Giveaway now closed: Congratulations to Kris J for winning the Prize Pack.
With a houseful of children I try to be conscientious about the toxicity of the cleaning products that we use. It’s one of the main reasons that we make most of our own. However, I almost always have regular cleaning products on hand for deeper more thorough cleaning (and because my husband feels better using something store bought, especially for deep cleaning in the bathroom. 
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Seventh Generation has come out with a new line of non-toxic, disinfectant cleaners that can be used on high chair trays and counter tops with no rinse step required. The disinfectants use a component of the herb thyme and kill over 99.99 percent of germs* naturally and are effective against the Influenza A Virus, including H1N1.
With the fresh scent of lemon grass and thyme and the knowledge that these cleaners are safer and more natural than many others on the market, these cleaners were a delight to work with. I still don’t allow the children to use these cleaners, but am much happier about them being around them.
To help promote this new line of safer disinfectant cleaners Seventh Generation in conjunction with My Blog Spark is giving away a Seventh Generation prize pack to one Raising Olives reader.
The prize pack contains:
- A bottle of Seventh Generation multi-surface disinfecting cleaner
A bottle of Seventh Generation disinfecting bathroom cleaner - A container of Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes (I love having these on hand for quick wipe-ups when the kids are sick.
- Two rolls of Seventh Generation paper towels
- A nice large tote for storing and transporting your cleaning supplies
- The book “The Conscious Kitchen” by Alexandra Zissu – From what kind of fruits and vegetables to buy to the most healthful sources for meat and dairy to energy saving appliances, Ms. Zissu shares “the new way to buy and cook food – to protect the earth, improve your health and eat deliciously”.
To enter:
- Leave a comment on this post telling me about how you tackle spring cleaning at your house, any great tips?
Additional entries:
- Tweet about this giveaway
- Post about this giveaway
Please leave a comment for each additional entry.
This giveaway will end at midnight on Thursday, April 15.
*Refer to product labels for full details
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Hi, I'm Kimberly. 
Oh, I have no great tips for spring cleaning, which is why I need this prize pack, right??? My only cleaning tip is to do a little each day and keep things maintained well so that we usually don’t do a thorough-one-day cleaning.
I have wanted to try these products – thanks for the great giveaway!
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I don’t spring clean. I just clean when I can and when it’s bad enough. I’ll clean regularly when my son goes to school. In four and a half years.
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I’ve been cleaning carpets, and ran out of carpet shampoo, so I used vinegar instead. It worked great, and no soap residue! Would love to win this prize pack so I can try these things out too!
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I loathe smelly, chemical laden sstore products. *shudder*
For Spring cleaning we pull out the baking soda and vinegar and Shaklee’s Basic H. For really bad hard water build up I use a sprinkling of citric acid crystals and a scrubby. The citric acid seems to work faster than vinegar and is slightly abrasive, so it cleans my faucets beautifully. Plus…It’s CHEAP!
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My key to spring cleaning…. get rid of the kids (but just for a day! Then I want them back.) My children are just getting old enough to help (ages 6 and under), but there are still a lot of responsibilities that distract me from deep cleaning if they are around.
Have I ever had the kids gone so I can clean? No. But it’s a dream of mine.
For the most part we just keep things tidy and relatively clean. If something gets bad I have a bad habit of dropping everything to do it – wether it’s spring or not.
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Our main Spring battle is pollen. We are in GA! First we change the filters in our A/C units, then we dust and vacuum pretty much everyday. It makes a big difference to those of us with allergies/asthma!
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Spring cleaning??? We have to do that?? just kidding. WE all help out in our house to clean, clean, clean. Otherwise it wouldn’t get done!
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I try to do one area a day. Soon it will be all done and time to start over!
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I am a binge cleaner. When I get going, the hubby and boysies better watch out.
I love natural cleaning products because we have a lot of critters, and my African Grey is very sensitive to fumes. My family has used Sha*lee for years, but 7th Gen. is amazing also.
Blessings!
