How would you like to win a free Swiffer Duster to discover for yourself how much easier dusting can be?

There are several ways you can be entered to win a Swiffer 360 Duster. 

To be entered once, leave a comment with your name (first name is fine) and email address. Your email address will not be published. I will contact the winner by email.

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• To be entered two times, leave a comment and subscribe to my blog. (if you’ve already subscribed, just mention that in your comment – that counts)

• To be entered three times, leave a comment, stumble, & subscribe to my blog. (again, if you’ve already subscribed, that counts)

• To be entered five times, do the above plus write a post about my contest on your blog.

Contest will end October 12, and the winner will be chosen using the List Randomizer at Random.org.

I have been so busy this week!  I did substitute teaching Monday through Friday plus my private tutoring that I do at home on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  And then on Wednesday evenings, I teach a toddler class.  I kept thinking that I really need to dust, but I didn’t want to take the time to do it.

Thanks to MS&L, I received the Swiffer 360 Duster to use in my home.  I used it last night, and it made dusting go so much faster.  And I was able to dust those “hard to dust” places easily, places like electronic equipment, window blinds, decorative ridges on furniture, around cords and wires, etc.

Another great thing about the Swiffer 360 Duster is that it reduces up to 90% of common household allergens from dogs, cats, and dust mites.  The fluffy dust-locking fibers lock up to two times more dust and allergens than a feather duster.

Below is a link to a video of the Swiffer Allergen Reducing Blogger Roundtable at Appleseeds NYC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu6UfKnvndY

WATCH FOR A SWIFFER 360 DUSTER GIVE-AWAY THIS NEXT WEEK!!

According to EWG, try to avoid toiletries with these ingredients listed in the label:

• Words ending in “paraben”
• DMDM hydantoin
• Imidsazolidinyl urea
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone
• Methylisothiazolinone
• Triclosan
• Triclocarban
• Triethanolamine (or “TEA”)
• “PEG”
• “-eth” in the middle (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate)

The ingredient “FRAGRANCE” can include a lot of different chemicals, some of which may pose a hazard.   Use EWG’s Cosmetics Database to choose safer products.

See what I received this week?  It’s my new Swiffer Sweeper, 2 in 1 Starter Kit.  I have been sick this week, and so I was thrilled to be able to sweep and mop my kitchen floor in five minutes!  It looks so shiny and smells so good.

I have an old Swiffer, but I must admit this  new one works much better.   After I put the new Swiffer together (which is a “snap”…all you have to do is literally snap the pieces together which takes half a minute), then our cute little dog checked out what I was getting ready to do.  I put her outside, then I proceeded to use the dry sweeping cloth which surprised me by picking up all sorts of dust, crumbs, pet hair, etc., and it held on to them.  Then I used the wet mopping cloth and was able to reach deep into corners under the overhang on our cabinets.

What I like about the new Swiffer is that it is stronger.  That’s one thing I didn’t like about the old one.  I felt like the old one wasn’t strong enough to scrub on tough spots.   But the new Swiffer is definitely stronger and easier to use!

When it’s time to clean house, there’s nothing worse than having a vacuum cleaner that doesn’t clean well. And if someone suffers from allergies, then it is very important not only to vacuum often but also not to spread allergens into the air.  The Allergies Buyers Club has all sorts of HEPA vacuum cleaners which trap allergens, something so important for allergy sufferers.  These vaccuum cleaners will help sufferers to have a clean, healthy home with reduced allergens.

See post below for contest information. This Saturday, April 19, will be the last day to enter. The winner will be announced next week.

CONTEST IS OVER!

Lands’ End has a new product called PureLoft Pillows, the latest technology in allergy-free bedding. PureLoft Pillows are treated with a 100% natural Neem Oil which repels dust mites and inhibits bacteria that can trigger allergies.

I received two Lands’ End pillows, one to review and one for a giveaway.  So, I am giving away one brand new Lands’ End PureLoft standard-size pillow, valued at $25. It’s a plump, very soft pillow that mimics goose down. I know because I have one of my own.  Our son, who has bad allergies, is going to be using the pillow, and I feel good that he will have a pillow that won’t add to his allergy problem.

There are several ways you can be entered to win.  (CONTEST IS OVER)

1. To be entered once, leave a comment with your name (first name is fine) and email address. Your email address will not be published. I will contact the winner by email.
   
2. To be entered three times, leave a comment and subscribe to my blog. (if you’ve already subscribed, that counts)
3. To be entered four times, leave a comment, stumble, & subscribe to my blog. (again, if you’ve already subscribed, that counts)
   
4. To be entered five times, do the above plus write a post about my contest on your blog. (You can copy the above text if you want to.)

I will pay shipping within the U.S.

Contest will last approximately one week. Ending Date will be given during the middle of next week. Click here for ending date. (Ending date was Sat., April 19th.)

In your comment, let me know if you’re doing option #1, #2, #3, or #4. Thanks!

Soy has helped a lot of women with hot flashes, and it helped me for a while. I found that eating 1/8 – 1/4 cup of soy nuts a day greatly diminished my hot flashes. I continued this for five months or so until….I started breaking out in hives. I’m not talking about a few hives in one small area. I’m talking about hives in several areas, some small areas and some large areas. I had them on my arms, my elbows, my hips, my thighs, my waist. I was miserable and the itching would be intense at times, so much so that it would wake me up during the night. I never had a food allergy before, but I learned that the best thing to do is keep a food diary. So that’s what I did. There were several foods (soy, wheat, barley, especially) that I had reactions to, and the hives would itch more after eating them. These were foods I’ve eaten my whole life and never had a problem. I found the common denominator between them was phytic acid, and soy has the highest content of phytic acid of all. I decided, for a while anyway, to elliminate all the foods that made me itch. After a couple of months, the hives went away. When the time for my appointment with an allergist finally came around, the hives were gone. I told her I thought it was the soy. She didn’t think so. After two different allergy tests, she said that she thought it was the soy. So after paying all the out-of-pocket medical expenses (our insurance isn’t very good), I didn’t know anymore than I did before I went to the allergist. I have continued to stay away from soy nuts ever since, but I was able to start eating everything else without any problem.

I had told a friend of mine about the soy nuts when I first started eating them, and she started eating them to help her hot flashes. When I realized it was the soy nuts that were causing my hives, I told her about it. She said that she had been itching some since she started eating the nuts. Well, after she heard about my experience, she quit eating soy nuts immediately and the itching went away.

Everyone is different, but if you are eating soy nuts on a regular basis, watch for any signs of an allergy…especially itching or hives! I’ve read that there are quite a few people who are allergic to large amounts of soy.