laundry Archives - Brittleby's Corner

January 11, 2013

SmartKlean Laundry Stain Remover Stick {Review/Giveaway} Ends 1/24

SmartKlean-Stain-Remover1

Remember SmartKlean? I blogged about their laundry ball last year. They came out with a new product…a non-toxic Stain Remover stick. This stick can be used on laundry stains, cloth diapers, upholstery, and carpets & rugs. This all natural stick is 100% biodegradable and can be effectively used on juice, blood, chocolate, dirt, grass, grease, ink, oil, red wine, ring around the collar, tomato sauces, underarm stains, and more.

The laundry stick is made of Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Canola Oil, Water, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil, Litsea Cubeba Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, and Borax. As you can see there are no SLS, SLES, parabens, pthalates, petroleum distillates, phosphates, dyes, artificial fragrance, hydrogenated oils or preservatives in the stick. It is scented with 100% pure eucalyptus leaf oil. To properly use the stick, you wet the stain with water, then rub the stick gently on the stain till it lathers, then wash as usual. If the stain is stubborn you can scrub in the lather with a brush or wash cloth before laundering.

With two young kids, I see plenty of stains! It’s nice to have a bar that I can rub on the stain. I normally use a spray and let it sit, but sometimes there are stubborn stains that actually need to be worked out. I have used sprays before that have choked me up because of all the chemicals in them. I love that this is truly a natural stain remover. I am working on removing all chemicals from my home so I am happy when I find natural products that work.

If you are looking for a natural stain remover, try out the SmartKlean non-toxic stain remover stick. You can buy it online for $9.80 + $4.50 shipping. I love my SmartKlean Laundry Ball and if you go through this special link you can purchase the laundry ball for $45 & free shipping. Click the pink picture below to go to the special made specifically for my readers {Look for the stain stick to be added soon}.

Connect with SmartKlean on and .

Enter on the rafflecopter form below for a chance to win a SmartKlean Landry Stain Remover Stick. This giveaway is open to both US and Canada. The giveaway end 1/24. Good Luck!

Posted by Brittney Minor at 10:27 am 46 Comments

Filed Under: Household Cleaners · Tagged With: laundry, stain remover, stick

July 3, 2012

Charlie’s Soap Pre-Spray {Review/Sponsor Spotlight} #USAMade

I have been trying out different laundry detergents, but I have yet to find a natural pre-spray stain remover. I have used Charlie’s Soap in the past, but never knew that they had a pre-spray! I was sent their pre-spray and some samples of their laundry powder to review.

Charlie’s Soap was started in 1976 by Charlie Sutherland who created it to clean the oils that a large textile yarn company created, where he was employed. Through the years Charlie’s Soap was reformulated and in 1992 the company became what it is today.

What is Charlie’s Soap?

Charlie’s Soap has been tested for non-toxicity (at Duke University) and biodegradability (at Japan Food Research Labs) and effectiveness (at SGS US Testing Labs). The formula is unique a secret recipe! The detergent parts of all their products come from a coconut oil base and a unique blend of biodegradable surfactants. They also contain pure, highest grade, completely soluble, Green River, WY soda ash (washing soda). The Indoor/Outdoor and Kitchen & Bath cleaners contain water and the same ingredients listed before, and a small amount of biodegradable solvent. The Duke University Department of Environmental Medicine says the solvent is safe to be used in children’s crafts for cleaning paint brushes, so it’s pretty safe! The Laundry Liquid is similar to the cleaners, but contains no solvent and more of the detergent blend; this makes it thicker than the cleaners and better for laundry use. The Laundry Powder is similar to the Laundry Liquid, but contains more of the soda ash and no water. It also contains some sodium silicate to help with grease stains and help keep the powder dry in wet environments.

