Like all-natural stuff? Check this out -- and win

You know I appreciate all-natural stuff and try to look for healthier, less-chemical-y alternatives to just about anything. The people at Ecostore must have known that, too, because they asked me to review a couple of their all-natural products. They sent me a spray bottle of their all-purpose Citrus Spray Cleaner:



And a container of their Dishwash Liquid:



I've been trying these out for a few days now, and I think they work great. The cleaner works even better than another popular "green" brand that I use. I used it to clean some spots on the floor, get rid of stuck-on spills on my garbage can and clean the kitchen table and counters. I hardly needed any elbow grease at all. The dish liquid takes just a small amount to do a good job.

What I like about the Ecostore cleaners is they are plant based, and the company has trademarked "No Nasty Chemicals" as a catchphrase. Knowing that some small children react to chemicals in cleaning products (even just the smell wafting through the air), since my son was born, I've been trying to use more eco-friendly products. And with a baby coming any day now (hint, hint, baby! any day now!), I feel better cleaning house without chemicals that could be irritating to tiny lungs or eyes.

I also like that the following was printed on a packing slip inside the box that arrived: "Note to the consumer: All packaging products used for this shipment are environmentally friendly, the packing peanuts are made out of soy, the newsprint, packing tape and even the boxes are all made out of recyclable paper. As well as the paper this note in printed on."

What I didn't like was the Dishwash Liquid is orange. I admit this is pretty minor. Because I usually take whatever dish soap we have and make it double as our hand soap -- using pump dispenser bottles over and over to create less waste -- the idea of washing my hands with orange soap seems weird. (I usually try to buy clear or white dish soap.) Also, the Ecostore products are sold in all the Meijer stores here in the United States (Ecostore products have been established in New Zealand for 20 years), which are only in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky -- so if you live elsewhere, you'd have to order online to buy the products. At least Ecostore offers free shipping on order $25 and up.

The Ecostore folks would like to offer two free products to one of you! The winner can pick any two items from their online store, which includes baby care, bath and body, household cleaners and pet products. Please check out the EcostoreUSA blog and sign up for coupons and updates. You can also follow Ecostore on Twitter. (They don't just tweet about their products!) If you do one or both of the above, please mention it in your comment for extra entries into the contest. I'll randomly pick a winner on July 1 -- just leave a comment here. Good luck!

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