Category: House and home

New Wisk With Stain Spectrum Technology Laundry Detergent

new wisk bottle

When I got married I didn’t know much about laundry. Sure I knew how to start a load of wash but I didn’t know the secrets to things like getting stains out. I have always tried my hardest to get stains out, often failing. As a young married woman there were times I asked my Mom to tackle stained clothing for me, because she has always done a good job getting stains out. She’s persistent. Remember the old Wisk commercial, with the woman attacking the ring around the collar with a toothbrush? That’s how my Mom handled collar stains. Check it out.

Detergent does a better job now then it did years ago. I’m still not the greatest at getting stains out, which makes for a bit of a problem since I am a stain magnet. It never fails, I can start out the day with a perfectly clean shirt and end the day with at least one stain somewhere on the front of my shirt.

Wisk is introducing a new detergent this month - Wisk with Stain Spectrum Technology. New Wisk is designed especially to remove stains from the three major stain groups - carbohydrates (milk chocolate), proteins (grass) and oils (peanut butter), as well as other stains including those from the Bio (blood), bleachable (coffee), particulate (dirt) and synthetic (ink) groups. I’m looking forward to trying the new Wisk in my house. I know I can give it a run for it’s money. Take a look at the teaser they’ve put out.

One 50 fluid ounce bottle that cleans 32 loads has a suggested retail price of $5.99. Visit Wisk.com for more information, as well as download a $1.00 off coupon. You can also visit Wisk at www.Facebook.com/Wisk.

This post is part of a campaign for Wisk and the new Stain Spectrum Technology and I will be compensated for my time. As always, the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way. Thoughts and opinions are 100% mine.

Aug 14, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

Meet My New Oreck Platinum Pilot Vacuum - With Giveaway

Last year I was fortunate to be able to receive an Oreck XL Gold Vacuum for review. We’ve been very pleased with it and have never had a problem. When I was offered the opportunity to review Oreck’s latest, the first thing I wondered was what had changed. I checked it out online and read a bit about it. I was intrigued by the new features and really wanted to check them out so I decided to accept. Boy am I glad I did, and you will be too. (Keep reading.)

The Oreck Platinum Pilot Vacuum is a two piece system. The system comes in one big box with an upright vacuum and a lightweight handheld vac.

oreck platinum pilot box

oreck platinum pilot box open

It make look like an ordinary upright vacuum but the Oreck Platinum Pilot Vacuum Cleaner was designed with a 360° Glide technology and ball-joint and pivot connection that allows the vacuum to tilt, twist and turn anywhere you need it to go without repositioning the vacuum - making cleaning more effective, faster and easier. If you didn’t know you’d probably never guess that it can vacuum while laying flat, allowing you to vacuum under things. The vacuum has an advanced HEPA filtration with antimicrobial protection.

oreck platinum pilot upright

The Oreck Platinum Pro system’s handheld vacuum weighs in at about 5 pounds and comes with 8 attachments and a hypo-allergenic filtration system.

oreck platinum pilot handheld

There’s lots more to tell you about this info but I’m going to save that for a couple of additional posts that I have planned, along with some video.

The Oreck Platinum Pilot Vacuum retails for $599 and is available for purchase at Oreck Clean Home Centers nationwide and online at oreck.com.

WIN IT!

Yes, it’s true, I did say “win it”. The winner of this giveaway will receive this same vacuum - the Oreck Platinum Pilot, retail price $599.95!

HOW TO ENTER. (MANDATORY)

For your main entry visit the Oreck Platinum Pilot website. Then come back here and leave a comment of at least two sentences explaining one feature/capability of the Oreck Platinum Pilot has that is different than your current vacuum.

LISTEN UP.

I’ll be posting about the Oreck Platinum Pilot again a few more times. (I’m even planning an audience participation portion.) There will be a post about using it on carpet and another about the accessories being used for above the floor use. In each of these posts there will be additional ways to enter.

BONUS ENTRIES - LOTS OF THEM!

For 10 entries - Blog about this giveaway, including a link here and a link to the Oreck Platinum Pilot, as well as the reason why you want a new vacuum.