Charlie’s Biodegradable Laundry Pre-Spray

You can apply the pre-spray as soon as you see the stain. Rub the spray into the stain and let is sit for about 30 minutes. The spray was designed to gently remove stains, so feel free to let the spray sit for a while. The Laundry Pre-Spray will separate the stain from the fabric. The treated area will look like the stain is spreading and that means that it will come out in the wash! Just re-wet the stain with pre-spray just before you throw it in the wash. Repeat if necessary. The Laundry Pre-Spray should not damage any fabric, but if you are concerned test it out in a small area.

Charlie’s Biodegradable Natural Laundry Powder

Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder is a clear and scent-free powder that cleans thoroughly, rinses completely, and leaves nothing behind. You only need 1 tablespoon per large load and the powder is safe to use in standard and HE machines. You don’t need to add softeners to the wash. The laundry powder is non-toxic and biodegradable. This powder can be used on all fabrics and contains no clays, dyes, phosphates, ultraviolet brighteners or perfumes.

If you have hard water, you can use their Biodegradable Laundry Booster & Hard Water Treatment. It uses a biodegradable phosphate that leaves no residue on your clothes while softening your wash water. It’s nice that we can treat the water without using chemicals. This works best when used with the Charlie’s laundry powder or liquid.

As you can see, just one tablespoon creates enough bubbles to clean any load!

I used the Pre-Spray on my kids clothes. It got some stains out immediately, but a couple of stubborn stains took longer to get out. I think next time I will let the spray sit on the clothes longer before washing them. I have used both the powder detergent and laundry booster / hard water treatment before and have had great experiences with them. We have really hard water where we live, so it is nice to find a hard water treatment that is natural and effective. I have used Charlie’s mostly on my kids clothes, which are the dirtiest clothes in my house, so I know that this detergent works and that this company knows what they are doing. I like using their detergent because it is safe for my family and safe for the earth. I would love to try out their other products as well.

Connect with Charlie’s Soap on their website and .

Made in the USA

Charlie’s Soap is sponsoring a Made in the USA prize pack! This pack includes an 80 Load Laundry Powder and a Laundry Pre-Spray and is valued at $27! The giveaway will go live on July 4th and end on the 13th! Please come back on the 4th to enter to win this #USAMade package along with other USA made prize packs.

Interested in getting an early entry? Visit Charlie’s Soap and tell me something you learned or another product you would like to try in a comment below.

Thank you to Charlie’s Soap for providing the products mentioned in this post for review. Although I received these products at no charge, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Posted by Brittney Minor at 4:42 pm 23 Comments

Filed Under: Household Cleaners, Made in the USA · Tagged With: detergent, laundry, pre-spray

June 25, 2012

Green Shield Organic Household Cleaners {Review/Giveaway} Ends 7/6

Household cleaners are used quite often in my house, and I am guessing in yours as well! There are so many choices when you walk down that aisle of any grocery or retail store. I have been eliminating the use of chemicals in my house and this directly affects the products I use to clean. I have now discovered Green Shield Organic, a company that has certified USDA Organic cleaning products.

Our Goal is to continually strive to deliver high performance, Human-Safe products that get the job done,while eliminating or minimizing negative environmental effects. We ensure that while we create commerce, it is not done so at the expense of our precious ecology.Our promise toward maintaining a sustainable environment means that we will, whenever possible, eliminate any risk of ecological erosion. This includes using organically grown ingredients, ensuring biodegradability, using recycled packaging and creating smaller packaging footprints, as often as possible.

Green Shield Organic carries laundry detergent, glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, kitchen cleaner, biodegradable surface wipes, and automatic dishwasher liquid detergent. Every product is certified organic! They are free from phosphates, phthalates, parabens, phenols, ammonia, sodium laurel sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butyl cellosolve, synthetic preservatives, and petroleum based materials. These products are also gluten free. Green Shield decided to become an “Organic” company because the term “natural” had been overused. They pride themselves on being the first company to receive Organic certification for their line of household cleaners and detergents. They are also the only line of USDA certified Organic household cleaners and detergent in the US, Australia and Asia! They source many of their raw materials within the US, especially North Carolina. Their household cleaners are made with antimicrobial cleansers which kill odor causing bacteria. Their laundry products are designed to be used in both high efficiency and standard machines. I also appreciate that all the ingredients come from sustainable resources! You can see a list of each product’s ingredients on their website.

I was sent the Elite Care Free & Clear Laundry Detergent to try out! This detergent is free and clear of fragrances and dyes. It is formulated to penetrate stains, and remove grease, dirt & grime, all while protecting colors. It is septic system safe as well as non-toxic, hypo-allergenic, non volatile and has never been tested on animals. So far, I have used the detergent on my clothes, bathroom rugs, and towels, all of which came out smelling clean and fresh. I also feel at peace knowing that there are no harmful chemicals lingering on my clothes after they have been washed. I appreciate that this company also uses sustainable products and that they get most of their products within the US, and most in the North Carolina.

The detergent is very concentrated, so you do not need a lot. I found that the detergent did not create bubbles, which is fine because I know that the presence of bubbles does not mean that my clothes will be clean. It was nice to see that the detergent worked, even without bubbles! Since the detergent was unscented, there was no overpowering smell, but I would like to try out their lavender version because sometimes I do like a scent left behind. Their lavender scented products are made with essential oils, not synthetic fragrance oils.

I would love to try more of their products, especially their toilet bowl cleaner! You can buy all their products online at specified stores, or at any Whole Foods, or regionally at Fresh Market, Food Lion, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and Wegman’s. To find the nearest location to you, use their Store Locator.

Connect with Green Shield Organic on their website, , and . {Once you like them on Facebook you can print a coupon for a $1 off any of their cleaning products. :)}

Green Shield Organic is giving away a Summer Cleaning Bundle that includes the All Purpose Cleaner, Toilet Bowl Cleaner, and the Elite Care Free & Clear Laundry Detergent, and a Green Shield Organic t-shirt to one winner. This package is valued at $30. This giveaway is open to the US only and will end on 7/6! Please enter below on the rafflecopter form! Good luck!

Posted by Brittney Minor at 1:27 pm 16 Comments

Filed Under: Household Cleaners · Tagged With: detergent, free & clear, laundry

June 18, 2012

Woolzies Wool Dryer Balls {Review/Sponsor Spotlight} #SummerCloth

Since I seem to be finding all these great companies for laundry detergent, I figure I better continue to share about how you can “green” your drying routine. Woolzies Dryer Balls can naturally soften and reduce static cling in your dryer, as well as reduce drying time by 25% per load, which will save you money! Woolzies are made with New Zealand wool, are PVC free, and don’t have any chemicals like commercial fabric softeners or dryer sheets. Woolzies are also hypo-allergenic and safe for people with wool sensitivities as they will not shed onto your laundry. The best part about Woolzies, is that they last for hundreds and hundreds of loads. This all adds up to a very eco-friendly product!

Good for you, good for the environment!

Woolzies is a part of Soft By Nature, Inc., a small family owned company in the Hudson Valley region of Southern New York State. Their mission is straight-forward:

We intend to pass down this earth to our children in the same beautiful condition that we received it from our parents. We accomplish this by developing all natural eco friendly products and sharing them with our fellow citizens.

Another cool thing about Woolzies is that they are handmade in the democratic republic of Nepal, and therefore provide a steady source of income to the desperately needy women of that developing nation.

So How do Woolzies work exactly?

Instead of buying chemical infused fabric softeners or dryer sheets you use these dryer balls in your dryer to soften and reduce static cling. Having the balls bounce around in the dryer, they naturally separate and create space between your laundry and allow the hot air to circulate better. This results in a 25% reduction in dry time for large loads and as much as 35-40% in small loads. This will save you money and time! They are also easy to use because they can always stay in your dryer. Woolzies will last for at least 1,000 loads!

I was sent a 6 pack of Woolzies Dryer Balls to review. I was introduced to dryer balls earlier this year and I discovered that they are way better than the plastic ones I was using. I added the Woolzies to my dryer and they seem to be holding up very well. Using dryer balls has reduced the length of drying time as well as keeps my clothes feeling soft. I love finding eco-friendly ways to “green” my everyday routine and Woolzies helps me do that. I recommend this form of drying your clothes as opposed to using chemicals to do the exact same thing! If you need a scent on your clothes after they are washed, then add a lavender sachet or a couple drops of essential oil on a cloth and toss that in the dryer as well. I am used to less scent in my laundry since I started using natural laundry detergents and dryer balls, so I think you will eventually get used to the idea of no smell, but still trust that your laundry is clean.

Woolzies come in a six pack and costs $35.99 with free shipping to anywhere in the USA and Canada, including Alaska and Hawaii. For everywhere else, shipping is just $6.95.

Connect with Woolzies on their website, and .

Woolzies Dryer Balls will be giving away two 6-packs of wool dryer balls to two winners in the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop {#SummerCloth}. Come back June 21st to enter! Interested in getting an extra entry? Visit Woolzies and leave me a comment telling me something you learned and why you want dryer balls.

Thank you to Woolzies Dryer Balls for providing the products mentioned in this post for review. Although I received these products at no charge, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Posted by Brittney Minor at 4:20 pm 27 Comments

Filed Under: Household Cleaners · Tagged With: dryer balls, eco-friendly, laundry, wool

June 18, 2012

A Happy Green Life Laundry Wash {Review/Sponsor Spotlight} #SummerCloth

Yippee! Another wonderful laundry detergent to share about! First of all, who wouldn’t love this logo? The name makes me smile and I also love their tagline “one part nature one part sunshine”. I just think it is adorable!

A Happy Green Life was started by Amanda Wucher-Aller and Kristin Ward in 2012. Their goal is to provide products that enable people to live a “green” lifestyle and to show them that being eco-friendly is easy. The best part is that being environmentally responsible doesn’t mean that you have to spend a ton of money. Going “green” can actually save you a lot of money! A Happy Green Life started making natural laundry wash because both moms were cloth diapering their babies. This posed the need to create something that would be effective, but also safe and gentle. They also realized that it would be a hassle to have to buy different laundry detergents for the diapers and the rest of their laundry. So after vigorous testing, they created the Happy Green Life line of detergent that can be used on any load of laundry.

A Happy Green Natural Laundry Wash is formulated to be green and effective and is designed to work on cloth diapers as well as remove ground in dirt and stains from every family member’s clothing. The laundry wash is made of Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate, and Sodium Percarbonate. The chemicals are mixed together then specially formulated essential oils or fragrance oils are added and then re-mixed. Both essential oils and synthetic oils are used in creating their scents. The scents though, make up just .05% of the laundry wash and are created to evaporate over time and not build up on your clothes. They are designed to smell strong at first but then the scent will decrease through the week. All of their ingredients have been chosen because they do not build up in your clothing. Their laundry wash doesn’t contain optical brighteners, phosphates, or soap; all of which are bad for the environment as well as your laundry. You can also use the laundry wash is both hot and cold water.

There is a list of scents to choose for your laundry wash that are made with fragrance oils (valued at $10). You can also choose buy 100% natural laundry wash for $5 more made with just essential oils. If you are concerned at all about scents, you can always order “unscented”! A Happy Green Life also offers $5 flat rate shipping!

I was sent the Natural Laundry Wash in Hot Pink Lime. I normally try to stay away from fragrance oils, but every now and then I do find that I have a product that does contain fragrance. To be honest I wasn’t paying close enough attention when I picked the scent, but I also feel at ease knowing that the scent only makes up .05% of the laundry wash…which to me, isn’t a lot! I picked this scent because it sounded amazing:

The refreshing accord of Kaffir lime, Japanese grapefruit, tangerine, and lemon; middle notes of bergamot and strawberries; sitting on base notes of brown sugar and oakmoss

I used the natural laundry wash on my towels to try it out. I was just about to get my kids out of the tub, so I added all the dirty towels and the detergent to the wash and left the lid open as it filled. My plan was to put my kids towels in the wash as soon as they were done using them. After I got them out of the tub, I walked down my hallway and stopped…it smelled amazing! My laundry room is upstairs, so it made the whole hallway smell like sweet limes! I went in the laundry room and put my face over the open washer and took a big whiff! Ahhhhhhh!

