Back to Watkins...

Now that things are slowing down in other areas for me (at least, temporarily), I'm focusing more on Watkins again. I love their stuff! And I'm not just saying it cuz I sell it...

This past year, they came out with a whole new line of cleaners. Now, they had a wonderful line of tried-and-true cleaners, sold fantastic, did better than anything else you can get in the stores (seriously!), so why in the world would they go out and revamp their whole cleaning line?

These cleaners are exceptional. They are "all natural," meaning there are NO chemicals or anything harmful or artificial added to them. They are free of ammonia, benzene, boron, butyl/ethyl, chlorine, dyes, formaldehyde, isopropanal, kerosene, mineral spirits, petrochemicals, phosphates, phosphoric acid, propylene glycol, SLS, and sulfuric acid. I don't even know what most of that stuff is! They are also biodegradable, non-toxic, never tested on animals, safe for all septic systems, safe to use around children and animals, you name it. The fragrances in these cleaners are also all natural, using only plant-based oils (lavender, lemon, orange, and aloe/green tea). For allergy-sufferers, these are great products to use as many allergies, and especially indoor allergies, are linked to chemicals and artificial scents, etc, found in so many cleaning products.

There has been alot of publicity lately, at least in this area, about how research is starting to link behavioral problems in children to things like dyes and artificial scents in laundry detergent and softeners, residual cleaning chemicals left on dishes and other surfaces, stuff like that. I don't even begin to understand all that, although it sounds right to me. There is a greater concern and awareness of "not leaving our footprint" in the environment -- doing our part in not adding further pollution. There has also been alot of attention given lately to anti-bacterial products and if they actually do more harm than good (do a google search...it's amazing how much info there is!) -- and these products are NOT anti-bacterial.

All I know is that I tried each product, rather reluctantly at first. I want to be able to tell my customers HONESTLY what I think about each product. And I'm quite happy with the OLD Watkins toilet bowl cleaner (it does wonders cleaning hard water stains!), bath room cleaner, and laundry detergent. I like my Cascade dish washing detergent and Dawn dish detergent, thank you very much. I still have several bottles of Watkins pine oil that I hoarded before they discontinued it to make room for this new line -- what better cleaner is there for any surface, including the floors? And why would I switch from my streak-free Windex? But, good Watkins dealer that I am, I grudgingly allowed a one-time-only switch on each product to see what the new stuff was like. Plus, the new stuff is chemical-free and safe around kids, two concerns of mine.

The first product I tried was the new tub and tile cleaner. There was actually one evening this summer that I had some free time to take an actual relaxing bath rather than my usual rushed shower. Well, I really didn't have the time, but I really WANTED a relaxing bath. As I lay there soaking in my warm Watkins-scented bath water (the menthol-camphor bath salts are REALLY relaxing!), I noticed that there was some mildew starting around the caulking in the sides of the tub. Yuck! I grabbed the new tub and tile cleaner, sure that it couldn't do the job and determined not to even give it that much of a chance (yeah, great dealer, huh?). I sprayed the stuff on, waited about 30 seconds, then wiped it off. I noticed two things at once. The mildew was gone, and my bathroom smelled great! It's a citrus scent. I was sold immediately on this new cleaner! But would the other stuff work as well?

It does. I love the new dish soap (although in all honesty, it doesn't bubble up alot and what bubbles there are dissipate pretty soon, at least in our hard water) -- it cleans up grease and baked on gunk even better than my tried and true Dawn. And it doesn't dry out my hands like Dawn did. The new laundry detergent gets rid of the ground in dirt and grease that get all over Tony's clothes, especially in the summer time. It also eliminates even the toughest stains on the kids clothes...all without extra products or soaking time. The new toilet bowl cleaner works just as well in getting the rust and iron build up that accumulates so fast here, and the window cleaner is amazing! The dishwasher detergent cleans spot-free, and they have a new hand soap, too, which my kids love to use. And what about replacing my pine oil? The new all purpose cleaner works wonders -- it gets out ground in, dried up food and other unidentified stuff on and under the table (where the kids sit), cleans up the floors beautifully (and with a wonderful scent), takes out spots in carpets, cleans up cars in a flash, you name it...it's "all purpose." They also have these terrific all purpose wipes that are fantastic! They wipe up any spill around, are handy to carry in the car for any kind of mess or accident, are a breeze to use in a public restaurant or restroom, you name it. And the wipes are quite sturdy...no falling apart at the first use of elbow grease!

I love my Watkins cleaners. The price is very reasonable, the results are clean and sparkling, and I don't understand now why all these companies make and market so many cleaners that have all kinds of chemicals and other bad-for-the-environment-and-for-us products in them when all natural stuff works just as well and even better.

Got a question? Email me or post a comment. Want to try some for yourself? Go to my website at www.watkinsonline.com/lindasuecarter or call me to order (I try to keep a supply of everything on hand). Not sure if you want to commit to buying something but really want to try and see what it's like for yourself? If you're local, call me. I have some products I let people sample for a week to see for themselves.

I LOVE WATKINS PRODUCTS!!!