When I received an email from
Ecostore USA giving me a chance to review their products, I must admit that I was initially suspicious.
My blog isn't anything big....I'm not a "real" blogger. I'd never heard of them. It must be spam, I thought.
So, skeptical me researched
Ecostore USA before deleting or replying.
Turns out,
Ecostore has been around for almost 20 years - in New Zealand. Just recently, however, a large chain of stores in the USA Midwest,
Meijers, has begun carrying Ecostore products.
As you may have guessed from the name,
Ecostore is a "green" company, focused on making products that are made from plant- and mineral- based ingredients,
free of toxic chemicals.
Although I don't consider myself "green," I'm not opposed to using a product that uses less (or no) chemicals...as long as it works! So, I was willing to try out one or two of
Ecostore's products.
Ecostore USA sent me their
Citrus Spray Cleaner and
Baby Moisturizer.
I put the
citrus spray to work right away. Two small children = a long day filled with messes of all shapes, sizes, and degrees of stickiness.

The
cleaner worked well and I didn't seem to have to use as much as my regular (quite toxic, I'm sure) cleaner. When I first read the ingredient list:
D-Limonene (zest of citrus peel), palm and coconut based non-ionic and anionic surfactants, etc....Ahhh, I believed the smell would be divine. The drudgery of the actual cleaning chore would fade as the heavenly scent of oranges and tropical coconuts would transport me to exotic places. Cleaning wouldn't be so bad anymore...
**sound of needle scratching across record playing enchanting Hawaiian music**
Nope. I didn't think
it smelled very pleasant. Certainly wasn't citrus-y or coconut-y.
True, most chemically toxic cleaners smell so strongly that your eyes water. I just thought this natural
cleaner would smell better... Perhaps we can't have everything.
As for the
Baby Moisturizer,

...my daughter wouldn't let me near her to apply the
moisturizer. My son only stays still long enough to shovel Spaghetti-O's into his mouth. I didn't think it was wise to test moisturizer in the midst of his feeding session.
No problem, I had planned to try it out on myself.
My hands get very dry and I'm always looking for another lotion that might help them! I also knew that something made for baby would be gentle, whether I used it on myself or my children.
The
moisturizer was not greasy and left my skin feeling very soft and smooth. The cream did help soothe the dry, cracked skin on my thumb, and I think if I used it faithfully for a week or more, I would definitely see a difference.
The smell...hm. What is it with the smell?? I do not like strong smelling anything. I really detest flowery perfumes. I am a light, fruity scented kind of gal.
Ecostore's
Baby Moisturizer was neither flowery nor fruity. In all honesty, I thought it smelled a bit like bug spray. I would preferred it had no scent at all.
I would use it again...but, I couldn't imagine the sweet bundle of a baby smelling like that?
Now, lest you think I'm being negative. I'm not. Smell is very subjective. And, both the
Citrus Cleaner and the
Baby Moisturizer worked quite well.
If finding a company that is committed to providing you with green products is important to you, then I believe you would be quite happy with
Ecostore USA. They offer everything from
cleaning products to
pet products to
bath and body products.
Check out EcostoreUSA's
blog and sign up for their "No Nasty Chemicals" newsletter! You can also find ecostoreusa on Twitter and Facebook!
Now, for a little blog giveaway!Ecostore USA wants YOU to have a chance to try their products, too! Ecostore USA is giving away a $25 gift certificate to their store!
How to enter:
- visit Ecostore USA and then leave a comment on this post, telling me which product(s) you'd buy with your $25 and why
For extra entries (you must leave the first comment to qualify for the extras, up to 2):
- follow my blog (or subscribe via a feed or reader) and leave a comment telling me so
- leave me a comment telling me why or why not "green" is important to you
- blog about this giveaway, then leave me a link to your post
- tweet or facebook Ecostore's giveaway, and leave me a comment letting me know you did
Be sure your email is included in your blog profile, or leave your email somewhere so I'll be able to contact the winner! Gift certificate will be emailed by
Ecostore USA to the winner. Giveaway ends Sunday, August 2 at 11:59 PM. Winner will be announced later that week!


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Tags:
Ecostore USA ecostoreusa blog giveaway green cleaning products going green blog contest