Allergy Consumer Review Issue #77
Allergy Consumer Review Issue #77Dear Everyone,
Even my brand new summer condo eventually needed more than a light cleaning, so when a local cleaning service was offering to use all natural products, I thought I would treat myself to a once a month clean up. After they told me they charged $110 per hour and it would cost between $350 to $500 for the first visit, even when I already thought one could eat off my floor, I decided that I was in the wrong business. So I have been doing the cleaning myself, and for every hour of cleaning, I mentally chalk up $110 of savings! Some of the results of my cleaning projects are reported in this newsletter and I have saved hundreds of dollars to boot! Our new Fall/Winter catalog will be sent out by mid-September. If you have not already subscribed to receive it, please do so or sign up a friend, as it is wonderful summary of all our best new products and the new photography is gorgeous. Enjoy the rest of the summer!
In This Issue
- The Case for a Whole House Water Filtration System
- Testing a new Value Priced Steam Cleaner- Li’l Bug 1500 In Praise of Organic Towels
- One More Time about Royal Pedic Mattresses & Bed Sets
Shop Talk
Mercia Tapping
President / CEO AllergyBuyersClub.com
Contact Information
Disclaimer: Product and solution information reflect information available at the time of publication, including prices, availability, and reviews. To get the latest information, contact us or join our newsletter.
The Case For A Whole House Water Filtration System
By Mercia Tapping
After our Condo Association had sent out a report that our very own water plant delivers a very high standard of purified water, I began to wonder whether my recent acquisition, an Aquasana Whole House Water Purifier that was yet to be installed, was a waste of money. Several things changed my mind. Firstly, I noticed rusty rings around the toilet bowls in our home. While I knew these were probably only iron deposits, I started to wonder what else might be coming through my water supply that I could not see.
Secondly, after a long chat with an environmental engineer at a party, he was telling me how many municipal water pipes are long over due for replacement, and while the water leaves the municipal plant purified, by the time it gets to your house, all the pesticides that your neighbors have been spraying onto their lawns and gardens are leaching from the cracked water pipes into your household water. It then further occurred to me that just purifying my drinking water at the kitchen sink or for showers was hardly enough, and every time I washed my hands or did dishes, I would much prefer to be using guaranteed really pure water.
So we installed the Aquasana Whole House water system. It took 1.5 hours of a plumber’s time. He turned his nose up at the standard plastic bypass piping provided by the company, and put in copper tubing with valves which allow one to turn off the water if you want to change the pre-filters or the whole house cartridge. Overall the system won our plumber’s approval and he said given our consumption it would last several years before needing replacing. However, what he did not anticipate and what I discovered a month later is the pre-filter already looks totally disgusting, and I need to get some extra pre-filters to have on hand to replace. I was simply amazed at the amount of sediment collecting in our pre-filter given that our pipes are brand new. Seeing is believing, and now I am convinced. All I have to do is train my husband not to buy any more expensive bottled water. Our savings in bottled water should pay for this filter in no time, and I no longer have to keep track of the life of under counter filters or shower filter life – one less thing to worry about.
Testing A New Value Priced Steam Cleaner – Li’l Bug 1500 By Mercia Tapping
Steam cleaning is one of the best cleaning appliance inventions in the past few years, and I have written about it extensively in previous articles and newsletters. Unfortunately, it is not a trivial expense; most of the better quality continuous fill steam cleaners come in at over $1000. So with that in mind, I was delighted to learn that the same factory that produced the five star LadyBug vapor steam cleaners had come out with a less expensive model called the Li’l Bug 1500, and it uses the same accessory tools as its more expensive siblings.
Much of the effectiveness of steam cleaning comes from the quality of the tools, the other comes from the temperature of the steam at the tip and the consistent delivery of steam at the right temperature and pressure. The other factor is the longevity of the machine. Keep in mind that the ones advertised on TV break down as soon as you look at them. The Li’L Bug did not disappoint and my home smelled wonderfully clean afterwards. Here is a summary of the chores I tackled and the results.
Pluses
My worst challenge was cleaning rugs or upholstery after one of my Siamese cats had some digestive problems before the vet got it under control. I will spare you the gory details but I was quite distressed at the extent of the problem. Soap and water had not even approached reaching an acceptable solution. Using a pre-spray of Formula 212 stain remover and then rubbing gently with a triangle brush certainly got rid of all odor and most, but not all the stain on first round of cleaning. I think I will get nearly all of it out on a second go around, but I am not a very patient person and there was a lot of other cleaning chores ahead.- The bathroom and kitchen tiling was where the Li’l Bug steam cleaner came into its own. Little stains on the grout came off easily with a small round brush and tile floors really came up like new. The cats’ bathroom no longer looked unsanitary and everything smelled so wonderfully pure and clean.
