We Talk Shop

Our dishwasher was starting to have a build-up of that scummy stuff at the bottom that you just can’t get rid of. I hated having people over and having to open up the dishwasher - it was just nasty and no matter what I did, all of the scrubbing in the world just did not get it to come out. So I saw a commercial for a new Jet-Dry dishwasher cleaner and I thought, why not.

I followed the instructions and then noticed the fine print that states that it might take two applications to really thoroughly clean the dishwasher. I wish that I had read that in the store. I was eager for the dishwasher cycle to finish so that I could open it and have one of those Doris Day moments - ok so I’m old and yes I know who she was, where you open the dishwasher and sunlight comes out it’s so clean. Well this was not one of those moments! I was disappointed to see that the scum was still there and that I had to wipe it out myself. Now this was an improvement, instead of scrubbing, I just wiped, but I was not that thrilled.

Truth be told, the build-up has not started again, so maybe the product did help. Overall, I would probably give it another shot; if I had a coupon and it was buy one get one. And my expectations will not be as high, but that is ok as long as I don’t have to scrub - wiping is fine.

I was ready to give this product a higher rating until a day later I noticed the spot that I had cleaned on my wool-pile rug was discolored. It’s only a shade or so lighter, the rug is not ruined, but I certainly won’t be trying this product on any other wool materials. On the bright side, there’s not a hint that there was ever a stain on the rug.

I was surprised; I’ve been using Woolite products for years and growing up my mom used them as well. And I’ve used the Oxy Deep spray solution on another item with glowing results.

The P.O.D. itself is portable, easy to use, and made cleaning my pet’s mess easier and quicker. It’s an all-in-one solution to cleaning up stains. I plan to dump the Oxy Deep solution and use another product.

Skip it: If you want to try this product yourself, test it on a small area first. You can find it as your local grocery store in the cleaning/detergent aisle.

It’s a new year and new resolutions. One of mine is to reduce the clutter in my house, which a large offender is junk mail. For Christmas I purchased the Staples Mailmate Junk Mail Shdredder. This thing is awesome! You don’t even need to read the rest of this review — trust me, it’s amazing.

For those of you who want the details, here goes:  It’s compact and sits on the counter so it’s easily accessible for mail as it comes through your house. It can shred staples and paperclips so you don’t have to worry about removing them. It will do a nice, thick piece of hate mail (uh, junk  mail) — or even those nasty bills ;0

What I really love is the power and size of this machine. I was reluctant to make the purchase; having been burned on shredders in the past. They said it did this or did that, but when I got it home it barely shredded the paper. The Mailmate really does shred the heck out of your paperwork. It’s important that it does the cross-shred too. It has a fairly large storage capacity (1.5 gallons) — no need for a garbage can on the bottom like your traditional shredders.

One of my concerns was that it would really only be used for mail, but you can easily fold a document in half, lengthwise, and it will be shredded. We tested CDs — disentegrated. We tried credit cards — obliterated. The box said it has a ferocious shredding power. Boy, does it ever. It’s been a life saver for us and has earned it’s place on our kitchen counter; which is another plus — it’s away from our little one’s tender fingers.

I bought mine in the store where they had a demo available to test how it shreds, but you can see an animated demo on their Web site.

Get it! Staples store or online. Retail price is $69.99 and well worth that price, but they are running a rebate offer until 1/20/07 — $20 back by mail! That brings it down to the irrestible price of $49.99.

Last night as we were putting up our Christmas tree I was reminded of the best 50 bucks we’ve spent in years — on the Swive Straight Christmas Tree Stand! Truly a life (um, marriage) saver when it comes to putting up your tree. Here’s how it works –
There’s an oval piece of the base that is not attached — you screw that onto the bottom of the tree trunk, then you put the tree (with the oval piece) into the base on the floor. At this point it may be crooked. Don’t fret. Now, just hold the top of your tree with one hand, put your foot on the peddal located on the base of the unit and rotate/tilt/move the tree to the desired position. Let go of the peddal. Viola! You’ve got one straight tree — without all the swearing!

Since we purchased this stand several years ago we have never had a crooked tree — or an argument. People, if you want to make this Christmas easier go out and buy this tree stand. I’m pretty sure you can get it at most large Target-like stores.

Get it now! $50  (if I could give it more than 5 stars I would!)

On Friday the shopgirls hassled me and gave me a deadline of Monday morning (thus, I had ALL weekend) to finally post about the Cascade 2IN1 Action Pacs with the Power of DAWN that we received from a PR agent. A rep for Cascade wrote to the We Talk Shop feedback mail saying she would send us free samples (for each shopgirl) to try out. Right on we said! Right on!

I tried them first and have pictures to prove my efforts. I had let a cake dish crust over (before photo), put it in with a bunch of other nasty dishes, popped in one of the Cascade tablets into my Bosch dishwasher and waited for the results. Viola! The dish came our sparkling clean (after photo). Now, I have to admit, I am impressed with the Cascade tablet, but I love, love, love my dishwasher (that’s another post). I’ll have to let you decide if you think it was my dishwasher or the Cascade that did the trick.

What I do like about the tablets is that you don’t have to unwap the tablet before you pop it in the dishwasher. It’s individually sealed, but the entire thing goes in the washer and somehow evaporates with the washing. The package does instructions to not unwrap or punture the pouch, and to reseal the large bag after each use. Wonder if they dry up or something. I’m pretty lazy with stuff like ziplocking a bag. I’d rather just keep the bag open in the cabinet so I can just reach in and grab it.

OK, shopgirls, your turn.

Get it! I think they are about $3 something per bag of 20 pacs and you can find them anywhere.

This is another one of those products my mom brought from Publix. She chose the linen & sky scent, which I love for its fresh and clean smell. It does just what it says on the bottle - eliminates odors and freshens the air. I have four cats and a dog, so anything that will keep my house smelling pet-free is on my must-have list. Most of all, I love it’s easy-to-use trigger control and ergonomic fit in my hand.

Get it! It costs around $3.49, a $1 too high, but with it’s grab-and-spray ease, it’s still worth trying.

I was in need of storage bags for some old toys, clothes, etc. and I stumbled upon these bags at Target - Ziploc® Big Bags.

The advertising on the box stated that they “are the biggest, strongest, most versatile Ziploc® Brand bags ever created. Use them to store clothing, bedding, holiday decorations, sports equipment, and more. No more clutter in the garage, the basement, or your car. Plus, Ziploc® Big Bags have the natural, flexible shape of a bag so they can fit into places where storage boxes can’t”.

Ok so I thought that I would give them a try. I know what you might be thinking, these remind you of the vaccum sealed bags, these are very different. First off they are huge and very durable. I was amazed at the amount of toys, clothing and stuffed animals that I was able to get in them.

I even bought an extra box and placed it in my hurricane kit, they do not advertise that they are water proof, but I am sure that they are water resistant. I’m thinking that they would be perfect for the photo albums, frames, etc. that you need to take down off the wall and protect.

Get em: Target for $4.99 (box of 4 bags).