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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Sun & Earth Review & Giveaway

I have been using a few of the Sun & Earth products for a while now and have even tweeted out about them so when they asked me to review their entire Fabric Care Line, I said 'Yes'. They also shared their excitement about the launch of the Laundry Detergent REFILL Stations at Whole Foods in NJ, NY, and CT.



But first, a little more about Sun & Earth. Their products made with non-toxic ingredients including coconut and orange oils that clean and shine beautifully and have an appealing scent. All of the laundry and cleaning products are free of petroleum based cleaners, chlorine, phosphates, dyes and perfumes that leave a residue. In addition, they are not tested on animals.

Now, more about the refill stations: They are an easy-to-use fill nozzle stations where you reuse the laundry detergent bottle and cap that you already have (marked on the bottle) and refill them at Whole Foods. Since you pay by the ounce, you are in control over how much you spend and that can help all of us stay on budget. Wow, they meant it when they coined "Don't Recycle, Re-Use and Re-fill."

Okay, now I bet you want to read my thoughts about these products as I have put them all through the wringer for the past month (or more).
Xtra Concentrated Dish Liquid:
Pros:
· A little goes a long way. This is truly a dish liquid in which I use very little as it does not rinse right off the sponge or only make it through 2 plates.
· Smells great
· Cleans wonderfully
· Does not irritate or dry out my hands-how is that possible?
· Generous sized bottle so I get a lot for money and lasts a long time
· Website states that you can even use it as a fruit & veggie wash – who knew?

Cons:
· As with all brands, the liquid will pool around cap and drain down side of bottle. Can’t anyone invent a design that eliminated that issue?

All Purpose Spray Cleaner:
Pros:
· I have been using this product before I was sent it to review it and I love it.
· Multi-use for sure. I use it on the kitchen counters, bathroom sinks, counter, outside of toilets, door knobs etc.
· Citrus Scent that I enjoy
· I even used it as floor cleaner until they sent me the new floor cleaner.

Cons:
· The citrus scent is a bit strong. Now, I love citrus scent but I think some can be removed and it will still be refreshing.

Concentrated Floor Cleaner:
Pros:
· Scent-The cleaner leaves a very light, citrus scent and not an overbearing one as with most scented floor cleaners. Most floor cleaners give me a headache.
· The floor felt and looked very clean
· The floor was not slippery afterward as with some cleaners
· The bottle states that it works on wood floors as well although I did not try it on them yet (I am lazy when it comes to cleaning our wood floors)

Cons:
· Unless you want some artificial high gloss shine, there are no cons.

Deep Cleaning Laundry Detergent: (both Citrus Scent & Unscented):
Pros:
· A little does go a long way so it is very economical.
· Cleaned my clothes and I have been using it a long while now so I already knew it was a keeper. · Does not leave a strong scent on clothing

Cons:
· Cap Marking: You cannot see the marking inside the cap which makes it challenging to know the correct amount to add.
· Cap Drainage: I found that the excess liquid in the cap did not drain back into the bottle as fast as it could in order to avoid build up on the rim.

Note: I also gave some of the unscented detergent to a friend and she also noted that a little does go along way. She did think the detergent did a good job on her colored clothing but not as good on her whites as her usual brand.

On the Spot Instant Stain Remover:
Pros:
· Convenient to carry around
· Did a great job getting out even older stains even thought it is made for removing fresh stains.
· Can use it on clothing, draperies, furniture.

Cons:
· None

Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets:
Pros:
· No slimy feeling on fingers or clothes. The biggest issue I had with dryer sheets in the past is that you had a slimy feeling on your fingers after handling them and I often felt a 'layer' on my clothes.
· Not overly scented
· Made my old towels feel newer (Newest ones are from our wedding 8 years ago)
· No static cling—especially important to me as get shocked so much (actually my biggest pet peeve in the winter. I can not even touch the car door without a jolt )
· Left one in the dryer after one use and it went though another load but did not shred apart all over the clothe.

Cons:
· None

Ultra Fabric Softener:
Pros:
· Clothes were softer and I wish I had used this with the kids were babies (don’t we a love the extra softness when they are so little).

Cons: None

GIVEAWAY Details: 50 oz 2x Laundry, 22 oz. Xtra Dish & 22 oz. All Purpose Cleaner.
To enter, you must answer one or all of the following questions (can do in one comment or separate) and be sure that a valid email address is available:

* Would you try the refill station if there was one located near you? Is it intuitive? What questions do you have about it? Do you understand the idea behind it? *

Additional Entries (Null if entry above not completed): These are optional however, you MUST leave a comment for each one separately.

1. Join the Savor the Thyme Facebook Fan Page and leave a comment with your FB name

2. Follow @savorthethyme on Twitter.

3. Post this on Twitter (can do every day if you wish but need separate comment for each entry) "Entered to win Sun & Earth Products @savorthethyme Plz RT http://bit.ly/d3xOjI #sunandearth "

4. Subscribe to the Savor the Thyme RSS feed (on the right sidebar).

Contest ends 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010.

34 comments:

bsmithhill said...

I joined the FB Fan page-- Becca Smith Hill, I am now following you on Twitter, and YES! If they had a refill station near me I would totally use it--what a brilliant idea!! Unfortunately, we don';t have a Whole Foods in my town, but we do have an Earth Fare, and a small local organic store that would probably carry their products--Rosewood Market.

the wicked noodle said...

