“No, I will not clean my house with harsh chemicals that trigger my asthma and pollute the air my daughter breathes.” I made that pledge to myself and my family when I became pregnant with my daughter in 2007, and it has become increasingly easier to keep that pledge as more products come on the market made from natural, plant-based materials. And guess what – they work just as well as the harsh chemicals!
One of the leaders in environmentally-friendly cleaners and household products is Seventh Generation. Although I see its products everywhere, I have to admit I had never tried this brand. Seventh Generation was generous enough to send me a spring cleaning kit that included a Multi-Surface Cleaner, Bathroom Cleaner, Disinfecting Wipes, 2 rolls of paper towels, a cleaning supply caddy and a book “The Conscious Kitchen.”
The first test to me is always the smell test. While none of the products smell like roses… I am happy to say they don’t have that harsh chemically smell that makes me gag and triggers my asthma problems. (All of the products I received have a Lemongrass & Thyme scent, but I could really only tell the wipes were scented.)
My one complaint about the products is the paper towels. I had high hopes for the paper towels, which are made of 100% recycled, unbleached paper. According to the package, “If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 120 ct. virgin fiber paper towels with 100% recycled ones, we could save: 933,00 trees; 2.4 million cubic feet of landfill space, equal to 3,700 full garbage trucks; 305 million gallons of water, a year’s supply for 2,700 families of four; and avoid 59,600 tons of emissions.” All compelling reasons to switch. Unfortunately, as compelling as the packaging is – the actual towels were not. They don’t absorb water, and they shred with use. They give “green” products a bad name. The one positive feature to the towels, they last FOREVER. I don’t know why, maybe my husband was secretly using our standard towels somehow, but one roll has lasted a long time and we normally go through paper towels quick.
My favorite product was the wipes. I love the ease of disinfecting wipes, and I actually liked the light scent to these. I foresee more of these in our general supply. The next Seventh Generation product I want to try, the Automatic Dishwasher Detergent Pacs.
Oh, and of course, all Seventh Generation products are packaged in recyclable materials!
Buy it – You can buy Seventh Generation products at Babies R US, Toys R Us, Winn Dixie, Publix, Target and many more retailers. You can also buy them online on Amazon. If you are gonna buy, here is a link to lots of printable coupons. PLUS, right now there is a $5 rebate when you purchase any 3 Seventh Generation products.
Win it – Want to win your own Spring Cleaning pack from Seventh Generation? (Of course you do.)
Mandatory Entry – Leave a comment on this post tell me what you do to help make your home “green.”
More opportunities to win (leave a separate comment for each additional entry you do):
- Follow TheSuburbanMom on Twitter (@SuburbanMomClub) and tweet about this give away. “I just entered to win a Seventh Generation spring cleaning kit from TheSuburbanMom at http://wp.me/pQHaE-rd” (Or just use the retweet button)
- Become a fan of TheSuburbanMom on Facebook. (Already a fan, that counts too, just leave a comment.)
- Enter any of my other giveaways! (1 entry for this giveaway per entry on another giveaway – leave a comment for each.)
- Tell a friend! (I have to take your word on this one.) Tell a friend about TheSuburbanMom, this contest or to become a fan of my Facebook fan page and leave a comment telling me what you did to share. (1 entry only)
Sorry this giveaway is now closed, but feel free to enter any of my other current giveaways here.
Contest ends April 22, 2010 at 5 pm – EARTH DAY. Open to U.S. residents in the continental U.S. only. Winning comment will be chosen at random by Random.org and contacted for shipping information. Winner will have 72 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Discloser – I was given the spring cleaning kit from Seventh Generation to review for this post, all thoughts and opinions are expressly my own. No other compensation was received.
I have two garbage cans side by side in my kitchen. One is for garbage and the other is for recycling. When we added the “recycle can”, the amount of stuff we recycle quadupled because the extra effort of walking out to the recycle bin in the garage was eliminated (makes us sound lazy, doesn’t it? Can I just blame my husband?).
Just followed you on Twitter, already a FB fan, and I already recommended your fan page to lots of mom friends who were asking me how I found out about the Disney Live tickets. 🙂 Love your tips! Thanks!
I recycle of course and we also have made it a policy to switch all bulbs to fluorescent bulbs when they go out. I am also an avid carpooler.
Thanks for the tips, SM.
I recycle and purchase organic fruits and veggies for my household. (I also look for the produce to be local, too, when available.) Thanks.
I am a fan of TheSuburbanMom on Facebook.
We recycle. Actually we use a lot of white vinegar for cleaning
.-= Vickie Bartlett´s last blog ..Soap Nuts Review and Giveaway =-.
follow on Twitter and tweet http://twitter.com/vlbsweeps/status/11994688848
.-= Vickie Bartlett´s last blog ..Soap Nuts Review and Giveaway =-.
entered this http://www.thesuburbanmom.com/2010/04/07/ecosmart-natural-bug-killer-giveaway
.-= Vickie Bartlett´s last blog ..Soap Nuts Review and Giveaway =-.