1 - Leave a comment containing one thing that you learned about the Oreck Platinum Pilot on the Oreck site. Unlimited entries for this method of entry.
1 - Subscribe to my newsletter. (sidebar)
1 - Subscribe to my RSS feed. (sidebar)
1 - Follow me on Twitter AND leave your Twitter name here. (sidebar)
1 - Tweet this giveaway. Limit once per day.
1 - Friend me on Facebook (sidebar)
1 - Friend me using Google FriendConnect. (bottom right of page)
1 - Place my button on your blog. (bottom of page)
1 - Visit Game Review Network and leave a comment on any post there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned there. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry.
1 - Visit HereAndThere.US (my Mom) and leave a comment on any post (except a giveaway post) there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned on my Mom’s blog. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry.

Leave an additional comment for each entry you qualify for. You must have completed the first entry according to the instructions to be eligible for any bonus entries. There are unlimited entries for this giveaway.

THE SMALL PRINT.

US addresses only please, no PO Boxes. This contest will end on Wednesday 06/30/10 at 11:59 pm est. If you’ve entered any of my giveaways before then you know that only comments containing all of the requested information will be eligible for entry. The winner must contact me to confirm they wish to receive the prize within two days of my email notifying them they’ve won. Good luck to everyone!

The product(s) featured in this review was provided free of cost to me for the sole purpose of product testing and review. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.

Jun 01, 2010 | 850 comments | View Post

Arm & Hammer - Affordable, Versatile, Eco-Friendly Spring Cleaning - With Giveaway

arm hammer baking soda shaker and box

Growing up my Mom always kept a small open box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in the fridge. She told me it helped prevent odors from forming and absorbing into the foods, so that the foods tasted their best. The other thing she used Arm & Hammer Baking soda for was the cat litterbox. Just sprinkle a little on the litter and it helps fight odor. I didn’t realize that Arm & Hammer Baking Soda had other uses until years later.

So what is baking soda, exactly?

From the website -
Baking Soda, alias sodium bicarbonate, is a naturally occurring substance that is found in all living things, where it helps regulate their pH balance. ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda is made from soda ash, also known as sodium carbonate. To make ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda, the soda ash is mined in the form of an ore called trona. The soda ash is then dissolved into a solution through which carbon dioxide is bubbled and sodium bicarbonate precipitates out, forming “Pure, Safe and Natural” ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda.

As it turns out Arm & Hammer Baking Soda is a very versatile cleanser and deodorier. A single $1 box can:

Make stainless steel sinks and surfaces sparkle
Freshen and deodorize curtains and carpets
Polish tarnished silverware
Remove dirt and grime from tile floors
Freshen laundry and pet beds
Clean window screens to allow fresh air into the home

I haven’t even touched upon the obvious - cooking. Arm & Hammer Baking Soda can be used in all sorts of recipes for breads, cakes, cookies and more. I also haven’t mentioned that Arm & Hammer Baking Soda has a place in your personal hygiene routine as well. It can be used as an antacid, cleanser, scrub and exfoliant. It can even remove residue from hair care products from your hair!

As it turns out, Arm & Hammer Baking Soda can be used in every room of your home. If you haven’t tried it you don’t know what you’re missing.

WIN IT!

FIVE winners will each receive 1 lb. boxes and shakers of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda.

HOW TO ENTER. (MANDATORY)

Visit the Arm & Hammer site and then leave a comment on this post containing one way you use Arm & Hammer Baking Soda.

BONUS ENTRIES

1 - Subscribe to my newsletter. (sidebar)
1 - Subscribe to my RSS feed. (sidebar)
1 - Follow me on Twitter AND leave your Twitter name here. (sidebar)
1 - Tweet this giveaway.
1 - Friend me on Facebook (sidebar)
1 - Fave this blog at Technorati (sidebar) AND leave your Technorati name here.
1 - Friend me using Google FriendConnect. (bottom right of page)
1 - Blog about this giveaway, including a link here.
1 - Place my button on your blog. (bottom of page)
1 - Visit Game Review Network and leave a comment on any post there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned there. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry.
1 - Visit HereAndThere.US (my Mom) and leave a comment on any post (except a giveaway post) there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned on my Mom’s blog. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry.

