a bit of mildew in a corner of the tub so I put the Mold and Mildew Treatment to the test first. The instructions say to shake, spray and let sit 5+ minutes to allow the enzymes to work before scrubbing.

The smell was pleasant, clean without being chemical. Almost Earthy but not in a crunchy-crunchy sort of way, more fruity. I allowed it to sit while I wrote up the start of this as well as did a little company research online.

When I used to clean with caustic chemical based products there would be no trace of anything organic, even the deepest recess of the caulking around our tub, but I also knew that was going right down the drain. I went back in to scrub the Mold and Mildew Treatment and found it had foamed up into an almost chunky liquid. I scrubbed and all of the reddish mold came off with very little effort. The blacker areas were mostly stains built up over years of this being a rental apartment and did not budge much.

Here’s an after photo of the same corner I took the product photo in:

There definitely is quite a difference!

The proteins in this product actually convert the organic yuckies into nutrients and water and they are safe to use around pets and humans. Clean Earth Brands proudly displays their National Green Energy Council seal on their website as well. Reading the list of ingredients however the final is trace preservatives. I would like to know what percentage the trace is as well as what it is to deem its environmental impact as well.

Overall I was happy to use this 80% water based product as I know it is a far safer alternative so I am granting a Four Leaf Rating to the Mold and Mildew Treatment!

Nice way to hit the ground running right out of the box Earthworm! ♥love♥

Up tomorrow I tackle the Earthworm All Purpose Cleaner by using it in the kitchen.