Category : Reusable Products

Eco-Friendly/Green Natural Household Products Natural Personal Care Products Retailers Reusable Products Review

Soap Hope – All Natural Soaps, Body Care & More, Plus an Amazing Mission!

soap hope 1

Soap Hope sells not just soap, but makeup, products for face, bath, body, baby, home, and even your pets!

soap hope 2soap hope 3

I received my samples in one of their “ugly boxes,” which is scrap cardboard taped together. I love that this “garbage” is getting another life before being recycled!

soap hope 4soap hope 5

I received a sampling of some of their great, natural products (yes, including some soap) but it’s not really their products that interested me as much as their mission did. Soap Hope is a for-profit company, with a non-profit mission. Under their “good returns” model, 100% of the profits Soap Hope earns are invested for one year, interest free, into women’s programs to empower women and provide education and financial opportunity. After a year, the money is returned to Soap Hope to start the cycle again.

Check out the Soap Hope deals page for discounts and special offers!

You can also sign up to receive special offers from Soap Hope, follow Soap Hope on Twitter, “like” Soap Hope on Facebook and follow the owner’s blog!

FTC compliance: I received the sample package pictured to assist in my review. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.



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Cloth Pads Coupon Discount Eco-Friendly/Green Made in the USA Reusable Products Review

“Party in My Pants Pads” Mama Cloth Review & Discount

Party in My Pants Mama Cloth 0

This is your fair warning that this post is about mama cloth. Though I try to use discretion in order to not be gross (and not attract weird google searchers!) there is bound to be at least some “TMI.”

Those who have been reading for a bit know that I’ve been interested in Mama cloth for quite a while. Though I know I’m not alone when I say I initially though “reuseable WHAT?!,” it didn’t take long for the idea to grow on me. I think it was after switching my son to cloth that I started to think “hey, I want this soft cloth instead of paper too!” A few weeks ago, Party in My Pants Pads had a special offer where they sent the first 1,000 people (who had never tried mama cloth) a liner, absolutely free to try. Who can say no to that?

From the very beginning, I was impressed with the company. They were understandably overwhelmed by the traffic the promotion brought, and I had trouble getting my form to go through. I wasn’t sure if the 1,000 liners were gone, or if it was just a traffic issue, so I sent them a quick email. I received a personal, very sweet email from Melissa almost immediately. I chose my options (I could choose from mini, demi or luxe in cotton or flannel fabric, I chose the mini in cotton) provided my address, and I was set! About a week later, I received my shipping notice with tracking number.

Party in My Pants Mama Cloth 1 liner

The package arrived so discreetly that I didn’t realize what it was at first! I opened the package while I was waiting to pick my daughter up from school. I wanted to rip into it immediately, but it was packaged so nicely (see the first picture) that I had to photograph it first to show you! I love how the liner folds up onto itself and the wing snaps keep it closed. Also that there’s a little tag labeled “mini liner,” so you don’t have to try to keep track of what’s what.

Party in My Pants Mama Cloth 2goodie

Look what I found when I opened the liner! This was such a fun surprise. It was such a small thing, but just very neat, and speaks volumes about the company. My daughter spotted the chocolate unfortunately, but I did get a bite (and boy, was it delicious!!)

Party in My Pants Mama Cloth 3unfolded

One fun thing about mama cloth is all the prints you can get! I didn’t get to choose the print for my sample, but when I saw what I received, I had to laugh! If you think about it, you are wearing money in your undies when you use disposable feminine products (only you throw it away afterwards!)

Party in My Pants Mama Cloth 4snapped

Of course, there’s no adhesive on mama cloth, the wings snap closed to keep it in place. I love this. Once you snap it on, you can slide it a bit to get it placed just right. With disposable products, I always have the trouble of needing to try to peel it off and re-place it, without the adhesive sticking to everything & having the wings stick to themselves.

Party in My Pants Mama Cloth 5 top

The top of my liner is cotton (you can also choose flannel) and honestly, it just feels so much nicer to have cloth against my skin instead of paper (not to menton it doesn’t crinkle, making me feel like I’m wearing a diaper!)

Party in My Pants Mama Cloth 6 disposable liner

I wanted to see how it stacked up next to a disposable liner, so I grabbed what I had in my stockpile, these Kotex long liners.

Party in My Pants Mama Cloth 7 vs disposable
Party in My Pants Mama Cloth 10 vs disposableParty in My Pants Mama Cloth 11 vs disposable

I think they are very close in size. Once I got the liner situated and the wings nice and flat, I didn’t even notice it. initially I felt like you could/should be able to see the line through my jeans, but I checked (I’m sure I looked silly bending over and looking over my shoulder in the mirror, LOL!) and you couldn’t.

Party in My Pants Mama Cloth 8 lengthParty in My Pants Mama Cloth 9 width

The mini liner measures about 7″ x 2″ and is for very light flow/every day use. They’re available in a variety of flannel, cotton and organic cotton prints and have a breathable nylon layer to guard against leaks. The snaps are also nickel free. The mini liner retails for $9.99.

The pads are available in a huge variety of sizes, from thong liners to queen pads. The Party in My Pants (P.I.M.P hee hee) website has an awesome PIMP prescription page to help you choose the right pad. They sell kits to help you get started, and even have a “Mama Rama Kit” and a “Mama Mini Kit” for postpartum Mama Cloth (you can buy the Queen and Overnight pads separately too.)

So, what my verdict?

-I’ve only used this liner for “everyday” use, so I haven’t had to figure out the washing issue yet, since right now it’s no different than washing undies. However, when my disposable pads bunch up on me, I wash my underwear, I don’t throw them away. So I’m really not that intimidated about washing cloth pads.

-They’re soft and comfy. I find disposable pads irritating in many ways, and since I had my son, tampons aren’t comfortable for me anymore.

-They’re better for the environment, and I find it far more disgusting to have that stuff sitting in my trash can, than to have cloth in a wet bag for a day or two.

-If you normally pay for feminine products, these will save you money in the long run. Like cloth diapers, there’s an initial investment, but it will pay off over time. I’m a big couponer and haven’t paid more than a few pennies for this sort of stuff for years. Still, the benefits of mama cloth are worth it to me. Be sure to check out the sale section, where they have the “Cloth Pad Curious” (what I got) available for $3.99 now that the 1,000 free liners are gone.

-I’m loving this company. Their products are great and well made. The people who own/work for the company obviously care about their work and their customers. The little things like the packaging really impressed me.

So, what are you waiting for? Go try some mama cloth!

Discount: Use coupon code MM52011 to receive $5 off your order of $35 or more. Coupon expires 6/10/2011.

FTC compliance: I received the pictured item at no cost (along with 999 other people) as part of a promotion unrelated to this blog. I was not asked to write this review, I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.


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BPA Free Eco-Friendly/Green Reusable Products Review

Thermos Funtainers Review

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thermos funtainer

My daughter started Kindergarten this year, and though she ate lunch at preschool 2x a week Jan-June, they served water there, so I didn’t have to send a drink.  I was looking for something re-usable and BPA free to send her to school with this year.
 

thermos funtainer

I did pretty much all of my back to school shopping at Target (love that store, but very, very dangerous for my wallet!) and found these Thermos Beverage Containers.  They have a stainless steel interior, double wall vacuum construction, silicone straw,  and non-slip base.  They hold 12 ounces of liquid, are dishwasher safe, easy to open (but also easy to open accidentally!) and will keep drinks cold for 12 hours.
 
When I bought this, I didn’t know any of that.  I knew it was BPA free and my daughter liked it!!  On the first day of school I sent her with a thermos of water and a little bit of ice.  After 8 hours, this is what I found:
 

after almost 8 hrs

Wow, it still had ice in it!  It really did keep it cold!!  This worked swimmingly for about two months.  Then one day I  went to unpack her stuff after school, and her lunch box, bookbag, and everything in it (including a library book) were soaking wet.  She claimed that she closed the top, but I wasn’t so sure.  I sent her with it again the next day and this time everything was soaked again, including the special class Tooth Fairy Bag, complete with 2 more library books!!  Thankfully, it was just water, but still.  We tried keeping it in an outside pocket of her bookbag, but then she was forgetting to take it to the lunchroom.  So, we’re still working on a new solution, and I have a different bottle to review as well.
 
thermos funtainer jarthermos

I also bought her a Funtainers Food Jar so I could send her with leftover soup, mac & cheese and so forth.  before I sent her with anything, I wanted to test to make sure the TherMax® double wall vacuum insulation really worked.
 

initial temp

I put hot water in the thermos, closed it up, and took the temperature of the water to see how it retained the heat.  I checked it after 4.5 hours:

after 4.5 hrs

 
and again after 6.5 hours:
 

after 6.5 hrs

 
It has worked really well.  When I send her with something hot, I make it just a bit hotter than I would if we were eating it right away, then close it up!
 
The regular price of both of these at my Target was $13.99 each, but I got them on sale for $12 each.  Just a few packs of juice boxes would add up to that quickly!! We’re still using the thermos at home sometimes; if I could get her to stop chewing on the straw it would be perfect!

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Eco-Friendly/Green Made in the USA Reusable Products Review

Lunchskins Reusable Cloth Sandwich Pouch Review

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lunchskins pink fruit series slices bag

In January, I reviewed two handmade snack bags I purchased on Etsy, for my daughter to take to preschool.

reusable baghandmade snack bag

The smaller, pink polka dotted snack bag I purchased from cottontopquilts, was used twice per week from January through June.  It’s still works wonderfully and we’re using it for Kindergarten as well.

smartsnackbags

Unfortunately, the Tinkerbell print bag from smartsnackbags did not fare as well.  I used the smaller bag each time she went to preschool for various snacks.  I only used the larger one when I sent fruit, or something else that wouldn’t fit in the smaller bag.  Thus, it was only used once or twice per month, and was treated with care.  Unfortunately, after 4 months of occasional use, it had fallen apart.  I typically just wiped it or shook it out, but happened to flip it inside out one day and saw what it looked like.  My daughter told me it had looked like that for a while!

I contacted the seller to let her know what had happened, wondering if she’d had other problems with them.  3 months later I still haven’t gotten a response.  Oh well!

lunchskins sanwich bag

In any case, I wanted a new, larger snack bag, and I wanted to get a few, since she’d be eating lunch at school every day at Kindergarten.

green snack bag

When I saw this lunchskins bag at our local organic market for $7.69, I had to pick it up.  My daughter loves pink!

earth-friendly snack bag

Lunchskins are made of thick cotton fabric, coated with a food safe polyurethane liner.  They are lead, BPA and phthlate free.

reusable

The bag is very sturdy and durable, and appears to be well made.  The above photo is the inside seam, I don’t think this one will fall apart!

eco-friendly

I had planned to use the sandwich size bag as a large snack bag, but it became a sandwich bag when I discovered that the plastic sandwich tote Grandma had bought wouldn’t fit in her lunch box!

lunchskins bag

It fits well and it didn’t get squished.  Since we compost, my daughter doesn’t throw anything away at school, so I’m not worried about it getting tossed.  Her crusts were still soft when I emptied her bag!

lunchskins

I was probably a little too excited when I realized Lunchskins are also dishwasher safe!!  Woo-hoo!!  Below is after it’s first ride in the dishwasher (it emerged unscathed.)

dishwasher safe sandwich bag

After using it for a week, I had to have more.  With back to school, it was slim pickings at the store, so I got the last sandwich size bag they had.

lunchskins red bud logo series sandwich bag

My store also had the sub size bags, but they didn’t have the snack size bags, which I want!  The bags come in tons of cute colors and patterns, and you can use them in pretty much any case that would have you reaching for a plastic bag!

Direct from Lunchskins, the sandwich size bag I purchased retails for $8.95.  The sub bags are $10.95 and the snack size bags are $7.85.  It may seem like a pricey investment, but they can be reused hundreds of times.  I don’t buy many plastic bags, but I remember being shocked at the price the last time I did.

P.S. Boy does the word sandwich ever look weird after typing and looking at it so many times, I had to spell-check to make sure I wasn’t spelling it wrong!

P.P.S. My spell-check wants to change smartsnackbags to stinkbugs, which I find hilarious.

FTC Compliance: All products pictured/discussed/reviewed were purchased at normal store prices by me.  All opinions are my own, based on my experience.

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Eco-Friendly/Green Giveaway Made in the USA Reusable Products Review Wet Bags & Pail Liners

Planet Wise Diaper/Swim Wet/Dry Bag Review & Giveaway CLOSED

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Is there a company that you love?  One that makes great products, has great service and great company practices?  Do you get excited when you find out they’re coming out with a new product?  Do you tell everyone you know about them?  For me, that’s Planet Wise Inc.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I love my small, medium and large wet bags, wet/dry bag and wipes pouch.  Planet Wise are the only wet bags I’ve ever bought; I never felt the need to look for any others because they are so great. 
In case you’re wondering, I bought all of my wet bags myself.  I haven’t been paid to endorse Planet Wise.  I’m having no luck coming up with a clever joke about how I’m cheap and can be easily bribed.  Hmm…
In any case, I had the opportunity to review a brand new item from Planet Wise, the Swim/Diaper Bag.  I also have one to give away, so that’s your carrot to see this through to the end (or just scroll down, but I know you would never do that, would you?)  By the way, who would seriously be enticed by a carrot?  How about a cupcake or something at least.  Jeez.  If you’re gonna bribe me, it’s going to have to be better than rabbit food.

I thought this would be a great opportunity to shine the spotlight on Planet Wise, but I accidentally brought my interrogation lamp instead of my spotlight.  Hee hee.
Planet Wise is owned and operated by Nicki Maynard and her husband Jesse.  Their products replace their disposable counterparts and can be used for so much more than just diapers.  Their prints and colors are fantastic and are a departure from the usual “baby” prints.  Wet bags are great for travel, to keep toiletries, shoes or dirty clothes separate.  Wash and reuse instead of putting another plastic bag in the landfill!  Their packaging is also printed on recycled/recyclable paper using soy based ink!
I wish I could work for Planet Wise; employees are allowed to work flexible schedules to work around family time and school schedules and employees are welcome to bring their young children to work with them!  Alas, Planet Wise is based out of Wisconsin.
Planet Wise chooses as many USA-made materials as possible, and all products are manufactured in a locally women-owned facility.
So why do I like the wet bags so much?  Not only do they look pretty with their beautiful prints and hidden seams, they have sealed seams that will not leak, and a locking, lead free zipper.  The bags do not wick and hold in smells like nobody’s business.  They’re both versatile and durable.  They’re not going to wear out before your kids are out of diapers, but you won’t be passing them along either because you’ll be using them for a dozen other things.  Mine have been washed nearly daily since I got them, and still look new.
So clearly, it’s no secret how much I love Planet Wise.  I was like a kid on Christmas Eve when I found out the company was sending me one of their brand new swim/diaper bags to review.
I chose the spring green color which is pretty, but still neutral, and not too girly for my hubby to carry.
The swim/diaper bag has the same great features as their other wet/dry bags.  It measures about 19″ x 15″ by 8″. 
It has a large, waterproof, PVC-free inner section.
Plus a generously sized “dry” zippered section.
They say it can hold two large swim towels, plus clothes and accessories.  I of course put that to the test.  The bag looked like the perfect thing to use for a long or overnight trip. 
13 diapers, plus my Planet Wise wipes pouch stuffed with wipes and a spray bottle of wipes solution.
Yep, it all fit!
No trouble zipping it, and the structure of the bag made it stand up nicely, it didn’t topple over.
So how about 4 large beach towels, my swimsuit, my hubby’s swimsuit, my daughter’s swimsuit and my son’s swim diaper?
It all fit, zipped with no problem, and I could have fit a few snacks/toys in as well!
For swim lessons I put in: a towel, a blanket for my son to sit on, water wings and toys and snacks.  There was tons of room left!
This is a spankin’ new product, so your favorite retailer may not have them yet, but you can win one!
Planet Wise is sending one of my blog readers their own swim/diaper bag in their choice of color (subject to availability, substitutions may be made.) 

Here’s how to enter:  The first entry is mandatory, you may do as many or as few of the rest as you like.  Leave a comment for each entry  and be sure to leave your email address in at least one comment.  If I can’t contact you, I will choose another winner.

1. Visit Planet Wise and tell me what your favorite print is.  Since the swim/diaper bag is a new product, the prints aren’t yet listed on it’s page, but it should be available in all the usual colors and prints.
2. Follow my blog.
5. Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post.  One tweet per day please.  You may use this tweet if you like: @chgdiapers has a Planet Wise swim or #clothdiapers bag #giveaway for #summer #swimming! http://bit.ly/datbg3
6. Blog about Planet Wise, the new swim/diaper bag, this giveaway or this blog.  Please be sure to link back to this post and leave me a link to your blog post.

This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only.  I will accept entries until Monday, June 28th, 2010 at 9 P.M., Eastern.  I will select a winner using random.org’s true random number generator, and contact the winner by email.  S/he will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and another winner chosen.
Planet Wise provided the review product to me at no cost, and is providing the winner’s item as well.  I was not given any monetary compensation.  I wasn’t requested or required to write a positive review, Planet Wise is a great company that I personally support.
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