Leave an additional comment for each entry you qualify for. You must have completed the first entry according to the instructions to be eligible for any bonus entries.

THE SMALL PRINT.

US addresses only please. This contest will end on Saturday 04/17/10 at 11:59 pm est. If you’ve entered any of my giveaways before then you know that only comments containing all of the requested information will be eligible for entry. The winner must contact me to confirm they wish to receive the prize within two days of my email notifying them they’ve won. Good luck to everyone!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Apr 07, 2010 | 53 comments | View Post

Storm Season Is Coming - First Alert Storm Light Deal

buycom first alert storm light

The strangest thing happened this morning. We had thunder. Itt’s strange because it isn’t warm and just a week ago we had snow. It passed quickly but did remind me of the times we’ve lost power in the past. One of the things that worries me the most about storms is losing power in the middle of the night. The alarm clock can’t go off if you lose power. That’s the main reason I found the storm light on sale at Buy.com so interesting.

The First Alert SRC 500 has a Multi Purpose Storm Light, AM/FM Radio and LCD Clock & Digital Alarm w/Snooze all built in. To use it requires four C batteries and one AA battery. This would be perfect to have in the house in the event of a power outage. I hate walking around holding a candle, it seems so unsafe. This would be so much better to have if you have to get around a dark house. It also has the radio so that you can listen to music and news, because it can get pretty quiet when there’s no power. And the alarm clock means you can go to sleep without worry. This would also be a great item for camping.

This First Alert storm light regularly sells for $24.99. It’s currently on sale at Buy.com for $13.99 and qualifies for free shipping.

Mar 14, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

A Furnace Mystery

furnace humidifer

Not long ago we had a friend of the family over. A plumber by trade, we asked him to take a look at our furnace. We’d been having some problems with it, and had found wiring to something we were unsure of what it was. After checking things out he told us that the furnace had a dehumidifier (similar to the one shown above) attached and that it wasn’t working. He said there were frequently problems with these and that he preferred smaller room size models and found them to be more effective. He removed it. He didn’t think it had anything to do with the problems we’d had but said that since it wasn’t working it had no need to be there. Do you have a dehumidifier on your furnace? Does it help?

Mar 13, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Our Closest Brimmeth Over

my nascar jackets

The problem with our closets is that they’re full. We don’t have many closets in our house. There’s one closet in CJ’s room. There are two closets in our bedroom, one for me and one for RB. There are two more closets, one by the front door and one in the hall. The one in the hall has a couple of gowns in it but for the most part serves as a storage area for Christmas decorations. That leaves the closet by the front door. It is full of coats. It’s actually so full that you can barely close the door. I’ve gone through it and gotten rid of some things but we still don’t have enough room. Winter coats are thicker and bulky. All four of us have spring jackets and hoodies in there. I can’t bring myself to get rid of my Nascar jackets. I’m wondering if we might gain some room if we folded and stacked them instead of hanging them. Any suggestions?

Mar 13, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

The Freezer In Our New Frigidaire Professional Refrigerator

Well, we’ve had our new Frigidaire 22.6 Cu. Ft. Counter-Depth Professional Refrigerator for a little over a month now and are absolutely loving it. One of the things we love the most is the 8.50 cubic foot freeezer. As I mentioned in my last post, our new freezer was not quite as deep as our last fridge, an old side by side. With the new model being a good six inches or so smaller depthwise I expected was to lose space. We didn’t. Both RB and I agree that the new unit seems bigger, despite the fact that we know it’s not.

Don’t get me wrong, the new model is by no means small, measuring in at 35-5/8″ wide x 69-3/8″ high x 26-7/8″ deep. What makes it seem bigger is the way the interior is set up. In our old freezer there were just three shelves and we could never find anything.

Take a look.

There’s even a space up top, above the ice maker, for a couple of light items. We’ve found this area to be great for keeping breakfast items at the ready, since we’re very pressed for time in the morning.

The freezer has two glass shelves up top. What’s great about these is that they’re glass so not only can you see the items on them but the bright lighting from the top of the freezer shines through. These features have been a HUGE time saver. Even the storage on the door is friendly, the wire bins tilt open so you can move items in and out of them quickly and easily.

