Scrubbing Bubbles has done it again! Invented another product that us moms can’t live without! It is the One Step Toilet Cleaner – Just step and spray twice a day! I received my Starter Kit courtesy of SheSpeaks.com. I received the device, which includes the Base, Sprayer and Reusable Sleeve, and 1 refill can. It took seconds just to hook it up.

My thoughts: I have an elongated toilet and it seems that it doesn’t fit very well on there. Every so often when I walk into the bathroom the sprayer is in the floor. Also, when I spray it (even with the lid down) it sprays all over the lid and out the small space, between the seat and lid, a bit and gets all over the bathroom floor. I haven’t tried it on our other non-elongated toilet yet to see if it works better, but I’m guessig it will. I still really enjoy not digging in there with a pair of gloves to clean it, so I will keep using it.

It’s retail price for the starter kit is under $13.00. Well worth it in my opinion! So all you do is step on the foot pedal for 1 second, it sprays 360 degrees to cover the complete bowl (even under the rim) then you walk away!

Want to see it in action? Watch my video:

Like many of you I am always searching for ways to save money, my electric bill included. I’ve always heard that when you leave things plugged in that you’re not necessarily using, that it will add up to big bucks in a years time of money you could be saving! Things like cell phone chargers, laptops, gaming systems, sound machines, baby monitors and more.

I was sent a Kill-A-Watt from GeoThermal Genius to try out and share with you my thoughts. At first I thought that all you do was plug it in, plug a device into it and it would give you a cost…wrong.  It needs time to work to read the usage to relay it to you. I programmed in my kilowatt rate based on my utility bill, the instructions will guide you through what to look for and how to enter it into the Kill-A-Watt. Then you plug a device into that you want to know more about and let it go! I’ve had my laptop plugged in for 478 hours now. I don’t power down my laptop very often, maybe once every few days, and just overnight. I turn it right back on when I wake up.

What I’ve learned is that my laptop is costing me:

$7.84/year
$.64/month
$0.15/day
$0.02/day

I’m assuming that if I shut it off every night that I could cut that down maybe a dollar or two for the year. Not really that much in the grand scheme of things, but every little bit counts! However, imagine things like your clothes dryer. Something like that is going to cost a lot more with the amount of power it needs in order run. If you could line dry your clothes you may be able to save quite a bit over a 12 month period!

You know how to really cut your utility bill? Switch over to Geothermal heat and heat/cool your home with dirt instead of oil. I have a friend that is using geothermal heat in their house that is at least 3 times the size of my house. My power bill runs $200.00 a month and hers is about $60.00 a month. That is amazing! If you are building a new home, geothermal heat is the way to go.

To convert an existing property isn’t cheap, but it’s a good investment. I ran the calculator on the Geothermal Genius website and it estimates that it would cost me $13,020 to install that type of system. However, it estimates that I can save $54,608 over the next 15 years to heat/cool my home. Also, it will increase my property value by $9,200! Hmmm, something to think about isn’t it?

Want to learn more? Geothermal Genius is an amazing website that explains everything you would ever want to know about geothermal heat and it’s benefits. Check out the Geothermal Tax Credit page for some very useful information. Better yet…watch this video!

Disclosure: Geothermal Genius provided me the Kill-A-Watt for review, they do not sell the product. The Kill-A-Watt is a tool that will help you make better choices about your electricity usage that will in turn save you money.

I was sent the Edifier On The Go Encore to try out and see what I thought. I have to say that I was blown away! It’s so very compact, it has a rechargeable battery, great volume control, adaptable for non iPod mp3 players, radio ready, alarm clock, remote control and carrying sleeve! I already have an iHome and I have troubles with it all the time. It’s not reliable, the sound gets distorted if I really crank it up and it’s not portable!

Want to see how the Edifier rocks? Just check out my video!

Want to see all they have to offer? Check out Edifier.com. They have some really great videos on their YouTube channel so you may want to subscribe. Also check out their Facebook and Twitter pages. You wouldn’t want to miss a deal would you?

A while back I received a package of Cascade Action Pacs to use for my dishwasher. Needless to say I was over the moon! I do at least one load of dishes per day in my dishwasher. These don’t disappoint, then again Cascade never does. I found that it removed the tea stains off of our gallon jug we use for storing iced tea in the fridge. I honestly almost threw it out because I couldn’t stand the dingy look of it! I was so shocked, truly. It was stained ya’ll! Now it looks good as new!

Proctor & Gamble has been making strides to be more Future Friendly with one simple mission: to help people save water, waste and energy at home.

How do they do that you ask?

