20 Mule Team Borax Product Review

Before I get into my review, I just want everyone to know that Borax provided a free box of their wonderful product so that I could review it. My opinions expressed here are my own, though, and not influenced by the company in any way. Now on to my review!

I will begin by saying that I had heard of Borax prior to being sent a box but never actually tried it. My Mom has been using it for YEARS and swears by it! She uses it in her wash but also said it works GREAT for keeping insects (mostly ants & roaches) out of her screened in porch. She just sprinkles a little around the doorway and ever since then, she hasn't had ONE insect in there. I will definitely have to try that when summer rolls around. During this test, I used it solely for the purpose of washing clothes. The box itself isn't overly fancy. It comes in a regular cardboard box. There isn't anything wrong with that but at first glance, it might be easy to overlook on the shelf at the store.

So what is Borax anyway?

~20 Mule Team Borax is 100% natural mineral from the earth. Once removed from the ground, it is washed, dried, and boxed for consumers.

~Borax is the common name for sodium tetraborate: a naturally occurring substance produced by the perpetual evaporation of seasonal lakes.

~Absolutely nothing is added. No phosphates, chlorine, or other additive chemicals.

What is hard water?

Over 85% of homes have what most people call "hard water." Hard water is defined as water that contains calcium and magnesium (ions). (just to note, we have hard water in our house!)

How does hard water affect laundry?

When you add detergent to hard water, some of the compounds attach to calcium and magnesium granules that settle on the bottom of your washing machine, eventually retreating down the drain without actually cleaning your clothes. What a waste of detergent!

20 Mule Team Borax naturally softens hard water!

20 Mule Team Borax naturally softens hard water, which protects your detergent - so it can maximize cleaning power.

Cleaner clothes than detergent alone

To boost your detergent, simply add 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax to every load, along with your regular detergent. (may I recommend Purex if you haven't tried it already?) ;)

You'll find that it naturally softens hard water and improves your detergent's cleaning power. It also helps keep stains from being redeposited back onto clothes

I had a great experience with the product. Since we have a problem with hard water in our house, I was excited to see if it would make any difference in our laundry. It really did! I added 1/2 cup of Borax to my laundry along with my Purex liquid laundry detergent. My clothes came out clean every wash and I was left feeling confident that the Borax was helping get my laundry cleaner than ever before! It might not be something that you can see on every load but you get that good feeling knowing that you are going that extra mile to get your laundry to look as good as it possibly can. You can buy this product at most stores and the price is VERY reasonable. If you haven't tried Borax yet, why not give it a try? You can search online for the MANY different uses this product has. It does a lot more than just softening your water to get your laundry cleaner.

For more information about Borax, where you can buy it, cleaning tips & and more, check out their homepage at www.20muleteamlaundry.com

"Welcome to the World" Sweepstakes - ENTER NOW TO WIN!

The "Welcome to the World" Sweepstakes featuring Purex Crystals for Baby is LIVE! Enter now to win!

One lucky grand prize winner will receive $1,000 and 250 2nd place winners will receive a coupon for a free bottle of Purex Crystals for Baby! Be sure to sign up once a day until February 22nd, 2013.

You can sign up here!

http://insiders.purex.com/welcome-to-the-world?id=243

Purex Baby Liquid Detergent Product Review

To start off, I just want everyone to know that Purex provided a free sample of their wonderful Purex Baby liquid detergent so that I could review it. My opinions expressed here are my own, though, and not influenced by the company in any way. Now on to my review!

When I first opened the box, the first thing that I noticed was the adorable baby on the front of the Purex Baby detergent bottle. SO CUTE!! The soft pink colors on the lid and label along with the white bottle gave me the impression that this product would be very gentle which is what I would expect from a baby detergent. Here is a picture of the bottle itself so that you can easily find it on the shelf at the store!

This detergent is, of course, made especially for babies since it is gentle for their delicate skin but still tough on those hard to remove stains. Purex Baby detergent delivers the same bright, white clean you've come to expect from Purex, yet is sensitive on baby's delicate skin. Plus, it has a gentle baby-inspired freshness that families with love. The scent is one thing that I really loved about the detergent. It was light but still noticeable. I prefer fragrances over unfragranced products so it was a nice surprise that this detergent did have a light, fresh scent. :)

The dermatologist tested formula guarantees to remove stubborn stains without hurting delicate clothes, like those adorable little footie pajamas and onesies! Like all Purex detergents, Purex Baby is specifically designed to ensure proper performance for all washers, from high-efficiency to traditional top loader washing machines.

