wonderwhatif
Member Since: January 26, 2015Reviews
Seventh Generation 100% Unbleached paper towel
Well, compared to my usual brand (not a fancy name brand) they are not as good, but they're not so bad that I would lose my temper while using them. Basically put, they're ok. I do find it a little surprising that they're 2-ply as they really look... +
Well, compared to my usual brand (not a fancy name brand) they are not as good, but they're not so bad that I would lose my temper while using them. Basically put, they're ok. I do find it a little surprising that they're 2-ply as they really look and feel like one ply. The absorbency just isn't great, while they will 'suck up' a surprising amount, they are quite drippy afterwards and you really can't utilise them as well, they are best for just wiping up and then quickly dumping, as opposed to more heavy jobs that require a little scrub and pressure.
The good part is that they are unbleached and made from recycled materials. That can go a long way for some people. I don't understand complaining about the colour. It's true, our association with brown paper towels is cheap public bathrooms, but if you're going to buy unbleached, well...it's going to be unbleached. I personally wish more regular products offered an unbleached version.
The sheet size is also a little bigger than my usual brand, but doesn't tear as well, not breaking cleanly on the line.
Overall, these are good, but not great and not for heavy-duty use.
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ECO by Naty Clean Potty with flushable liners
I do like this potty, but it has one thing that really bothers me. The biodegradable bags, if you've read any of my other reviews of 'flushable' products or did any research yourself, right away you'll know my problem. Talk to any manager at a... +
I do like this potty, but it has one thing that really bothers me. The biodegradable bags, if you've read any of my other reviews of 'flushable' products or did any research yourself, right away you'll know my problem. Talk to any manager at a septic or city sewage plant and they will tell you one thing. Flushable is not really flushable. The problem is, often these products flush just fine, but they need hot water to break down in the sewage system and since they take too long to break down, they become tangled in other 'unflushables', creating the 'fatberg's' you've undoubtedly heard about in the news. It's easy to say 'that's not my problem' because it's so convenient and if it's past your plumbing, who cares, right? Well, the problem is, this is costing local council's a lot of money and that money gets passed onto you, the taxpayer, so it's not to your benefit as convenient as it may be.
I don't want to be too hard on ECO by Naty, because I'm not a scientist and honestly, since theirs is made of sugar cane, maybe it's fine and a totally different ball-game from the 'flushable' wipes. However, I'd like to see 3rd party, independent test data before being put totally at ease. Plumber's and sewage workers all say the same thing, never flush anything other than pee, poo and toilet paper.
Well, this is still a good potty. I, for the reason stated above, won't flush these liner bags, but I still can put them in the bin or a diaper genie, knowing that when they go to the landfill they will break down a lot faster and not contribute as much to landfill problems. Keep in mind bio-degradable is not compostable, so don't use these in your compost.
My only other problem is that the instructions to put the liner bag on are absolute garbage, some tiny, barely visible and badly illustrated pictures and no text instructions. I think I got it right, but couldn't be sure and was unable to find a video anywhere. In the end, it seemed to be on correctly, but the potty didn't 'join' together well and had visible gaps.
I do really like the convenience of using bags, meaning I don't need to wash the potty and other features like the pee-guard are pretty good. Splashing is kept to a minimum too, though some children may prefer more back support or a bigger potty. The non-slide bottom is absolutely essential, especially when it comes to a potty that's quite small.
I love seeing more and more eco-friendly offerings, but worry about companies who push 'flushable' items and are seemingly deaf to the cries of our local water and sewage workers. If the instructions could be improved on this, it'd be four stars for me, but I still wouldn't flush it.
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Danby air conditioner
I've had this model of AC for about 2 years now and it works really, really well. It has the needed features like fan and timer and an easy to use remote. There are only a few things to look out for. One is that the 'flaps' to adjust the air... +
I've had this model of AC for about 2 years now and it works really, really well. It has the needed features like fan and timer and an easy to use remote. There are only a few things to look out for. One is that the 'flaps' to adjust the air direction start to get loose after about two years and won't hold position well anymore. I was able to fix it and find a 'stiff' bit, but I can see that becoming a problem over the next few years.
The second is that the 'window' section won't be long enough or fit well in all windows and doors. As a result, we've had to put tape around it to stop gaps, meaning we lose the portability. It's not a big problem for us, as this is the only type of AC that works with our tall, not very wide, window setup (cheaper than a vertical AC unit), but it does mean we've bought another AC for a different room, rather than using it as portable. It has small wheels and handles to make it easier to move around.