I added the kids towels to the wash and started it. Well, once my towels were done washing I opened up the washing machine and the scent was still there. After the dryer, the scent had gone down a little more. Sine I use mostly natural laundry detergent, I am accustomed to having less scent in my laundry. I love that it smelled great in the beginning but I am also perfectly happy for there to be no scent when it is done! The wash worked well! My towels came out feeling fresh and fluffy. I keep trying new washing methods with my towels because they sometimes smell after they come out of the dryer. I was impressed with A Happy Green Laundry Wash because my towels didn’t have that smell. I have also used the wash on my kids clothes and had the same result. The clothes came out clean and smelling fresh!

I have had a great experience with A Happy Green Life and I would love to try out their other products:

Natural Neutralizing Powder

Natural Kitchen Soap

Natural Aroma Spray

They also have dryer balls that are made exclusively for their company, as well as unpaper towels and wipes.

In addition to A Happy Green Life’s products, they have a blog where you can find tips for living a happy green life: www.ahappygreenlife.blogspot.com.

Connect with A Happy Green Life on their website, , and .

A Happy Green Life will be giving away one Natural Laundry Wash in the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop {#SummerCloth}. Come back June 21st to enter! Interested in getting an extra entry? Visit A Happy Green Life and leave me a comment telling me what scent you would choose or another Happy Green Life product you would like to try.

Thank you to A Happy Green Life for providing the products mentioned in this post for review. Although I received these products at no charge, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Posted by Brittney Minor at 9:44 am 28 Comments

Filed Under: Household Cleaners · Tagged With: laundry, natural

June 13, 2012

Nellie’s All Natural Laundy Soda {Review/Sponsor Spotlight} #SummerCloth

I love finding new household cleaners that are good for my family and good for the environment.

Laundry Soda (50 Load)

Nellie’s All Natural creates products that are about as natural as you can get! Nellie’s Laundry Soda has no fake scent, but it will leave your clothes smelling “clean”. The Soda is also highly concentrated so all you need is one tablespoon for large loads! The powder will dissolve in both cold and hot water. Nellie’s was developed by Nellie, who wanted to create a non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and environmentally friendly cleaning products that allow you to reduce consumption and only use what is needed!

Nellie’s Laundry Soda is made with:

SODA ASH – (SODIUM CARBONATE) also known as washing soda. In domestic use, it’s used as a water softener during laundry.

SODIUM METASILICATE – A major use is as a builder (a material that enhances or maintains the cleaning efficiency of a surfactant, principally by inactivating water hardness) in soaps and detergents

SODIUM CHLORIDE – Sodium chloride, also known as common salt, table salt, or halite. Salt is commonly used to produce soaps and detergents.

CITRIC ACID – This is a weak organic acid. It serves as an environmentally benign cleaning agent and acts as an antioxidant.

The Detergent is a coconut based (LAURYL) Ethoxylated fatty alcohol. Coconut oil on its own will wash nothing. It is therefore chemically modified so that it becomes surface active and thus performs like a detergent. This commodity is widely used by many detergent manufacturers because it is readily biodegradable, non toxic and mild and efficient. It is also NOT Petroleum based.

Most laundry detergents have scents which actually serve to just create a “clean scent” without actually cleaning. I am one of those people that associates scent with cleanliness, but I know that there are only a few scents that can be created using natural ingredients and essential oils. I appreciate that Nellie’s doesn’t even bother with that! Nellie’s Laundry Soda is unscented and designed to penetrate the fabric and remove odors, not hide them. Nellie’s rinses clear and leaves no residue. One natural way to give your laundry a scent is to use a natural linen spray or a lavender pouch in the dryer. Nellie’s is also great detergent to use on cloth diapers, but isn’t just limited to that! This laundry soda can be used for any load of laundry.