It's no secret - Moms want the best for their children. Thanks to Purex, that doesn't have to mean spending a fortune on baby-safe products. Diapers cost enough already, so save some money on Purex Baby detergent, which costs a fraction of the leading brand, without jeopardizing quality. This product is currently available in 50 oz bottles with 100 oz bottles COMING SOON! YAY! Unfortunately, this detergent isn't available in every store. If you want to find a store near you that carries it, try using the store locator at:

http://www.purex.com/products/detergents/baby

Overall, I had a great experience with the Purex Baby detergent. Not only is it great for babies clothing but it is also GREAT for people with sensitive skin. My Mom and sister-in-law have sensitive skin so I let them each try washing a load of their clothing with this detergent. They didn't experience ANY irritation whatsoever. So even if you don't have little ones, you could still benefit from this product if your skin is a little on the sensitive side. When the clothes came out of the wash, they still had a nice, light scent on them. It wasn't at ALL overpowering which was very nice. Thank you so much Purex for giving me the opportunity to sample such a great product!

The Borax Fresh Year, Fresher Laundry Facebook Sweepstakes is LIVE!

You can enter to win the $1,500 Grand Prize or one of 171 coupons for FREE BORAX! Why 171 coupons you ask? The TOTAL prize value is $2013, which is very appropriate for the new year! :) Be sure to sign up once a day until February 22nd, 2013.

You can sign up here!

http://insiders.purex.com/Borax-fresh-year?id=243

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!

Dial Complete Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash Review

To start off, I just want everyone to know that Dial provided a free sample of their awesome Holiday Foaming Hand Soap so that I could review it. My opinions expressed here are my own, though, and not influenced by the company in any way. Now on to the review!

The first thing that I noticed when I opened the package was the super cute, festive packaging of the soap bottles! There are 4 different designs to choose from. I was sent the snowman and Christmas tree designs. The other two designs were a santa and candy cane design. (also VERY cute & festive!!)

If you have ever used any type of Dial soap, you already know how great it is! These decorative holiday bottles are no different. They contain Dial Complete's #1 doctor recommended antibacterial foaming hand wash. This formula kills 99.99% of germs while still being very gentle on your skin. We all know that while the holiday season is joyful, fun, and exciting, it can also be the PERFECT time to get invaded by GERMS. YUCK! To help keep your whole family healthy and to prevent the spreading of any unwanted germs, you can use this Dial Foaming Hand Wash to wash away those nasty germs & leave your hands feeling squeaky clean! The scent is very nice, too. Very soft & gentle. I love that the foaming hand soap washes away easily and doesn't leave a slimy residue on your hands after rinsing.

I would highly recommend this soap to anyone, especially anyone with kids. :) It is easy for them to use and very kid-friendly. The pump doesn't require a lot of effort to use and just the right amount of soap gets dispensed each time. These bottles are also great for kids because the festive designs are more fun than just a typical looking bottle. It makes hand washing more fun and motivates them to wash their hands more often. Heck, even I found myself enjoying washing my hands! That cute little snowman face always made me smile when I would look at it!

Overall, I had a great experience with the Dial Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash. I will definitely continue to buy this product even if it doesn't include the cute holiday themed packaging. I would love to see other holiday themed packaging get introduced in the future. Easter, Halloween, 4th of July, so many fun possibilities! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to sample such a great product!

For more information about Dial soap, you can visit www.DialSoap.com and like them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dial

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! :)

Purex plus Oxi Product Review

I received a bottle of this detergent to try from Purex Insiders. However, all opinions that I express here are my own. I have been using the Purex brand for a few years and have always been VERY pleased with the results. I also love that the price is a little more reasonable than some of the other more popular name brands. The first thing that grabbed my attention about this product was that it was supposed to work against over 101 different stains. That is impressive! I was wondering if that would even be true and really wanted to put the product to the test. Before I go into my personal review, here are some facts about this awesome product:

The three stain-fighting enzymes in Purex plus Oxi each work against different types of stains for the most Purex stain-fighting power you can get!

