Ecostore USA Product Review and Giveaway

I was asked by ecostore USA to review a few products and host a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate. First, a little bit about ecostore USA – the company originated as a home-based business in New Zealand more than 15 years ago. The founders, Melanie and Malcomb Rands lived in a farm-based eco village that was committed to organic/healthy living where each family was responsible for their own waste water (can you imagine if we had to do that?). The Rands quickly realized how harmful regular petroleum based synthetic cleaning products were to the water and environment and decided to research plant-based products that could be used as an alternative. “No Nasty Chemicals” is the tag line and all of their products live up to this claim. They explain on the website that their products DO contain chemicals (after all, water is a chemical) – they just don’t include the NASTY chemicals. Their product lines include adult and baby care items such as body washes, oils, shampoos, soaps as well as household cleaners such as dish powder, laundry cleaners, bathroom cleaners, etc. They also have a line of pet care products.

Ecostore USA sent me 2 products – their Naturally Antibacteiral Spray Cleaner and Plant Based Toilet Cleaner. We seem to use a lot of spray cleaners around the house – kitchen counters, bathrooms, etc. so I was sure we would put this one to the test. The first thing that I noticed was the packaging was slightly different than most sprays – the bottle has a very thin profile which makes it really easy to store in a cabinet/pantry or smaller space. Also, the spray nozzle is the type with a flap tab over the front instead of one of those rotating “dial” type nozzles. I really like the ecostore USA design - very easy to use and store. The other thing that I noticed right away was the sprayer was a nice even mist and very easy to pump – it’s probably a weird thing to notice but it was different from what I’ve been using and I really like it. The scent is great – a clean citrusy smell that you can tell is natural and not perfumy or artificial. It has done a great job around the kitchen on my counter tops and tables. I even feel safe letting my kids help out with the cleaning jobs (they love to spray), so I'm glad that there aren't any nasty chemicals. They sell a concentrate that you can use to refill the bottle when done which is another great idea. I will definitely be refilling this one since I really like the size/shape of the bottle and the sprayer action and clean smell.

As for the Toilet Cleaner – it is also packaged differently than most – the size/shape of the bottle is great and it has an angled nozzle to get up under the rim. It has a different scent (which I’m not as crazy about) – I noticed Pine Oil listed in the ingredients along with citrus oils. But it is still a fresh, clean, natural scent and not perfumey or artificial. I also noticed right away the lack of artificial coloring – at first I thought it might be hard to tell how much I had applied against the white ceramic toilet, but it does have a slight (beige?) color to it that made it very easy to see how much product was applied and if I had missed any spots. It did a great job cleaning and I liked the fact that I was not flushing any artificial colors or cleaners into the water system.

They have some great sounding bath and body soaps - lemongrass, vanilla, coconut, as well as a goats milk Baby Soap in chamomile and lavender. Also available for baby - baby massage oil, baby moisturizer, nappy balm, and more.

So, now for the giveaway information: ecostore USA has agreed to giveaway a $25 gift certificate to one of our readers/fans. Visit the ecostore USA website and take a look through their product lines (you will also find some great articles). You are invited to sign up for their No Nasty Chemicals newsletter. After visiting the ecostore USA website, come back here before midnight EST July 29th and post a comment about your favorite products. I will pick a winner at random on July 30th. To earn extra entries, you may do the following:

• Follow our blog



• Become a Mr. Bobbles’ Blankets fan on Facebook



• If you have a blog, post about this giveaway with a link to this blog post.

Make sure you come back here and post a comment to receive each extra entry. That's it - good luck!

Vacation Schedule for Shipping July 31 - Aug 8

Just an advanced notice that our shipping offices will be closing for our annual vacation from July 31 through August 8, 2009. All orders placed prior to midnight EST July 30, 2009 will be processed and shipped prior to our shipping office vacation. This applies to all non-custom orders (does not apply to embroidery), and in stock items. Our online store will be open as usual during this time period however orders placed during this week will be shipped the week of August 10, 2009. We use this time to renew our machines, offices, and employees. Thanks so much for your understanding!

