Glade Expressions Collection

I'm pretty sure I've established how much I love things that smell good.

My latest BzzAgent Campaign, for Glade Expressions, has definitely delivered!

Have you seen these in stores yet?

I'm posting this one, because it's my favorite scent of the collection, but they also come in Cotton and Italian Mandarin, Lavender and Juniper Berry, and Pineapple and Mangosteen. 

 

The Expressions collection also includes a home spray with available refills, and refills available for the oil diffuser.

 

Thanks to BzzAgent, I got some really great coupons and was able to purchase these for only $2 each (not to mention a great weekly special at Target, which got me a free refill for each diffuser I purchased!).  They retail for about $6 each, and they're worth every penny.

 

Basically, it's a home fragrance item that doubles as decor!  Bonus - it's really potent and lasts a long time.  I've had this Fuji Apple and Cardamom Spice diffuser in my kitchen for close to a month, and it still smells like I just baked an apple pie.  The smell even filters through into my living room some.  I like the way it looks, enough that I just leave it out on the counter. 

 

I want one of these for every room in my house!

 

 



Scotch Brite Shower Scrubber

My least favorite household chore is laundry.  My second least favorite is cleaning the tub and shower. 

Normally I use a scratchy sponge (about the size of a dish sponge) with a plastic handle to clean the shower and tub.  I spray Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-A-Clean Mega Shower Foamer (which I love and highly recommend) and scrub til it's clean, then rinse with water. 

I have shower doors (which I hate) instead of a shower curtain, so some places seem to be hard to reach.  Kneeling in the floor, leaning over the side of the tub to scrub the inside is also extremely uncomfortable where the track pokes into me.  Those doors are fun to clean, too... especially where the mildew tends to stick in all the little holes.  This leads to me cleaning the shower less often, and therefore causing it to be even dirtier when I DO get around to cleaning it.  Add all of the hair, soap scum, shaving cream, and gritty facial scrub that flies around in there, and I end up with a half-hour of spraying, scrubbing, sweating, grumbling, and wishing there was a better way. 

The other day, I was shopping at (yep, you guessed it) Wal-Mart and I came across an intriguing little tool that I decided to splurge and spend the $7 or so on:  The Scotch Brite Shower Scrubber.

The name makes it sound rather unexciting.  I think it should be called something more dramatic.  Anyway, I used it for the first time today and was, for the most part, pretty impressed.

Basically, this tool is a teardrop-shaped, rough but no-scratch sponge attached to the end of a metal handle.  The handle twists open to allow you to extend its length to 2 feet.  The sponge is disposable and you can buy refills for it. 

It really cut down on the time it took me to clean my shower.  I was able to scrub down all of the surfaces pretty quickly between the larger sponge and the long handle.  I was also happy with the cleaning power of the sponge.  It's nice and rough, so it cuts through the soap scum pretty well.  I hate when I think a spot is clean, only to rinse it off and realize that there's still a layer of scuz there.  I really didn't have that problem with the Shower Scrubber. 

It's not a perfect product.  I did have a few issues with it. 

1 - The sponge head popped off of the handle two or three times while I was cleaning.  I realize that it has to be easy for people to remove (press a button and the sponge head slides off), but this was a little bit annoying.  I had to be careful.

2 - I wish the handle, which bends up and down to the sponge, would also bend side to side.  Do you know what I mean?  It would be nice if it could pivot in all directions.  It would be easier to clean certain places.

3 - I wish there was a way to squeeze the water out of it when you're done.  It tends to drip all over the place, and you can only squeeze it so much. 

4 - This isn't really a problem with the product, but what would have been really nice was if they would have also made a tool for the small spaces, like where the grout is.  You can't really clean in there with this tool.

I am super happy I bought this.  I'm not sure how much the refills cost at Wal-Mart, but there appears to be a regular AND a large size on Amazon, selling for $2.49 and $4.79.  Definitely worth it.  I'll continue to use this as long as I can get refills for it!





Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookies

Recently I wrote about the Mom VoxBox I received from Influenster.  Another great product I received complimentary to test was a Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookie!

The cookies come in four flavors: Apples and Cinnamon, Banana Nut, Cranberry and Yogurt, and Raisins. They cost about $2.69 for a box of 6.  Each cookie is sealed separately, so they won't go stale. 

My cookie was the Raisins flavor. I devoured it pretty quickly, and I did not share!  It was soft and chewy and tasted delicious! I will definitely be getting some more of these to have on hand for snacks or packed lunches. They would be even more wonderful warmed up in the microwave for a few seconds.

For a cookie, these seem to be pretty healthy.  The Raisins flavor cookies have about 6 grams of fat, 170 calories, and are a good source of fiber, so they can fill you up more than other snacks. 

You can see more information and additional Influenster product reviews here.  They have 4 and 1/2 out of 5 stars!

Thanks to Influenster and Quaker for the chance to test another awesome product, for free.

Febreze Set & Refresh

Candles, plug-ins, reed diffusers, sprays, scented oil warmers, potpourri...  You name it, I've tried it!  I have a fetish for things that smell good and there's nothing I love more than walking into a house that smells noticeably GOOD.  Not just clean, but fruity, or floral, or maybe like cinnamon or freshly baked cookies. 

Recently I was having a get-together at my house and wanted something to make the living room smell good.  I do burn candles and have some plug-ins, but I wanted something more.  I was at WalMart and found these little Febreze Set & Refresh air fresheners.  I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much - kind of like those little wax cones that you get for $1 and twist off the top to expose the scent.. they last for a day or two and then they're dead.  The Set & Refresh were pretty cheap, around $2 for the unit with 1 scent cartridge (around $4 for a package of refills), so I decided to go ahead and try one. 

Basically the Set & Refresh is a little plastic, crescent-shaped holder with a base.  You just slide the scent cartridge inside until it clicks.  If you want more scent, you can pull the base out, or leave it the way it is for more subtle scent.  I haven't needed to replace the cartridge yet, so I'm not sure how easy it is to remove, or if there's any mess involved. 

I want one of these things for every room in my house!  It has been sitting in my living room for about a month now, and I can STILL smell it.  Unfortunately, I don't remember what scent I bought, and some seem to have better reviews than others, but I think it's something along the lines of tropical/fruity.  It's not so strong that it's overpowering, but it's really noticeable when you walk in the door.  I can't believe how well it has worked for the price I paid!  I went out and bought another one for the bathroom, and it's even better since the bathroom is so small.  The second one I bought has a floral scent, and I like it too.  There are scratch and sniff stickers on each package so you can sort of tell before you buy it if you like it or not. 

I will definitely be purchasing refills for these.  I can't believe I had never heard of them before!

Private Selection Brand - BzzCampaign

BzzAgent has really been showing me love lately!  Currently I'm involved in three BzzCampaigns:

1. The Dr. Scholl's inserts I just posted about
2. A really exciting one where I got two free books for my Kindle, The Hangman's Daughter and The Dark Monk
3. Private Selection Taste of Summer - this one involes FOOD!  :)

If you've never heard of Private Selection brand, it is sold exclusively at Kroger stores, but it is a "premium/gourmet" brand.  Prior to the campaign, I had tried a few of their products (one being the olive oil that I'm currently using and love).  They are modestly priced, though not the cheapest thing on the shelf, and generally I have found to be pretty good quality products.

The BzzKit we received contained an actual bag of sea salt and black pepper flavored kettle chips, and coupons for a free pie, a free package of angus ground beef, $1.50 off of a pint of ice cream, and lots of 20% off coupons to share with friends. 

The chips were so-so; I love kettle chips and loved the texture and crunch of these, but I just wasn't into the flavor.  I plan to try another kind.  So far, I have not been able to find the pies at my Kroger store.  The ice cream was actually on sale for $1.50, so I got it for free, too.  I chose black raspberry and dark chocolate ice cream, and it was  d e l i c i o u s.  Even my husband liked it.  Great texture, especially for a store brand - there are big brand name ice creams that don't measure up to this, in my opinion.  I'll buy it again!  Finally, I purchased a package of the angus ground beef.  I used it for hamburgers, and I really was so impressed with the consistency of the meat.  Normally, when I buy ground beef, I feel like it is really stiff and hard to work with, it seems overprocessed and a little gross.  This ground beef was extremely soft and had a texture like actual meat you might grind at home, if you do that sort of thing.  It really wasn't any more expensive than other ground beef, I thought, so I would definitely purchase it again.  I have been really impressed with the brand.

So in case you missed my previous posts, BzzAgent is a really easy-to-use website where you sign up, take a few surveys, and then sit back and wait to be invited to a campaign that suits you.  Occasionally you'll be asked to take a new survey as new companies prepare to launch campaigns, but it's nothing too time-consuming.  If you receive a product, you're asked to share your opinions and a coupon or two with friends, and report back to BzzAgent about your "Bzz".  Super easy, and actually pretty rewarding... try it out!  ;)

Palmolive Fresh Sponge

It's been two weeks since I started using my Palmolive Fresh Sponge, which I received complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.  I have to say, it lives up to its promises!

As I mentioned in the previous post, Palmolive's new dish soap, Fresh Sponge, gets rid of the residue normally left behind on your dish sponge, causing it to stink. 

While I can't comment on the "sparkling shine" it says it will leave your dishes (mine are stoneware and I have a bad habit of drinking from disposable cups), I am pleased with the way it really does keep my sponge from smelling bad.  Even better, if you can imagine, it actually smells GOOD. 

I don't keep a schedule for how long I use a sponge before I throw it out, but I feel like now is about the time I normally would switch it out for a new one.  Two weeks is probably longer than a damp, dirty sponge should hang around - especially if I'm going to use it to scrub my fork.  WebMD actually says the dirty dish sponge is the #1 source of germs in the whole house!  I don't bother disinfecting mine; I just toss it and grab a new one.  And while I'm pretty good about not using the same sponge for way too long, I do sometimes notice a faint odor on the sponge or sometimes even the dishes after I've been using it awhile.  Since I've been using the Fresh Sponge soap, there's been no odor at all!  What I'd love to know is whether the Palmolive Fresh Sponge does anything to decrease the actual bacterial population on the sponge.  I'm thinking that I might go ahead and microwave the sponge this time, and keep it around for longer.  This would make the Fresh Sponge a money-saver - less sponges to buy!

All in all, I am much more impressed than I expected to be with this product.  Although I have always been a fan of Dawn, I just might pick up another bottle of this when I run out.

To get your own free products to test and review, sign up for an account at www.influenster.com.  There's really no catch - just try what they send you and give your honest feedback. 

Palmolive Fresh Sponge

Last week, I got another product in the mail from Influenster.  This time, it's Palmolive's new dish soap, Fresh Sponge. 

The new Fresh Sponge formula not only cleans your dishes, but it supposedly removes the residue that causes odor in your dish sponge.  It smells amazing.  I can't wait to try it!  (Check out their website here. )  I'll write a review in a couple of weeks and let you know how bad my sponge stinks!  :)

The kit from Influenster includes a very large 25 ounce bottle of the dish soap, a dish sponge, and coupons for me and 5 of my friends.   Just like with the VoxBox I described before, I received the dishwashing kit for free.  My only obligations are to use the new soap and tell my friends about it, and then check back to Influenster for a product review and a survey.  

Influenster is free to join!  Sign up at www.influenster.com.