Hubby bought me a steam mop from another company for Christmas, that I have really liked for cleaning our hardwood floors, and especially our bathrooms. The only problem with it is that it’s slightly too big for our downstairs 1/2 bathroom, and the little sectioned off portions of our bathrooms upstairs where the toilets sit. The downstairs bathroom is small, cramped, and the door doesn’t even open all the way (don’t ask, I didn’t plan/build the place) and getting behind toilets in general can be a chore. This is where the Shark Steam Pocket Mop should come in pretty handy.

First of all, it’s very easy to put together. It doesn’t require any tools, as everything just snaps together. Filling the water reservoir is pretty easy. It doesn’t detach from the mop, which is a little harder to deal with, but it comes with a little measuring cup, with a pretty good pour spout. There is not marking on it for a fill line, so be careful not to overfill the reservoir. I used about 3/4 of the measuring cup, and was fine.

The Shark Steam Pocket Mop comes with 2 different shaped mop heads, a triangle and a rectangle. It also included 2 of each size microfiber cloth, a microfiber duster, and a carpet slider for refreshing your carpets. I chose the triangle head for the bathroom, thinking that it would help me get into the corners a little easier than the rectangular mop head. I plugged it in, and after about 45 seconds, pumped the handle a few times to initiate the steam. After this, it was mopping as usual. Steam is made as you mop, so there are no buttons to push or switches to flip.

The triangle head was perfect for getting corners and behind the toilet. Oh, the other cool thing… Unlike some of the other steam mops, this one works upside down. I don’t mean steaming the ceiling. What I mean is that when one side of the mop cloth gets too dirty, you can flip the mop head over and keep on mopping! When you’re done, let the mop cool for a bit and remove the mop head! Take off the microfiber cloth and throw it in the washer! Not only is this chemical free sanitizing, but it’s also saving the landfills! There’s nothing to throw away!

It took me about 15 minutes, but I got the bathroom floor cleaned and dust free. I loved getting some of the stains off of the white tile. By the way- White tile and white grout is never a good choice… especially in bathrooms! YUCK!

I didn’t try it yet, but it does come with a carpet glider that you can use with the rectangle mop head. This will not clean your carpets, as it’s not using any solutions, nor is it sucking up the nasty stuff… It’s only to freshen the carpet up with some steam!

The girls saw me cleaning up and had to have a go at it too. The Shark Steam Pocket Mop is pretty light weight, so it was very easy for the girls to help clean up the floors with my supervision, of course! It produces some crazy hot steam, so the kids definitely need to be watched, but any help they can provide makes life just a little bit easier for me!

Another great thing about the Shark Steam Pocket Mop is that the cord is super long! This allows me to clean up the entire kitchen/living room area without having to unplug and move to a new outlet! Oh! And did I mention.. the handle length is adjustable? Yes it is! So even the tall people in the family can use it… ahem… hint hint…

All in all, I think this is a great steam mop. It cuts down on the time it takes to really clean those hard surfaces… If you have hard wood floors though, please  check with your floor manufacturer before using any type of steam mop! Just because it works for mine doesn’t mean it will work for yours!!!

The Shark Steam Pocket Mop retails for $119.95.

For more information about the Shark line of  products, check out SharkClean.com!

Out of the blue a little while ago, I received a message on Facebook… You know I hardly ever use facebook, but this message just spoke to me. It was from Lindsay of Marcal Manufacturing LLC. asking me if I’d be interested in reviewing some of their products. I had heard of the name “Marcal” before, but I couldn’t put my finger on what their products exactly were, so I did some research. After finding out a little bit more about the company, I promptly replied with a “YES!”

If you aren’t familiar with Marcal.. Marcal Small Steps is a line of 100% percent recycled paper products which include toilet paper, towels, napkins and facial tissue. They have been making recycled product since the 50s (before it was the cool thing to do). Of course, I’m all about recycling, and trying to make the planet a better place for future generations. My girls LOVE telling me all about recycling and reusing things too… thanks to Disney Channel’s Friends for Change campaign! Who says marketing doesn’t work on kids? My girls really listen to those commercials!

Marcal Small Steps sent me a large box full of various items to try out.

Dinner Napkins, 180 ct Napkin Drawstring Bag, 80 ct Upright Facial Tissues, 144 ct Facial Tissues, Single Roll Giant Paper Towels, 1,000 ct Bath Tissue, 4 rolls of 1,000 ct bath tissue, and 3 rolls of Regular Kitchen Paper Towels.

We’ve tried them all… and here are the verdicts:

* Dinner Napkins: Love them! They look like the ones you’d use in a semi-fancy restaurant. They hold up pretty well to our dinners (which usually involve a lot of BBQ sauce)

* 180 ct Napkin Drawstring Bag: Great for daily use when not eating ribs! About the same thickness as the other (totally not recycled) napkins I’ve purchased in the past.

* Facial Tissues: A little rougher than the ones that I’m used to. Good to keep around the house, but not sure I can give up my lotion tissues when I need to blow my nose every couple of minutes! Luckily, we don’t get sick too often (knock on wood)… so these will be good to keep around in case of a random sneeze…

* Bathroom Tissue: Like the Facial Tissues, this is also a little rougher than the brand we usually buy. It is better than the stuff I typically run into in public bathrooms, but it would be hard for me to give up my regular brand. I know, I know, the environment is involved here… That is a a big factor, but my tooshie needs the extra softness!

