Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Seventh Generation Giveaway!

Replacing what’s currently under your sink with products that are non-toxic and safe for the environment is easier than ever with Seventh Generation’s environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Leading the “responsible cleaning” charge for the past twenty years, Seventh Generation has tapped into the disinfecting power of the herb thyme, to introduce an EPA registered line of disinfecting sprays and wipes that kill germs* naturally! The new line of botanical disinfectant cleaners includes a multi-surface cleaning spray, bathroom cleaning spray and wipes.

I had a chance to try out some Seventh Generation cleaning products, including
a disinfecting multi-surface cleaner, bathroom cleaner, wipes and two rolls of 100% recycled, unbleached paper towels.

First off, I love the paper towels, because who needs bleach in their paper towels, for heaven's sake? All it does is make them white. These paper towels are brown, and that's fine with me. I'm going to use them to wipe up stains, after all!

The bathroom cleaner and disinfecting multi-purpose surface cleaner definitely do the job.

One caveat: the scent takes some getting used to. I don't care for it, myself, but knowing that it is
thymol, a component of the herb thyme, that can be used on hard surfaces including counter tops, plastic cutting boards, highchair trays as well as children’s toys makes it more palatable. I like the idea of going as natural as possible with cleaners, especially for anyone who has kids and pets in the home.

Seventh Generation has partnered with eco-lifestyle consultant and author, Alexandra Zissu, whose new book, The Conscious Kitchen, discusses what’s good for your health, what’s good for the planet and what tastes great. Her book also includes great tips on maintaining a green and healthy kitchen, including:


Change is Good
Choosing cleaning products without indoor air pollutants like volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, is a simple and effective way to reduce your indoor air pollution. If you’re not prepared to switch everything overnight, start by swapping out the one product you use the most, and moving forward from there.

Think before you spray
Residues from cleaning products can last on a surface for longer than we we’d like to know and travel to areas that we sometimes don’t intend them to. Don’t contaminate your food by prepping it on a surface that may contain harsh chemical residues - rinse cleaning products from food preparation surfaces carefully or use botanical disinfecting cleaners that do not require a rinse step.

Home is Where the Clean Is
Your standard cleaners are good for removing soils and dirt from kitchen surfaces, but to tackle germs you need a cleaner that is effective against microbes like bacteria and viruses. Many cleaners contain ingredients that have antimicrobial properties such as vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, but the germ killing power of these is not necessarily guaranteed. To be sure you are killing germs, use an EPA registered disinfectant. Seventh Generation tapped into the disinfecting power of the common garden herb thyme, to provide a disinfecting cleaner that kills germs* naturally.

Make the Old New Again
Think twice about the items that you’re using to clean and dry your kitchen equipment and dishes. Use rags (like old t-shirts and washcloths) instead of paper towels. If you aren’t prepared to kick your paper towel addiction just yet, use only recycled versions that are unbleached or haven’t been whitened with chemicals containing chlorine and see how long you can make a roll last.

The Writing is on the … Sponge
Be sure to read the fine print on sponges and only purchase those that do not contain antimicrobial pesticides. Remember to store sponges in a dry place and frequently clean them by popping plastic sponges wet in a microwave for two minutes or boiling sponges for three minutes in water.

Mom Was Right, Wash Your Hands
Wash your hands with soap and water before and after prepping food, and always before eating. So much of what can be potentially harmful in a kitchen can be reduced by this simple act that doesn’t require any harsh chemicals whatsoever.

Seventh Generation and BlogSpark want to give one lucky Cool Moms Rule! reader a complete cleaning kit! The "Disinfection Cleaning Kit" includes the multi-surface cleaner, bathroom cleaner, two rolls of unbleached paper towels, wipes, a cleaning caddy to hold it all, and a copy of The Conscious Kitchen!

To enter:

Comment on this post: What's the best thing YOU'VE done for the environment this year? (required for initial entry).

Additional Entries:

Tweet about this giveaway and provide the link in a comment.

Subscribe to the Cool Moms Rule! feed.

Blog about this giveaway.


Contest Ends Wednesday, May 26th at noon EST.

Good luck!

I received a Seventh Generation “Disinfecting Cleaning Kit” that includes to facilitate this review. This is the same kit that Seventh Generation will be giving away to a commenter on this post.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have changed out our lightbulbs to be nore energy efficient and planted a small garden.

denise_22315 at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

I subscribe to your feed.

denise_22315 at yahoo dot com

Caroline said...

I bought cloth diapers yesterday, I have triplet boys that are 8 monhs old and when she said "these coud be the last diapers you ever buy" it made me that much more determined to make it work!

Katie said...

I started a huge organic garden this year!
katiekarr at gmail dot com

Tamara B. said...

We have installed low flo shower heads to conserve water
tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com

Tamara B. said...

I am a subscriber.
tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com

Forget Shyness Reviews said...

the best thing ive done for the environment was to quit using plastic bags

my email is littleheathen9109 @ yahoo dot com

Roxy said...

I've recycled and encouraged others to do the same!

Roxy said...

tweet!

http://twitter.com/hockiemack/statuses/14382935877

hockiemack at hotmail.com

Ames said...

Continued to hang my cloth diapers out as much as possible!

Wehaf said...

This year we finally switched to reusable shopping bags!

urchiken at gmail dot com

Jackie said...

I think the best thing we have done for the environment is to recycle. We try to recycle/reuse all we can. Thanks!
jackievillano at gmail dot com

Jackie said...

I subscribe via email
jackievillano at gmail dot com

Inez said...

The best hting I've done is to get rid of my old clunker suv that was terrible on gas.

janessa1430(at)yahoo(dot)com

Julie said...

WE quit buying bottled water. I hang out my clothes to dry instead of running our dryer

aunteegem@yahoo.com

Cindy said...

i recycle and use natural cleaners that arent so bad for the environment

familytiesandgrowingpains@gmail.com

Cindy said...

i subscribe in google reader

familytiesandgrowingpains@gmail.com

Tomi C said...

Best thing I've done for the environment is plant a garden and recycle more.

tclarkusa at gmail dot com

Lo said...

We've tried to cut waste in small ways: using cloth napkins, rags to clean, and we're starting to compost!

Lo said...

Here's my tweet: http://twitter.com/prizealert/status/14737192307

Vanessa said...

The best thing I have done is cloth diaper my daughter!

jewelsntreasures (at) yahoo (dot) com

Victoria said...

The best thing me and my hubby have done for the environment this year would be to always bring reusable bags to the grocery store. We're also switching out all our light bulbs to CFLs

vschilke at gmail dot com

jennifer57 said...

have recycled more

degood said...

I bought stainless steel water bottles for my family and make them refill those instead of buying more and more plastic ones.

kerrie@mayansfamily.com

Amanda said...

I subscribe to your feed!
winnieayala at yahoo dot com

Amanda said...

We have a garden, and put a trash can in the kitchen just for recycling. It has really cut down on our trash!
winnieayala at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

We are going cloth diapers diapers with this baby!

Unknown said...

i subscribed via google.

tina reynolds said...

i subscribe thanks

tina reynolds said...

the best thing is we switched to reuse bags and bottles, and participated in trash in trash out when geocaching a few times. eaglesforjack@gmail.com

Cool Moms Rule! is in full compliance of the new FTC rules concerning Bloggers. I disclose on all posts where a product was received for free and/or if there was any kind of financial compensation involved.