Hannah
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I like to make a list and check it off as I get done with one chore and on to the next. This way I feel like I’m accomplishing something and it feels good to check something off as done. My kids also like to help, even though they are young they feel proud to be Mom’s good helpers.
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I don’t do a big spring cleaning (though maybe I should?!?) – as a M.O.M. (Mom Of Many) I have learned to be a lot more lax in my standards.
But, we do try to give each room a thorough cleaning a few times a year (just not always in the spring).
The kids actually decided to spring break clean their rooms this week – by swapping which bedrooms they were in – lots of cleaning, decluttering and organizing – but mostly by them!
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Hmmm….spring cleaning….well, I guess I would say that I don’t necessarily do “spring cleaning” officially. When I think of spring, I think of the dreaded clothing change for the season (9 kids). I am spreading it out over time and dreaming about a time to put all the winter clothes away. I do like to put out a new spring house flag, spring wreath on the door, and new ferns hanging from the porch. We also top dress the landscaping with mulch and change the table linens/decorations, and bathroom decor to be more “springy.” Not cleaning, per se, but definitately puts me in a springtime mood.
Blessings – Kelly
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Love this stuff! Count me in!!!!
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jen Reply:
April 10th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Ooooopps….I forgot to write what I wanted to write
1. We get rid of a whole lot of stuff that we accumulate over the winter/fall months-I got my hubby fixed on thrift store finds & now he goes birserk (sp?) to satisfy his retail therapy urges (and you thought it was just women that did that!)2. I’m usually preggo or nursing a little one in the spring and get sick of the mess and tackle stuff w/vengance. 3. If the product I’m using is good smelling & good for my family, it makes me want to clean all the more. I use seventh generation dish soap (but would love to try the other things they have) and some Mrs. Meyers products. The tote & disinfecting wipes would make life sooo much easier w/ so many little ones.
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Spring cleaning? Who has the time? I can’t even keep up with general day to day cleaning. Thanks for the chance to win.
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Spring cleaning…well, actually I call my mom. She is my reinforcements!
Would LOVE to win this prize pack!!
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I’m right there with you…we try to use as green/natural as we can, and like to make our own for simple day to day cleaning.
Spring cleaning: any time of year I can, I open the windows to get fresh air inside, that really helps b/c indoor air is waaay more polluted than outdoor air. Also, I “bleach” linens and stuffed animals and things by laying them out in the sun!! who knew it killed all the yuckies & removed stains?? Oranizing as I go and continually donating/consigning things helps keep the clutter at bay, too.
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I/we tackle one room at a time, sometimes one corner of the room at a time- and it usually takes us a few weeks to get through it because we usually only tackle on Saturdays.
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I tackle spring cleaning tasks one at a time. Mostly I clean and reorganize our closets and donate items we no longer use. Thanks for the chance to win!
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I tweeted this giveaway!
http://twitter.com/monteefamily/status/11957330618
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No great tips for spring cleaning, I just dread doing it. I would rather be outside working on the garden.
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Our windows are really difficult to clean. So, we steam clean them once the weather gets nice out. I’m always afraid they will bust or something…that’s probably silly isn’t it.
We move all the furniture around each season. In the winter and spring we like to move the couch near the windows for better light. In the summer, we move it to a non-window wall since we don’t use AC.
Same with the beds. Spring time is a great time to move beds underneath or in front of a window.
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I love to open all the windows and let the breeze drift through my house as I am cleaning, it brings a sense of freshness.
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I try to tackle one job a day!
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Do a little everyday with 2 big (clean closet) task every week. MUSIC is the key to get me motivated!
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I started spring cleaning with joy! Then it got warm outside (we live in the frozen north) and we just had to go outside! Now it is cold again, but the cleaning bug has left the building. I need to find him again.
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Hmm, spring cleaning tip? Go through each room just once, putting away things as you go. Make sure you have a spot to put all the giveaway stuff and don’t be afraid to get rid of things!
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Just tweeted this giveaway
http://twitter.com/selabear/statuses/11969553645
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My tip (and obsession) is to re-arrange your home. That way everything gets deep cleaned while you’re switching things around and you get a fresh new look when you’re all done. We just finished our spring cleaning/re-arranging yesterday!
