Earth Day festival at Idlewild Park in Reno Sunday

Today I attended Reno’s annual Earth Day festival, hosted by Nevada EcoNet, and took the opportunity to talk to a few of the vendors about their natural cleaning and beauty products. Here is what they had to say:

H2O At Home:

Holly Dorsey, an independent advisor for H2O At Home, said the cleaning products are chemical free, using organic essential oils to sanitize and disinfect. “And we have smart tools, which are a natural microfiber, made in Romania and France … It’s the highest quality fiber. You can clean and sanitize your whole home with just the cloth,” she said. For deeper cleaning, Dorsey said they offer a clay that can replace 90 percent of the cleaning products in most homes. The line is sold through direct sales, such as having an advisor hold a home party, or online.

The Thoughtful Mama:

At the Thoughtful Mama booth, Jennifer Gray of Reno had a variety of products from her online store on display, and was demonstrating the use of the E-cloth. Gray said after bringing the E-cloth into her home, she was able to get rid of nearly all the other cleaners. “We’re able to clean our entire house with just water,” she said. She said they discovered the E-cloth just after her daughter was born, and having safe cleaning products in the home was important to her. “It has fibers that are positively and negatively charged,” she said. Gray sprayed water on a dirty mirror and used the cloth to wipe it clean, leaving no streaks. She said it will even grease. The cloth is washed on hot in the washing machine and is guaranteed for 300 washes, she said. “They’re fabulous,” Gray said. Gray said her family made the switch to stainless steel water bottles. She carries the Kleen Kanteen line, which has a sippy cup bottle available for small children. She estimates that she’s saved $27,000 over the last four years by making these changes. She also carries other products such as skin care, including Nature’s Baby, snacks and organic lollipops called Yummy Earth which are colored with vegetables rather than dyes. Gray said they interview all of the companies they conduct business with to ensure they share the same philosophy.

Shaklee:

JoAnn Coy, and independent distributor of Shaklee products, said its main product – Basic H – was developed 50 years ago by Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee, who believed in living in harmony with nature. It’s plant-based, made from corn and coconut products, and is non-toxic and biodegradeable. None of the products he developed were harmful to the environment or tested on animals, she said. The Basic H is also highly concentrated so there’s less waste – a 1-pint bottle makes 48 gallons of cleaner. “I’ve used this stuff since the ’60s,” Coy said. Shaklee also has a line of skin care products and other cleaning products. Even though the Basic H “does it all,” Coy said, there are also products for dishwashing and laundry, sanitizing wipes, hand soap and more. The products are sold through direct sale because “Dr. Shaklee believed in sharing information – he wanted ot to be person to person,” Coy said, although they can now also be purchased online.

I’m interested to learn more about these product lines, especially the fibers that allow you to clean with only water and the Basic H since it’s been around so long. Have you ever tried any of these items? How did they work for you?

-Tammy

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