• Tide Coldwater saves electricity by not using hot water
• PUR saves litter by not using plastic water bottles
• Dawn Ultra uses very little to get the job done
• Duracell rechargeable instead of throwing batteries away  
• Cascade Action Pacs, no need to pre-rinse the dishes

P&G has so many products that are meeting this standard of going green and being future friendly, so how can you help? Check out their website to learn more! Be on the look out for P&G coupons to save money on the products you were going to buy already. Also, Like Future Friendly on Facebook and follow them on Twitter to stay in touch for new and exciting products added to their Future Friendly list!

Disclosure: I was provided the Cascade Action Pacs by SheSpeaks for review and to share the news about P&G’s Future Friendly Program. All opinions are my own.

I have the amazing opportunity to try out the Giani Granite Countertop Paint Kit! I’m so excited! You see, my countertops are so old and nasty! They are not smooth. They have grooves in them that I’m assuming are harboring some nasty germs. I’ve cleaned and cleaned them to no avail. Still nasty. My trusty Magic Eraser has removed the darkness from the grooves, which I’m assuming was years of caked in food particles, but it also removed some of the finish. Meaning my counters are no longer reflective. Not that they ever really were though.

Sicilian Sand Color

I selected Sicilian Sand. They have 6 colors to choose from so it really was difficult. I honestly considered the Sapphire Blue, just because I think it’s so pretty! Each kit is just $69.95 and will do 35 square feet or 16 running feet of 24″ standard counter.

Here’s some info directly from the site:

• Unique blend of polymers and minerals create a   countertop that locks out moisture - while showing off the beautiful Sicilian granite of southern Italy!
• Great for upgrading Formica*laminate, Corian*ceramictile, butcher block, cultured marble and traditional granite countertops and vanities     
• Covers 35 square feet or 16 running feet of standard 24″ wide counters 
• Quick, fun and easy ’paint-by-number’ process  for beginning painters
• Project time – 4 hours of painting and 16 hours of drying
• Water-based safe and low odor 
• Hides any existing stains, scratches or burns
• Granite color is adjustable to your decor 
• Durable automotive grade clear polyurethane topcoat
• 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
• Complete Kit  -
      -12 Oz. of IronCore^TM Primer-Base Coat
       - 6 Oz. of Brown Feldspar Mineral
       - 6 Oz. of Inca Gold Mineral
       - 6 Oz. of White Limestone Mineral
       - 16 Oz. of Automotive Polyurethane Topcoat
       - 6″ GIANI^TM roller arm and two roller pads
       - 4″ GIANI^TM granite paint sponge
       - 2″ Foam Brush
       - Black Practice Poster Board
         - ‘Paint-by-Number’ DVD for beginners
       - Illustrated Instructions

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.
Sponsored by Tomoson.com

We all know the reasons we need to drink more water: weight loss, healthier bodies, better energy, exercise aid, cooking, the list is endless. The new Zuvo Water Purator, (Zuvo means to your health in Latin) a terrific new easy to use eco friendly device would be a great fit in any upcoming segments on hot new ideas for the home that improve the quality of your health, clean up your tap water, and a great way to kick off any New Year’s resolutions that include drinking more water. The Zuvo is telegenic and visually fascinating to watch, once it’s plugged in you see the water bubbling in a blue UV light and getting cleaner before your very eyes.

In our community there is a crazy high cancer rate and no explanations, of course. Doctors still can’t tell us what causes many of the cancers, but I suspect that toxic drinking water and other environmental factors have something to do with it. I’m sure that our tap water passes the government requirements but that still doesn’t mean that it’s truly clean/safe drinking water. We don’t buy water because I don’t want to add to the pollution problem by using more and more water bottles. We always use reusable water bottles. We have more than we need. For quite some time we’ve been using a PUR water filter, but the space that it took up on my faucet was bugging me. It made it hard to get larger pots and pans underneath it to fill up.

That’s when I found Zuvo. It sits on the counter or it can be mounted under the sink with an attachment on top. I was thrilled to have found something that would allow my family to have clean/safe drinking water and the price isn’t too bad either. Granted, it’s a bit more expensive than a PUR filter or a Brita but the benefits of this device are worth the extra cost. Here’s what it does:

• Step 1: Ozonation – Ozone mixes with tap water to treat and improve taste and odor; ozone is a powerful oxidizer.
• Step 2: Ultraviolet(UV) light exposure – The ozone saturated water is flooded with high intensity UV-light to reduce microorganisms.
• Step 3: Photo-oxidation – Ozone and UV work together to treat contaminants and microbes.
• Step 4: Water goes through activated carbon filtration with lead removal.
• Step 5: Post filtration UV – The filtered water is again exposed to UV light.

Zuvo Water sent me a Purator to try.

