Better Life {Clean Happens} Camping kit review and #GIVEAWAY

I Soooo LOVE to clean my house! Ok, I soooo love to have a clean house lol! I don't mind cleaning my home in fact I rather enjoy it, but it has to be at nap time or in the evening when my littles are not underfoot. You know, you just spent 30 minutes folding laundry, go pee, come back and the laundry baskets are dumped and the littles are wallowing in the piles!! Yeah, not fun! But hey, they won't do this forever and I've learned to love every minute of it.
My boys play hard! We are always outside for at least 20 minutes every day! If we are not using the kiddie pool, slip and slide, or running through the sprinklers, you can find us at the local park!
My boys tromp through the house with wet grassy feet and then decide to play tag! You know, constantly cleaning! There was a framed picture hanging up in our home that read "cleaning the house while children are growing is like shovelling the walk while its still snowing." I never really understood that until I had littles of my own!
Recently I was given the opportunity to work with the kind folks over at Better Life! They sent me their floor care kit for review and I gave one away as well! You can read that review HERE!
I loved the floor care kit so much that I reached out to Better Life again and this time I was sent the camping kit for my review!

This is what I received:

This kit comes with the following:

32 oz. "What-EVER"! Which is their all-purpose unscented cleaner!
32 oz. "I Can See Clearly, WOW!" Which is their window and glass cleaner!
22 oz "Dish It Out" unscented dish liquid!
16 oz "Even The Kitchen Sink" unscented cleansing scrubber!
Scrubbing microfiber cloth
Six Compartment Caddy

I could not wait to try these products out!
So I set forth on a mission to find all things that needed cleaning! Mind you I didn't have to look very far! Since I had just finished lunch I decided to tackle the stove!

Before:

A couple sprays of the What-EVER!

Awesome!! This stuff is so great! It works so well too, oh and did I mention that it's all natural and non-toxic??
Since I was in the kitchen I decided to clean the kitchen sink. Yes, stainless steel, and I used the "even the Kitchen Sink" scrubbing cream!

Before:

 I decided to do half of the circle around the garbage disposal to see the difference.

After applying the cream I used an old toothbrush to really get in there and get out all that grime:

 A quick rinse and the difference is crystal clear!

Then I got excited and went to town on the whole kitchen caboodle!

 The finished product!

These products are really effective, safe for your family, pets, the environment and just plain AWESOME!! Did I mention how affordable they are as well? The above camping kit only costs $29.99 and you get free shipping on orders over $25.00!!
I use the what EVER after every single meal on our table, just one squirt and wipe away. It works great on counter tops and even grills! Yes, I used it to clean our gas grill, but forgot to take pics, so you'll just have to take me at my word on how well the what EVER removed black sticky soot from the grill!
I really like to use even the kitchen sink in the toilets. I spray the outside and lids of toilets with the what EVER and then use the cleansing scrubber cream of even the kitchen sink on the inside of the bowl. Really gets the toilet clean! With 3 guys in this house and 3 toilets, you know I'm always spraying and a wiping! Ok, maybe that's tmi!?
Moving right along! The Dish it out dish liquid is awesome! It really breaks through the greasiest of dishes and leaves them sparkling clean. I do dishes without gloves and I must say this product does not dry my hands, but instead leaves them feeling a bit soft and moisturized! Perhaps that's because it's infused with vitamin E and Aloe to nourish your hands!
Lastly, I used I Can See Clearly wow paired with the scrubbing microfiber cloth with the I can see clearly wow glass cleaner!
You can see the results clearly for yourself:

Before:

 After:

You can't really tell from the pics but there is a beautiful streak-free shine! I really LOVE all their products! I'm eager to try them all, and if I'm lucky maybe I will :)
Here is an interesting chart I found on Better Life's Website detailing the ingredients in their products as compared to other brands:

Many of us are concerned with the below ingredients commonly found in cleaning products.
At Better Life, we hold ourselves to the highest standards and keep these ingredients out of our products.

