All The Cleaning Things Part Four

I have yet another bunch of cleaning stuff. I love trying new cleaning things- mostly because of scent. But also I don't love spending a ton of time cleaning and having effective products and techniques makes it much less of a chore. Use the wrong product and you can be spending hours doing something you would have done in minutes. 

 Arm and Hammer Pet Fresh Carpet Odor Eliminator/ Fresh Scentsations Island Mist/Extra Strength 

I don't have pets but I figured I could use this to refresh my carpet/couch etc. It's basically just scented baking soda. Very strong scent. I really like it. From there I tried it for other things- deodorizing the drains, cleaning the toilet (love it for that, makes the whole bathroom smell FRESH), scrubbing the shower. There are probably endless uses. Of course regular old baking soda does the same thing but if you want something scented- try this! 

I also picked up the Island Mist scent. Use it for basically the same thing. Some carpet refresh scents are horrible- this one is so nice and lingers around the bathroom when I clean with it. It just has nice notes of coconut and smells like a tropical vacation in the best cleaning product type of way.

And last up also went through a box of the Extra Strength. Really you just can't go wrong with any of these. They all work really well and I like the scents 

 

Palmolive Oxy Dish Liquid

I like this...it's not as good as Dawn for cutting grease but it's probably most comparable. And it almost smells good. There is just something slightly off about the scent- like citrus or something. But mostly it smells pretty nice. I like using this one to make DIY cleaners, clean up the bathroom, etc. Dish soap does a lot of things and this is a good one. I like that it has Oxy - I like Oxygen powder in laundry so why not dish soap? 

Somat Gold Dishwashing Tabs

These are fine. They don't leave a strong scent in the dishwasher, I think they are unscented which I like. They do an OK job. I'm not overly impressed with them...but they are OK. Every now and again I find a dish that could be cleaner- maybe it's user error or maybe it's the dishwasher. But yeah--it's OK. The packaging will be easy to recycle once they are gone.

Dawn Antibacterial Liquid Dish Soap in Apple Blossom 

The arguments about whether this is dish soap or hand soap send me. This is dish soap that you can use to wash your hands- and when you do it is anti-bacterial for your hands. Dawn is the best dish soap but I feel in the last couple years they have watered it down. It's not as good as it used to be. This is just ok. It has an apple scent to it- better than the original Dawn scent but I barely notice it when I do the dishes anyway. It's ok. Probably would not buy it again. It takes some time to cut the grease on dishes...I notice I have to wash some over and over again. 

Respekt Dishwashing Tabs

Thought I would try a dishwasher tab that is better for the environment. I can't find the site so I don't really know all the claims. But I can tell you these are trash- they do not work. I am rerunning my dishwasher because all my dishes are still dirty. You have to wash your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher if you want them to come out clean. The only thing I like about these are the dishes don'e come out strongly scented or tasting of cleaner. Would never buy this again though...

I've talked about the Method All purpose cleaning sprays before but had to take a second to mention my favorite scent- the Lime and Sea Salt. I had to order this because I haven't found it available locally. It's so good! It's the one that I will spray anything down just to smell! It also cleans pretty well too. I just wish they would make it available in the refill form to save on plastic. 

Ariel is basically Tide for Europe. These smell nice and clean OK. You can't dose properly though so if you are washing a small load you have no choice but to use a whole pod. Can be a little wasteful. If you are washing a large load you would then need to use two- which can get pretty pricey. They do save on plastic packaging though I have read conflicting info on if the pod part really breaks down in water. Smells pretty fresh and doesn't live an overwhelming scent on clothes which I prefer. 

Dr. Beckman Magic Leaves Cotton Flower Sensitive

These don't work well in the machine. I had them before in another scent. They work better for handwashing which I do for some of the clothes I have. It says it isn't suitable for wool or silk though- which is interesting to note as that it usually what you would hand wash. I did really like these for travel though...sometimes I like to hand wash certain things rather than traveling with dirty clothes all week and these are handy because you just break off a piece and use it. It's also easy to adjust how much you use too! I wouldn't buy them again but I will reach for them only when I am handwashing...or if I am washing a small load as long as I have oxi-clean to add to it to do the actual cleaning. They also smell really nice! 

