When I think about allergies, pollution, and dust, I typically think about being outdoors in the Spring. I never really thought that I’d be concerned about these things inside my home! How about you?

Interestingly, many allergy and asthma-sufferers avoid the outdoors in certain conditions, instead preferring to stay indoors; however, according to the EPA, indoor air can be up to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air aggravating allergy and asthma symptoms even more.  Because most Americans do not know this fact, we would like to open the dialogue about taking steps to help improve indoor air quality and the specific benefits in having cleaner indoor air.

I was recently given the chance to join in the launching of the aer1™ filter system, a new line of portable filter technology which can be paired with the Holmes® and Bionaire® line of air purifiers. I was sent a Bionaire BPA-9700-U PERMAtech Tower Air Purifier along with some of the aer1 filters to try out in my home.

Set up was a breeze.. (see what I did there?) All I had to do was unpack everything, connect the clips to the filters, pop them into the side of the unit and plug it in to the wall. It was that easy. The unit that I have is pretty neat. It has a remote control, which can set a timer, fan speed, and power. The display is a digital screen that glows a pretty blue. The fan itself isn’t very loud. We don’t have to alter the volume of our TV to hear it over the fan. So far, I love that it’s compact, and does it’s job!

Now about the air quality in my home.  I had hoped that there would be a better way to measure it besides just how I feel, but at this point, there isn’t something affordable, that I know of, that I can measure my air. I can only say that we live in a construction area. Houses are being built all around me, including right next door. Dust is a huge factor. I have allergies, and will sneeze fairly easily. I also have a dog who hangs out both indoors and out. He’s been known to bring in pollen and other stuff on his hair and make me sneeze. Since using the Bionaire Air Purifier with the aer1 filters, I seem to be affected less by the dust. I had the unit off for a little bit, just because I forgot to turn it back on after vacuuming, and noticed my husband sneezing a lot. I turned it back on and he told me that he hasn’t been sneezing as much. It could be coincidence, but it may not be! It’s worth checking it out!

aer1 wants to give you a chance to try them out for yourself and is offering a $20 off coupon on their website! I am glad that I have more time with this unit so that I can update again after a bit longer to give you more experience… So far though, it seems like it’s doing a great job in my living room! Check it out! It just might help your family with clearing the air in your home!

* Disclosure: I was sent a Bionaire BPA-9700-U PERMAtech Tower Air Purifier along with samples of the aer1 filters for the purpose of this review. As always, opinions are 100% my own.

I’m always looking for new gadgets that make cleaning house easier. I’ve tried just about everything on the market these days, and when I was asked to try the new Lysol Clean Flip Sweeper, of course I had to say “yes.” The Lysol Clean Flip Sweeper boasts a larger cleaning surface than other brands. They also claim that the flip up edges help clean under counters and tight spaces faster and easier. What’s my take on it? Well, I’ll agree the larger cleaning surface does make cleaning my floors just a bit faster. The flip up sides do actually flip up while getting under the cabinets and along baseboards. It’s good for quick sweeps. It’s good for in between scrubbings when you’re just worried about getting dust and little particles off of the floors.

The down side to the Lysol Clean Flip is the cost of the cleaning cloths. The starter kit sells for around $10, and then the packs of cleaning cloths range from around $6 to $9 for dry cloths and wet cloths respectively. I prefer to have something reusable/washable when it comes to things I use so much. I like to keep my hard wood floors clean, so I would go through these cloths very fast. Like I mentioned earlier, this would be great for a quick cleanup, but I’m not sure I’d use it as an everyday sweeper/mop.

You can check it out for yourself though! You can find the Lysol Clean Flip just about anywhere cleaning supplies are sold!

Do you already have one? What do you think about it? I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment!

* Product provided for the purpose of this review. Read full disclosure.

I was given the chance to check out the new Dyson Digital Slim, thanks to a campaign with the Walmart Moms, and I have had so much fun using this little vacuum cleaner! Yes, I said the word “fun” with the word “vacuum”. Dyson wanted to see what ways we use our Digital Slim vacuum cleaner… so…  here’s out top 10 list of things that we’ve found to clean with our new Dyson Digital Slim Vacuum Cleaner.

10. Quick spills in the kitchen when the kids are let loose to bake something, with parental supervision, of course.

9. Papers and crumbs left on the couch after the girls have an after school snack or craft project.

8. Spiders. Yep.. We suck them right up with the crevice tool. :)

7. Dirt/Dust brought in after the dog ran around the back yard too long.

6. Baseboards & Window Sills

5. Giving our kids a scavenger hunt. When they get bored, we’ll hand them the vacuum cleaner. They hunt for things to vacuum up.

4. We hooked up the extension tool from our DC25 Animal to the extension tool on the Digital Slim to get the window Waaaaaaay up in the entry way.

3. Scaring our dog… Any time we turn on the vacuum cleaner, he runs and hides upstairs. The girls think it’s funny. Don’t worry, we don’t let them do it too often.

2. The car. It gets all the crumbs and stuff out from under the girls’ car seats.

1. The stairs. It’s small. the wide brush head makes cleaning our stairs a snap.

Yes, all of these things are true… Especially number 5. There’s something about a vacuum cleaner that can make even the most boring day fun…

So what would you do with your Dyson?

I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with product for review purposes and compensation for my time and efforts on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

So, I’ve had some time working with the Dyson Digital Slim Vacuum, and I have seriously fallen in love. It has made keeping my kitchen and living room floors so much cleaner. I don’t have to fumble with with a broom and dust pan. I can use one tool to keep my floors clean, baseboards dusted, and even clean up the couch after my girls have their snack. I can even clean the window treatments during commercial breaks!

I have to admit, battery life could be a little bit better, but I’m finding that I can do one job at a time in between charges, and still get things done decently quickly. I’m happy with the fact that I can use the Dyson Digital Slim for super quick clean ups. It’s not meant for deep cleaning, and it does it’s job pretty well.

I’m sure you’re wondering why Dyson? What puts them above the rest? Well, here is the second video from Dyson which takes you behind the scenes to learn more about all that goes into a Dyson machine.  I love learning more about where things come from and how they’re made.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJAnn9z021U.

I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with product for review purposes and compensation for my time and efforts on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

I hate doing dishes. There, I’ve said it. I really, truly hate doing dishes. The thought of my hands in water with bits of food, etc in it is just gross to me. But alas, until they come up with a waterproof robot that does dishes for me, I still have to do them…

Why am I talking about dishes? Well, it’s still Spring Cleaning, and although doing dishes is a chore that is done daily, even several times a day, I figured it would be a good time to mention it. Like other brands of dish soap that we like to keep stocked in the house, we use Palmolive whenever we can get a great deal on it. Well, I was offered a chance to check out the New Palmolive Ultra Antibacterial Dish Liquid, and as much as I don’t care for doing dishes, I loved using this soap!

Many kitchen cooking staples, like chicken, eggs, and even fresh vegetables, can contain bacteria like E Coli, Salmonella and Staph, which can spread to kitchen surfaces during the cooking preparation process. Using Palmolive Ultra Antibacterial Dish Liquid throughout the cooking process can provide peace of mind that your dishes are as clean as possible. It is the only dish liquid approved to kill 99.9 percent of E Coli, Salmonella and Staph on dishes and non-porous surfaces in 30 seconds when used as directed. Unfortunately I do not have any way to test the amount of germs on things, but I’ll take their word for it on that one.

What I can talk about though, is the fact that the Palmolive UltraAntibacterial Dish Liquid is great at removing cooked on grease from my dishes. When we cook, we cook… and when the dishes are dirty… well, it usually takes some elbow grease to get the cooked on food from the dishes. What I liked was being able to set the dishes in warm, soapy water, and have most of the work done for me. I should also mention the scent… I love things that smell “clean”… and this soap smells so good! The orange scent is so yummy!

New Palmolive Ultra Antibacterial Dish Liquid is available at mass retail and grocery stores nationwide. Suggested retail prices are 10oz: $1.99, 20oz: $3.49 and 30oz: $4.49. It’s worth a try!

*I was sent a small bottle of New Palmolive Ultra Antibacterial Dish Liquid to try out for review purposes. Opinions are 100% my own.

This month, some of the Walmart Moms have had a chance to check out the new Dyson Clim Vacuum, and I have to say, it is pretty cool. Dyson is going to be giving us little challenges to write about while we use our new Slim Vacuum, and I can’t wait to share more in this review series.

I’ve really liked my previous Dyson Vacuum Cleaners, and this one was really exciting to use. My girls were actually getting into cleaning the floors since it was super lightweight and easy to use… More on the review later!

In the meanwhile, check out this video that was sent to us to let us know a little bit more about what we could expect!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VVH4vrGoao

I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with product for review purposes and compensation for my time and efforts on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Being a Walmart Mom sure has it’s advantages sometimes! Sometimes I get to try out cool new products even before they hit the store shelves… and then I get to tell you all about them! One of these items is the new Purex Complete Crystals softener.

One of the biggest things for me is the scent of the fabric softener. If it smells bad, I won’t go near it. I try to go with lighter scents that will last. As soon as these bottles arrived, I opened them up and had to see what they smelled like. I actually liked them all! My favorite has to be Lavender Blossom, but Fresh Spring Waters, and Tropical Splash all smell great too. Next step was to find out more about what this stuff was made of. I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. Check out the Purex Complete Crystals site, and then click on +Fragrances, Sizes & Ingredients to see what makes up these Crystals.

Armed with my new fabric softener, I was ready to tackle my ever growing pile of laundry.

Using the Purex Complete Crystals was super easy. Just measure the Crystals using the cap and pour directly into the laundry tub, and wash as usual. When the clothing comes out of the dryer, the scent is amazing. It stays with the clothes for a long time too! I especially love using it on my bedding! When I go to bed, there’s nothing like cuddling up with freshly washed sheets..

There’s a little bit more about this product that actually makes me feel better about using them. Check out this video and see what I’m talking about:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gpnx16sc9g

You can find out more about the Purex Complete Crystals at their main website, and you can buy them at your local Walmart stores. Purex Complete Crystals start at just $3.97 for the 32 load size.

I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with product for review purposes and compensation for my time and efforts on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Part one of the Spring Cleaning series features the Shark Vac then Steam! This tool is an awesome one when it comes to ease of cleaning and sanitizing those hard floors! Check out the video as my friend Stephanie takes you through her thoughts of the Shark Vac then Steam.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GC–HVCogE

*Product provided by Shark, Opinions are 100% our own!

I have a cool series of video reviews coming up for April all about Spring Cleaning!!!

First one posts April 1, 2011… not an April Fools Joke!

Check out the trailer for a sneak peek!

For our final installment of testing out the new Wisk with Stain Spectrum Technology, we decided to have a little bit of fun, while checking out the Stain Fighting Power of Wisk. In this video, we check out how well Wisk takes out an oil stain (lip gloss). The girls were so excited to help out again, they got to have some fun on this one too. Check out how it works!

*Disclosure: I am working on a campaign for Wisk and the new Stain Spectrum Technology & will be compensated for my time. Wisk provided me with the supplies necessary to complete the experiment. Thoughts and opinions are always 100% mine.