Review and Giveaway: Better Life CLOSED

We all strive to be better. Better children. Better siblings. Better spouses or partners. Better parents. Better employees. We all want to make better choices today for tomorrow. This doesn't just mean dropping those pennies into your piggy bank. This also applies to the behavioral shift of going green. Consumers are growing more and more aware of safety and environmental concerns, and are constantly searching for a better way to make the world a better place.

One company fully understands our pursuit for a Better Life. So much so that they made it the name of their company.

Better Life is the brainchild of two dads (one of whom is a chemist) who grew tired of the toxic residue that coated their household surfaces from top to bottom. They wanted something that would make cleaning easy without compromising the health of their families, pets and planet. So, together they developed the safest, most powerful and genuinely green household cleaning products on the market today.

What makes Better Life...well...better? Believe it or not, even "green" cleaning products can contain questionable ingredients. Stuff like sulfates, exhoxylates, fragrances, dyes or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as glycol ethers and alcohols can trigger respiratory problems, nausea, headache, skin irritation and more. Better Life uses highly specialized surfactants made from sugar, starch and amino acids - all completely safe with none of the aforementioned side effects. They only choose ingredients that have the fastest, most complete biodegradability profiles and their formulas have absolutely no aquatic or terrestrial toxicity. Over 99% of Better Life ingredients are natural or derived from renewable resources.

Just check out this comparison chart, which shows how Better Life stacks up against other green brands:



3/4 of the brands listed here were ones I reviewed this very week! Yikes! Definitely things I'll want to look for on the ingredients list from now on.

Better Life generously sent me their Starter Kit to review. This kit includes:

• Simply Floored! Green Floor Cleaner
• What-Ever! Green All-Purpose Cleaner
• I Can See Clearly, WOW! Green Window and Glass Cleaner
• Even the Kitchen Sink Green Gentle Scrubber
• Twist Euro Sponge
• Twist Loofah Sponge (2-pack)
• Collapsible Six-Compartment Cleaning Caddy

It was love at first sight the moment I opened my package. The design was super cute and the storage caddy was awesome. I'm forever bungling over myself trying to carry multiple, bulky products up and down the stairs. Now I can do it all with one hand while holding Nate in the other! The compartments keep the weight of the products evenly distributed and prevent them from falling over on each other. It's altogether wonderful!

The first product I tried was the Simply Floored floor cleaner. We have vinyl flooring in our kitchen and I typically use my Swiffer WetJet for once-overs. But seeing as Nate often plays on the floor with the pots and pans (who needs toys?!) and scrambles for bits of fallen food around the base of his highchair, I wanted a more kid-friendly cleaner topping my floor. This cleaner really fit the bill. It had a minty fresh scent that was just irresistible and it really picked up the dirt and left my floor shiny, not sticky. I would totally buy this product again.



While I was at it in the kitchen, I used the I Can See Clearly, WOW window cleaner on my back sliders and the scrubber on my sink. The window cleaner made my windows sparkle, both inside and out, and left no streaks behind. Everything I expect from a window cleaner.



The Even the Kitchen Sink gentle scrubber was probably my second favorite (after the Simply Floored). It goes on like a cream cleanser but rinses away clean, with no chemical smell like Ajax or other scrubbers. It really got the ground-in food and dirt from around my disposal, and it also worked wonders on the hard water stains in Nate's tub. Nate has taken to pooping in the tub as of late (gross, I know!) so I love that I have this eco-friendly scrubber on hand to freshen things back up, as if nothing ever happened. Now if only it could scrub my brain of the memory! It also worked great as a natural alternative to Goo Be Gone. I had sticker residue on the lid of my new washing machine and it just wouldn't budge with any of my other cleaners. Even the Kitchen Sink wasn't even phased! I didn't even have to use elbow grease - it just came right up.



The Twist loofah sponge was a great compliment to this cleaner. I haven't yet tried the Euro sponge, as I've been using my Skoy cloths regularly, but sometimes you need a little more "umph" to rub out the tough spots. These loofahs have my back in those instances. They were especially useful in the bathroom with those nasty hard water stains. I love their whole natural look and feel. You can even turn the packaging into a bird feeder - how great is that?!



The What-Ever All-Purpose Cleaner rounded out the bunch as another winner. It polished my surfaces and took care of the mild to moderate messes I tried it on. The citrus smell was *almost* as good as my beloved Mrs. Meyers. Almost. But then again it is more environmentally-friendly so that is something to consider.

After receiving my starter kit, I don't think my kitchen has looked this good since the day we did our walk-through! The only disadvantage I can think of is the cost. The average Better Life product costs about $7 so it is slightly more than I am used to paying. I do feel they are worth the cost, considering the environmental benefits and performance. But as a one-income family, it may be tough to replace all of our cleaners with Better Life.

Bottom line: I would highly recommend Better Life cleaning products. I like that they have the health of my family in mind. Their products are effective and I certainly feel safe using them. While I may not be able to trade all of my cleaning products in just yet (due to other brand loyalties and cost), I do plan to purchase more in the future. I appreciate that Better Life puts it all out there with full disclosure of their ingredients. This information is power in the hands of the consumer and makes it easier to make an informed decision about your household products.

BUY IT: You can purchase the Better Life Starter Kit (ARV $35.55) or individual Better Life products online at www.cleanhappens.com. You can also use their handy dandy store locator to find another e-tailer or retailer most local to you!

WIN IT: Better Life is generously offering one lucky reader their very own starter kit - just like I received!



MAIN COURSE (MANDATORY ENTRY): Visit Better Life and tell me either something you learned NOT mentioned in my review or which product you'd most like to try. Remember to please leave your email address in your comment if it isn't visible on your profile to prevent disqualification!

SUGAR ON TOP (BONUS ENTRIES): To maximize your chances of winning, you may do any or all of the following. Be sure to complete the above mandatory entry or your bonus entries will not count! Remember to leave one comment per entry.

1.) Follow my blog and/or subscribe via reader or email. If you already follow and/or subscribe, that counts! (1 entry each)

2.) Follow me and Better Life on Twitter and tweet about this contest. You can do this daily! You may use the tweet below or come up with one of your own:

RT @kris10chumley: Dirt happens. Clean your home with a "greenbreaking" Starter Kit from Better Life! @cleanhappens http://bit.ly/9XLNQW

Just leave me a comment with your tweet link. (1 entry max per day)

3.) Become a fan of Better Life on Facebook. (1 entry)

4.) Sign up for the Better Life newsletter. (1 entry)

5.) Add my blog button and leave a comment with the link to where I can find it. (1 entry)

Giveaway will end on March 22, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Open to U.S. only. Winners will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to congratulatory email or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: I received a full Starter Kit from Emily at Better Life to facilitate my candid review. I was in no other way compensated for this post. The thoughts and feelings expressed in this review are solely mine. Your experience may differ.