CVS Earth Essentials Glass and Surface Cleaner

Many of you might remember the series I did back in September of 2009 on CVS Earth Essentials**. I was overall fairly impressed with the products so when I was in the market to pick up some glass cleaner recently, I was pleasantly surprised to discover this new addition in the CVS Earth Essentials line. I purchased a bottle and got right to using it on my most stubborn windows -- the car.

With a natural percentage of 99.95%, no phosphorus or bleach, and the first ingredient being “coconut based cleaning agents”, I felt more secure in its overall planetary impact. The bottle is recyclable and the ingredients are biodegradable, not to mention it smells nice too.

Of course the biggest question is -- does it work?

Those who are avid readers know that I have battled the fight with cigarettes for a few years now (just quit again, hopefully for good this time!) and it is one of the worst offenders on glass inside my car. No matter what we use to clean them (especially the windshield) nothing seems to cut the staining (yuk!) and it is always left streaky unless I do three passes. As you can imagine, streaks on the windshield at night can be somewhat precarious but I don’t have to deal with that anymore!

The Earth Essentials cleaner not only cut through the film on the first pass but the window was left totally streak free! I was very impressed with the performance as well as the ability to use less of the product but still achieve the best possible results.

Because of the lessened impact, CVS’ environmental consciousness and the percentage of natural based ingredients in this cleaner I am granting it a Four Leaf Rating!

Thanks for your dedication to Greener alternatives CVS, it is this kind of change in thinking that fuels innovation for a Greener world! ♥love♥

**If you missed the original Earth Essentials series you can read about the different products I was graciously sent back then to test & review: Room Mist, Paper Products, and Sugarcane Dishware.

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.

How Much Do YOU Spend on Each Load of Laundry?

Perhaps this is a strange seeming question; most people would not track their budget down to this level, but with the current market conditions and a renewed desire to provide in a meaningful way for our families, laundry detergent is one place where uber savings can easily be achieved. We just have to be willing to get our hands a little dirty for cleanliness.

The last few bottles of detergent I have purchased have been to test drive some of the more popular shelf brands which claim to be Green. In essence they have worked well -- my clothing is clean, smells nice and the impact I am washing down the drain has been lowered -- but the cost has definitely hit a little too tight on the old wallet.

A couple of nights ago while at our monthly Bennetts Brook Green Group meeting, one of the meeting organizers, Julie, shared her discovery of a recipe to create homemade laundry detergent from four simple ingredients. When she shared the cost to create it I vowed to pick up some rubber gloves and become a chemist as soon as this bottle of detergent runs out!

Straight from Julie:

“We've been using this detergent for about a week and I'm really happy with it. The laundry seems to be getting clean and the cloth diapers don't have any stink issues. For less than $10 we now have two gallon jugs of detergent plus enough ingredients to make at least 9 more batches. That's 20-30 gallons, or 640 to 960 loads of laundry, which works out to about 1 to 2 cents a load. It did take a bit of time to make and it was a little scary heating the baking soda and handling the Borax (use gloves!), but well worth it.”

The main reason she started doing research was because her family uses cloth diapers and she was beginning to find that there was build up from other detergents that began causing absorption issues. After looking into this and doing a ton of research Julie discovered the following recipe for homemade detergent.

Laundry Detergent

1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax

1/2 cup Washing Soda

1 bar Ivory soap
Water (as indicated)

(up powdered ingredients to 2/3 cup if you have hard water)

- Shave the soap into a medium sauce pan with 6 cups water. Heat until soap is melted.

- Add powder ingredients, stir.

- Have a large container with a lid (or plastic wrap) waiting with 4 cups cool water. Add soap mixture, stir.

- Add 1 gallon + 6 cups cool water to bucket, stir.

- Cover and let sit for 1-2 days.

- Mixture will have gelled. I use my hands to "squish" the gel into tiny pieces and stir.
- Pour into milk jugs or something similar.- Makes about 2 1/2 gallons. Use 1/2 cup per load.

Cool!

Bear in mind that borax is the naturally occurring sodium borate which is a mineral (typically mined after seasonal lakes evaporate) so just like any other compound one should take caution when using it.

Additionally, Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate) is added primarily as a water softener but is a mineral as well. The good news here is that the mineral is naturally occurring and 100% regenerative so it can never be mined out.