The Frigidaire Professional makes great use of the space it’s got. Rather than just shelves it has three pull out baskets. Now, rather than emptying out part of the freezer all I need to do to find out what’s in there is pull out a basket.

“I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Refrigerator to facilitate my review.”

Mar 11, 2010 | 3 comments | View Post

Wisk Pimp My Laundry Room Contest - Are You Entering?

Remember the show “pimp my ride”? My brothers loved that show. Do you have any areas of your house that you’d like pimped? I do. I’d love to redo most of the house but one of the rooms that needs some attention is my laundry room. It actually needs more than some attention, it needs a miracle.

I learned about a contest that I am definitely entering. If your laundry room needs some work you’ll want to enter it too. The contest is the Wisk® Pimp My Laundry Room video contest. For this contest Wisk Laundry Detergent has teamed up Designing Spaces. Together they will give the contest winner’s laundry room a makeover. The prize includes a laundry room makeover complete with a new Whirlpool® High Efficiency (HE) washer/dryer set and a year’s worth of Wisk® HE Laundry Detergent. The winner will also star in her very own episode of Designing Spaces! Doesn’t that sound exciting? I’m definitely entering this one

It’s easy to enter. All you need to do is create a short video from explaining why you deserve a laundry room and submit it at www.LaundryHE.com. The contest runs from March 1 to March 29, 2010. The top Finalists will be featured on LaundryHE.com from April 12 - 19 and the Grand Prize Winner will be chosen by popular ballot. One of the coolest things about this contest is that the voters can win stuff too. Each vote is an automatic entry to a sweepstakes for a year’s supply of Wisk HE Laundry Detergent.

I’d love to hear about your laundry room. Is it neat and tidy or a cluttered mess like mine? Are you entering the contest.

This post was written as part of a campaign for Mom Select. It has not been monetarily compensated however I have received an entry into a drawing in exchange for my participation. This post is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.

Mar 03, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

A Question About Your Windows

exterior shutters

We have two sets of windows on the front of our house – one in the bedroom and one in the living room. The bedroom windows used to have exterior shutters. They were the only shutters on the house. I never understood why the builder didn’t put them on the living room window. My best guess is that because the living room window is under the little roof that our front porch has maybe he thought they wouldn’t look good. To me it jus looked unbalanced. Do you have shutters on all of your windows or just some?

Mar 03, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

The Delivery And Installation Of Our Frigidaire Refrigerator

Before leaving for Florida I received a phone call that my Frigidaire was in and they wanted to install it. I hadn’t been expecting it for a couple of weeks more so I was shocked. After doing the scheduling dance that working folks and service people do we got things squared away. With only days left before leaving our new Frigidaire Professional Refrigerator was delivered and installed.

This is the fridge we were replacing. It was about fifteen years old. (Evident by the spots you can see where I had magnets and never cleaned under. Magnets are evil.) This fridge stuck out past the counter a good six to eight inches.

I should have thought to have Dad take pictures of the old freezer full. My bad. It was really full and we always had a hard time finding things in there.

So on the morning of installation my Dad waited at my house, with me calling him every ten minutes to see if the new fridge had arrived. Finally it did, after only three phone calls.

The guys took the old fridge out and installed the new one. (With me on the phone with my Dad almost the whole time.) We knew the sizing was going to be close. We had less than 1/4 inch left width wise, so we just made it.

There were two teams. One brought the fridge and one set it up. Once everything was installed and working the guys went on their way. Leaving my Dad to deal with my phone calls while I watched the clock at work inch forward. Also leaving me at work, daydreaming what my new Frigidaire 22.6 Cu. Ft. Counter-Depth Professional Refrigerator was like.

When I got home and saw the fridge I actually started to cry. And I hugged it. Then I proceeded to check it out and admire it. It is beautiful. The first thing I noticed was depth of the fridge. I knew that the new fridge was counter depth but I really wasn’t prepared for how much nicer it looked not sticking out from the counter six or more inches. It seemed to make the kitchen look a bit bigger.

