Many of us today live hectic lives, so when we finally find a couple of hours to clean house, we want the supplies all together and ready to go. Taking time to hunt down the cleanser or to run to the store for furniture polish can break your stride and divert your attention. Spend an hour or two organizing and stocking your cleaning supplies ahead of time, so when you’re ready to start your chores, there won’t be any delays.
Begin with finding a storage area for the larger equipment. This could be a tall utility closet or storage enclosure that can be kept in the laundry room, basement, or garage. The cabinet can open with a turn handle or a snap-lock. Even one with a curtain cover, you can keep the dust mop, broom, and wet mop there, along with a bucket, sponges, brushes, and other implements. If you don’t have a cabinet, you can still keep these items together in a corner of the laundry room or a hall closet. Just make sure the area is neat, clean, and moisture-free.
Use a wooden, vinyl, or plastic crate for cleaning products like cleansers, polishes, and soaps. Find a safe place to keep the crate where pets and kids are unlikely to come across these things and tamper with them. You may need to use more than one crate to include all your supplies. In fact, you can keep a crate of needed cleaning supplies on each floor of the house, since cleaning needs may differ. For example, if the main bathrooms are on the second floor, the crate for that level will include tub cleaner, sponges, and maybe a little rust treatment if your water is hard. In the basement, though, you may want to keep stronger scrubbing agents and dusters.
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Responding to consumers’ need to help demystify ingredients in the cleaning products they buy, Seventh Generation has launched a mobile application that allows people to look up the definitions of common household cleaning chemicals even as they shop.
The application is available for download to Web-enabled cell phones (as well as a widget application) at Showwhatsinside.com. It is part of a larger campaign themed “Show the World What’s Inside” that includes print breaking in such publications as Cookie, Domino and Self. This is the first campaign for Seventh Generation from 180LA, Los Angeles. Spend for the effort, which targets young moms, was not disclosed.
“One of the reasons we chose digital to be the center point of the campaign is because digital is great at doing a lot of things that some of the more traditional mediums aren’t,” said William Gelner, executive creative director at 180LA. “Young moms watch TV and read magazines, but the one place where they’re really involved and deeply engaged is the Web. Especially through mommy blogs.”
Courtney Loveman, who goes by the title “brand mother” at Seventh Generation, Burlington, Vt., which produces eco-friendly household and personal-care products, said the campaign is the first major advertising for the brand in four years. “We were late to the digital space in the first place and we’ve always felt that our message was best spread in people’s stories about our brand,” she said.
“Unless you’re a bio major or M.I.T. grad, you’re not really sure what all these chemicals in the products you’re purchasing are and [manufacturers] might lead you to think they’re really good for you,” Gelner said, calling such misperceptions “greenwashing.” The new Seventh Generation Web site encourages consumers to look beyond a manufacturer’s labeling and advertising tactics and draws attention back to what’s inside the container.
However, Robert Passikoff, founder of Brand Keys, New York, said that while the initiative is noble in theory, the real question is how often and whether or not consumers will actually use the mobile device. “The problem is, if you’re a mom with a five-year-old or a newborn, you want to get in the store and out. You’re not looking to go in and scan the ingredients.
“The acid test for all this is, if you were to ask 1,000 people whether they thought this would be a good idea or not, virtually everyone would tell you, ‘yes,’” he said. But time limitations and real-world pressures dictate otherwise. If moms are really doing their homework, they’re not doing it when they’re shopping.”
by Elaine Wong
Source: http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/digital/e3i991563eaf426e2a2784333cd2e7034f6
For a thoroughly clean home without all the space-consuming equipment, this thoughtfully designed cleaner functions as three units in one. It vacuums carpets, floors, and hard-to-reach areas; deep cleans carpets and upholstery; and washes sealed hard-floor surfaces. Not bad for a unit that takes up just over 2 square feet of floor space. The versatile cleaner provides easy-to-use push-button controls, bagless technology, and a 1-2/7-gallon tank capacity. When in deep-cleaning mode, its built-in heater quickly heats hot tap water up to 25 degrees hotter for enhanced results. On-board vacuum tools include a multi-surface floor tool, an air-powered floor TurboBrush, a 5-inch brush, a crevice tool, and a dust brush, as well as a carpet deep-cleaning tool, a drain cleaner, a 4-inch upholstery tool, and a hard-floor tool. The hard-floor tool uses a washable micro-fiber pad that helps lift and remove dirt from tile, vinyl, laminates, and sealed hardwood surfaces.
Even more, the home-cleaning system features three-stage filtration. Its water filtration captures large debris and dust, the washable foam filter captures fine particles, and the HEPA media filter cleans and filters the air. Other highlights include a quick-release cord wrap, a quick-release hose door, an 8-foot upholstery hose, and an 18-foot power cord, along with Microban antimicrobial protection, which fights the growth of odor causing bacteria, mold, and mildew in the machine, keeping it cleaner and fresher between uses. Additional items include a 16-ounce bottle of Fiber Cleansing Formula, an 8-ounce bottle of Hard Floor Solutions, a mesh bag, and two hard-floor micro-fiber pads. The home-cleaning system measures 13 by 24 by 54-1/2 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.
The Bissell 7700 Big Green Complete Steam Vacuum Cleaner is a very versatile machine that can clean many surfaces in your home. This cleaner vacuums and uses three stage filtration. The water filtration traps the larger debris and dust. The washable foam filter contains the finer particles. The HEPA media filter cleans and filters the air.A BUILT-IN HEATER ON THE 7700 BIG GREEN COMPLETE HEATS WATER 25 DEGREES HOTTER FOR THE MOST CLEANING POWER POSSIBLE.The Bissell 7700 vacuums carpets, hard-to-reach areas and hard floor surfaces. To clean the hard floors gently and effectively, a unique tool is used that has a washable microfiber pad. When you clean hard floors, they dry quickly as well. A microban antimicrobial protect protection feature protects your unit from the build-up of bacteria, mold and mildew. Your entire home will look shiny and new when you use the Bissell 7700 Big Green Complete! Specifications. Model #: 7700 Special Product Feature: Water Filtration Vacuum Built-In Heater: Yes Power Rating: 12 Amps Cleaning Surface Type: Carpet, Bare Floor, Upholstery, Stairs, Auto Tank Capacity: 1.3 Gallon Cord Length: 18 Additional Tools: Vacuum Tools Large Brush TurboBrush Small Brush Crevice Tool Dusting Brush Deep Cleaning Tools Deep Cleaning Tool 4? Tool Hard Floor Tool Additional Items Included: Fiber Cleansing Formula 16 oz Hard Floor Solutions 8 oz Mesh Bag 2 – Hard Floor Pads Drain Cleaner Upholstery Hose Length: 8
Source: http://www.adshonesty.com/2008/09/bissell-7700-big-green-complete-home-cleaning-system/
