Today's Kool Idea: BioBag Dog Waste Bags

Yesterday, we were playing catch with our kids in our development's common grassy area. It was great to have some old-fashioned outside time, though it was admittedly hard to ignore the oppressive heat of the Florida sun. Anyway, here we were, running for a long pass from one of our football stars-to-be, when we suddenly felt the ground get squishy beneath our feet. Holy sh..achem, oh cra...uh...oh, pooh! Literally. You guessed it, our big feet had landed in a pile of doggy doo. Do you have any idea what it's like getting that stuff off the bottom of sneakers with ridges? Ugh...we shudder just thinking about it.

Okay, here's the kicker. While we were away on vacation last week, our home owners association sent a letter to everyone, reminding us of our legal obligation to clean up after our dogs. Apparently, we aren't the only ones scrubbing our shoes these days. While it's admirable that our community is taking a more active role in keeping our grass play-friendly and poop-free, we have a sudden (and unpleasant) vision of our dumpsters filling up with tons of plastic supermarket bags. We are seriously considering giving each of our dog owner neighbors a roll of BioBags.

Made from GMO free certified corn instead of polyethylene, BioBag dog waste bags are the first biodegradable and compostable "plastic" pooper bags in the world. Think about it...using regular plastic bags to dispose of pet waste prevents natural decomposition. It just doesn't make sense to put 100% biodegradable dog waste into plastic bags that can take over 100 years to decompose. BioBags have given us a practical solution to a common problem. The waste and the bag can be thrown into a backyard compost, where both items can decompose naturally; the waste and bag can be buried, where micro-organisms will quickly eat both; the waste and bag can be set at curbside with other yard waste where communities collect biodegradable waste for composting.

Okay, so maybe we're a little pathetic to be getting so excited about dog waste bags...but we really love our BioBags, especially now that they come available on a roll. We admit to falling for the "biodegradable" claim on another brand of widely available poop bags, only to find out that they are misleading the public and do not meet every state's standards. We won't mention names, but shame on them! Anyway, we do still have the dispenser from that purchase...it's super-convenient, and apparently the new BioBags on a roll should fit in it beautifully. Excellent!

It is the responsibility of every dog owner to clean up after your pet. If you are looking for a dog waste bag that completely biodegradable, BioBags are definitely worth checking out. They even come in two sizes, regular and large. Just remember that they do have a shelf life, as with any biodegradable and compostable bag. The best part, though? They are sturdy enough to handle even tough messes without puncturing in mid-scoop...anyone who has had the pleasure of their fingers breaking through one of those flimsy regular plastic bags can appreciate this statement. Oh boy, could we tell you stories (shuddering again)! Okay, so BioBags aren't free like grocery bags. But they are reasonably priced, especially considering how much better they are for the environment. We at The Daily Kool all agree...BioBags are definitely a "kool" idea!

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Today's Kool Idea: As Seen on TV EuroSealer Bag Sealer

Our wedding ten years ago (yikes!) was a beautiful Victorian affair with rich fabrics, bold colors and flowers in every corner. We even found these beautiful jewel-toned potpourri pillows at a local flea market. Each pillow was an actual picture frame, and we decided to use them for place card holders/party favors. Thank goodness they were all individually wrapped or the scents would have been overwhelming! Anyway, we spent the last night before our wedding carefully cutting open each pouch, putting the place card in the holder and resealing the plastic wrap. It was a long and tedious process, but the results were truly magnificent.

We have the As Seen on TV EuroSealer to thank for making our little wedding project work. Designed to provide an inexpensive and easy way to perfectly reseal unused portions of food in seconds, the EuroSealer was a perfect solution to reseal the plastic bags for our place card holders. Talk about thinking outside of the box (thanks, Mom...for everything). Believe it or not, the EuroSealer was about the same price ($9 or so) ten years ago as it is today, and is just as innovative an idea for creating an airtight seal along the edge of any plastic bag in just seconds.

Our EuroSealer lasted up until just a few months ago. That's right, we got almost a decade of use out of this little guy. We've used it on just about every plastic bag we could think of, including frozen fruit and vegetables, crackers, chips, even frozen waffles. There is a little learning curve to adjust to each type of bag, depending on the flimsiness of the plastic bag, but we've never had a problem getting the right seal. The trick is to find the right balance of pressure and speed. Our wedding project gave us enough practice to become experts with the EuroSealer.

When the little strip that holds the heat finally wore off after literally thousands uses, it was as if it marked the end of an era in our lives...okay, so we're a little sentimental. We were so happy when we saw the As Seen on TV EuroSealer display at our local Bed, Bath and Beyond. Needless to say, now that we have one back on our fridge, the EuroSealer has definitely earned its feature on The Daily Kool. Imagine our surprise at the mixed reviews we came across on Amazon...we just can't understand why anyone would have an issue with the EuroSealer. It's not fancy, but it gets the job done, locking in freshness and flavor quickly and conveniently. Apparently, many complaints have come from people who didn't realize that it takes two AA batteries to work. Once they figured that out, problem solved.

Maybe we're biased because of our history with the EuroSealer, but this is one As Seen on TV investment that has really paid off over the years. Our new one works just as well as the original, and we use it almost every day. The bag cutter works great, and is a nice extra. We love that although it uses heat to seal the bags, it cools off immediately. Overall, the As Seen on TV EuroSealer is a great alternative to plastic clips and twist-ties. Plus, it really cuts down on the need for storage bags. Easy to use, convenient and inexpensive, this is one "kool" idea that is definitely worth trying out.

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