This works well in a small - medium size room, we use it in the bedroom of our apartment. After two years, it's still in really good condition and runs smooth and flawlessly. One thing we noticed, compared to our other, double-hosed, AC unit, is this builds up moisture much more slowly and needs to be emptied less often. Take note, though, if you tend to leave it open to drain into a bucket, due to a flexible plastic pipe being needed to drain it, you will need to sit this higher than the bucket to allow the water to run out. If you have low humidity where you live, it's not an issue, but in a high humidity area it needs to be drained more frequently.
Overall, it's just a really sound unit that works well, especially if you get it on a sale!
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Armor All Multipurpose Cleaner spray
Works absolutely perfectly for giving the inside of the car a good old clean, works well on the interior and tires. My only negative to this would be that you're supposed to dilute it to use on windows. It would be nice to have a spray I could use... +
Works absolutely perfectly for giving the inside of the car a good old clean, works well on the interior and tires. My only negative to this would be that you're supposed to dilute it to use on windows. It would be nice to have a spray I could use on both the dash and windows as a straight spray with no worries. You do have to wipe it off afterwards, but a damp rag, or some damp kitchen roll works fine and the inside comes up nice and shiny after washing the spray off. Will use again! -
Knorr Selects Spinach Florentine with Penne Pasta
I had only two issues with this pasta from Knorr: it really stank up the house while I was cooking it, and the sodium content is WAY higher than I even expected. This pack contains about 60% of your daily sodium, information which has been... +
I had only two issues with this pasta from Knorr: it really stank up the house while I was cooking it, and the sodium content is WAY higher than I even expected. This pack contains about 60% of your daily sodium, information which has been conveniently left out of a lot of the online listings where you can buy this pasta.
Because of the sodium, I would recommend NOT eating this alone. It’s a good lunch size for one person, but also works as a side dish for 2 or 3, and it brings down the amount of sodium to a much lower level that way. Thankfully sharing it should be easy, as this pasta tastes great. I used a bit of milk to replace some of the water, for a creamier taste, and it was really delicious. It is on the salty side, but not too strong for my liking.
The pasta itself is actually very easy to prepare, just add it to boiling water and then simmer/stir for about ten minutes. It’s simple enough that you can mostly leave it to cook while you finish cooking the rest of the meal, which is useful when you aren’t great at multitasking in the kitchen.
Overall, despite high sodium, I think this is a great pasta dish and something I would gladly buy again. I do think they could decrease the sodium though and actually have a better taste due to it.
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Knorr Selects Roasted Garlic Pesto with Volanti Pasta
I found this pasta from Knorr’s “Selects” line to be a great addition to supper, even if it’s not the greatest thing for you on a nutritional level. The main issue here is that the total pack contains roughly HALF an adult’s daily sodium... +
I found this pasta from Knorr’s “Selects” line to be a great addition to supper, even if it’s not the greatest thing for you on a nutritional level. The main issue here is that the total pack contains roughly HALF an adult’s daily sodium requirement, which is high even for a product like this. Ideally, this should be split as a side dish between 2-4 people, but if you’re looking for a quick lunch this would do just fine in a pinch, just be aware of how much salt there is in it.
When it comes to flavour and texture, this pasta actually gets very high marks. I found it to be just strong enough, with the garlic pesto being on salty side but still very pleasant. Adding a bit of milk to the recipe and removing some of the water helps make it a bit creamier and I enjoyed it a lot more when I tried that. On a related note, it’s very easy to customize this side dish to your specific liking. Try adding some lemon, black pepper, or even just a dash of hot sauce if you want to kick things up a bit.
While it is VERY easy to cook (add to boiling water and stir while it simmers), be aware that I found it quite pungent while it was cooking, and the whole house soon smelled like garlic pesto, so try to keep a window open or something if you don’t love the smell as it cooks. Other than that, however, I really like this dish and thought it was a great addition to supper time.
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Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean Toothbrush 4500
If you're looking to compare to the 'Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean Toothbrush 4100 White HX6817/01' model then it's really more of a preference thing. The only two additions to this model over the 4100 is an extra 'gum-cleaning' mode and the... +
If you're looking to compare to the 'Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean Toothbrush 4100 White HX6817/01' model then it's really more of a preference thing. The only two additions to this model over the 4100 is an extra 'gum-cleaning' mode and the addition of a travel case. In every other way, it's just as good as the earlier model. If you need more bells and whistles (or have disposable income), you can always buy one of the much higher-end Sonicare models, but for those looking to upgrade from a traditional electric or manual toothbrush, this is a great model at a lower price.
