reviewing febreeze and mr. clean

Stay tuned for some contest info at the end of this post.

A little while ago I received some Mr. Clean and Febreeze products to try out in return for some honest feedback. So we've had them in the house and I've been testing them out and here's what I think.

While I would prefer these to be green products I did understand when I agreed to take on this project that they were not (although they are phosphate free). I have tried a good many green products, but sometimes I just need a heavy duty cleaner. Case in point, I have yet to find a green toilet bowl cleaner that can measure up to my regular non-green bowl cleaner. On the other hand I have finally found a biodegradable fabric softener that I love. All this to say -- in the words of everybody's favourite little frog -- it ain't easy being green.

Tonight Abby got sick and without going into too much detail she didn't quite make it to the bathroom. She made it within 6 inches of the toilet, but that really wasn't close enough. So now I had a sick little girl on the couch and a mess I could really do without to clean up in the bathroom. The Mr. Clean Extra Power Wipes were a huge help with that project. In no time I had the bathroom cleaned and disinfected and my attention back to the little girl who needed it. I don't use these wipes often, but I find them extremely helpful for situations just like these.

And from the Febreeze camp a little spray of The Air Effects Hawaiian Aloha (there is also a scent inspired by Morocco & Brazil) took care of that lingering odour in the bathroom. The sprays aren't something I use a lot of either, but lets be honest there are times when you need your bathroom to smell -- not like a bathroom.

Now the multi surface spray I like, but it's not exactly setting the world on fire. I mean it's an all purpose spray cleaner. It does what it promises to do. I do find the scent (lavender vanilla) to be overpowering for me. I much prefer the scent (meadows & rain) of the all purpose cleaner in the bottle. I've used it for mopping my floors and was happy with the results, but my green cleaner performs the same, so I'll likely stick with it.

I also tried out the magic eraser. Again not something I use often, but it's great for tackling Maya's artwork on the walls. Which thankfully seems be an urge she's outgrowing. It was also helpful in cleaning up the outdoor toys for spring. Why do they make outside toys out of that heavily textured plastic? A magic eraser definitely makes the job a lot easier.

And now some fun stuff...

Have you heard of a staycation? With the economy being what it is people are opting to spend their vacations *staying* close to home. Febreeze is holding a Staycation to Vacation Sweepstakes. The grand prize being a trip for 4 to one of the Destination Collection inspired locations (Hawaii, Brazil or Morocco) plus $1,000 USD in spending money. There is also 10 prizes of $1,000 USD towards home decor makeover inspired by one of the Destination Collection locations. And 70 weekly prizes of a Destination Collection product. This contest is open to residents of Canada and the US. You can enter here.

This one is for us Canucks -- well our community centres actually. P&G would like to send a team of professional cleaners and a 3 month supply of cleaning products to help get our community centres ready for the busy spring/summer season. The contest is running until May 30 and residents are being called on to vote for the community centre of their choice. In addition P&G will donate $100 worth of cleaning products to all centres participating. Check out Simply Clean Communities Challenge for more info.

And on a totally unrelated topic -- Wednesday May 13th will find butcher attired President's Choice Street teams handing out free exchange coupons (max. value $10) from 4pm - 6 pm at the busiest commuter transit hubs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax and Calgary.

and now you know