Review and Giveaway: ecostore USA CLOSED

Since giving birth to my son 19 months ago, I've become more acutely aware of my impact on the environment, as well as the effects of products I've relied on regularly. Not only do I want my son's future to include clean water to drink and quality air to breathe, I want to ensure his skin and organs therein aren't compromised by the potentially harmful chemical agents found on nearly every retail shelf from bath wash to toys to household goods.

As I searched for safe, eco-friendly cleaning supplies, I was quite serendipitously contacted by ecostore USA with a review opportunity.

ecostore USA actually began as a home-based business in a New Zealand village over 15 years ago. The synthetic ingredients from traditional cleaning products were clogging their local waterways so Malcolm and Melanie Rand devised a plan to eliminate these toxic chemicals. The result was a line of plant and mineral-based cleaners that would biodegrade quickly and safely, leaving their streams in a pristine state.

When their tagline says"No Nasty Chemicals", they mean it. All ecostore USA products are formulated without petrochemicals, phosphates, nitrates, chlorine, ammonia, enzymes, synthetic perfumes, coloring or dyes, optical whiteners/brighteners or chemical preservatives. Instead, they use sustainable ingredients from renewable resources that work just as well as the chemical stuff. Even the packaging is recyclable! ecostore USA does not test on animals and meets the highest environmental standards. Their products are also super concentrated so a little goes a long way, assuring you get more for your money.

For my review, I chose the Toilet Cleaner (ARV $8.00) and Auto Dishwashing Powder (ARV $12.00).



Our new home has well water, which can leave yellow mineral deposits in our sinks, tubs and toilets. It looks as if I they are always dirty, even though we always flush (no letting it mellow here!) and I scrub them every week. I was under the impression that nothing short of bleach would be able to remove the stains. But I am happy to say ecostore USA has proven me wrong! The plant-based toilet bowl cleaner was surprisingly effective. The thick gel clung to the bowl and required very little brushing to make my toilet shiny and guest-worthy. The smell was a light herbal, citrus-y scent, which was a nice change from the overpowering bleach products I've used previously. A+!



I typically use a liquid cleanser for my dishwasher so I was a bit scared to switch to a dishwashing powder. I was afraid I would find grains of powder stuck on my dishes. But I am quite pleased with the results. The palm and coconut-based cleaner rinsed away cleanly and left no residue or streaks on my pots, pans and glasses. There was no chemical smell - just a soft lemon scent. You only need to use 1 tablespoon of powder per load but since we have hard water, I used a little more for a pre-wash. You could also use plain vinegar as an eco-friendly rinse aid to complement the auto dishwashing powder.



Bottom line: I would highly recommend ecostore USA for your environmentally-friendly cleaning needs. Not only did product performance surpass my expectations but because they are concentrated, the cost per use is about equal to the genetically-engineered stuff. Good for the planet and my wallet? Me likey!

BUY IT: You can find ecostore USA cleaners at Meijer and Duane Reed stores, or online at www.ecostoreusa.com. The offer free shipping on all orders over $25. Be sure to check out their baby care line with safe, gentle shampoos, soap, balm and more!

WIN IT: ecostore USA is generously offering one lucky reader a $25 gift card to their store! (Note: if you've won an ecostore USA giveaway in the past 6 months or have reviewed their products in the past, you are not eligible to win. Sorry, but we have to share the goodness!)

MAIN COURSE (MANDATORY ENTRY): Take a look at what ecostore USA has to offer and tell me how you'd spend your gift certficate if you won. 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 ecostore USA 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: It's easy being green with @ecostoreusa! Enter to win a $25 gift certificate http://bit.ly/9emo0k Ends 3/16

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

3.) Become a fan of ecostore USA on Facebook. (1 entry)

4.) Sign up for the No Nasty Chemicals newsletter on the ecostore USA blog. (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 16, 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 the two cleaning products above at no charge from Maggie at ecostore USA to facilitate my candid review. I was in no other way compensated for this post. The thoughts and feelings expressed in this review are mine and mine alone. Your experience may differ.