More New Summer Fabrics

We have 5 more new summer fabrics that arrived this week. All of these are currently only available in smaller quantities with limited product availability. We will be "testing" out these designs to see how well they sell - if they are popular, we will reorder some of them this fall and produce larger quantities of products. We have already received a lot of interest on the Frogs/Moons, so that one is on the list for reorder. Feel free to post your comments/feedback!

$25 Gift Certificate Giveaway

New contest opens today for a $25 Mr. Bobbles' Blankets gift certificate - hosted by Twinstuff.com. Contest expires July 6th. Good luck!

http://www.twinstuff.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=133741

5 New Fabrics for Summer - More coming soon!

We just updated the website with our 5 newest fabrics for the summer. In addition, we will be getting a few more later this week so check back. Our newest fabrics are: Bugs on Pink, Pink Dots, Transport Blue, Blue Celestial, Blue Dinos. Thanks for looking!!

Playard Sheets Available in French Vanilla

Our playard sheets are now back in stock in the French Vanilla fabric. We are currently in production mode and have a few more fabrics coming in the next few weeks so keep checking back for more offerings and restocked inventory in current fabrics. Thanks!

BPA in plastics - safe or unsafe?

I just read an interesting article in Sunday's Washington Post about food packing industry executives getting together to brainstorm strategies to try to block the government from banning BPA from plastics, cans, baby toys, etc. The Washington Post obtained internal notes from the private meeting of executives/lobbyists - the article discussed some of the strategies and brainstorming sessions that occurred, specifically about marketing BPA products as "safe" to young mothers who make purchasing decisions for their households (baby bottles, baby toys, baby formula cans, sippy cups, canned foods/sodas). While I don't know everything about the research and science behind the issues surrounding BPA, I personally have made an effort in my house to try to reduce our exposure to plastics containing BPA. Many of my friends, especially those with infants, have done the same and purchase only BPA-free baby bottles, sippy cups, etc. Unfortunately, many of those products were not available when my kids were infants, but I'm glad that there are options out there now and everyone can decide based on their own preference and research. According to the Washington Post article written by Lyndsey Layton:

"Bisphenol A, used in commerce since the 1950s, is added to plastics to give them strength. It is found in hundreds of household products, including plastic bottles and food containers. It is also present in the linings of canned goods such as soup, baby formula and canned fruits and vegetables.

Over the past decade, a growing body of scientific studies has linked the chemical to breast cancer, testicular cancer, diabetes, hyperactivity, obesity, low sperm count, miscarriage and other reproductive problems in laboratory animals. More recent studies using human data have linked BPA to heart disease and diabetes. And it has been found to interfere with the effects of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients."

Many bloggers are upset and spreading the word about the attempt to block the ban. Some states/cities (Minnesota, Chicago, Suffolk County NY) as well as other countries such as Japan and Canada have already banned certain uses of BPA. After reading the article, I ran across a few good blog posts about it:

• Consumer Reports Health.org Blog - Industry plots BPA Defense
• Healthy Child, Health World by Janelle Sorensen - Industry Will Pay Big Bucks for Pregnant Women Willing to Ingest BPA
• Moms' Inspire Learning by Dawn Morris - Informed Choices for Healthy Families
• Talk to the Hand: Green and Clean Mom
• Soft Landing by Alicia - Bisphenol-a Manufacturers Switch to Fear Inducing Strategy
• Effect Measure - BPA gets attention from industry spinmeisters (leaked minutes) - contains the reported text of the minutes

Take a few minutes to read these blog posts, as well as the Washington Post article - there are plenty of links in each to jump off and read more. It is an interesting debate and one that affects the households of parents, soon to be parents, as well as others concerned about the possible health risks associated with plastics, chemicals, etc. Feel free to post your thoughts and comments. Thanks for reading!