All The Cleaning Things Part Three

 Back again to review some household essentials. I probably like trying new cleaning things almost as much as I like trying new make up. Odd.

 

Joy Dishsoap- This was the dish soap my family bought when I was growing up....but they stopped buying it. Not sure why. Apparently they bought it because it was cheap. I remember washing dishes with it in middle school. It really doesn't have much lemon scent...if you smell it directly from the bottle it does. But I don't smell anything when washing dishes. Which can be good because that means no particular scent will stick to the dishes. I like it better than all the Ajax dish soap I tried before this one. It works decently. It's not very concentrated but I don't feel it's as watery as some other dish soaps. It's OK for DIY cleaners and ok overall.  That's the bottle I remember...

Palmolive Ultra Anti-Bacterial Soap- We stay going through dish soap around here...I thought I didn't like Palmolive but it is so much better than all the Ajax I was using and has a nice citrus scent. I wouldn't say it's like a true orange but it does smell very juicy and good. It also cleans dishes pretty well and isn't watered down. So it seems to last. It does OK in DIY cleaner mixes too! Dawn is still the best but this can work in a pinch. And it doesn't mess up my hands!

Gain Honey Berry Hula Dishwashing Liquid

This has a nice smell- kinda like anything blue marketed at kids. Kids shampoo, soap etc. The scent isn't strong and I don't notice it too much when washing dishes. I do really like the original Gain scent though, especially the laundry detergent. It falls under the same company as Dawn but isn't anywhere near as good as Dawn. It is watered down like Ajax so the bubbles don't last. I am going through this family size bottle pretty quickly. And it doesn't clean off grease very well. Wouldn't buy this again.

I'm looking for an earth friendly alternative to all the sponges and Scrub Daddy/Mommy sponges-although at least the Scrub Mommy's last ages when used for cleaning. In the meantime, thought I would give these a go. These are actually pretty good and seem to be lasting me just as long if not longer than the Scrunge- which was my preferred sponge before. I think I like these slightly more, the scrubby part doesn't just wear off in bits and pieces. They are made in Canada.

Fabuloso

There was a point as a kid where my Mom always had a bottle of this. I thought this was supposed to be an actual representation of Lavender. I hate this scent. I really do. I wonder if the other scents are as bad as this? I know some people really love it though! Anyway...I never liked it as a kid because it never really seemed to clean. I mostly used it to clean my own bathroom and it just didn't get off the stubborn soap scum. Same thing for the bottom of my shower. It doesn't get clean. Nor the shower doors- they get all streaky. It does do well in the sink. But that's not hard to clean. I refuse to use it in the kitchen- nor would I do all my floors with it because I don't want to scent hanging around. So I mostly use it to clean the toilet. It does ok with that. I was kinda surprised the bottle states not to spray it and before I read that I did make a few spray bottles out of it. But I guess inhaling it isn't good. I've seen people simmer this on the stove which is pure insanity and probably toxic. Yikes! Anyway, I might try another scent but the Lavender is not for me. It is very strong though so it will overtake any stinky odors hanging about.

Hero Clean Laundry Detergent Scent 1 (Juniper)

I have this because I found it in my garage. My Dad left it here...I'm guessing he never used it. Probably bought it to use to wash his car cleaning stuff. I thought I read this brand was veteran owned but I can't seem to find that anywhere. It is a detergent for men. But scents don't linger in clothes too long anyway. But I don't like the scent. And I don't like the scent left on my clothes when I sniff either. Leaves clothes a little stiff too when I line dry them. But it seems to clean pretty well. Still not something I would buy again. 

