Ecostore USA Review and Giveaway {Closed}

In case you haven't heard, household cleaning products are among the top contributors to indoor air pollution. Yes, the air inside your home is on average 50 times more polluted than the air outside (even if you are in NYC). The thing is, once something is inside your house, it is stuck there and has no place to go. I am not up for airing my house with the windows open 24/7. So to keep air pollution to a minimum we only use natural household cleaners with no formaldehyde or other toxic substances. After all, nobody else will look out for my baby and I don't want to be dealing with allergies and asthma down the road.

Ecostore was founded in New Zealand and you can read their story on their website. With the plant and mineral based ingredients it is no wonder that many parents witnessed that their kids' allergies, eczema, and other chronic conditions were subsiding after switching to Ecostore household products. Ecostore supplied us with their Dishwash Liquid and the Pure Oxygen Whitener to test. Here is our experience:

Dishwash Liquid: This natural dish liquid contains palm and coconut based ionic, non-ionic and anionic surfactant, mineral hydroxide, and natural citrus oil. At first I was disappointed that it didn't foam the way I like, but foam is not a reliable sign of the product working. I turned on my bright over-sink light to see just how this stuff cleans. I was amazed just how well it cuts through grease - without a whole lot of foam. So the way I see it, your average toxic dish washing liquid foams a lot but that only distracts you from how it cleans and gives you the impression that it is working. With this Ecostore liquid I don't have to scrub, it just dissolves everything. That is considering the fact that I ditched my synthetic sponge and now use biodegradable bamboo wipes instead. It is really great on glass as well and leaves them sparkling and transparent with no residue. It smells citrusy, very pleasant, as if you are making a smoothie with lemons and oranges!

The Dishwash Liquid is priced at $8.50 for 17 fl oz. Remember, a little goes a long way.

Pure Oxygen Whitener: I never liked the task of doing laundry, just not my thing (who does?!). It is not so much the act of doing it as it is the thought that it will never end :) But the more I use non-toxic laundry products the more I like doing it! We wanted to try the whitener because I will never ever use bleach but I want to somehow get our whites whiter and not so dingy. The Pure Oxygen Whitener contains carbonates (simple mineral salts), sodium percarbonate (oxygen producing whitener), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), citrates (from citrus, highly biodegradable surfactant), and natural citrus oil. I'll be honest, I only used it twice. The first time I just added it to the wash and while it did make a bit of a difference, it wasn't very significant. The power of this magic powder is revealed when you [follow directions] and let the clothing soak in for at least a couple of hours or overnight. I stopped the wash on the soaking cycle and left it for a few hours. The result? My 'haven't-been-white-since-I-bought them' kitchen towels are a lot whiter now. I can't say it looks like new, but in the photo below you can see the one washed with Pure Oxygen Whitener on the left and the dingy one on the right. It also made a visible improvement to my husband's white undershirts. Now I am looking forward to doing an over night soak and making our clothing as good as new!

The Pure Oxygen Whitener sells for $12 for 35.3 oz. All you need is 1-2 tablespoons per wash, so it will last a while.

Ecostore USA just launched at the Big Green Apple Duane Reade drugstore at 1350 Broadway in New York! Plus a selection of Ecostore USA products is now available at Meijer stores throughout the Midwest ... that's all 185 Meijer locations in five states. You can always get it on the website too.

Ecostore USA is generously giving one Eco-Babyz reader a $25 Gift Certificate!

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

Mandatory Entry (both parts are mandatory, in one comment please):

1. Go to the EcostoreUSA website and tell us in a comment which other product you like
2. Follow Eco-Babyz on Blogger or let us know you already do (see sidebar, bottom left)

Additional Entries:
(only counted if mandatory entry is completed, each one in separate comment please)
3. Follow @EcoBlogz on Twitter (or let us know if you already follow)
4. Follow @ecostoreusa on Twitter
5. Tweet about this giveaway (include a link to this post in the tweet). You can tweet once a day for extra entries.
6. Visit the Ecostore USA blog and subscribe to the Newsletter.
7. Subscribe to EcoBabyz or let us know you already do (feedburner, top right sidebar)
8. Add the EcoBabyz button to your site or include EcoBabyz on your blog-roll (3 entries, provide link to your blog/website)
9. Blog about this giveaway and link to this post (gives you 3 entries, please leave link to your blog post)

You can also become a fan of Eco-Babyz on Facebook or a fan of Ecostore USA just for fun. That will give you zero entries though because Facebook has new rules for promotions and giveaways.

Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday Nov. 27. The winner will be selected using Random.org on Saturday, Nov. 28, and notified by email (so please be sure I have a way to get in touch with you). Open to US residents only. Thank you!

Disclaimer:

I did not receive payment in any form for this review.

I did receive a sample of the product or service for testing and review purposes. This will in no way sway my opinion of the product or service. The review is in my own words and is my own opinion. Your results and opinion may differ.