Today's Kool Idea: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

Okay, by now your home should be sparkling clean thanks to all the chores you've delighted in giving your children this week. They have cleaned your floors with the Swivel Sweeper, dusted the furniture and blinds with Pledge Multi-Surface Dusters, sorted the laundry with their Bongo Buckets, and cleaned the mirrors and windows with Method Best in Glass Cleaner...woohoo! Here's hoping our kids enjoyed doing these activities as much as we loved giving them!

On to today's topic. We have a confession to make. We never considered how everyday activities with kids, cooking and pets affect our walls. Sure, we noticed several of the paint chips...but we keep small containers of touch up paint to deal with those when we are looking for a family project. Our kids love walking around the house with us, touching up the walls with their small paintbrushes. What we weren't aware of however, is just how dirty our walls had become over the past couple of months...ahem...okay, years. Can you imagine? Here we bust our tushies and enslave our kids to produce a meticulous house whenever company is calling only to have our guests pointing out the filth on our walls. Okay, perhaps mother-in-laws are expected to find stuff to criticize, but really...how humiliating. So what do we do? Wash all the walls? Pretty time consuming. Repaint? Way too expensive. This was a job to tackle as a family, and we needed help quickly...the in-laws were coming back the next week...yikes!

Man oh man...we at The Daily Kool just love it when a product lives up to its name. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is one of those products that does exactly what it says it will do...who would have thought? We've got to give the bald guy lots of credit with this one. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser easily removed all of the dirt, grime and gunk off of our walls, baseboards and doors. We know it's kind of pathetic, but we just can't express how giddy we were when using this amazing product. On the first major wall cleaning marathon in our home, we do have to admit that we went through a lot of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers...the dirtier the area, the faster the erasers dissolve.. Hey, we did admit to the wall neglect...what did you expect?

We love that the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is non-toxic and contains no harsh fumes to worry about your children breathing in. Please keep in mind, though...it is a sponge-like product. We caution those of you with younger children to supervise them to avoid accidental ingestion...it may block the gastrointestinal tract as would any sponge. We have heard some rumors that the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser caused skin irritations in some children, but we have never had that problem. We suspect that the children who experienced this perhaps have particularly sensitive skin to begin with. If your child falls into that category, you can always put a glove on him when using the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

If your walls are painted, please make sure to test an inconspicuous area before letting your children loose with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. We didn't have a problem, even with our darker walls, but it is possible that the eraser can remove some of your paint. But, don't limit yourselves to just using the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on walls, baseboards and doors...it also works great on sinks, countertops, tile and appliances...it even works on dry erase board residue. One follower gave us a fabulous tip for using the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on tile grout...amazing!

Reasonably priced at your local supermarket or hardware store, the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is a must-have in the Daily Kool household. This is quite possibly one of the "koolest" cleaning products around...our entire family had a blast using it around the house. Guess our mother-in-law will have to find something else to give us a hard time about. Let's just not give her any ideas, okay? Um....please?

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Today's Kool Idea: As Seen on TV Swivel Sweeper

As we discussed in yesterday's blog (click here to read), this week The Daily Kool is focusing on helping our children recognize that cleaning is "kool". With the right tools and attitude, it can even be fun...really! Don't believe us? Well, we'll prove it to you.

With small children and pets (not to mention, some spouses), it seems like vacuuming is a never-ending chore around the house. No matter how meticulous we are about it, there always seems to be a Cheerio, fur or some other kind of dirt particle that materializes as soon as we pack that darn vacuum away. Where it comes from is anyone's guess...it's just another household mystery, much like that one sock that seems to disappear from every laundry load. Our children actually like to vacuum, though (we know, we don't get it either). It is just too heavy for the younger ones and too cumbersome to constantly take out every time we see a speck of dirt on the floor. But, hey...if the kids want to help us keep our floors pristine, who are we to argue with them?

Yes, this soon became another job for an As Seen on TV product. We had seen the infomercial for the Swivel Sweeper and were really impressed...not enough to actually buy it from the television at first, though. We found it hard to believe that this lightweight product could do everything it claimed. When we saw it at our local Bed Bath and Beyond store, though, we decided to use our gift card (and 20% coupon) to try it out. Almost a year later, our kids are still fighting over who gets to use it on a given day.

Our family agrees...the Swivel Sweeper is a fabulous, must-have household item. At least we did after we adjusted our expectations a bit. Though we knew it wouldn't replace our traditional vacuum, we did expect it to work on carpeting as demonstrated in the infomercial. It really doesn't, unless you have only very short pile carpet...we recommend that you play it safe and only use it on tile or hardwood floors. That said, we were (and still are) completely impressed with the Swivel Sweeper for those small jobs that are typically equipped for a broom and dustpan. This product is so lightweight (about 2lbs), that our four year old is able to carry it around the house without a problem. The Swivel Sweeper absolutely lives up to its name; a 360 degree swivel base and powerful rotating cleaning brushes that pick up dirt and messes from all four sides of the sweepers' head. Yes, you read that right...all four sides...how "kool" is that? Our children can even pick up debris right up to the walls and corners with this remarkably easy to use sweeper.

One of our favorite features is the magnetic storage latch that enables the As Seen on TV Swivel Sweeper to fold up for convenient space-saving storage. We also love that the Swivel Sweeper
is cordless. We have read quite a few complaints about the durability of the rechargeable battery, but have been lucky enough not to encounter any issues with it. We will say, however...it is important to really follow the directions that come with the Swivel Sweeper to reduce the likelihood of problems. We made sure to adhere to the 8-hour initial charge instruction and not to exceed 24 hours when recharging the battery.

There are a couple of other things to keep in mind with the Swivel Sweeper. Make sure to clean the brushes every once in a while...sometimes fibers will get caught in them. Also, don't ever consider using the Swivel Sweeper to clean any kind of wet spill...you will likely ruin the brushes and corrode them. If you decide to purchase the Swivel Sweeper, make sure you do so from a reputable company with a good refund policy in case you do have any problems.

As Seen on TV has made a terrific choice in representing the Swivel Sweeper. We understand that there is a new version called the Swivel Sweeper G2 which has additional features such as a touchless dirt tray and backsaver elbow joint to reach under beds and other furniture. We are so happy with our current version, though, that we probably won't be purchasing the Swivel Sweeper G2 anytime soon.

The Swivel Sweeper has allowed us to give our children a fun household task that they love, and one that definitely helps us keep our floors cleaner than ever. What a "kool" way to help kids gain confidence in a job well done...not to mention extra help to us as parents. Happy Cleaning!

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This Week: Yes, Cleaning Can Be Kool!

Okay, we admit it...we at The Daily Kool believe that all children should have chores. