Sun and Earth Review & Giveaway Ends 11/6/11

Cleaning. Laundry. Dishes.

It's the trinity of housework. We all do it. The difference is "HOW we do it and with what products.

I think most people today search for products that are environmentally friendly and non-toxic to our community and to our lives and the lives of our families and pets.

I am always searching for such products. Not always an easy task.

I have recently discovered the wonderful products of the Sun and Earth Company.

As a small company with only four employees, it’s extremely challenging to compete with billion-dollar, multinational corporations, so we do everything in our power to keep our costs down…passing-on the savings to consumers. We consider ourselves somewhat of a natural brand for everyone because our products are hypoallergenic, non-toxic, and eco-friendly!

The Sun and Earth™ Story:

Sun and Earth offers a full line of natural cleaning products and biodegradable detergents. Our green eco-friendly cleaners are organic, non-toxic, biodegradable, vegan, and better for the environment. We do not test any of our formulations on animals.

"It has been an exciting, challenging, and very interesting time of great change," responded John Mullins, President and CEO about the socially and environmentally-responsible company's nearly 25-year journey to develop, self-manufacture, and distribute natural cleaning products and green detergents.

A commitment to helping people live better…naturally has remained a key value over the years. By using biodegradable, powerful plant-based ingredients in our environmentally-friendly formulations, we are able to deliver effective natural cleaners that are hypoallergenic, phosphate-free, and ammonia-free. Their safe nature means you'll worry less at home around your children and pets. By using Sun and Earth green cleaners, you are making a healthy choice to keep your family and our planet beautiful.

I was very excited when asked to review the Sun and Earth products. I am equally excited to introduce this wonderful company to you!

I received three amazing products:

*** Sun and Earth Deep Cleaning Laundry Detergent

Sun and Earth Deep Cleaning Laundry Detergent:
Our Deep Cleaning Formula Laundry Detergent unlocks the power of nature to create a laundry detergent that out performs the leading national brands at removing odors, stains and dirt. You don't have to sacrifice cleaning performance to be environmentally responsible.

*** Sun and Earth All Purpose Spray Cleaner

Sun and Earth All Purpose Spray Cleaner:
Our All Purpose Cleaner works great at removing grease, grime and dirt in your kitchen, bathroom and all around your house. Its natural, non-toxic, environmentally-friendly formulation is free from petroleum-based solvents. We only use plant-based surfactants so you have the added peace of mind knowing you are not exposing your family, children or pets to harmful chemical residues or fumes. Because our All Purpose Cleaner is natural and biodegradable, it is safe for septic systems.

*** Sun and Earth Xtra Concentrated Dish Liquid

Sun and Earth Xtra Concentrated Dish Liquid:
Sun and Earth Xtra Concentrated Dish Liquid is great for:
*Dishes
*Fruit and veggie wash
*Washing car exterior
*Washing fine, delicate fabrics by hand
*Cleaning baby bottles and utensils
No animal testing. Vegan. Gluten-free. Soy-free. Casein-free. No tree nuts. No peanuts.

Sun and Earth products are available locally throughout the northeastern part of the U.S. as well as online at SunandEarth.com, Amazon.com, Soap.com, LuckyVitamin.com, and many others.

Each product definitely lives up to it's promises! The all-purpose spray cleaner works well on steel, wood, and tile surfaces and also cleans windows and mirrors. I LOVE the clean, citrus scent. It makes the whole house smell fresh and clean. It's a grease killer, too! I used it to clean my microwave oven and it just melted away the 'gunk' that accumulates so quickly there.

The Laundry Detergent is fab. I rubbed a bit on stains and, rather to my surprise, it lifted tough stains right out. The detergent is concentrated and you don't have to use so much to get your clothes clean. Because there are no harsh chemicals, the clothes have a lovely, lingering citrus scent. The detergent is safe for ALL washers, too, including the new HE washers!

And last, but not least, the wonderful Dish Liquid! Again, a lovely citrus fragrance that soothes your senses and no harsh chemicals to dry out and irritate the skin. It's mild on your hands but definitely gets the job done.  It cuts through greasy residue on pots, pans, and dishes.

I am very impressed with the items I received from Sun and Earth and fully intend to explore the other products they offer as well. When you find a good thing -- you keep it!

The folks at Sun and Earth would like to connect with you! Please join them on their Social Media Pages:
My Sun and Earth on Facebook, @SunandEarth on Twitter.

Please subscribe to their free e-newsletter for promotions, offers, and great info!

Sun and Earth has generously offered one of my readers the opportunity to try their products! Just follow the entry directions below for your chance to enter to win!

OPEN TO USA ONLY. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PER HOUSEHOLD, PLEASE!

Please note: All entries are confirmed. You must complete the MANDATORY entries first. If the entry requires a comment -- you must post a comment beneath the blog post or in the EXTRA INFO area of the entry form. If it requires a tweet, you must leave the URL to your tweet in the Rafflecopter Entry Form. I will discard ANY entry not meeting those requirements.

DISCLOSURE:
I was given the products mentioned above for the purpose of review. I received no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed herein are my own and are based on my own use of and experience with the items.

Better Life (Clean Happens!) Review & Giveaway:CONTEST CLOSED!

CONTEST CLOSED!

Not long ago, our family was blessed to receive a Starter Kit from the great folks at a Better Life -- where Clean Happens!

It's generally a bit difficult to get excited about cleaning products -- the noxious odor... the chemicals... the potential harm to kids and pets.

Well, rest easy and get excited. Because you won't find any of that nastiness here!

The very first thing I noticed when I opened the package was the bright green caddy to carry your cleaning products about the house -- very convenient -- no running back and forth to get just the right product for the job at hand.

Very important -- especially during the Spring Clean. Speaking of which...

Spring Cleaning Is Easy - Have The Kids Do It.

Don't you love Spring? Flowers are in bloom, the grass is green and quite simply it's the perfect time to open up the windows, let in the fresh air and shake out the dust.
Nothing brings a smile to our face like putting the parka in the closet and bringing out the T-shirts & flip-flops while we look towards the carefree adventures around the corner.
Spring also brings out a natural instinct to clear out the clutter and start fresh.
Many of us look forward to Spring Cleaning to rid our homes of old man winter.
Others view this ritual as a chore that they would prefer to do without.
At BETTER LIFE we think much of the "chore" associated with cleaning is actually the side effects caused by using conventional cleaners -- dizziness, headaches and wheezing to name just a few.
With BETTER LIFE, you don't have to send the kids or pets away when you clean.
Our products are completely free of harmful solvents, alcohols, ethers or other nasty chemicals which spoil that fresh air in your house. You'll get the results you want with a product that is safe for you, your pets and the surfaces in your home. And yes, we are big proponents of letting our kids help us while we clean, although we have not quite found a way for our pets to do the toilets as of yet.
The birds and the bees will be happy too.
BETTER LIFE products are the safest and most environmentally friendly that you can buy, so you'll be keeping things safe outside and in.

It's true, too. I've been very impressed and very pleased with the Better Life products that came in my Starter Kit. I have allergies, so why make my day worse by using cleaning products with harsh chemicals and odors that would drop a linebacker? No thanks. I prefer the gentle scent of citrus and sage and the knowledge that I'm not causing myself or my family any harm while I'm cleaning.

The Starter Kit contains:

*What-Ever Clearly Sage & Citrus Green All-purpose Cleaner
*I can see clearly, WOW! Green glass cleaner
*Simply Floored! Green ready-to-use floor cleaner
*Even The Kitchen Sink Green Gentle Scrubber
*Twist Euro-sponge
*Twist Loofah sponge (2 pack)
*Collapsible 6-compartment cleaning caddy

I've been using the products for almost two weeks now and haven't had any issues. The house smells wonderful -- very fresh and very 'summery'!
It's the citrus! Definitely!

The loofah sponges are great on the dishes -- they clean well but don't scratch.

I am particulary fond of the Even the Kitchen Sink Gentle Scrubber. It's worked well on both my stainless steel sinks in the kitchen and porcelain the bathrooms!

The I can see clearly WOW! Glass Cleaner is gentle for cleaning computer monitors, TV's, and even the screen on the phone, yet works wonders on mirrors and windows, too. No streaking -- another blessing!

These are products I will buy again and again. You can buy them, too! Just visit the Better Life Store Locator for a shop near you.

To learn a bit more about Better Life, watch this great video!
Clean Happens on YouTube

You can follow Better Life on the Clean Happens Blog -- You'll get great info and updates on new products!

The wonderful folks at Better Life have generously offered one of our lucky readers a chance to win their own Clean Happens Starter Kit! Fantastic!

Just follow the instructions below for your chance to enter to win!

***NOTICE: You MUST leave your email address in the body of your comment or make your email address visible in your profile. If I cannot contact you -- you can't win!***

Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry!

OPEN TO USA RESIDENTS ONLY, PLEASE!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit Better Life, then come back here and tell me two things you've learned about Clean Happens!

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

1. Fan Clean Happens on Facebook and post on their Wall -- tell them Terri & Liz from Gathering My Roses sent you!

2. Follow Gathering My Roses PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect (Located on the sidebar)

3. Become a fan of Gathering My Roses on Facebook (link on Sidebar!)

4. Follow @GeorgiaMist on Twitter

5. Follow @CleanHappens on Twitter

6. Tweet about this contest (no more than once daily, please!)
@GeorgiaMist @CleanHappens Win a Clean Happens Starter Kit from Gathering My Roses!
PLS RT! http://bit.ly/9rHzNt

7. Subscribe to the free Clean Happens Newsletter

8. Post the link to this contest on your blog, Facebook, or MySpace page(s) and link back here!

9. Enter another contest on our blog and then come back and tell us which one.

This contest will be open from Wednesday, April 14th until Thursday, April 22nd. Winner will be announced on Friday, April 23rd.

The Prize will be sent directly to the winner from Better Life.

DISCLOSURE:
We received a complimentary Starter Kit from Better Life for the purpose of review. We were under no obligation to review these items. We received no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed are based on our own use and experience with the products.

Seventh Generation: Review & Giveaway! CONTEST CLOSED!

CONTEST CLOSED!

Recently, I was greatly blessed to receive a Free & Clear Starter Kit from Seventh Generation -- a company that makes environmentally-safe products for the home.

FREE & CLEAR STARTER KIT includes:
*Free & Clear Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner
*Free & Clear Natural All Purpose Cleaner
*Free & Clear Natural Dish Liquid
*Free & Clear Natural Laundry Detergent, 50 oz
*(2) Natural Paper Towels - 120 Count
*Reusable Tote

FROM THE WEBSITE:
Seventh Generation is committed to becoming the world's most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home. For 20 years, the closely held Burlington, Vermont-based company has been at the forefront of a cultural change in consumer behavior and business ethics.

One of the country's first self-declared "socially responsible" companies, Seventh Generation is a business that operates according to a new and different set of principles and values that in many ways are a marked departure from those long considered "traditional." Its business practice is focused on offering people avenues to express their idealism, passion, and commitment to causes larger than themselves at every point along its supply chain—from suppliers and partners to shareholders, customers and its own staff.

The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois that states, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."
Every time you use a Seventh Generation product you are making a difference by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, keeping toxic chemicals out of the environment and making the world a safer place for this and the next seven generations.

I received the products from the Free & Clear Product Line. These products, such as Laundry & Dish Detergent, All-Purpose Cleaner, Glass & Surface Cleaner, Fabric Softener, and Dishwasher Detergent Packs, are completely free of Dyes and Fragrances. There are NO masking agents to disquise the true smell of the products. There are NO harsh chemical odors, either.
These products are perfect for those with Asthma or allergies (like me!).

I tried the Free & Clear 2X Concentrated Laundry Detergent first. It's smells clean -- no harsh chemical odors or sickly sweet perfumes. I love that. It's also non-toxic & biodegradable, hypoallergenic, free of phosphates & optical brighteners, safe for septic & greywater systems, not tested on animals, and Kosher-certified!

The fact that it's hypoallergenic is great for my family.
We're all fairly sensitive and it helps when you're not itching all the time!

We were all very impressed by the Free & Clear Natural Fabric Softener, too. It works very well at keeping clothes soft and fresh and has the same properties as the Laundry Detergent.

All of the products that we tried were very impressive. It's nice to use a product without having to cover one's face because of fumes or fear of getting splattered with nasty chemicals or injuring the cats!

Since I don't have a dishwasher (except for Liz and ocassionally Review Daddy), I did give my sister the Dishwasher pacs -- she tells me they work well and got her dishes spotless.

Seventh Generation brand-name products include: non-chlorine bleached, 100% recycled paper towels, bathroom and facial tissues, and napkins; non-toxic, phosphate-free cleaning, dish and laundry products; plastic trash bags made from recycled plastic; chlorine-free baby diapers, training pants, and baby wipes; and chlorine-free feminine care products, including organic cotton tampons.

There are products for almost every household necessity. All of them are made with a great sense of responsibility to the world community.
Seventh Generation donates 10% of it's profits to non-profit community, environmental, health, and responsible business organizations working for positive change.

For more, watch Seventh Generation's YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1t3JDTIwdo

The wonderful folks at Seventh Generation have offered one lucky Gathering My Roses reader a chance to win a Free & Clear Starter Kit! Just follow the instructions below!

Open to USA only, please!

***NOTICE: You MUST leave your email address in the body of your comment or make your email address visible in your profile. If I cannot contact you -- you can't win!***

Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry!

MANDATORY ENTRY:
Visit Seventh Generation and pick out two other products, not in the Free & Clear line, that you'd love to try, then come back here and tell us about them.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

1. Follow @GeorgiaMist on Twitter -- leave your Twitter name for verification!

2. Follow Gathering My Roses PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect (Located on the sidebar)

3. Become a fan of Gathering My Roses on Facebook (link on Sidebar!)

4. Follow @SeventhGen on Twitter -- leave your Twitter name for verification!

5. Follow @The_Megster on Twitter -- leave your Twitter name for verification!

6. Tweet about this contest (no more than once daily, please!) then come back here and leave your Twitter status URL.
@GeorgiaMist @SeventhGen Win a Free & Clear Starter Kit from Gathering My Roses!
PLS RT! http://bit.ly/b6s651

7. Post the link to this contest on your blog, Facebook, or MySpace page(s) and link back here!

8. Fan Seventh Generation on Facebook

9. Friend Seventh Generation in MySpace

10. Enter another contest on our blog and then come back and tell us which one.

11. Register for the Seventh Generation free Newsletter .

This contest will run from Thursday, March 11 until Friday March 19.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary Free & Clear Starter Kit for the purpose of review. I was under no obligation to review this item. I received no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed are based on my own use and experience with the item.