Mrs Meyer's "Basil" Surface Scrub

As a scrub this stuff works really well. It gets my tub clean, my shower clean, and my sinks clean. I have no gripe about the performance. What I do have a gripe about is the scent (and it's a problem with the all-purpose wipes as well). I mean... gahhhhh I often enjoy Mrs. Meyer's scents, but this one is like bad body spray. After a recent bout of cleaning my whole apartment smelled of it, and it was really headache inducing, not fresh. Despite it being November in Chicago I considered opening the window.

It's really not basil scented, of course. That would be pleasant. The website explains that it has "top notes of basil, apricot leaves, parsley, and eucalyptus". My husband compared it to "cucumber-floral eau de toilette". It certainly gets up my nose in a way that reminds me of some of the Bath and Bodyworks products I bought in the early '90s. *Gag*

I'll finish the canister, of course... but I'm thinking I'll pass on the Basil line in the future.

On another hand, the holiday gift pack is peppermint scented and would make a lovely hostess gift. Hopefully it's just straightforward peppermint. I'm STILL using my gingerbread kit from 2 years ago because the all-purpose cleaner goes so far. A teaspoon full mixed with water fills my spray bottle and then I'm good to go for another month.

As an alternative scrub I recommend Bon Ami, or the same Mrs Meyers scrub in the Lemon Verbena or Lavender scents. I have a similar gripe with their Geranium fragrance, so if you enjoy that then you may actually dig the Basil!

Trader Joe's "Auto (Next to Godliness) Dish Soap"

I somehow suspect that this is supposed to be a similar to product to Earth Friendly Products' excellent Wave dishwashing gel. It looks vaguely similar to EFP's version in the bottle and the texture is comparable. However, Trader Joe's version doesn't seem to be as effective. Most of my dishes come out clean, but my silverware is typically cloudy looking, and it doesn't do anything for the tough jobs, like my dogs' food bowls with crusted-on homemade wet food that I slacked on soaking in the sink before tossing in the dishwasher. (Let it be known, the dishwashing products I like pass this test.)

It's fine for most dishwashing jobs, it's just not good enough. Any time I have to re-wash things when they come out of the dishwasher, I won't re-buy. It's a big waste of water and effort.

Sad, because the bottle claims it "dries spot free". It's also labeled "biodegradable, phosphate free, chlorine free, removes dried on foods, removes tough stains, built-in rinse aid." If you can't find other eco-friendly options, give it a shot and post here to let me know if it works.

Earth Friendly Products ECOS Lemongrass Laundry Detergent

Hello! I am back. I'm resurfacing :) Things are very busy right now with school, but I'm still cleaning and still trying new things.

I've been using this liquid laundry detergent for a while. It's "ultra concentrated" meaning it really doesn't take much to do a single load. One week Jhimm and I thought we looked low on the stuff so we picked up another bottle. The one we had lasted another month and a half. Just be mindful of the fill lines inside the cap, and you should get a good value from the stuff.

As for the smell, well, I can't say it really recalls lemongrass for me or that my clothes come out smelling of anything. However, it was actually cheaper at my local grocery store than the unscented version that I'd previously bought, so.... lemongrass it is!

I'm a big fan of this brand because their products actually work for me. My laundry comes out of the dryer soft, clean, and fresh. My little potty-troubled dog's overnight diaper smells snuggly rather than... um, how it smelled when I tossed it in the laundry pile. If this detergent works on that foul odor, it's my friend.

I really haven't ever noticed a stain go into the wash and come back out again while using this stuff, but perhaps I haven't given it a tough enough challenge. I'll have to try to spill some wine or bleed on it or somesuch. Or... oooh, I had a pen explode on a sweatshirt sleeve the other day. I'll try that later.

You can get save a lot by purchasing a pack of 4 of these jugs from Amazon.com for around $40... that would easily last me a year.

(They also have a laundry powder version that I am dying to try.) Alas, everything is "out of stock" as they move their Health & Personal Care products warehouse.