I have used Nellie’s on my my clothes and my kids clothes, which are always stained and dirty! Nellie’s Soda has held up to being a great cleaner. My kids clothes come out looking and smelling clean. I only use a tablespoon, even when washing their clothes. I feel at ease knowing that there are no harmful chemicals and no residue left behind. I also haven’t had an issue with not having the powder dissolve. I mostly wash clothes on cold and there has never been any leftover powder on my clothes or in the dryer. I love that the detergent is strong enough to get out stains, yet gentle enough to work on cloth diapers.

The 50 load of Nellie’s Laundry Soda is valued at $9.99 or you can buy a 100 load for $18.99. Nellie’s also carries Laundry Nougats, Dryer Balls, Oxygen Brightener and Automatic Dish Nougats. All products are created with natural ingredients and are environmentally friendly.

Connect with Nellie’s All Natural on their website, , and .

Nellie’s All Natural will be giving away one Nellie’s Laundry Soda 50 load in the Summer Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop {#SummerCloth}. Come back June 21st to enter! Interested in getting an extra entry? Visit Nellie’s and leave me a comment telling me what other product you would like to try and why.

Thank you to Nellie’s All Natural for providing the products mentioned in this post for review. Although I received these products at no charge, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Posted by Brittney Minor at 10:17 pm 27 Comments

Filed Under: Household Cleaners · Tagged With: detergent, laundry, natural

April 11, 2012

SmartKlean Non-Detergent Laundry Ball

Laundry is a part of everyones life and there is no way to get out of doing it! The only question is, what detergent should I use? There are so many detergents out there on the market, but the reality is that many detergents found in the laundry aisle contain harmful chemicals, dyes, and ingredients you can’t even pronounce! I came across SmartKlean last year through a blog post and was really impressed! I later came across it through a daily deal site and decided to give it a try.

SmartKlean is a non-detergent laundry ball! It is filled with 4 different kinds of ceramic bead, comprising of different minerals to perform different functions. When the beads come into contact with the water, they form oxygenated water. This means that the water molecules are fragmented into smaller sizes, which increase the water’s dissolution power and enables better penetration into the fabric, which releases dirt, grime and odors!

Sounds pretty cool, huh?

Posted by Brittney Minor at 6:58 pm 6 Comments

Filed Under: Household Cleaners · Tagged With: laundry

April 7, 2012

Oransi Robby Wash Laundry Ball

Doing the laundry is almost a daily chore around my house! I only have two kids, but there always seems to be piles of laundry cluttering my hallway! I enjoy trying out different laundry detergents, especially natural ones! I came across Oransi, which is a Scandinavian word meaning “Orange”, which is a company based out of Austin, Texas, dedicated to creating green products that help people live a healthier lifestyle. Oransi donates 5% of their income to support student interest in science, math and engineering. I think Oransi is an amazing company, committed to keeping the world a “green” place! Their standards and lifestyle show that they care about their employees and the health of people everywhere. (They allow their employees to work from home so they can be with their kids!) To read more about Oransi and their mission go here (also read the Community and Environment sections). Oransi carries a couple of products including air purifiers, ionic deodorizers, as well as laundry products.

I was given the opportunity to try out their Robby Wash Blue Laundry Ball! The blue ball is designed to work in both cold and hot water for about 12 months! It doesn’t require additional detergent to clean clothes and have your laundry come out smelling fresh! The Robby ball will work in both front and top loading washing machines. This pack comes with a blue washing ball, a stain stick and three extra refill packets of macro-molecule pellets! This ball is also hypoallergenic which means that it can be used on even baby clothes! There is also a fuchsia wash ball that works well with dark clothes and can only be used in loads with cold water!

Posted by Brittney Minor at 10:55 pm 14 Comments

Filed Under: Household Cleaners · Tagged With: laundry