- I have been giving my cat his medicine (which is very sticky) on the kitchen counter top and despite efforts to clean off the sticky residue, the counter top wasn’t as clean as I would like. One going over with a steam cleaner and I could feel the counter silky smooth and
clean beneath my touch. - Husbands, cats, and kids all produce dirt and stains, and my husband is a the age when he visits the bathroom in the middle of the night but does not turn on the light so as not to disturb me. The results greet me when it is time to clean and the Li’l Bug gives a satisfying sanitary clean up of all the unmentionables. I use a separate set of tools for sanitary purposes, and just spray with a small brush and wipe dry with a towel.
- We had a second refrigerator in the garage which had some mold inside and the odor was terrible. We wanted to put the refrigerator back into use for storage of cold drinks before a summer party. The large triangle brush and a nice clean towel tackled this disgusting task in record time, and the refrigerator is now restored to its former glory and is keeping dozens of drinks cold during these last hot and humid days of summer.
- Using a steam cleaner on a sealed pre-finished wood floor is not recommended by floor manufacturers who say to avoid wet mopping it. However, as a practiced steam cleaner user, I double wrapped a towel around a floor brush and lightly whipped around acres of wood flooring, with any dampness drying in seconds – the hallmark of a good steam cleaner. For this task I confess I would have liked to have used a Ladybug XL steam cleaner which delivers the driest steam and has a pressure gauge, but I breezed my way very successfully through this chore with no damage to the floor. This should not be the first ever steam cleaner chore you try.
- I was having trouble cleaning my microwave oven and the usual spray cleaners were just not working, and lots of food particles were still stuck to the interior of the oven. A small brush with no towel, and a separate towel to mop dry, handled this chore with a pleasing result to even the cleaning obsessed.
Minuses
- I have 3M tinted windows for UV filtration. The filtration company could not guarantee that the hot steam temperature would not damage the film, so windows need to be cleaned the old fashioned way. A limited problem for some.
- Having been a user of steam cleaners for a while now, I missed the pressure gauge found in other LadyBug models which tells you when the machine is working at optimal steam pressure. A gauge ensures you are not wasting your time cleaning when the steam which is not at its peak. The other added benefit of a pressure gauge is one of safety, as it tells you if you are in the overheated zone- apparently this is a very rare occurrence but it is a feature in steam cleaners that gives me peace of mind.
- Since I did not conduct protracted cleaning sessions (mostly an hour or so at a time) as I tend not to devote whole days to cleaning, I did not miss the continuous fill advantage of the LadyBug line. However, I can easily foresee when that would not be the case, and waiting for this machine to cool down and then heat up again[figure on an hour's interruption] would be irritating. SummaryI think this is a very welcome addition to our vapor steam cleaner line as the Li’l Bug gives a great deal of what the average person needs for a steam cleaner, with its great tools and affordable price. If you clean for a number of hours at a time, we suggest looking at the complete Ladybug line steam cleaners and if you are trying to achieve a very high level of sanitation and germ removal or infection control, the Ladybug TANCS would be a better bet. However, for the rest of us, the Li’l Bug goes a very long way.
In Praise Of Organic Towels By Mercia Tapping
Having found that our new organic line of towels are the softest towels I have ever encountered, I have been quietly putting them at the end of the master bathroom in an inconvenient place and our other (new and expensive towels) handy for my husband to reach out and use after a shower. However, the man is no dummy and he has discovered how soft and absorbent these 100% organic cotton towels are, so now when I go to shower I find a damp towel awaiting me! New! Organic Cotton Towels
I have also discovered another use for them. During very hot days on the golf course, when quite frankly we have been perspiring like a faucet, regular golf towels feel very scratchy, nonabsorbent and unkind to the face. Taking one of the smaller organic towels with us golfing, is a real luxury and helps my face not to feel so beat up by the end of a hot round of golf. This of course would be the same for any sport where constant perspiration is supposedly part of the fun.
One More Time About Royal Pedic Mattresses And Bed Sets By Mercia Tapping
I have written extensively about the Royal Pedic Latex Beds in previous issues of this newsletter but I have to tell you all once again, that despite being expensive, I think that these beds are worth every penny. I say this every time I have been away on a trip, slept in regular beds – or at least tried to sleep is more like it, and woken up full of aches and pains. Then on returning home, I find the aches and pains lessen significantly over the following few days, and I realize that spending money on a good bed is not such an extravagance if it actually improves the quality of one’s sleep. Royal Pedic Latex Beds
We also did a “bed test” the other day when a bunch of people came over to visit my house. None of the beds were exactly cheap and cheerful, but the Royal Pedic mattress won hands down for overall comfort. The votes were not even close, and the memory foam that my guests need to endure in my guest room, felt like an unsupportive rock by comparison to the Royal Pedic Latex bed with its separate pillow top pad.
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