I would definitely use the refill station; seems like such a simple easy solution (can't believe that never occurred to me)! I'd say that it's highly intuitive - and my girls would have fun filling the bottle (or watching it get filled) while learning more about the importance of how the things we do - no matter how small - can really make a difference!
So I joined your FB fan page, and was already following you on Twitter (of course!), so the only thing left to do was give you a tweet (easy peasy). Oh, and I'm ALREADY subscribed, too :-)
Have a fabulous day!

Joie de vivre said...

These sound great! We don't have Whole Foods anywhere near here, but I would so try these if we did!

momof2girls said...

This is a great idea and I would totally use a refill station. It's very intuitive and a great way to save on garbage in landfills. I just wish more companies at major grocery store chains would catch on and put these in their stores. I don't think I have any questions about it just think it's great and hopefully it will catch on.

TheFitnessFreak said...

Wow, I've never heard of this brand before. It sounds great! I would definitely use the refill station, it's a great idea, plus I go to Whole Foods quite a bit : ) You answered all of my questions, thanks!

TheFitnessFreak said...

Just tweeted it : )

Michele P. said...

While there are none near me at this time, I think the refill station is a pretty unique idea. I like the fact that you can reuse the same packaging and pay by the ounce-I get paid biweekly, and sometimes I might need that extra detergent for a few more loads to tide me over until payday, and this would tide me over. For me, the most practical thing though would be to fill it up each time I went shopping however. I do like the idea that you can recycle your plastics all over again by just refilling what's INSIDE, instead of the container ending up in a landfill every time its empty.

micaela6955 at msn dot com

Michele P. said...

facebook fan Michele Pineda

micaela6955 at msn dot com

Michele P. said...

tweeted http://twitter.com/micaela6955/status/10296762385

micaela6955 at msn dot com

GoldenOrchard said...

Yes I would try a re-fill station for Sun & Earth detergent if it were available in my area because it would save me time and money not to mention help the environment

goldengoddiss09(at)gmail(dot)com

GoldenOrchard said...

follow @savorthethyme on twitter @wildorchids09

goldengoddiss09(at)gmail(dot)com

GoldenOrchard said...

tweeted http://twitter.com/WildOrchids09/status/10300778214

goldengoddiss09(at)gmail(dot)com

WhollyMothers said...

Yes, I would definitely try the refill station. I wish there were more products with refill stations. I feel like at the WF in Dedham, there is a syrup station (did I make that up?)

WhollyMothers said...

#2 - I follow @savorthethyme on twitter.

CrystalsCozyKitchen said...

I love the idea about a refill station. I would use it if they had one near me, but as the closest Whole Foods is 3 hours away... I'd have to move to take advantage of it!

CrystalsCozyKitchen said...

FB name: Crystal's Cozy Kitchen

Michele P. said...

today's tweet http://twitter.com/micaela6955/status/10347083687

micaela6955 at msn dot com

Robin said...

Now that I've learned that Acme will no longer be carrying the detergent and dish soap, I'm going to campaign for my local co-op to put in a refill station! Such a fabulous idea.

NPennington said...

I would definitely use the refill station! I've never seen this at my Whole Foods but I will ask next time I'm there!

1. Join the Savor the Thyme Facebook Fan Page and leave a comment with your FB name - DONE!

2. Follow @savorthethyme on Twitter. - DONE! (Nicole P)

3. Post this on Twitter (can do every day if you wish but need separate comment for each entry) "Entered to win Sun & Earth Products @savorthethyme Plz RT http://bit.ly/d3xOjI #sunandearth " - DONE!

4. Subscribe to the Savor the Thyme RSS feed (on the right sidebar). - ALREADY SUBSCRIBED!

Stacy of KSW said...

Sure, I would use the refill station. My kids would have a blast helping out with that. We've used similar set-ups at Whole Foods, like pouring our own Agave Nectar and making our own cashew butter. The more we can make the kids a part of the shopping experience the more fun it is for everyone :-)

Stacy of KSW said...

I just tweeted about your giveaway

http://twitter.com/steet/status/10548751702

Stacy of KSW said...

I've been a friend of yours on Twitter for some time now (that's how I found out about the giveaway) and your great site. Going to take a peek at it now :-)

Malia said...

Would you try the refill station if there was one located near you? - Definitely! I love the re-fill idea. Unfortunately the Whole Foods stores in my city are a 20-25 minute drive from my house. :(

Is it intuitive? - I think it's rather intuitive, yes. I can't think of anything else, maybe other than water jugs and gas grill propane tanks that have a re-fill option. Certainly not cleaning supplies!

Malia said...

tweet, tweet! http://twitter.com/justmalia/statuses/10549031791

Malia said...

And, I'm already a twitter follower! :)

Megan Stuke said...

I'm following you on twitter already...

the refill station? I don't know. I'm a busy working mom and it's all I can do to get to my nearest grocery store once a week. Otherwise, I love it all!

@busymomto5 said...

i would definitely use the refill station! I have 2 whole foods very close to me. I think it is an awesome idea!!

@busymomto5 said...

i follow you on twitter!

@busymomto5 said...

i follow you on twitter!

@busymomto5 said...

i am a fan on facebook!

Lara @ GoodCookDoris said...

I would definately use that - right now we buy the giant size to refill a smaller bottle, reducing the amount of bottles we need to buy.

Lara @ GoodCookDoris said...

I follow on twitter!

Michele P. said...

today's tweet: http://twitter.com/micaela6955/status/10649818090

micaela6955 at msn dot com

Jennifer said...

A refill station is a great idea! I would totally be interested!
I have to say,though, I just started using another brand, Shaklee products, and I love them!
They are eco-friendly and the basic cleaner comes super concentrated and you add water to make your own all-purpose, window cleaner and degreaer.

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