Review and Giveaway: I Green Mommy CLOSED

My Green Cleaning Event continues with some handmade goodness courtesy of I Green Mommy!

In Rachel McGuire's case, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Raised by a craft-a-holic, she has been upcycling (recycling fabrics and scraps into completely new items) for over 18 years now. Rachel rarely creates things for herself; most of her green creations are made with friends and family in mind. At the suggestion of a friend, she set up shop to see if anyone else would be interested in her items. This naturally evolved into her Etsy shop, I Green Mommy. When Rachel isn't playing Mommy, Wife or Maid, she also loves to sew, crochet, paint and scrapbook. Rachel's inspiration comes from what she sees and feels from her loved ones, and also feeds off of other people's creativity and energy.

Rachel kindly sent me a set of her eco-friendly reusable dusting pads to review. I have a Swiffer WetJet that I use almost daily in my kitchen and bathrooms. But I feel so wasteful throwing away the disposable pads after each use. Especially when the refills cost so darn much! And who knows how long those things take to break down in a landfill. Well, thanks to I Green Mommy, I can "green" my mopping routine and save some money in the process.

Rachel's Light Duster Pads (plaid fabric) are made of 2 thin layers of flannel that pick up dust, pet hair or tiny crumbs. She also makes thicker Heavy Duster Pads (flower print) for moderate spill absorption. The pads are handcrafted from scraps of leftover fabric but they are soft to the touch and the stitching and construction are high-quality. Not to mention the cute prints have much more personality than a boring white pad!



Each pad has straps that secure with heavy duty velcro so they will stay tightly in place. They fit onto my WetJet perfectly and actually covered the borders of the mop better than the disposable Swiffer pads. I love this because I can dust the bottoms of cabinets and fronts of the baseboards without having to hunch over or get on my hands and knees.



The Light Duster Pads are perfect for quick, once-overs or localized clean-ups. Nate will sometimes dribble his leaky sippy cups across the kitchen floor or drop a trail of tiny cracker crumbs as he enjoys his snack. I do sweep with a broom regularly but I like squirting a bit of floor cleaner and mopping here and there to get rid of bacteria and stubborn dirt. The flannel does a pretty good job attracting dust bunnies and soaking up small amounts of liquid cleaner or mild messes.

The Heavy Duster Pad is great for slightly larger spills or deep cleaning. Because it has an extra layer of fleece hidden between the flannel, it can soak up more fluid. I use this pad weekly for a good scrub down on the entire kitchen or bathroom floor. If you have pets or potty training accidents, this would be a great environmentally-friendly cleaning option for hard surfaces.

The best part is that after you're done, you can just toss the pads in the washing machine to clean them and reuse them! I put them in with my weekly load of towels so the velcro won't snag any of our clothes, and then I either tumble dry on low or lay them flat to dry. I have washed the pads several times and they have held up well with no fraying and little pilling.

The only improvement I would like to see with the I Green Mommy duster pads are some reusable scrubbing strips for the side of my WetJet (to replace the disposable ones) or textured pads. This would help to remove ground-in dirt and stains. I would also like to see a snap option as opposed to velcro so it won't potentially snag other items in the wash.

Bottom line: The cost of convenience doesn't have to be so high anymore! I would definitely recommend the I Green Mommy reusable dusting pads as an affordable, eco-friendly way to mop and dust with your Swiffer tools.

BUY IT: You can purchase the Light and Heavy Duster Pads (ARV $1.99/each or $3.85/pair) exclusively at I Green Mommy's Etsy shop. You can also find handmade aprons, coupon keepers, lunch bag kits and more so check it out!

WIN IT: St. Patrick's Day may have been yesterday but that doesn't mean you still can't go green! One lucky reader is going to win a pair of Light Duster Pads from I Green Mommy!

MAIN COURSE (MANDATORY ENTRY): Visit I Green Mommy and tell me another item from Rachel's shop that you like. 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 I Green Mommy on Twitter and tweet about this contest. Just leave a comment with your tweet link. (1 entry)

3.) Heart the I Green Mommy shop on Etsy and comment with your username. (1 entry)

4.) Follow the I Green Mommy blog. (1 entry)

5.) Become a fan of I Green Mommy on Facebook. (1 entry)

6.) Add the I Green Mommy Etsy button to your site (see below) and leave a comment with the link. (1 entry)



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

Giveaway will end on April 2, 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: As mentioned above, I received a pair of Light Dusting Pads and 1 Heavy Dusting Pad from Rachel at IGreen Mommy to facilitate my candid review. I was not compensated in any other way for this post. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are solely mine. Your experience may differ.