This small home water treatment appliance is based on a patented technology platform that reproduces the photo-oxidation process naturally occurring in the environment. It is an easy-to-install, cost-effective device ($.06 per gallon, compared to more than $1 per gallon for bottled water, over the course of a year) not requiring interim plastic pitchers or chemical additives. As an added bonus, eliminating the use of bottled water helps reduce the 32.8 billion water bottles that end up in landfills every year and it requires fewer filter changes that the famous name brand filter systems on the market. 

The Zuvo Water Purator will revolutionize the way you think about easy to use home water filtration systems. A perfect gift idea, It’s ecologically friendly and elegantly designed and has been awarded the Parent Tested Parent Approved Award for best new green products, and we are on track to receive the Good Housekeeping Seal. 

The Zuvo Purators retail for $299.99 and are way more cost effective than disposable filter brands.

Right now they’re offering a Zuvo Challenge – 60 day FREE trialof the Zuvo Water Purator! No risk! Try it and you’ll be hooked!

Recently I was contacted by EcoStore USA to try out some products and give some feedback on them. I jumped at the opportunity! I love the idea of using all natural, chemical free products for many reasons. I love the idea that I’m helping the environment by using less harmful chemicals, but my main reason is allergy related. I am allergic to almost everything under the sun, (lol!) and my youngest son seems to have similar allergy issues. So if I’m presented a product that is free of the chemicals that cause us to have an allergic reaction…I’m all for it!

Lyne is the VP of Operations for EcoStore USA and a Mom, so she understands the challenges we all face when trying to keep the home clean and safe for our children. She blogs about it too! They sent me 3 products to try, a Natural Citrus Spray Cleaner for the kitchen, Natural non-toxic laundry liquid, and Eco Friendly Baby Bath Wash. I’ve had these products for over 3 weeks now and I feel terrible about taking this to get this post out, but I really want to give these products a chance, which means that I need time to really use them. So Lyne, sorry this has taken so long. The Natural Spray Citrus Cleaner is awesome! No exaggeration here! The smell is so pleasant that my trained nose is convinced that it can’t actually work!!! I’ve always used cleaners that leave your nose burning and your eyes watering, at least that was the case until I started making my own cleaners. My own concoction consists mostly of vinegar, it doesn’t smell great but the smell convinces me that it’s working. The Eco Store cleaner is SO MILD that I found myself spraying WAY too much just to get a stronger smell that I wrongly thought was a sign of an effective cleaner. I was wrong! A little bit of this stuff goes a long way. It cleaned the grime off my stove top with very little elbow grease. I couldn’t be happier!!!
Next up is the Laundry Liquid. When I first used it I didn’t enjoy the scent. It smells like melaleuca products. Not scented of course, but the smell was something I worried would transfer to my clothes. I was WAY wrong! I’ve been using this for 3 weeks now, about once a day. Now that I’ve gotten used to it I’m enjoying it more than ever. My clothes come out smelling very fresh and clean. I contacted Lyne about maybe adding scent to this product and the response was: “The amount of perfume required to overpower the Eucalyptus would be substantial and this may cause compatibility issues with the formulation”.I still think it would be possible to add a few drops of essential oil to the water when doing your laundry, but after consistent use I can confidently say that it’s not necessary. Also, I noticed that no where on the packaging does it say how many loads this one bottle will do so back to Lyne I went! She says that one bottle will do 27 loads. The formula is so super concentrated that using less will get you the same result. After doing about 15 loads from my bottle I’ve not even used half! I’m sure that this one bottle will last nearly 2 months! That would be 5 loads a week for 8 weeks! This product really delivers!!!

Lastly I have to share with you the Anytime Bath Baby Wash. Here’s a snippet from their website: The incredibly mild and cleansing formulation will leave your precious child’s skin soft and silky. What is good for your baby is good for the planet too. The scent is soft and mild. Just what you would expect from an all natural eco friendly product. Because there are no harsh chemicals it left my boys skin very soft. In this dry cold weather my boys usually need quite a bit of lotion following a bath, but not so with this stuff! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a cure all for dry skin, but it made a significant difference in the condition of their skin. I noticed that their knees were not “ashy” like they usually are. How great is that! No chemicals, and mild enough to be effective. Unheard of isn’t it? Not anymore.

These products are a little more pricey than what you would pay for at your local superstore, and in this economy when pinching pennies is on all of our minds, the EcoStore USA is offering products that won’t break the bank. These products will outlast the products you’re currently using due to the concentration of their formulas AND you get to do your part to help the environment. It’s a win-win situation for everyone! So head on over to the EcoStore USA and read all about their mission going green and their products. If you want to read more about Lyne check out her blog. Tell her you heard about their products from the Homemade Mom so I don’t disappoint.

Oh yeah, one more thing, these products just hit the shelves in the Midwest and are available at all 185 Meijers Retailers!!! Just thought you’d want to know.