	Possible Concerns	Method bathroom cleaner1	Mrs. Meyers all purpose cleaner2 (lemon verbena)	Green Works all purpose cleaner3	Seventh Generation disinfecting multisurface4 (green mandarin & leaf)	BETTER LIFE all purpose what-EVER! (clary sage &citrus)
Dyes	Have been linked to cancer, can be toxic to animals, slow to biodegrade.			X		NONE
Alcohol	Respiratory and skin irritant, flammable, can act as an aggressive solvent which may damage surfaces in the home.	X		X		NONE
Synthetic Fragrance	Central nervous system depressant, respiratory and skin irritant, slow to biodegrade, toxic.	X	X	X		NONE
Sulfates (such as SLS & SLES) and/or sulfanates	Irritating to skin and eyes, may contain 1,4-Dioxane.		X		X	NONE
Ethoxylates (Petroleum Based Cleaning Agents)	Ethylene oxide/petroleum based, may contain1,4-Dioxane, many pose threat to marine life, linked to cancer and sterility.	X	X			NONE
Petrochemical Solvents	Petroleum based, many are respiratory and skin irritants, toxic, may damage surfaces in the home.	X				NONE

¹As published on http://methodhome.com - 10/3/2011²As published on http://www.mrsmeyers.com - 10/3/2011³As published on http://www.greenworkscleaners.com - 10/3/2011⁴As published on http://www.seventhgeneration.com - 10/3/2011

I am trying to use the most effective, yet safe cleaning products in our home. I think I have just found my new favorite!
Better Life products are free from petroleum derived ingredients, ethoxylates, Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Fragrances/perfume, dyes/color!!
Have you tried Better Life cleaning products yet? What are you waiting for?
You can find a list of the products offered by better life here! You don't have to purchase a kit (however purchasing a kit does save money). They even have a New Baby Essentials Kit that would make the perfect baby shower present!
The awesome folks over at Better Life have offered an awesome giveaway along with this review! One of you will win either a Starter Kit with Microfiber Cloths (retail value of $48.00) OR a Starter Kit with Twist Sponges (retail value of $44.00) Both kits are currently on sale for only $37.49 with free shipping!!!
To enter, simply fill out the rafflecopter form below. You may have to click on 'read more' for the form to completely load!

Good luck, have fun and Happy Cleaning!!

~Mama of the Littles~

Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above in exchange for my review. This review is my honest opinion based on my own personal experience, and may differ from yours. I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this review!

Better Life {Clean Happens} Floor Care Kit Review and #GIVEAWAY {US only}

I LOVE our new home. It is a lot bigger than our old one, and we own it, as opposed to living on a military installation! Being that it's bigger, that means more for me to clean! I don't mind one bit though. It's nice to actually have a craft room, and the 'bonus room' above the garage (which is now known as the guest bedroom/play room)!
The one thing different in this home than in any other home that we have lived in is that it has hardwood floors! I was really unsure of how to care for hardwood floors. I mean, with two (very active and messy) boys, a yellow lab, and a cat.... in our old home (which was mostly carpet and laminate) I was vacuuming every day just to keep the dog hair under control!
I was researching green floor cleaner and my good bloggy friend over at Safe Mama suggested Better Life Natural Household Products! So off I went to do my research!
This is what I found out!
Better life offers a wide array of natural, non-toxic, green cleansing products for your home! How their products are non-toxic/green?? Glad you asked! Their products contain plant-derived ingredients. They contain no dyes, fragrances, sodium lauryl sulfate/sodium laureth sulfate (SLS), Sulfates, Bleach, Ammonia, or Petroleum! All their products are cruelty-free as well!
I just love this illustrated picture that can be found on their website:

How many times have you walked into a grocery store that has just mopped the floors and the smell of Pine-Sol (or some other toxic chemical cleanser) has just about knocked you off your feet? I can't even shop in places like that, the smell bothers me so bad. I wonder what those fumes are that I am inhaling that are making their way to my lungs, veins, blood and so on! Yikes!
When I became pregnant with my first son (who is now 4) I started making small choices to live a more eco-friendly/green/organic (whatever you want to call it) lifestyle! From the things I ate, what I put on my body, to what I use to clean my home!
I can so relate to this story (which can be found on the Better Life website) written by Tim (a scientist and father)!

"It is true that having children changes everything, and for me that included my career. For the past 13 years, I have worked as a formulation chemist. My professional life has been dedicated to formulating exciting new products that are safe, effective, and innovative. For much of my career, I devoted my energy to developing skin care products. When Tiffany and I had children, our lives became exciting, challenging, wonderful and a bit exhausting, and well, so did my career.

Like any father, I want a safe and healthy environment for our kids. As soon as my children started to crawl and explore, I realized that oftentimes the biggest dangers exist inside our own homes. Under the kitchen sink and in bathroom cabinets - our homes are filled with harsh, toxic and deadly chemicals. As a scientist, I know that these chemicals pose a serious risk to us, our children and pets, every time we use them. As a parent, I wanted to get these toxins out of my house. I started using so called “green” cleaning products because the labels told me they were environmentally safe, non-toxic and effective. Yet it bothered me that warning and caution statements still remained on the label and these products contained many of the same harsh chemical ingredients found in the traditional products. Tim and I set out with a mission: to create a high performing cleaner that is completely safe. Our result is BETTER LIFE. It's safe for our families and our planet. No warning labels necessary."
How many of you can relate? I know that as parents we want to do everything necessary to provide our children with a safe, fun, loving environment in which they can grow and learn!

I would do ANYTHING to keep my boys safe and healthy! By switching to non-toxic cleansing products, I am taking a step in that direction!
I love this easy to read diagram found on the Better Life website that compares the ingredients of other 'green' products on the market:

Many of us are concerned with the below ingredients commonly found in cleaning products.
At Better Life, we hold ourselves to the highest standards and keep these ingredients out of our products.

	Possible Concerns	Method bathroom cleaner1	Mrs. Meyers all purpose cleaner2 (lemon verbena)	Green Works all purpose cleaner3	Seventh Generation disinfecting multisurface4 (green mandarin & leaf)	BETTER LIFE all purpose what-EVER! (clary sage &citrus)
Dyes	Have been linked to cancer, can be toxic to animals, slow to biodegrade.			X		NONE
Alcohol	Respiratory and skin irritant, flammable, can act as an aggressive solvent which may damage surfaces in the home.	X		X		NONE
Synthetic Fragrance	Central nervous system depressant, respiratory and skin irritant, slow to biodegrade, toxic.	X	X	X		NONE
Sulfates (such as SLS & SLES) and/or sulfanates	Irritating to skin and eyes, may contain 1,4-Dioxane.		X		X	NONE
Ethoxylates (Petroleum Based Cleaning Agents)	Ethylene oxide/petroleum based, may contain1,4-Dioxane, many pose threat to marine life, linked to cancer and sterility.	X	X			NONE
Petrochemical Solvents	Petroleum based, many are respiratory and skin irritants, toxic, may damage surfaces in the home.	X				NONE

¹As published on http://methodhome.com - 10/3/2011
²As published on http://www.mrsmeyers.com - 10/3/2011
³As published on http://www.greenworkscleaners.com - 10/3/2011
⁴As published on http://www.seventhgeneration.com - 10/3/2011

I'll admit, I've used Seventh Generation products (and still have some in my home) and I've also used Mrs. Meyer's before too! My point?? Just because the label reads "green" or "eco-friendly" does not necessarily mean the product is totally non-toxic!

Ok, so I contacted Better Life and inquired about their products! I explained my situation with owning a new home with hardwood floors and not being too sure how to care for them!
Kate from Better Life graciously sent me a Better Life Green Floor Cleaner Kit!
This is what I received:

This kit comes with a mop head and frame, lightweight universal extension pole, 2 microfiber mop pads, and a 32 oz bottle of Simply Floored natural floor cleaner!
I really love that the extension pole is extend able! My 4 year old can use it on it's smallest setting, and if I were like 7 ft tall, I could use it on it's tallest! :)
The extension pole is universal and simply screws right into the mop head:

The kit comes with two microfiber cloths! One side is made of the microfiber (blue) the other side is the soft side that sticks to the ultra strong Velcro on the mop head itself:

The top of the mop head has little grabber circles... what are they for? Well, you can simply take a microfiber cloth, lay the mop on top of it, and tuck the corners of the microfiber cloth inside those holes and you have a perfect little dry mop for (in my case) getting rid of all that dog hair!

(Insert memory of high school janitor pushing around that huge white shaggy dust-mop) only by using the microfiber cloths, the dog hair and dust actually cling to it, rather than just get pushed around!

The kit also came with their Simply Floored natural floor cleaner!

Ingredients:

Now to put this stuff to the test!
Before picture of my hardwood floors:

I went over the floor first with a microfiber cloth attached to the mop in order to get rid of all that dog hair, crumbs and dust!
Now, to use the Simply Floored, you don't need a whole lot! In fact, a little bit goes a long way! You get the mop head wet and wring it out. Then I took the jar of Simply Floored and made an S shape on the floor:

Then I used the damp mop to go over it and here are the results:

You can see from the first picture taken of the floors (the before pic) there are several little dark spots on the floor. Those were probably drops of a sippy cup or something of that nature, but after I went over the floor with the Simply Floored, all those dark spots were gone, and my floors were very well conditioned and oh so shiny (as seen in the picture above)!

I also tried this stuff on my laminate in my laundry room! Yes, this is where my nasty litter box is:

 Yucky cat litter dried to the floor :(

The end result:

I'm in LOVE with this stuff!

There are a whole slew of awesome products offered by Better Life (all of which I am dying to try)! They even offer a nursery cleaner and a kit for dog lovers!! Oh and did I mention that not only are their products safe around your littles, they are also safe to use around your pets too! I'm dying to try some of the hand soaps and lotions!

Better Life has free shipping on orders over $25.00 and let me tell you, if all the other products they sell are as awesome as the floor care kit I received, you will not be disappointed! In fact, Kate (who sent this kit to me) did her own review of this kit as well. You can read her review here!

Right now, you can purchase this Better Life Floor Care Kit for only $29.00 (with free shipping)!! Or, you can enter to win one here! That's right, Better Life has graciously offered one of you the chance to win a Floor Care Kit of your very own!!
To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter form below. You may have to click on "read more" for the form to completely load!


Good luck, have fun and Happy Cleaning!!

~Mama of the Littles~

Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above in exchange for my review. This review is my honest opinion based on my own personal experience, and may differ from yours. I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this review!

"Newborns AND Cloth" Under the Nile organic fitted crib sheet review and $25.00 GC #GIVEAWAY {Mighty Nest}

Have you ever had an experience where you are searching the Internet looking for safe, non-toxic items to buy for you your baby and come across a website that really takes the cake? Well, this happened to me awhile ago. I was searching all around trying to find an online store where I could purchase non-toxic and safe items for the whole family.... and that is how I found Mighty Nest! I had been perusing their website looking for some new feeding utensils for my boys when I received an e-mail from them. This e-mail was received during the time I had posted the review of my Naturepedic organic crib mattress! Apparently Mighty Nest was having a giveaway on their blog of a Naturepedic organic crib mattress at the same time!
I love that Mighty Nest is committed to educating parents about the chemicals and toxins that surround us every day! They are determined to only sell items that are safe and free of toxic chemicals and other harmful ingredients!
Here is what Kristen (the co-founder of Mighty Nest) has to say about the company:
*the following information taken from the Mighty Nest Website:
MightyNest is a unique Web site that provides you the ability to research, get advice and buy natural, organic and non-toxic products all in one place. All of the products we sell are free from known toxic ingredients such as: BPA, PVC, Phthalates, Lead, Melamine, Formaldehyde, Flame retardants, Parabens and more. Our dream is for MightyNest to become a place where people feel motivated and empowered, not discouraged and judged; somewhere people feel encouraged to make changes in their lives, whether large or small. We truly believe that simple changes bring mighty impact.

I really respect this company's mission!
There is even a section on their website where you can LEARN how to get rid of unhealthy toxins and harmful chemicals from the home. Mighty Nest can show you how to Build a healthy nursery, and lists things that can easily be done to help you create a non-toxic home! This website is really choc-full of helpful information!

Mighty Nest sent me an organic cotton fitted crib sheet in sage by Under the Nile for review! This is what I received:

I really love this crib sheet. I love the fact that the little baby sleeping on it (in this case my nephew) is not being exposed to chemicals that may be found in other fabrics and bedding material. *ever wonder why things (even clothing) are often labeled "flame resistant?"
With this crib sheet you don't have to worry about harmful chemicals at all!
While I was at my sister's house in Oregon, Ezra was sleeping in a bassinet in his parent's room and his crib had not even been set up yet. So even though I did wash the sheet and try it on his older brother's crib (it fit perfectly) it had not been truly 'put to the test' when I left back for my mom's house!

You can purchase this fabulous crib sheet from Mighty Nest for $34.00! Mighty Nest offers free shipping on purchases $50.00 and over and charges $5.95 shipping for orders under $50.00!

As a sponsor of the Newborns AND Cloth event, Mighty Nest has graciously offered one LWML follower a chance to win an a $25.00 Gift Certificate to be used towards anything on their site! Can you say non-toxic Christmas toys!!! :)
To enter, simply use the rafflecopter form below, you may have to click on "read more" to see the rafflecopter entry form!

Good Luck and have fun!
~Mama of the Littles~

Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above in exchange for this review, thanks to Mighty Nest! No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours.