02.01.09
Posted in Cleaning Odors at 4:14 am by Administrator
We get asked these questions a lot.
“What’s the difference between all the products?”
Usually everyone wants the strongest odor killing available, but the great news is both the regular and “Plus” versions are excellent at knocking out any odor. Seriously; either will work GREAT. The difference is cleaning ability in addition to removing odors. The regular X-O definitely cleans, but the “Plus” seems slightly more effective at stain removal so that’s the one to choose if you want cleaning power.
“I have a pet, which one do I need?”
You’re probably interested in the Plus which is great on urine and other pesky stains like vomit so you get cleaning action plus the odor destroying.
“Should I buy ready to use or mix my own with the concentrate?”
It depends on the laziness factor and how ambitious you are. Our ready to use bottles go to town immediately. The concentrate has to be mixed with water. You’ll need a Pet 1 bottle (no big deal you probably have some lying around. Just make sure they’ve never held bleach! Rinse thoroughly.) Add 2 ounces of the X-O and fill the 16oz bottle with water. Not so tough, eh? Whether or not you mix it yourself, you’ll find no difference in efficacy (if I spelled that right).
“What’s the best stain fighter?”
We love the Suppressence, which is the site’s signature product. We are constantly amazed at what this stuff does.
“I just need major deodorizing – but I’m tempted to get the cleaning power.”
One thing people agree on is how pleasant the scent of X-O odor neutralizer is. It’s our most popular product – tried and true. Some people think it smells like bubble gum.
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02.04.08
Posted in Cleaning Odors at 7:21 pm by Administrator
We’re really excited about the debut of our new cleaning and odor neutralizing product, “Supressence”! Production starts in about a week and we should have the first bottles by mid-month. Supressence is the strongest ready-to-use spray that X-O has ever made and we’ve been beta testing at home for two months to see what it can do. The test drive has been phenomenal. With the holiday season, we had not one, but two red wine spills on a white shag flokati-style rug. My guests couldn’t believe how mellow I was about it, but I knew that Supressence would take it out so completely it would be as if it never happened (plus, I’d get props for being such a Zen hostess). We simply sprayed the wine stain, rubbed with paper towels and the whole thing came right up, including the red wine odor. There is no smell whatsoever, and not even a pinkish smear left! Because I didn’t capture this with pictures, I’m considering replicating the spills simply so I can photograph the process so you can see how amazing it really is.
So that’s Supressence on the stain front. It is incredible on odors, working to my nose a slight bit faster than the regular X-O (which is already fast). For example, we have a little girl cat who was abandoned because she went to the potty standing — instead of hitting the litter, she would hit the wall as the urine was going straight out, horizontally. We now have a litter box with tall walls (constructed from a giant rubber storage bin), with a door cut in the middle so kitty can walk inside. This powder room as you’d expect takes a lot of abuse on its walls. They are always covered in urine splotches which produce a lot of odor. Thankfully, we have the box in the garage, but still….anyway, I spray the walls with Supressence and everything is instantly fresh. Just like X-O, I don’t worry about the cats coming into contact with any toxic chemicals.
Supressence is a new idea: what if you could get rid of most every household chemical and just have one product in your cleaning bucket as you move around the house? The idea is simplicity, healthiness and environmental responsibility without giving up actual results! I want my house to be sparkling. I won’t use a product that doesn’t get the job done, even if it is natural. The name indicates what it does…it removes odor, dirt and pet smells all throughout your house. If you can clean the bathroom, kitchen, floors, pets, upholstery, laundry and air with it….what more do you need?
Look for Supressence to start shipping later in February.
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Posted in Cleaning Odors at 4:32 pm by Administrator
In the last post, I looked at phthalates in everyday plastic items. The AP has a story today about a study in the journal Pediatrics which finds these chemicals present in all 163 babies they tested. Read more here. The highest levels were linked with baby grooming products such as lotions, shampoos and powders. So maybe according to the FDA and CDC, these chemicals are not yet proven to have harmful effects….would you want them in your baby?
How do you know if these chemicals are present in products? Unfortunately the article states it can be hard to know as there is no law for disclosure for fragrance ingredients (apparently a common source). I know I’ve certainly wondered about the component parts to “fragrance” on various bottles. Call me paranoid, but I recently tossed some aromatherapy bath lotion made in China. No offense, but I don’t think their quality control can be called exactly rigorous these days. How do I know I’m not bathing in arsenic? The AP article does tip parents to look for phthalate clues such as DEP and DEHP on labels.
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01.04.08
Posted in Cleaning Odors at 6:50 pm by Administrator
Jolene races around in the morning, trying to get the family ready for the day. She pours OJ for the kids out of a big plastic jug (containing BPA, more about that later) and grabs sandwiches she picked up last night at the grocery for the kids’ lunches (wrapped in PVC plastic). She microwaves a breakfast burrito for her son in a plastic container (containing phtlalates). She grabs a couple of plastic water bottles from the stash she sends through the dishwasher and reuses (causes leaching and breakdown) and fills them with filtered water from the refrigerator. She’ll catch coffee at the drivethrough on the way to work (Styrofoam).
It isn’t even 9 AM and Jolene has made a series of decisions that can cause her — and her family — to ingest human carcinogens. Repeated over and over again, month after month, year after year, this accumulated exposure is steadily building up in her body and in those she loves. Let’s take a look at the dangers and ways to counter them.
New studies show that when certain plastics and food and drink mix, minutes amounts of dangerous chemicals may be released into our bodies that may cause cancer, gene mutation and damaging hormonal changes (learn more). Common action that we don’t think much about – say, microwaving that frozen dinner or leaving your water bottle on the seat of the car where it can be heated up by the sun – can intensify the leaching process. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, leading naturalist and integrative medicine specialist, the top plastics to watch out for are Polystyrene (plastic #6), PVC or V plastic wrap (#3) and #7 plastic.
Styrofoam/Polystyrene: commonly used for hot and cold drinks and take out containers. The concern is that the component styrene leaches into your food or drink, a process exacerbated by heat. In lab mice exposed to styrene, damage to their major organs was seen and it’s a potential human carcinogen. What to do: Carry a stainless bottle and transfer your water or coffee into it (it will keep it warmer too). Remove take out food immediately when you get home and transfer to glass. Never, ever microwave or warm this plastic.
PVC wrap: polyvinyl chloride is flexible plastic wrap. At the supermarket, it may be wrapping that wheel of brie, pre-made sandwiches or luncheon meat at the deli. At home, it’s the plastic wrap that you use for leftovers or to wrap up that half of an onion. The problem is chemicals called phtlalates and adipates which are known to be highly toxic to mice. What to do: Choose plastic wrap which does not contain these chemicals. Dr. Andrew Weil recommends Glad Cling Wrap or Saran Cling Plus brands. When buying meats, etc., from the store, get them home and out of their original wrap. Interesting tidbit: The EU bans phtlalates altogether.
#7 Plastic: this bad boy is found in plastic forks & knives and some TV dinners. The problem is the chemical Bisphenol A or BTA, another systemically damaging chemical which can contribute to cancers, miscarriages and more. Did you need another reason to get back to nature with fresh foods? Swearing off microwavable entrees is a great way to begin the new year.
So….what about individually wrapped string cheese? What about pre-washed salad greens? Once you start realizing the huge amount of plastics you come into contact with every day, it’s a bit scary. We’re not saying that you have to be hypervigilant. That’s probably an impossible standard to live up to. Think more in terms of the biggest actions you can take which will net you the biggest results. Probably transferring your bottled water to glass or stainless if you drink from a bottle all day long, every day, is a great way to start. Don’t try to save pennies by sending them through the dishwasher (of course recycle them!) which may accelerate the leaching potential. Promise yourself that you’ll give up microwaving in plastic. And learn to look at the bottom of your commonly purchased products for these safer plastics: PET 1, HDPE, LDPE. I finally ditched my beloved collection of plastic storage container and boxes. They’ve been retired to the garage to hold nuts and bolts and non-ingestibles. I replaced them with a $49 Pyrex set of glass containers with plastic lids (cool as long as they don’t come in contact with your food). Good luck and good health in the new year.
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12.27.07
Posted in Cleaning Odors at 2:46 am by Administrator
For a woman who loves her scented candles, tapers at dinner, little tea lights and never met an essential oil she didn’t like, it’s disturbing to learn that candles in the home needlessly put your lungs at risk. But it is true….candles DO emit toxic vapors, Virginia. Nor is it just a smidge of toxins that I might be willing to tolerate for the pleasure of the dancing flame and the feeling of a cozy hearth. Candles made from paraffin which is derived from petroleum (most candles on the market today) emit carcinogens such as xylene, tolulene, lead, phenol, benzene, mercury, acetone, and many other polysyllabic chemical names that don’t mean good things for your health. That’s just the wax. The wick has issues too: it might be lead or zinc and if it burns down below the level of the glass jar it could produce double the smoke of a regular candle.
Hmmm…candles smoke? Doinnnngggg. Oops. Hadn’t really ever stopped to think about that. Smoke = bad thing. It’s soot. It’s pollution. Why in the world would you willingly introduce this into your house once you thought about it? You really have reason to worry if your walls start showing soot and/or notice a thin film clinging to objects in the house. That means your candle soot level has jumped the track and is now polluting household-wide.
With asthma increasing 60% in the last two decades, the spotlight is turning on indoor air quality as one contributing factor. The EPA says indoor air is five times worse than outdoor air, even city air.
Happily, there is a way candle lovers can clean up their home air and enjoy their flames. Soy and beeswax candles are non-toxic alternatives to common candle wax. They cost more, but at least soy wax burns significantly longer so you make up for it on the back end. Fragrance free candles are the safest as those which add scent may contain toxic additives.
Keep in mind that deliciously scented incense is another pollutant that adds particulate matter into the air you breathe. Yes, it smells good. So does antifreeze. Unfortunately there isn’t a true healthy alternative to incense. I’ve seen some organic incense which is chemical free, prepared under ideal conditions, and has every good intent… yet it still winds up in your lungs.
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