Sunday, November 7, 2010

Shaklee Products

I was recently introduced to the Shaklee line of cleaning products.  With a company history dating back to the 1950's, a stellar record of environmental stewardship and support of social causes and proven product performance, I'm quite surprised that I've not heard of Shaklee before now.

I was lucky enough to be sent a Get Clean Starter Kit by a local distributor.  It felt like Christmas opening the box of cleaning products for all areas of my home...laundry, dishes, bathrooms, kitchen, etc.  I agreed to review the products after the distributor shared with me how his then 3 year old daughter's asthma and allergies would flair up after their routine house cleaning, and that when they switched to this line of cleaning products, her asthma symptoms subsided.  For the last 2 1/2 years since switching to the Get Clean products, she's required neither a Nebulizer or steroid inhalers.  Maybe coincidental, but definitely note-worthy.

With asthma and allergies going hand and hand, I was intrigued, and I thought my readers would be also.  Common cleaners can actually increase the risk of kids developing asthma which has increased more than 160% in children under the age of 5 from 1980 to 1994, and is the most common serious chronic disease of childhood.  And, this is important, with the exception of the Germ Off Disinfecting Wipes which includes soy, the Get Clean line of products is free of milk/dairy, peanut, soy, wheat gluten, fish, shell fish, mango, sesame, sunflower, kiwi, tropical fruits, melons, eggs and seed ingredients making the products a great choice for food allergy sufferers.

As if that's not enough, Shaklee claims that the Get Clean product line out-cleans or matches 22 national brands, and if you don't see that type of performance, they offer a 100% money-back guarantee.  Unlike many of the competitive brands, the products are safe and do not include hazardous chemicals.  All of the product packaging is "green", i.e., the ingredients come from natural sources, the packaging is recyclable and the products do not include chlorine bleach, phosphates, nitrates, borates, etc.

For example, the Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate can be used indoors or outdoors, and when used as directed, can tackle grease, grime and dirt on any washable surface..  One bottle (at just $12.15) equals the cleaning uses of 5,824 bottles of the 26 ounce size of Windex.  In fact, by me receiving the starter kit, 108 pounds of packaging waste should be kept out of landfills and 248 pounds of greenhouse gas eliminated.  For someone that becomes more of a tree-hugger by the day, that's exciting!

But, how did I like the Get Clean line of products?  My dishes are spotless, my windows shine and my clothes look, smell and feel great.  Truthfully, I expected all of the products to work well.  What was surprising was the feeling that I was doing something really good for my family, for my home environment and for my planet every time I used them.

What is my favorite?  So far, I think the Soft Fabric Dryer Sheets are the most clever.  Shaklee makes them with a 100% vegetable-derived softener on fragrance and preservative free, biodegradable sheets.  The sheet breaks in two in the dryer so that there is a more even distribution of softener and less static cling.  What I find really cool is that when your laundry is dry, you can put the used dryer sheet in with your recycling.  My favorite product though is the Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate that I mentioned earlier.  Per the instructions, I put 16 ounces of water and just 2 drops of the concentrate in the spray bottle.  Using the special cleaning cloth that came in my kit, I tackled my chandelier.  The results were so phenomenal, that I literally went around my house and cleaned every single item (excluding my windows...wasn't up for that project) that I could...mirrors, picture frames, computer monitors, TV screens, light fixtures, etc.  Love, love this product!

I'm quite impressed with the Shaklee products, economical pricing, support literature, company history, award portfolio and corporate environmental initiatives.  I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to try out and review the cleaning products.  And, rest assured, had I not liked them, you would have known.

If you would like more information on the products that I've mentioned or the other Shaklee products including their line of nutritional, weight management or beauty products, then check out their website at http://allergyhelper.myshaklee.com/us/en/.