The Germinator Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer Review

April 13, 2012 By Anne

Anytime I get the chance to review something natural , eco-friendly or kid-friendly I go for it!

I had the opportunity to review The Germinator Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer. What makes this so special? There is no alcohol, it’s a foam soap and it kills 99.9% of germs. It’s great for sensitive skin and has a moisturizer to keep hands soft. This is great for infants and toddlers because it is alcohol free.

As I get older and I guess being a mom, I get a little freaked out by all the germs out there. After a day shopping or a night out for dinner, I immediately reach for the sanitizer in the car and have the kids and I wipe down our hands.

How does it work? The Germinator Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer effectively kills 99.9% of germs without the harsh side effects of alcohol. This product utilizes benzalkonium chloride, which has a distinct advantage over gelled alcohol based hand sanitizers. While both product forms are fast acting and allow for use without water or towels, benzalkonium chloride based products are non-flammable, less drying to skin, and will not stain clothing.

I like the fact that if you or your child accidentally drink this or it gets in their eyes, it’s okay. I mean you have to drink lots of water to flush it out, but no rush to the ER.

So what did I think?

I really like that this is a foam. I do not like the gels as they get all runny on me and spill right off the kids hands. Savannah can use this herself, it’s easy to pump and the foam does not sting.

You can purchase this online at www.babyganics.com or and nationwide at Babies R Us, Bed Bath & Beyond, Buy Buy Baby and Diapers.com

I received the above product for review. Opinions are my own.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Green Works – Reverse Graffiti Project

April 11, 2012 By Anne

Have you tried Green Works Cleaning Products yet? I have and I love them! They clean wonderful, smell wonderful and I love knowing there are no harsh chemicals in them!

Green Works is involved a new project, The Reverse Graffiti Gallery.

Reverse Graffiti?? Reverse graffiti or “clean tagging” is a method of creating art by removing dirt and grime from a filthy surface. Green Works believes that cleaning can be beautiful. They set out to find a dirty place in L.A. that needed some love. After searching hundreds of blocks, Green Works found the perfect place. And on May 29th, Green Works will unveil the gallery of unique art made simply by cleaning with Green Works. But they’re not working alone. They have found the perfect artist to partner with—a true pioneer of the reverse graffiti method. Together they’re going to turn one grimy alley into an inviting and beautiful place for the community to enjoy.

But wait! You can win a trip to L.A. to see it in person!

The winner of the grand prize will receive a three-day trip for two to Los Angeles to attend the Reverse Graffiti Gallery opening, a $1,000 gift card and access to some of the best art the city has to offer with day passes to select museums. While there, you can lend a hand in helping to create a reverse graffiti image with ork’s artist that will appear as the final art piece in the Reverse Graffiti Gallery. Three additional entrants will also be selected at random to win Green Works products.

Check out the Reverse Graffiti tab on the Green Works Facebook page to enter. Follow the links and instructions to complete and submit the registration to receive an entry into the Sweepstakes. Limit: You may enter one (1) time during the Promotion Period. Multiple entrants are not permitted to share the same email address.

Really love Green Works? Get a $1 off coupon just for watching the original Reverse Graffiti Project video

I will receive free product by posting this. I do really love Green Works though!

Anne

Earth Day – Green Giveaway Hop

April 9, 2012 By Anne

I am particiapting in a cool, green giveaway hop!

I will be giving away a Bamboo Lunch Bag made from 100% Vicose from Bamboo, a Stainless Steel Food Container and a Sampler from Wild Bar Soap. Total value over $45!!

Check out these other awesome giveaways!!

Anne

Color Your Eggs Naturally

April 5, 2012 By Anne

Okay, I haven’t done this myself, yet. I really want to try it this year. We have company coming in tonight and I’m not sure I will get a chance.

But… I wanted to share these recipes in case you want to try it! I promise to share pictures if I get to it!

Boil eggs the usual way…. place raw, white eggs in a single layer in a pan. Cover with cold water. Add a little more than a teaspoon of white vinegar. Add the natural “ingredients” for the color you want your eggs to be.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

If you like the color, pour off the hot dye liquid and rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop the eggs from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain and allow eggs to cool in the refrigerator.

If not, cool eggs and cover in dyed water in the fridge. You don’t want the eggs to continue to cook.

So – how do you get the colors?

Red – Pink — lots of red onion skins, cranberry juice, or frozen raspberries.
Orange — Yellow onion skins
Brown — Red beet skins or grape juice (produces a beautiful sparkling tan), coffee.
Yellow — Saffron, tumeric or cumin, orange or lemon peels, or celery seed.
Green — spinach, or carrot tops and peels from Yellow Delicious apples for a yellow-green.
Blue — Red cabbage leaves make the most incredible robin’s-egg blue.
Deep Purple — Red wine makes a beautiful burgundy color

Another idea that sounds neat is making a cracked eggs with tea.

You’ll need eggs, 1 1/2 tablespoons of black tea leaves, 8 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Place eggs in a large pan covered with water. Bring water to a gentle boil. Boil for 10 to 12 minutes. When the eggs are cooked, gently lift the eggs out of the pan and place them under cold running water for 2 minutes.

When eggs are cold, gently crack the eggshells all over by rolling them on a paper towel. NOTE: Do not allow the shells to detach from the eggs.
In a large pan, add black tea leaves, water, and salt. Place the cooked eggs into the pan. NOTE: If needed, add additional water to cover them. Bring water slowly to a boil; then cover the pan, turn off the heat, and allow the eggs to simmer for one hour.
Remove from heat and let the eggs cool in the liquid. When cool, drain and wrap the eggs in plastic wrap or a sealed plastic bag. Store in refrigerator.
Remove the shells just prior to serving. Eggs will have a marbleized appearance

Info and pictures from BHG.com, Allfreecrafts.com and Squidoo.com

Anne

Do You Have a Rain Barrel?

March 14, 2012 By Anne

We have wanted to get a rain barrel for a while now. We’ve always recycled. however about 3 years ago, we really started to be more eco-conscious. We started a compost, stopped using so many paper products and we recycle everything imaginable!

We talked about getting a rain barrel. It would be perfect since we have gutters and the rain water can run directly through the gutters into the barrel. It’s called rain harvesting. Then we could use the rain water to water our grass or plants or even rinse out buckets.

Look at this one. How pretty and it certainly doesn’t look like a rain water barrel, does it?