Ajax

Such an old school product. I love watching old commercials so I definitely watched quite a few for these. It works...and it works well. And things will get extra clean because it has bleach. I like it on the sink, in the toilet. And surprisingly really like it on a glass cooktop. You can use it on pots and pans- I haven't tried it that way. Maybe I'll give it a go on my cast iron. It's really easy to clean and I don't have issues with the bleach splashing around. Rinses clean. Only thing I wasn't a fan of it on was the shower doors because it didn't quite rinse clean without streaks. It does turn blue as you scrub for some reason. I don't get the point of that...but OK. I like it. Would buy it again, especially as a cost effective toilet bowl scrub. 

Dr. Beckman Magic Leaves in Floral Fresh

These are a cool concept...but they don't work. Only use these if you want your clothes to come out the the wash smelling how they went in. I will probably use the rest to throw in with a different detergent that actually works....Not even good for a hand washing clothes.

Febreze AIR Gain Original Scen/Febreze Amethyst Blossom

I used a lot of Febreze in college in my dorm room...haven't bought one of their air fresheners in years. Usually I throw something together with my essential oils. But this is nice to have around. I like the Gain scent and it comes in a lot of products these days .It's just the best laundry scent.  

I also bought a Febreze fabric spray as well. Just to use on the couch, curtains etc. I like the Amethyst scent. It's the equivalent of a Downy scent- although I don't know which. I would buy it again. I have made my own fabric spray from essential oils and that works well too....but sometimes it's nice to not have to mix something up. 

Palmolive Aloe and Citrus Dish Soap

I like Palmolive. But this seems like a product you buy for the scent- except I don't like the scent much. It reminds me a freshly remodeled bathroom. It smells like grout. Not bad- but not that nice either. It cleans dishes decently well though and doesn't tear up my hands. 

That's all! So many cleaning things I've test out...and no doubt in a few months I'll be back with a bunch more stuff! 

Capri Blue Volcano Multi-Surface Cleaner Review

 I'm on the last season of A Different World. How sad. I want more Duane and Whitley. Although I can see the arguments for Whitley ending up Byron. He made her a better person. But I love seeing Duane take charge of Whitley. I think they were really good together.

This one had me at a minute and 29 seconds in. 😍

And I just love the other characters- especially Kim. I think she's my favorite of the whole show.  And Ron is a little cutie. 

But let me stop talking A Different World cause I would be here all night. Back to the cleaning.

Capri Blue claims:

Don't stress the mess and get to work, honey! This Volcano Multi-Surface Cleaner is formulated with grapefruit essential oil to pump up your daily cleaning needs while infusing your fav fragrance into those pesky chores!

Non-toxic. Vegan formula. Cruelty-Free. Formulated without gluten, parabens, sulfates and phthalates. No synthetic colors.

I'm definitely done with the Capri Blue Candles. I don't think I'll buy another one for at least a year. But I am still curious about their other stuff. Especially their cleaning stuff. I liked their dryer balls and the drops well enough. I bought this spray around the same time. Mostly I wanted the glass bottle. The fact that it came with product in it was a bonus. I also know I bought it on sale. So I didn't pay full price. But then again, I never do! I did see that they changed the packaging to plastic now though. 

It smells exactly like the Volcano scent that you get in the candle. I like to point that out because I bought the soap and it smelled different but not in a good way. This is juicy, sweet, bright, happy, and citrus-y. It smells really nice and the candle is the perfect daytime scent. 

So this smells exactly like it. It doesn't linger excessively though. Maybe 30 minutes to an hour. 

The first couple of times I used it, I was convinced it didn't work. But I was being very stingy with it. It's expensive and I had that in my mind so I would do one spray and then get to cleaning. Eventually I realized I needed to be as liberal as I am with my other cleaning products. And now that I use it as I use my other stuff- it works quite well. Leaves everything sparkly clean-bathroom sink, glass shower doors, kitchen counters etc. Fixtures are shiny. It doesn't disinfect or claim to kill germs- it's just a cleaner. Which is fine with me for most things. 

