There are certain parts of my house I avoid at certain times of the day...
The morning sun shining through my less than clean windows into my kitchen.
or
The afternoon sun streaming through the sliding doors...
EEK!
Managing household chores is hard enough
but if you take into account the fog, rain, pollen
and just plain old dirt around here...
keeping the windows clean is a nightmare.
Oh and then there are the kids - no mirror is safe!
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| One days worth of "use." Yeah...it is scary...Thanks kids! |
So, it cannot be avoided any longer...it is time to spring clean...and we - no I am starting inside and these kiddos need to participate is this cleaning extravaganza.
There is incentive for my cuties - they both want their rooms painted and made over...but my condition is that they need to start taking more responsibility for the cleanliness of their rooms and the house as a whole.
Inspired by that incentive...Jules and I headed to Smart and Final to pick up some supplies. While there, we had the opportunity to do a little comparison shopping and make this Spring cleaning even more fun with a #CompareandSwap twist!
It was our job to test a name brand glass cleaner
(Windex) and Paper towels (Bounty)
against the First Street Brand Glass Cleaner and First Street Paper Towels.
We can so do that!
I am a long time shopper of Smart and Final...
and already have many of the First Street products in my pantry..
I have no idea why it never occurred to me
to try out the First Street cleaning products!
Everything is so easy to find at Smart and Final.
It was super easy to find the aisle with the cleaning supplies and
the Windex and First Street Glass Cleaner side by side...
Look at that price difference - more than $1.00 difference!
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| The First Street Brand looks good on the shelf. I like the vibrant blue of the glass cleaner |
The prices and selection at Smart and Final keep me coming back
and I do love good quality products! A win-win!
Read all about my (our) shopping trip on Google+
That is me and my helper (she really wants a pink room)
When we got home, we did our first test in the bathroom. I am not quite sure how it happens...but every day - yes, every day - our mirrors look like this. I am not sure what these kids do in there...but the mirrors are taking a hit.
I told Jules we were doing a comparison and we were cleaning up that mess!
First we tried the First Street Glass Cleaner
with the First Street Paper Towels on one mirror.
It surely made quite a difference and had zero problems
getting the gunk off with a swipe of the First Street Paper Towel.
We got to work on that messy mirror!
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| Spray it on! |
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| Wipe it off! |
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| Sparkle! |
Then we tried the name brand glass cleaner on
the other (equally messy) mirror along with the name brand paper towel.
The verdict...both are clean!
But here is my scoop!
I truly felt like the cleaning quality and overall finish of the glass cleaners was really similar. I noticed one streak on the square mirror cleaned with the name brand cleaner.
Verdict...
First Street Glass Cleaner will have a place in my home...
great performance and a great price.
Even with the Smart Savings on both products,
the First Street Glass Cleaner was $1.34 less than the name brand!
Now we are talking!
Now on to the paper towels.
I am kind of a paper towel snob.
I like a soft paper towel.
During the cleaning, the name brand paper towel
left more residue on the mirror than
the First Street Paper Towels.
Verdict...
First Street Paper Towels performed really well,
left little to no residue on the glass...and they are soft!
We moved on to Ms. Jules's room...
and yes, I am not proud of how dusty that mirror is...
YIKES!
Do I never go in there....
well no worries First Street to the rescue!
She took responsibility and wiped that dust away to reveal a shiny clean mirror...the beginning of a shiny clean room and her wish of a room makeover.
We had fun cleaning together and making it a "game" or sorts.
She enjoyed helping her mama and earning
her way toward her new pink room.
(for the record...I still like the purple room!)
Be sure to keep up on the action with
and
Smart and Final on Twitter!
And here is a cool promotion Smart and Final is running too!
And here is a cool promotion Smart and Final is running too!
1. Visit any Smart & Final store from April 18 to May 15, 2012.
2. Purchase any two First Street products and a unique code will print on your receipt
3. Enter your code here for your chance to WIN!
What can you WIN?
(1) One-year supply of First Street Pasta (based on a family of four)
(10) $100 Smart & Final SmartCash Card
(10) First Street Bag full of your favorite groceries (value over $50) plus a $50 Smart & Final Gift Card
Really nice job!! Your house looks very pretty!
ReplyDeleteI say give her a pink room. I was not compensated in any way to say that, however if she comes to my house and cleans my glass I will take that bribe and remind you weekly she should have a pink room.
ReplyDelete~Bliss~
She's cute as a button! Nice job making the cleaning fun! :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Smart and Final and wish we had one on our side of town! I'll have to try out their brand of cleaning supplies. Personally, there's only a few select things I buy name-brand, I'd found that most of the time the store brand is comparable in quality and easier on the budget.
I have never heard of this store. I guess we don't have them here on the East coast. You have the cutest little helper there. So many great things you accomplished.
ReplyDeleteRuth
Aww I love her cute little face at the end of your post and that you guys made cleaning a game! Good to know the First Street brand held up, I love when generic cleaning products do their job and save me money!!
ReplyDelete