It has all the amazing design features of the 4100, with the smaller head that can reach easily behind teeth and in smaller mouths and a 2 week charge time and a nice lightweight, white design. The travel case is a nice little extra here, though it's annoying the charger doesn't fit so you'll have to store that separately. I can't really see myself using the 'gum' mode, though if you do want to use it, according to the manual you need a different head. This only comes with the one 'basic' head.
When upgrading from an electric or manual, you'll really feel the difference here, but the features are on par with similarly priced Philips models'. It all comes down to which features you want or need in your toothbrush, as you can go more bare-bones than this and also fancier.
However, if you choose this one, rest assured you're still going to be getting a great sonic toothbrush that is easy to use and works very well.
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Institut Esthederm Lift and Repair Instant Repulp Mask
I didn't really see the 'cosmetic lifting action' on my first use, but despite that I still like this mask as I feel like it makes a difference over a few uses. This is essentially a thick cream that you apply to the face (like a mask) and let it... +
I didn't really see the 'cosmetic lifting action' on my first use, but despite that I still like this mask as I feel like it makes a difference over a few uses. This is essentially a thick cream that you apply to the face (like a mask) and let it absorb. I almost wish they'd included a picture of how thick to apply it, because it was really difficult to know how much to put on, so I almost erred on the side of caution. Overall, Institut Esthederm's products could use a little more in the way of instruction and a picture or diagram or even description of a rough amount of the mask to use really wouldn't go amiss here.
The only other negative, for me, is that the package says you can leave the excess on to absorb, or remove it with a cotton pad. I chose to leave it on, but honestly wouldn't recommend it as it left me with almost a coating on my face, so when I scratched my face it would peel off in little waxy clumps. So I would definitely say take it off afterwards.
After the first use, while I noticed only a minor reduction in wrinkles and no 'lifting' my skin did feel fresher, brighter and softer, with an overall improvement in skin tone. It also reduced the dark circles under my eyes by quite a bit.
This product does have quite a strong scent, a little bit floral and sweet and quite cloying, so if you're wary of scents you should note that it's a strong one.
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Love Beauty & Planet Tea Tree Oil & Vetiver Daily Detox Body Wash
This is as good a body wash as the other Love Beauty and Planet washes, meaning the benefits are the lack of Dyes, Silicons and Parabens and the pretty, recycled packaging. There is added fragrance though and when it comes to this fragrance, it's... +
This is as good a body wash as the other Love Beauty and Planet washes, meaning the benefits are the lack of Dyes, Silicons and Parabens and the pretty, recycled packaging. There is added fragrance though and when it comes to this fragrance, it's not one I love. I really like tea tree scent normally, so I imagine it's the vetiver. It's a reasonably strong fragrance that gets into your nose and will annoy you if you don't like it. To me, the best way I could describe it is 'Hippy peppermint'. The tea, tree gives that lovely sort of citrusy mint smell, but the Vetiver makes it a bit...weird smelling for me.
I would also say this scent leans slightly masculine, though it can still definitely be used by all genders without anybody worrying. It does smell more like a natural scent to me, but I just wish it favoured the tea tree more. Despite this it's easy to use, cleans well and works great as a body wash, just not the best scent of this line.
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Love Beauty & Planet Coconut Oil & Ylang Ylang Hope and Repair Shampoo
Out of all the Love Beauty and Planet I've tried so far, I have to say that this one is my favourite. Shocking, because coconut is probably my least favourite scent. The smell of coconut in this is extremely subtle! Furthermore, it combines with the... +
Out of all the Love Beauty and Planet I've tried so far, I have to say that this one is my favourite. Shocking, because coconut is probably my least favourite scent. The smell of coconut in this is extremely subtle! Furthermore, it combines with the Ylang ylang in such a way that it sweetens the coconut and creates a lovely smell with just a hint of coconut, but still maintaining the benefits of the coconut oil. It should be noted that while this shampoo is free of parabens, silicons and dyes, it does have fragrance (I do like the smell though).
This did make my hair a little more volumised (so maybe not for you if you want to calm your hair), but it also left it feeling and looking a lot healthier. I didn't have a dry, flaky or tight feeling scalp after using this. I felt my hair was clean, but not stripped, I'll be adding this one to my regular rotation!
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