* Kitchen Paper Towels: Similar in thickness to the brand I typically use, but not quite as absorbent. I did the Measuring cup test, and it took me a couple more towels to dry up a 1/4 cup of spilled water than my usual brand. It’s that catch 22. Do I do good by buying the recycled towels and have to use a little more, or do I buy the usual brand, and end up using less when I need to clean up a spill?? Oh decisions…

The Marcal Small Steps products are helping to save 1 million trees. They are green, and hard working, and they are safe for the home. Their 100% recycled paper products are hypoallergenic, virtually lint free, and whitened without chlorine bleaching.

Overall, I think it’s a great idea to buy recycled products whenever possible. Considering the cost of the Marcal vs some of the other brands isn’t much different, it doesn’t hurt to go for the recycled product to help save the planet.

For more information, you can check out the Marcal Small Steps website, follow @MarcalSmallSteps on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook.

**FTC Disclosure: The products mentioned in this review were sent to me to sample for the purpose of this review.

So, I have said in the past, how much I really like the Clorox GreenWorks line of cleaning products. I’ve even said it on Good Day Sacramento!  They seem to be a safer alternative to some of the harsh chemicals out there on the market. Well, thanks to Mom Central, I’ve been given the chance to try out the new Green Works Laundry Detergent and Stain Remover. If it’s supposed to be safer for the family, it should be safer for the clothes too right?

Well, I have no actual way of checking the threads, or the chemical makeup of things, but I can tell you that these products do quite well in taking out set in stains. I wonder if the stain remover is ever going to be available at warehouse stores?? It did take me a couple of tries to get some marker (apparently not washable) out of some clothing, but it’s gone enough that it’s not even noticeable now.

As for the laundry detergent. It’s HE compatible, which is a big deal for me. It smells amazing. I’m not sure if there are other scents, but this one really smells clean when the wash is done. I love the smell of freshly washed laundry too… I know there are others that would agree with me.

If you would like more information about the Clorox Greenworks line of products, especially their new laundry detergent line, check out http://www.greenworkscleaners.com!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Clorox Green Works and received a bottle of Green Works Natural Detergent and Stain Remover to facilitate my review and a $20 thank-you gift certificate.”

WiskHE had invited me to New York for their Bubbles & Bubbly event. I wanted to go so badly, but due to scheduling issues, I wasn’t able to attend. I watched the tweets fly through my TweetDeck, and was just a little sad I couldn’t be there with everyone. But I was having a blast making awesome crafts and taking my girls to various Meetups in my area.

Well, the awesome people at WiskHE offered me the chance to host my own Bubbles and Bubbly Party here in North Carolina… Well, of course, I couldn’t turn that opportunity down! We already had a Girls Night In on the calendar, so I asked our lovely Hostess if she wouldn’t mind adding a little bit to the par-tay… She was totally game.

We learned that more bubbles do not always equal cleaner clothes. In fact… if you use regular detergent in an HE washing machine, you can actually be REDEPOSITING dirt and oils into your clothing… Not feeling as clean as you thought??? Yeah.. me too. We had fun with soap and water, and learned a little bit about our Bubble IQ.

But all this hard “work” and “studying” could not go without reward. After the bubbles, came the Bubbly! We were sent two different types of Champagne, one more expensive than the other. Our job was to compare the two (without knowing which was which) and guess which one was the more expensive one. We took a look at the bubbles, learned that the shape and makeup of the glass you serve champagne in is very important to the flavor! Who knew?!?! We also learned that more bubbles are better when it comes to champagne..

Ok.. so let’s get this down..

More bubbles in HE Washer- Bad

More bubbles in Champagne- Excellent

For more information about WiskHE and using HE detergents, Check out LaundryHE.com!

Take a look at how much fun we had!!!

*This House Party was sponsored by WiskHE. They provided the materials and equipment necessary for our House Party, including the gift packages for everyone to take home with them! Thank you so much!!!

**This giveaway is now closed! Thanks to all who entered!**

One of my winners (#23) never replied, so I just re-drew a new winner:

Congrats!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

32

Timestamp: 2009-11-03 05:28:14 UTC

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

23
7
17

Timestamp: 2009-10-27 03:32:15 UTC

I HATE cleaning the toilet! I don’t like dusting, or washing day old dirty dishes, but I really HATE cleaning the toilet. I hate the dirty, germ filled brushes that sit next to the toilet just waiting to be played with by your child… The only thing that makes cleaning my toilet bowl not so bad is the Clorox Toilet Wand. I have had one posted in each bathroom so I can make cleaning the toilets just a little bit faster and easier.

I’ve been using the Clorox Toilet Wand since it first came out in stores. I’ve tried the others, but they just couldn’t hold up. The ones that dissolved in the toilet dissolved too quickly. The Clorox Toilet Wand held up the best, and got the tough stuff out!

Read the rest of this entry »

**This giveaway is now closed**

I am always looking for safer cleaning products for my house. Something that I can use around the house, and not have to worry so much about the girls or our dog getting into.

Sun & Earth sent me a large selection of their product line, and they truly are great products. The funny thing about sending me all of these products to try out, I’m actually getting the house cleaner faster since there’s so many to review.

All of their products are Non-toxic, and hypoallergenic, which both get pluses in my book.

The products I was able to try out were the Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener, both of which smelled very nice, the dryer sheets, and the stain release pen, both seemed to work pretty well. I also tried out the All purpose cleaner and the window cleaner, the dish soap, and dishwasher detergent, and hand soap. I think my favorite product out of all of them is the hand soap though! The cleaning products all worked well… like I’d expect them to, but the hand soap is something I used several times a day, and I noticed it a little bit more. It had a great scent, and no matter how much I washed my hands (which is usually a lot) they didn’t get dry. Read the rest of this entry »