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I used a “Parent’s Night Out” program to get 3 hours of time in an empty house! (Not done, but a whole lot better!!!)
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I would love to win this prize!
I tackle spring cleaning by trying to do as much as possible in one or two days and then jumping back on my normal cleaning routine schedule.
I am sure I look like a crazy person running to and fro and I’m sure the children would much rather do school work than their “cleaning projects” I give them but it seems to be the best way to go about it. I find if I try to just tackle one spring cleaning project a week, I lose motivation but if it’s basically ALL I do for two days I feel much better and get much more accomplished:).
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I do it bit by bit, room by room, the only when there is a houseful of littles. I did learn this year to wait till after the pollen flies. I am having to redo a lot b/c of the pollen.
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My tip, is to throw stuff away you aren’t using. That way it is easier to clean the rest of the house.
debp
twoofakind12@yahoo.com
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Usually, I do the spring cleaning myself. For 3-5 days I will clean non-stop from morning till night. The older kids take care of the younger. This year I’m doing things differently. I’m involving everyone! We are also taking longer, working on one room or area a week-although we’ve taken a couple weeks off! We’ll pick it up again this week. I hope I win!
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Hi
Thx for the opportunity to win the Seventh Generation Prize. Spring cleaning tip – start in winter n clean out one closet, dresser or cupboard at a time (no marathon cleaning done in this household)and keep a give away, throw away or for sale box in the garage. On the first warm sunny day in spring have a garage sale , at the end of it whatever has not sold is packed with the giveaway box (donation) and carted away to Salvation Army, St Pauls or the Hospital Charity box. Then we start all over again in the fall.
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We just cleaned our carpets and couldn’t believe how filthy they were. Carpet cleaning is a great spring cleaning tool. Nothing like getting all the winter sickness germs and dust out of your carpet!
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my mom usually makes a list of everything to be done then we all write our initials beside what we have done
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my mom usually makes a list of everything to be done then we all write our initials beside what we have done! it works well!
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I just try to tackle it a little bit each week. The windows never seem to get done though!
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slow and steady wins the race for me. I try to do a little bit of deep cleaning once a month. It usually takes 3-4 days on average. Thanks for the chance to win!
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I try to keep up with the fly lady approach, but will definitely take a Sat morning or two with all the windows open and tackle some big projects.
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I send the kids off with dad for the day and try to do it all in one day.
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I try to make a list of what needs to be done first, then tackle that room a bit at a time. I can’t usually do it all in one day, so this seems to work for me. The kids actually WANT to help and I give them any job I think they can handle. These products would be perfect for those times! I don’t want them inhaling some of those chemicals that are on the market.
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Not alot of great advice – except maybe to do a little at a time, even if you don’t have a lot of time, you would be amazed at what you can do in 5 minutes!
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I’ve been clearing the clutter with Money Saving Mom this past week! Clear out the clutter and clean up the space! Would love some good cleaners with my 5 littles in the house! They love to help1
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I’ll have to read through these comments, because I always need help with cleaning! I just learned recently that you should probably clean under the hood of your stove, because it gets REALLY grimy under there! Scary, actually! I’m having fun browsing through your blog! Thank you for all the tips and encouragement!
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I do a little of something each day so I don’t have to do huge cleaning in one day.
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I enlist help from the whole family and tackle as many things as we can each day to GET IT DONE! We are currently ‘spring cleaning’ in our first HOME of our own, yay! Let me tell you it needs it. Everyone is pitching in!
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One big part of spring cleaning in our house is sorting through winter clothing, getting rid of extra and worn out. We then put the summer clothing in drawers and hangers, and plan a trip to the thrift store to get rid of all the extra stuff. Not fun but feels good when done.
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Just blogged this giveaway
http://selaandfamily.blogspot.com/2010/04/great-giveaways-4.html
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We tackle spring cleaning one room at a time. That way, each room feels like an accomplishment.
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