Purex plus Oxi, like all liquid Purex products, has been specially formulated to work in both high efficiency washers and traditional washing machines. And because it's from Purex, you know it won't break the bank! Purex plus Oxi leaves your clothes bright, white, and clean and costs HALF the price of the leading brand. WOW!

A powerful combination of detergent and stain fighters

-A hypoallergenic formula with a ligh, fresh scent
-Perfect for everyday laundry or heavily soiled loads
-Visit Purex.com/products/detergents/purex-plus-oxi for additional product information

The first load that I used this detergent on was by far, the dirtiest. It was my mainly my husband's work clothes which have a combination of different stains - dirt, deodorant, sweat, and even wine! He works as a vendor and had a bottle of wine shatter right next to him. The entire leg of his khaki colored pants, his sock, and his shoe were DRENCHED in red wine. UGH! I have had wine stains on clothing before and if they aren't treated immediately, they can set in and be nearly impossible to remove. Needless to say, he wasn't able to come home right away so the stain had plenty of time to set in. I never thought it would come out!

I threw all of his work clothes in a medium sized load, used warm water, and didn't use any other pretreaters. The only thing that I did was used some of the Purex plus Oxi detergent with an old toothbrush to scrub the stain before throwing it in the wash. Threw everything in, closed the lid, and hoped for a miracle, LOL! I could smell the clothes being washed in the other room. The fragrance wasn't overpowering but it did have a nice fresh scent. When the clothes were done, I immediately hunted for the pair of khaki colored pants with the wine stain on them. There were 3 pairs of the same colored pants in there and I took them all out. I couldn't tell which one originally had the stain on it!!! To me, that was incredible! The clothes smelled so clean & fresh, too. It removed ALL of the bad odors along with the stains, even the wine and deodorant stains!

If you haven't tried this product yet, I strongly suggest you do. It has worked wonders at removing tough, set-in stains along with old stains as well. Our local stores ALWAYS have Purex detergents on sale which makes it even more enticing!

Thank you Purex Insiders for giving me the opportunity to try this awesome product!!

Kylie Minogue - The Abbey Road Sessions Album Review

I have been a fan of Kylie Minogue for many years. I can remember listening to her music in both middle AND high school and still listen to her today! I think she has a beautiful music and a unique one, at that. She doesn't resort to painful screeching like many other female singers that we are subjected to in today's music, LOL!

Before I begin, I want to let everyone know that I was sent a copy of this CD from One2One Network to give my honest review of it on my blog. All opinions here are still my own and not influenced by my campaign participation in any way. With that being said, let's get into the review! :)

The cool thing about this album is that is features 16 reworked tracks which span Kylie's 25 year career. I find that to be pretty impressive and exciting. That is what originally sparked my interest about this album. The CD was recorded in London's legendary Abbey Road Studios with Kylie's band and a full orchestra. Over all sixteen tracks, one thing becomes very clear. Stripped of her high-end pop production, the emotional resonance of Kylie’s songs has never been clearer, and her voice has never sounded better. Here are the list of songs on this album:

ALL THE LOVERS
ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS
BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
HAND ON YOUR HEART
I BELIEVE IN YOU
COME INTO MY WORLD
FINER FEELINGS
CONFIDE IN ME
SLOW
LOCOMOTION
CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD
WHERE THE WILD ROSES GROW
FLOWER
I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
NEVER TOO LATE

I thought the song "Flower" was incredibly moving and inspiring. When I read that she wrote this song during her breast cancer treatments and her ability to have a child was in question, that really moved me. I thought the song was genuine, and definitely written from the heart. There is a really great mix of music on this CD, some slower paced, some a faster tempo, but I do feel like it is VERY different from what I have heard from Kylie Minogue over the past several years. If you are a fan of hers (or even if you aren't), this CD is definitely worth checking out.

Kylie has been celebrating K25, her 25th Anniversary in music, all throughout 2012. It has been an extraordinary career so far; 60 million global album sales, multiple hit singles, global tours, and industry accolades — all of which has permanently cemented her place in music history as a bona fide superstar. I look forward to seeing what she will do next!! :)

For more on Kylie Minogue, including news, updates, photos, steaming audio & video, and downloads, you can visit www.kylie.com.

Follow Kylie on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kylieminogue