My old fridge had a water dispenser so I wasn’t prepared for this water dispenser to impress me. It did! The fridge dispenses filtered water! And filtered ice cubes! Clearly the folks at Frigidaire were familiar with some folks concerns with the local water supply when they made this model.The water comes out pretty quickly in a cold and quiet stream.

The difference in the depth had gotten me to thinking. Surely if I’d lost that many inches (let’s say six deep by twenty six across) then I must have lost space inside the freezer. What do you think? Stay tuned, I’ll tell you on Tuesday.

If you’d like to know what the other Test Drive Moms thought follow us all on Twitter, with the hashtag #FrigidaireMoms.

Thanks to Mom Central and Frigidaire I will be receiving

“I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Refrigerator to facilitate my review.”

Feb 28, 2010 | 4 comments | View Post

Saturday Afternoon - Eighteen Hours We See An End To Blizzard 2010

It’s finally coming to an end. Timely, the snow had started to block the door.

18 hours in blizzard 2010 pic 1

18 hours in blizzard 2010 pic 2

18 hours in blizzard 2010 pic 3

Feb 06, 2010 | 4 comments | View Post

Saturday Morning - Twelve Hours Into Blizzard 2010

The county I live in has a travel restriction, nonemergency vehicles are prohibited from driving on the roads.

12 hours into blizzard 2010 pic 1

12 hours into blizzard 2010 pic 2

Feb 06, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

Friday Night - The Arrival Of Blizzard 2010

blizzard 2010 beginning to snow

This was taken just before midnight, shortly after the snow started falling. Depending on who you listen to my area is slated to get anywhere from 18 to 30 inches.

Feb 05, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

I’m A Frigidaire Test Drive Mom! Team Fridge Baby!

I mentioned in September that Frigidaire had introduced some new appliances designed with features to make your life easier and save you time. In 2009 Frigidaire introduced more than 250 new appliances as opart of the program promising “More Me Time” to Moms. To roll out the new products Frigidaire partnered up with actress and celebrity philanthropist Jennifer Garner and initiated the “Make Time for Change” campaign to support Save the Children. The campaign continues on today with the new Spin & Win game.

On January 18 Frigidaire opened the Spin & Win game. Folks that log in to www.maketimeforchange.com in order to play the Spin & Win game will get a chance to win prizes including a new Frigidaire Affinity washer/dryer. Each day that you log in and take a spin Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children as part of their $250,000 commitment to the worthy cause.

I am so honored and fortunate to have been chosen to be a member of Team Fridge, a group of eight Moms that are going to put a brand new Frigidaire Professional Fridge through its paces. There is also a Team Dishwasher, Team Range/Microwave, Team Washer/Dryer and a Super Influencer Team. Follow us all on Twitter, with the hashtag #FrigidaireMoms.

Thanks to Mom Central and Frigidaire I will be receiving the Frigidaire 22.6 Cu. Ft. Counter-Depth Professional Refrigerator. It’s getting delivered tomorrow morning! I am so excited! I can’t wait to check it out and tell you all about it. Over the course of the next three months I’ll be sharing my thoughts on this gorgeous fridge. Look at it! It looks so beee-you-tee-full!

I can’t wait for it to get here tomorrow! If you want to get a good laugh, listen for my screams and squeals of delight when I get home at 2:15 tomorrow afternoon.

I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Refrigerator to facilitate my review.

Jan 28, 2010 | 3 comments | View Post

That Window Cleaner Commercial Live, Minus The Window

I saw the funniest thing yesterday. I walked past the dining room and saw the cat positioned behind the curtain at the corner of the patio doors. He was watching something very intently. I walked over and saw that he was watching a bird on the porch.

The bird seemed to be trying to get out of the porch, into the backyard where his bird friends were pecking around. Now one of the screens on the porch needs to be redone because a corner came loose, leaving a flap. That area is five feet from the doorway, which is just a doorway open to the back yard, no door. So I figured the bird would just fly out. The bird couldn’t get out, he kept flying into the screen. He wasn’t hurt or anything, he just couldn’t get out. I felt like I was watching that window cleaner commercial except there’s no window.