Cool Products and Stuff Blog for Canadian Moms

Goo Gone at Last!

This is not an advertisement. At urbanmoms.ca we like to tell you about cool products and stuff that our team or our members love! We will let you know if it is an ad.

I was recently having lunch with a friend of mine at one of my fave new spots.  Strangely, our conversation went from contemplative and philosophical to discussing the annoying goo left behind by old price stickers. I was complaining about a picture frame I had bought as a gift and how incredibly irritated I was by the stubborn sticky spot left behind.  Itried everything including Windex and nail polish remover. After some serious elbow grease I wrapped up the gift not totally satisfied with the results.

After hearing this story my friend gave me a knowing look and began to extol the virtues of Goo Gone. She claimed that this amazing product could get rid of pretty much any gooey, greasey, sticky, gummy cleaning problem. And even more impressive, it could be used on almost any surface. Sound too good to be true? I thought so too so I made the trip to my local grocery store and picked some up.

All I can say is she was right. I am amazed at how many things I had in my house that I either considered useless or just plain gross because of stains or goo I couldn't get off. Goo Gone worked on almost all of them. I even used it on my hardwood floor to fix some of the scruff marks! There are so many different uses for this product (and the line extensions) it is amazing.

Although Goo Gone is fabulous, one word of caution - read the directions carefully. Goo Gone can not be used on certain surfaces (leather, rubber, silk) and the directions for use depend on many things including the type of stain and the surface. But if you follow the directions Goo Gone should help you get rid of pretty much any stubborn goo with little effort.

Please click the comments button below to share your thoughts or send me an email.

Jen

Roomba Red - A Dustbunny's Worst Nightmare!

This is not an advertisement. At urbanmoms.ca we like to tell you about cool products and stuff that we, or our members, love! We will let you know if it is an ad.

I recently received an email from, Anne, an urbanmoms.ca member in the Niagara Region, who proclaimed her love for her vacuum.  Now, this may seem strange until you are introduced to this amazing piece of equipment. This is no regular vacuum - this is the Roomba Red - an iRobot.

The Roomba Red is an automatic floor vacuum that scoots around the floor, unattended, and chases away your dustbunnies.  All you have to do is push a button! It is round and flat, about 12 inches in diameter, and runs on a battery pack. Anne loves the fact that all she needs to do is set it down on the floor, push the button, and it zooms around the room sucking up the dirt and crumbs and yes, even pet hair, too!

The dirt is collected in a canister that you just dump after each use. The Roomba Red can be used on carpet and tile and it will scoot under the couch or bed and continue on its journey until the room is done. Anne told us that her Roomba Red is very smart too - it stops at the top of stairs! If there is a spot that is extra dirty, it will spend more time on that area. It runs around base boards, bumps off furniture and criss-crosses the room until every inch is vacuumed.

This product is a huge time saver. If, like Anne, you would rather be spending your time in any way other than cleaning or if you are just trying to be more efficient, the Roomba sounds like the way to go! The cost is not outrageous either.  Vacuum cleaners can be really expensive but the Roomba is only around $250 Canadian (depending on the model and accessories).

Thanks to Anne for letting us know about this fabulous product!  Please share your comments below or send me an email.

Jen

A Little Magic Would be Nice

UPDATE:

A 2006 television broadcast about carcinogens (notably formaldehyde) in household cleaning products has generated questions about Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, since it is made of melamine foam, whose chemical name is: Formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer.

Please take some time to review the information found at the about formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer, before deciding whether to use this product in your home.

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According to the Household Products Database at the National Institutes of Health (US), this product is considered non-toxic and the risks are limited to blockage of the gastrointestinal tract (if swallowed) and mechanical irritation of the eyes or lungs (if inhaled) by dust.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Eraser
http://www.homemadesimple.com/sites/en_US/mrclean/ME_Truth/index.shtml
http://www.pgbrands.com/pages/cleaners/msds/MSDS_Mr_Clean_Magic_Eraser.pdf
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=16003386

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
This is not an advertisement. At urbanmoms.ca we like to tell you about cool products and stuff that we, or our members, love! We will let you know if it is an ad.

Okay, okay…I’ll admit I was intrigued by the hype when Mr. Clean first introduced the “Magic Eraser” a few years back. But then I remembered the old axiom that there’s a fool born every minute and I decided I’d have to be one to believe that a little white sponge and plain water could eradicate the scuff marks, crayon scribbles and general schmuck that adorned my kitchen floors and other surfaces.

So I was a bit surprised and intrigued when a good friend told me that the things actually worked, and not only that, they were able to remove the “mystery haze” that collects on the pebbly plastic that they cover your fridge door-handle with. Why did we buy a white fridge again?

In any event, newly resolved to try this little magic eraser out in my kitchen, I bought a two-pack at the local grocery store. After trying them, I went back and bought a four-pack. Then another. And another. I was hooked. These things really are magic!

I won’t go into the gory details of what the magic eraser is able to clean (everything) or from where (anywhere). Instead, allow me to take you on a little trip into the inner workings of my urban mom brain as it pondered this little cleaning miracle: “hey, these things really work! I wonder what kind of horribly caustic and carcinogenic chemical is in them…let me read the package…hmm, no ingredients. Okay, what do the instructions say…just add water. There’s got to be something in these to make them work. Let me check the web…”

After much searching, I found, to my surprise and great pleasure, that there is – quite literally – nothing in a magic eraser. That is, this little piece of magic is simply air-impregnated plastic. Much like the new craze in microfibre cleaning tools, the magic eraser works by having small enough fibres to fit into, and thus scour out, all the tiny, near-microscopic crevices and pores in your surfaces. No nasty chemicals required – just good old-fashioned water and a bit (not much, I promise) of elbow grease.

My house is a cleaner, healthier and happier place now that I’ve found the magic eraser. Oh, and by the way, the generic brand works just as well (although it doesn’t have the embossed image of hunky Mr. Clean on it!)

So don’t waste your precious time with plain sponges, and stop exposing your family to the noxious chemicals in today’s household cleaners. Instead, invest in a four-pack (at least!) of magic erasers and you’ll be able to appreciate the intrinsic beauty of your child’s crayon creation on the dining room wall!

Please click the comments button below to share your thoughts or send me an email!

Kath