Thursday, December 31, 2009

Round Up Weed Killer

I really like Round Up. This product is weed and grass killer. We don't have much grass in our back yard, so I spray just about everything. The Pump-n-Go container is great; just pump 25 times and you'll have enough pressure to spray for 5-10 minutes (I don't really count, I just keep pumping until the sides are bulging). The Pump-n-Go container isn't very expensive (under $20) and you can buy a gallon of Round Up liquid refill (under $15) when you run out. It's easy to carry around and use. There is a little safety latch that retracts the nozzle and an easy to press lever to release the weed killer.

This is our before picture:
It didn't kill them completely because I was using the Round Up sparingly; it was almost gone and I was trying to spray as much of the yard as I could. It also rained a couple times, so a few more weeds grew in.Here is a photo of a weed a few days after being sprayed. Last year, I waited until the rainy season was over and had SO many weeds to spray, so this season I thought I would spray them as they come in so it won't be so overwhelming when the rain stops.
Here is a photo of a section of our yard March 2009 - all the green you see are weeds I had to kill last season; not a single plant or patch of grass hiding in there. These and many more weeds were dead a few days after being sprayed.

I'm out of Round Up and plan on buying a refill jug (or two) the next time we go to Lowe's.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Shark Steam Mop & Shark Vac


I bought these because I have really bad allergies and thought the steam mop would be fantastic, because I wouldn't have to use chemicals to clean and disinfect my floors. Performance wise, it is phenomenal! You just fill with water, plug in and you are set to go! It generates steam really quickly and gets anything and everything off the floor.

I would, however, give one warning... do a spot test several times in a VERY inconspicuous area before going wild on your floors. This mop works so well, it literally took the finish off of my ceramic tile floors!!! On about 5 tiles in my kitchen, there are large white spots where the mop took the color off. So, buyer beware.

The vacuum, in a word.....sucks. (Pun intended) It is cordless, light and easy to use, but it doesn't pick up very well. After I used it on my kitchen floor, I had to go get my Swiffer Vac and redo the floors. I do not recommend this at all.

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers

I learned about these little "erasers" a couple years back and thought, "No way do they work that well." Oh my gosh, they work better than I could have imagined. I just cleaned our bathtub with them last weekend and it looks brand new. I should have taken before and after photos. They work on tubs, counters, walls, floors, etc. All you have to do is get it wet, wring it out and clean away. It begins to disintegrate as you use it, then just grab a new one. There are some things the package warns not to use it on, like colored walls, polished finishes, and some other things. I did use it on our polished chrome in the bathroom and didn't have any problems, but I didn't press too hard or use it too much. I HIGHLY recommend these!