Ecostore USA - Review and Giveaway (Closed)

When I started making my own laundry detergent, I was happy with the way it worked on everyday laundry. But I was never really happy with the way it cleaned loads of white clothes. I find some pretty dirty socks in the laundry hamper, and homemade detergent left them sort of ... gray. They smelled fresh, but they never looked as white as I'd like.

I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to laundry, but I wasn't happy when I returned dingy socks to my family. However, I didn't want to go back to using bleach. Even if I managed not to spill it on myself, I was vaguely uncomfortable with what it might be doing after it left my washer and flowed into the public water system.

I was enthusiastic when Melissa from Ecostore USA asked me to review two of their products. I jumped at the chance to try the Pure Oxygen Whitener. It's formulated with citrus oil and coconut, along with other plant-based ingredients. The Ecostore USA website recommends this whitener for baby clothes because it doesn't contain any harsh chemical ingredients to irritate delicate skin. Since my "baby" is 11 years old, I used the toughest test I could find: socks that had been worn for an afternoon of yard work.

What follows is what happens when a lab scientist has the opportunity to do a product review. Expect the analytical. LOL

These are the "before" pictures:



This sock has mostly fresh ground-in dirt, with some grass clippings. The dirt on the ankle is fresh, too.




For an extra challenge, I tossed in a cotton rag. I've been using this for several years, for dirty jobs like cleaning the grates of the gas grill and wiping out the oven after a self-clean cycle. I mean, this cloth has been abused and it shows! (That's what rags are for, right?) The black stains have been there for years. Just before I took this photo, I'd used the rag to wipe up a dusty mess from a corner of a room.



I didn't really expect the whitener to remove years-old stains, but I wanted to put this product to the test.

I washed these clothes exactly as I normally do--in hot water, with two tablespoons of my homemade laundry detergent, Cotton wash cycle with a 30-minute pre-soak--with the addition of two tablespoons of Pure Oxygen Whitener. The Pure Oxygen Whitener is a white granular powder with a light natural citrus fragrance. Since my family doesn't like highly fragranced products, this light scent is ideal for us.

Here are the "after" pictures:







I was pretty impressed! The fresh dirt, even the ground-in dirt, was almost completely gone, and I know that detergent alone would not have done as well. Although the old stains remained on the "Mission Impossible" rag, it wouldn't be fair to expect the whitener to remove stains like these. I know that a detergent-only wash would not have done nearly as well. But in the interest of science, I tried using the Pure Oxygen Whitener to soak these and wash again.

As the package directs, I dissolved two tablespoons of the whitener in a pail of warm water. I added the laundry and let it soak for 15 minutes, then transferred the laundry and the soaking water to the washer. I added some white towels to make a full load and ran the cycle in the same way I described above.

Here are the after-soaking/re-washing photos:





The soaking procedure definitely whitened the sock. Even the black stains on the rag have faded a bit. Not surprisingly, the soaking step definitely boosts the whitening effect. I think this works every bit as well as chlorine bleach, and it has the added benefits of being safer for people as well as for the environment.

The other product I tested is the Citrus Spray Cleaner. This multi-surface cleaner is formulated with citrus-, palm-, and coconut-based ingredients. I love that it's "naturally antibacterial." I love that it has a very light citrus scent. For me that's just a preference; but as my sister pointed out, this is perfect for families who avoid highly fragranced products because of asthma or allergies. I like the product but have no dramatic before/after photos!

Let me tell you about Ecostore USA before I move on to the giveaway details. This excerpt is from the company website, and I encourage you to visit the site to read more about their "No Nasty Chemicals" philosophy:

Doing good by nature
The team at ecostore USA loves making a difference in people’s lives. ecostore USA does not compromise on performance, so customers can be assured of the efficacy of the products - they truly work. We offer more than 100 products, each one meeting the most stringent environmental and sustainability standards. The guiding principle of every formulation is and will always be that the end product must not only be good for the user, but good for the planet.
Gentle on your budget
ecostore USA knows that it can be expensive to buy natural or organic products, but we've found a way around this by safely super-concentrating each formulation. This means that a little really does go a long, long way. The result is saving money by significantly cutting down on cost per use.

A few other notes:

• Ecostore USA sells baby care, bath and body, hair care, and pet care products as well as household products.
• Products are available online and at Meijer stores.
• Ecostore USA offers free shipping for orders $25 and up.

The giveaway:

Melissa (from Ecostore USA) would like to give a $25 gift certificate to Ecostore USA to one reader! Here's how to enter:

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Beeb from Contest Corner!

Visit Ecostore USA then leave a comment here to tell me how you'd spend the gift certificate if you win. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you. This must be done in order to qualify for extra entries.

Did someone say "extra entries"? Here's how you can earn up to two additional entries:

1. Grab my button and add it to your sidebar. Leave a comment with a link to your blog.
2. Subscribe to my feed in a feed reader or by email. Leave an extra comment to let me know you've done this. If you already subscribe, leave a comment to let me know.

More details: Open to USA residents. Giveaway ends Friday 6/26/09 at noon (Eastern time). Winner will be chosen by the random number generator at Random.org. Winner will be contacted by email and must claim the prize within 72 hours, or another winner will be chosen. Gift certificate will be delivered by email.

Thanks for reading!