Facebook Fan http://www.facebook.com/vlbsweeps
.-= Vickie Bartlett´s last blog ..Soap Nuts Review and Giveaway =-.
I am a fan on Facebook.
I recycle, buy produce at a local farmers market and use reusable bags when I shop.
I love 7th Generation! We are organic eating, recycling green geeks.
.-= Kim´s last blog ..Menu Plan Monday =-.
Also a facebook fan!
.-= Kim´s last blog ..Menu Plan Monday =-.
I entered the Macy’s giveaway. Thanks.
I entered the Vistaprint giveaway.
I entered the EcoSmart giveaway.
I plant a garden to be more green! We really enjoy it! I posted some pics about a week ago of my garden if you want to see!
.-= Janel C´s last blog ..UBP 2010: Ultimate Blog Party!! Over 150 Prizes! One Week Only! =-.
fb fan (a mom’s take)
.-= Janel C´s last blog ..UBP 2010: Ultimate Blog Party!! Over 150 Prizes! One Week Only! =-.
EcoSmart
.-= Janel C´s last blog ..UBP 2010: Ultimate Blog Party!! Over 150 Prizes! One Week Only! =-.
secrets of the mountain ga
macys
vista print
To help make our home green, we recycle all we can…paper, plastic, aluminum, batteries. I also only do full loads of laundry to save water and energy. Thanks for the review and giveaway!
jackievillano at gmail dot com
I entered the Macy’s $25 Gift Card Giveaway
I Recycle and use a lot of white vinegar for cleaning purposes, the stuff works great and a lot cheaper than some cleaners.
.-= Heather @ One Take On Life´s last blog ..Ultimate Blogging Party =-.
I try to recycle as much plastic that I can!
.-= Shelly´s last blog ..Yoplait Prize Pack Winner =-.
I entered your Macy’s giveaway.
.-= Shelly´s last blog ..Yoplait Prize Pack Winner =-.
I store my kitchen food leftovers in reusable glass containers rather than plastic bags and containers.
entered Macy’s gift card giveaway
entered ecosmart giveaway
We recycle and plant a garden.
Have used their products before and would love to try more!
Recycle madness in our house!
I use natural cleaners for our bodies and our house.
I entered the EcoSmart giveaway.
I recycled all the products in my house to be recycled. I mainly use vinegar to clean my household and water. We also go green by bringing our own shopping bags
We use energy efficient lights in all our bulbs, as of this year.
I entered the Ecosmart giveaway
We recycle, use reusable grocery bags, use low energy light bulbs & I’ve started using green cleaners.
Following you on twitter & tweeted
http://twitter.com/pixie13sweeps/status/12552399098
We make our life greener by regularly recycling everything possible. We also use CFLs, Energy Star appliances, and reusable shopping bags. We combine driving trips to save mileage — and turn things like lights off when not in use. *Thanks* for the giveaway!
I use vinegar for cleaning the floors. I also use it in the laundry. If you have ever left your laundry and the washer too long and it gets musty. It completely removes the smell. We recycle as much as possible and are trying not to use bottled water anymore.
We make our house a little greener by cloth diapering our 13 son!
We have a separate trash can in the kitchen for recycling – our trash has really been reduced! I also use a vinegar solution to clean many things in the kitchen!
I entered your Ecosmart giveaway!
I entered your Ouchies giveaway
I entered your vistaprint birthday invite giveaway!
I entered your Macy’s GC giveaway!
We recycle as much as we can. The grandkids love helping us take the recycleables to the bins.
We started using cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.
We take our own bags to the store when we shop.
susan56bft at gmail dot com
The Suburban Mom fan on Facebook
susan56bft at gmail dot com
To help make your home “green” I recycle newspapers. jgs0925 at gmail dot com
I also entered the EcoSmart Natural Bug Killer giveaway. jgs0925 at gmail dot com
We’ve made recycling easy in our house. We have a container for each type of item we recycle. Reusable shopping totes are also used when we go shopping instead of bring paper/plastic bags home. We also donate used clothing to shelters. Thanks!
I’m your fan on FB.
I emailed my sister about your giveaway.
Entered your Macy’s GC giveaway.
I use green cleaning products all the time!
.-= Jenny @ Freebie Spot´s last blog ..Giveaway – I Has a Hotdog (3 Winners) *Ends 5/1* =-.
I entered your macy’s giveaway
.-= Jenny @ Freebie Spot´s last blog ..Free Folded Mother’s Day Photo Card from PhotoWorks =-.