Not sure where to find Washing Soda? The product is sometimes referred to as Soda Ash and the top producer of it is Arm & Hammer. Most supermarkets will carry it in their cleaning supply aisle near the laundry detergents (I have been told Stop & Shop carries a generic version but have not yet confirmed this). In addition, because it is sometimes used to regulate pH levels many pool supply companies will carry it as well.

Additionally, it can be created by placing Baking Soda in a 500 degree oven for 30-60 minutes but again, exercise caution while doing this! (As a side note, this is how Julie created her Washing Soda and it does appear to be working for her which is fantastic!)

When our current bottle of eco-detergent runs out this is a science experiment I am ready to tackle. I may even add a few drops of an essential oil like lavender or eucalyptus to give my clothes a nice scent.

Have you made your own detergent? What was your recipe and how did it work for you?

Photo courtesy MarketingShop

My Pile of Laundry Was Growing

And it was starting to stink because I was feeling pretty bad about using the petroleum based detergent and disposable dryer sheets I was storing under the kitchen sink to get it clean. I had been using these products for many years but now, as more and more environmental information begins to sink in, it was causing me distress to consider pouring more nastiness down the drain. But…I told myself that no matter what the ingredients, it was better to use what I had before buying something new so at the end of this past week when we finally ran out of the bad for the Earth detergent, Matt volunteered to walk down to the grocery store to pick up some more. He assured me that he would be reading each label based on the factors that are most important to us.

The first thing Melissa wrote for Green Leaf was a review of a few laundry detergents. What she quickly discovered and shared with us is that some of the products saying they are super green may not be so eco-friendly after all due to the use of coconut based surfactants; controversy over the harvesting of these oils due to the potential impact it has on a rainforest became the topic raised. After reading that I was most definitely stumped and wondered what in creation I could do to actually wash my clothing without having an impact on the planet in some way.

My conclusion was to weigh all the options, determine the least impactful trade off for my family’s personal needs and not feel bad about my decision because I was at least making a well informed choice.

The issues that were important to our family in regard to the impact laundry detergents have on the environment (on a global level as well as a personal level) are:

1. Perpetuating the use of petroleum based products
2. Discovering renewable resource ingredients
3. Spending less money for something that will last longer
4. Removing the burned laundry smell (frequently occurs with coin-op machines)
5. Soft, static free fabrics (especially at this dry time of year)

When taking all of these issues into account, looking up information on each product, its ingredients and associated terms, as well as re-reading the information Melissa provided as a fantastic jumping off guide, we determined that Arm & Hammer Essentials detergent and Ultra Downy were the right products for us.


Here is how they fit into the list of our vital family factors:

1 & 2. Neither product uses petroleum based products in the detergent itself, both are derived from plant based resources: detergent - coconut oil, softener - cationic surfactant which, based on the P&G pdf link for Fabric Conditioner, looks to be corn based ethanol. (Without getting too scientific the basic definition of cationic is: a positively charged ion that moves toward a negative ion, and surfactant is: a substance that lowers tension of water once dissolved (soap) allowing organic compounds (dirt) to become more soluble)

3. Both products were purchased collectively for just over the cost of one bottle of Seventh Generation detergent (which contains similar ingredients) and after about seven loads (including our heavy comforter) we still have more than half a bottle left.

4 & 5. Since we chose the fabric softener free of dyes and perfumes but the detergent with a mountain rain scent there was a slight burned smell lingering on some loads (sheets specifically) but mostly they were all soft, static free and smelling like clean laundry. Though as a side note, I just sniffed the liquid in both bottles just to see how it compared to the smell of the clean fabrics and I am not joking when I tell you that the fabric softener smells exactly like Elmer’s Glue. Very strange and will likely open up a new can of research into what ingredients make up that product to see if they are at all similar.
Due to all of these factors, as well as the knowledge that both bottles can be recycled, I am granting a Four Leaf Rating to both of these products.

In a global capacity, I have no idea where these products would be placed on a greenness scale, I do not know who or what would determine that type of mass rating system, but on a personal level I feel that we made a well informed, thoroughly researched decision to purchase products which have a greater positive impact in our environment. Each time we purchase a necessary product using these types of personal guidelines we are helping to reduce waste, save money and garnering a good value as well as performance.