Happy THREE months to baby Henry Sebastian today!!!
Henry goes EVERYWHERE with me which means that he gets to hear just about every story I read to the other kids. I noticed today that he was paying close attention during story time, not to me, but to the book. He was more interested that everyone else! I got a phone call halfway through Pinocchio so I stopped and put the book down. Boy, did he get MAD!! He calmed down immediately when I started again. I really hope to instill a love of reading in all of my kids. Dad hates to read but I love it and do it all the time. Fortunately, he can't say no when his little princess asks for a bedtime story (and Jonas always cuddles up with them) so they still get to hear and see daddy reading too.
I haven't been talking much about baby Henry anywhere because I've been keeping a written journal with all of his milestones. Lately he has become such a wiggle worm! He's rolling over, tries to move around but ends up going in circles (literally), and flips over in my lap all the time. He tries to sit up whenever he's reclined and if he isn't strapped in he could very well propel himself right out of his seat because he's so strong!! He has been learning to comfort himself successfully (two fingers and/or a blankie), interacting with his siblings- I've been through it a few times before but it just seems so new and exciting all over again! He met his car seat buddies today and made instant friends with the cute critters, cooing and batting at them. We hadn't used it before because the hospital advised against toys in the car. Now we just use it when we use the seat as a carrier and he adores them. His favorite position is lying with his belly on the ground and his shoulders and head sideways (see photo below). It's so strange but really cute. He loves his long afternoon nap and sleeps so well at night. He doesn't like to be bothered when he sleeps! We love to sing, dance and chat together!! I think that he is going to look up to his big brothers but he will adore his big sister, who is like a mini-mama to him. ♥
I recently received 2 bottles of Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-A-Clean from Bzz Agent. Extend-A-Clean features a continuous sprayer so you don't have to keep pressing on the trigger, making for an easier-to-use and better coverage cleaner. Another feature is that they claim you can go up to 4 days longer without having to clean by providing an invisible barrier on the surfaces that are being cleaned.
The first thing I did was explore the Scrubbing Bubbles website to learn more.
Useful information from the website (http://www.scrubbingbubbles.com):
"Works on most bathroom surfaces, including tubs, showers, glazed ceramic tile, stainless steel, chrome fixtures, fiberglass, vinyl and glazed porcelain. Avoid prolonged contact with wood, aluminum and painted, lacquered or soft surfaces. DO NOT USE on gold plated fittings, semi-glazed and resurfaced enamel baths, natural marble, travertine or brass."
- Squeeze and hold trigger for continuous spray. Spray 8-12 inches from surface to clean. Cover surface evenly. Allow foam to penetrate dirt and soap scum (for tough jobs, let stand several minutes).
- Wipe clean with a damp cloth or sponge, then rinse.
- Good ventilation during use is recommended.
Where to use it? Everywhere in the bathtub (except the inside of the toilet)- shower, tub, tile, shower doors, sinks, faucets and fixtures.
What's the difference between this and other cleaners? The invisible barrier cleans every time the surface gets wet, up to 4 days.
Anything else? No visible residue is left behind, according to the site. The triggers are designed to last 2 years and the batteries are expected to last through approximately 8 refills (that relieves my "OMG- more batteries?" feeling). The product is citrus-scented.
My initial thoughts on this product:
*Easy to set up and use. I like the safety lock feature.
*What does an invisible barrier mean when it's time to bathe the kids? With four kids I'm giving baths usually at least once a day. And what about if their toothbrushes or toys that they might put in their mouth or in the tub touch a wet surface that was sprayed? Will they be "cleaned"? A little concerning! The site says that, if used properly, the product can be used around kids. It doesn't say "safely used".
*I was curious about how the continuous sprayer would compare to a regular spray bottle- is it really necessary to have ANOTHER product that requires batteries to function?
*Would having a different type of sprayer ensure that the entire product would be used (or would some be wasted)?
*People clean their tubs more than every 4 days? I'm content with giving it a quick wipe after each bath or shower if it looks like it needs it, then a more thorough cleaning once a week (again, if it needs it). I'm not a fan of cleaning so anything that makes it quicker and/or easier is a plus but I don't really need to spend much time cleaning the tub in the first place with this routine.
*$10 for a cleaner?? Yikes! $7 for a refill? Double yikes!
*"use with good ventilation" is never a good phrase to use with a cleaner, especially with kids and the lack of a bathroom ventilation fan.
So...I gave it a try. I opened a window and turned on the bathroom's ceiling fan (we only have 1 bathroom). I set it up (easy to do) and started spraying. Then I immediately dropped the bottle and ran from the room! The smell!! It would be a good smell if there wasn't so much of it. I don't have asthma but thought this might trigger an attack anyway. It was very overwhelming.
The sprayer was kind of fun to use- you squeeze the trigger and it makes a whirring sound as it sprays the desired surface. It comes out sort of foamy, so you know where it's going. I sprayed the whole bathtub and let it sit for a few minutes (you sort of have to wait- away from the bathroom- because of the smell). After a few minutes I took a washcloth and started wiping. I was impressed with how well it cleaned. It got off some of the stains that I thought were permanent in the tub. Nothing else has ever gotten them off (though I haven't tried baking soda yet). I was a little afraid to let the kids take a bath after using it though, so after I was done cleaning I ran the shower and then wiped the tub down again with a new wet washcloth because the barrier made me uncomfortable.
The verdict: I give this product a 10 for cleaning power, a 10 for ease of use, a 1 for "green" power, a 1 for price and a 2 for safety around kids after cleaning, during regular bathroom use (I wouldn't consider allowing my children in the area during or for 5-10 minutes after spraying).
I would not buy this product to regularly clean my bathroom, especially at the retail price. I'm just not comfortable enough using it around my kids and it's one of the most costly bathroom cleaners I've ever seen. The scent is good but far too strong and I do not have any respiratory issues. While it was fun to use, I think having a battery-operated sprayer is totally unnecessary and wasteful. If I wasn't as environmentally aware of what I use to in my house as I am, and if I didn't have kids I would consider it as my regular bathroom cleaner.
I have to add that I did a comparison against another product (stay tuned!) and Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-A-Clean totally beat the other product in the cleaning competition. It really does work well, but for our family it is not a good fit.