I am still quite stingy with it in that I don't grab it for everything. I use my DIY cleaners for most stuff. But when I feel like using something that will add a pleasant scent- I grab for this! 

I don't really harp on the ingredients in cleaners- but interesting to note this actually contains essential oils. 

Ingredients:

Water/Aqua/Eau, Parfum/Fragrance, Cocamidopropylamine Oxide, Capryl/Decyl Glucoside, Deceth-5, Saccharomyces Ferment, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Citrus Tangerina (Tangerine) Peel Oil, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil, PPG-6-Laureth-3, Sodium Citrate, Diethyl Hexyl Adipate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

I really like it. It's an expensive cleaning spray. But if you feel like splurging and you like the Volcano scent it could be worth it. 

It does come in a concentrate/refill. I do plan on picking that up and giving it a go sometime in the future. I do wish they would do smaller refills in glass bottles that you add water to. They also have wipes- I probably wouldn't pick it up though because they aren't compostable and don't disinfect. 

All the Cleaning Things-Fave Products and Reviews Part II

I'm still addicted to buying cleaning stuff. I have to stop myself from just buying things constantly which I've been pretty good at because the cabinet is full. But most of it was stuff my parents left here and I am just trying to use everything up.  Here's the next iteration of cleaning stuff I have been using...

 

I bought this for move in cleaning. I have a lot of cleaners but none of them disinfect or sanitize. I don't use a disinfectant or sanitizer on a daily basis unless needed or for especially dirty or grimy jobs. Or when I am cleaning light switches etc.  But when you are moving into a place..you want to make sure everything is clean, clean . This get's the job done. Taps sparkles, grime, oil, grease and dirt break down...this is a good product. But I wouldn't purchase it over my Method spray unless I needed the disinfectant part. This is also super cost effective. Diluting it means this bottle will last forever! The only reason I used some of it so quickly is because I poured more than needed to mop. It still does work well diluted but some things you will want to use it extra strength. I don't usually like to use it in the kitchen because you do need to rinse it when you use it on food surfaces and I don't do that most of the time. The scent is Sparkling Lemon and Sunflower Essence. Whatever that is. It just smells like any old Lemon cleaner. I'm not really a fan of the lemon cleaning product scent-so I would buy this again but not in this scent.

Comet Lemon Fresh

Comet is such an old school brand. I grew up cleaning the bathroom with Comet. It came out in 1956 and I love watching the old commercials for it. It's definitely not the same formula though. This one has bleach. I don't usually like cleaning with bleach because it gives me a headache so I usually mask up when I use it. I've tried it for a lot of different things- I don't really love it in the kitchen but it did remove grease very well when I fried chicken a few months ago. I mostly use it in the toilet. And occasionally on the sink- it cleans the sink until it sparkles. Faucet included! I don't like it in my shower because I feel like I inhale too much bleach. It does have a slight lemon scent- artificial lemon. I don't know how it compares to the OG. But it does work well. 

Ajax Triple Action Orange Dish Soap/Lime and Vinegar/ Lemon Dish Soap

Very watered down and it goes fast. I don't remember ever using Ajax dish soap. It could do better with greasy dishes as well. It will eventually get the grease but you have to wash whatever you are cleaning multiple times. I thought it would have a nice fruity orange scent but it just smells like lemon cleaning stuff. I do like it to mix in with Vinegar/Water  or just water to make an all purpose cleaning spray. I don't notice any difference between Dawn and this when I do that. The lime and vinegar is pretty much the same, watery and takes a lot of get things clean. I will say I think it does clean slightly better than the Orange one but the scent could be better. The lemon is maybe the best smelling. Still super water-y so the bottle goes quickly but does seem to get rid of grease when you use a ton. I don't think I would buy these again though. 

And last up, dishwasher pods. Cascade Platinum in Fresh scent. I like to wash most dishes in the dishwasher. I run it about 2x a week so pods will last almost forever, which is good because these are a bit on the pricier side. We usually used the German ones but I just picked these up because I was running out and this is what they had in the store I was in. They get everyday dishes and the dishwasher sparkling clean. They are also easy because you don't need any rinse aides or salts. It's all in one. It's not a miracle though so if you have a burned on stuck on mess, and I mean really burnt on- it won't get it. But for most things- it works great. I want to try the regular pods to see if they work just as well for less money- so that's what I'll buy next. Oh..one more thing! I don't like it on silicone dishes because it makes them taste funny. So I can't wash spatulas in the dishwasher with these. I would also rather an unscented product- it has a very strong "lemon" cleaning product scent. 

Frosch Citrus Washing Machine Cleaner- I bought a combination washer/dryer so I need to be sure to take extra care of it as I don't want any problems with it. On my machine you are supposed to clean the drum every thirty cycles. So far, I've been on top of it! Yay me. Anyway, this worked fine. I think the one I got prior was a little better- the drum came out a bit shinier and there was less stuff I needed to wipe off the door afterwards. I would probably try other less expensive brands and cycle back to this one eventually.. This one does say citrus but it didn't have smell...

Was a bit late for the next washing machine clean- I picked this one up which is on the pricier side. De. Beckman. I don't think I've tried much from him...this does have a smell but once you dump it in the machine and turn it on- it's really nothing. I guess it did a good job- everything was sparkling except the drum door which I always have to wipe all dust and lint off of. It worked but I am going to see if the cheaper ones do the job just as well.....

The Pink Stuff Miracle All Purpose Cleaner Review 

I really like the paste so I figured I would give the spray a try. And I really like it. It smells like Rhubarb. I had a few Bath and Body stuff and this smells so much like those products. So I definitely like the scent. And it cleans very well. The hardest thing to clean in my place are the glass shower doors....(and oven but I didn't use it in there). This works well and makes everything all shiny, sparkly,  and clean. I like it. I just wish they would make refill bottles that you can add water to. Save some plastic. 

Calgon 4 in 1 Power Gel 

I don't know if this makes a difference- the water is a bit hard here. But not as terrible as some places. I  bought this so I don't have to run the cycle to clean the machine so often. That's probably not a good idea. But it's what I've been doing. I don't see any results but it' supposed to soften the water and boost cleaning while cleaning out hard water deposits and keeping the washing machine fresh. I have never had a smelly machine but I let the machine dry out after I use it. Maybe I would pick it up again? It does smell really fresh though. But doesn't leave any scent in the clothes. 

That's it for now, I'll probably be back with another in a few months though! 

All the Cleaning Things....(Fave Products and Reviews)

 Confession Time: I love cleaning products. So I thought I would make a post on all my faves and some I am just trying out. I can pinpoint the exact time I started loving cleaning stuff- Back in 2017 I had my own apartment in Maryland and needed something to clean the granite countertops in my kitchen. I remember seeing the colorful Method products in Target and really wanted to get one to try out but for some reason I didn't. I think I thought because they had such fun scents and colors they wouldn't work. Then one day I went home with the Lime and Sea Salt. The scent of that had me cleaning things that were already clean just so I could smell it. It smelled that good. 

And so it began...

Now I've amassed a few things I thought I would give a quick review on. 

Starting with the Dyson. I bought the Dyson V10. I love it! It makes giving the floors a quick vacuum so easy. No having to lug out a heavy vacuum and plug it in or wrap of the cord later on. Also living on three floors and doing the stairs used to be a massive pain but with this cordless vacuum it makes doing the stairs a breeze. It comes with helpful attachments so you have something to suck up dust on baseboards or you can even use it as a car vacuum. I love it! I use it allll the time. It was expensive...but worth it? Kinda. Idk there are cheaper one's out now but I went with this one because if/when I go back stateside I can just buy a US charger for it and keep it pushing....

Then I bought the spin mop. I downloaded Tik Tok and was hooked on "Cleantok" for a minute. I have since deleted the app because it was sucking up my life..but not before it influenced me to buy a few things. I bought the Rinse Clean version of the Spin Mop because a clean bucket of water is key to actually cleaning the floor. Before the sink was my mop bucket and and I would rinse the mop every few passes with fresh water. It took more time and could be annoying if mopping a large area. This makes mopping fast and fun! I love it, I think it expensive but kinda worth it...I first tried the steam mop but I didn't really like it all that much so I ended up returning it. 

Next up, the Method All purpose cleaner. I can usually only get my hands on the Lavender and the Grapefruit but the Lime and Sea Salt is hands down my favorite. I have purchased the Lavender about a billion times...and the Grapefruit. I love them for almost everything except the bathroom sink and toilet. I feel they can be a bit "sticky" in those areas. But everywhere else...I'm busting out the Method. The grapefruit is especially nice in the kitchen. It smells like a grapefruit tea, The Lavender is also very nice and doesn't smell synthetic. I like using it in my room and it even works very well on glass. I have tried a few other Method cleaners like the Glass cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, and bathroom cleaner but I can't remember what I thought of them except that they all smelled oddly minty. I do have a container of the wipes because they are supposedly compostable. I kinda hoard them and barely use them because they smell so nice! I plan to buy the refill bottles (they don't sell the Lime Sea Salt on Amazon though!) and hope they continue to push the refill more to save the world some plastic. 

As seen on Tik Tok, I bought The Pink Stuff. And I love it! It's great for the oven glass door, cleaning shower doors and tiles, toaster ovens, sinks, glass cooktops etc. And it smells really nice and light/fruity. I want to try more of the line...I just wish it was as cheap as it was in the UK! 

I'm a little bit obsessed with Dawn Powerwash. It works great for cleaning the bathroom, rims, and probably a ton of other things too. I mostly use it in the bathroom though. I do keep one in the kitchen to clean up stuck on food. I even bought the Gain version which isn't bad if you like the smell of Gain. I used to be obsessed with it!  I think I like the Dawn version better though. I even make the DIY refills and I like that a lot too. Now that I have enough of the bottles with the spray nozzles I am only going to buy the refills now...which I have to order because my closest store does not stock the refills....😩

Chlorox Toilet wands are something I feel a bit bad about buying because I thought the scrubby part was biodegradable or more earth friendly when I bought it but they aren't. It's not even really wallet friendly. But I tend to re-use the brush part a few times and keep it in a plastic tub until I am ready to toss it out. I may try out the silicone toilet brush one of these days when I get tired of purchasing these refills that keep going up and up in price. But I do like them...they get the toiler sparkling clean and you don't have to keep the same nasty toilet brush for too long. Update- Went back to traditional- then cost adds up and the plastic clip broke off. I didn’t want to spend the money on another cheapie plastic wand that might break. 

Next up, I want to try more of the German cleaning stuff. I usually stick to American stuff. I will sometimes use baking soda and essential oils or vinegar and dish soap in the toilet. Cause that's the cheapest. But sometimes I buy specific toilet bowl cleaner. Sometimes you want a gel to stick to the sides. This is kinda thin and runny. But it does work. I bought another brand because it was Jasmine scented and it smelled amazing but cleaned nothing. This has a nice fruity smell and seems to go a great job! 

And last up...Scrub Mommy. I have one for the kitchen and one for the bathroom. I wish they were more environemtal friendly...but they do work so well! I love the scrubby end...and I love the foam part that does a great job mopping up the messes or cleaning product. I will probably keep them to send back to the company to recycle as mine get worn out. I also love the brand because they sponsor a lot of people that clean up the nastiest homes you could ever see on youtube. 

I'll probably post another round of products in a few months because I didn't get to everything in my cleaning arsenal. I have a few things for the next post. I also mostly  DIY a lot with essential oils, baking soda, vinegar, rubbing alcohol and dish soap because it makes cleaning super cheap but I do also like buying stuff sometimes too...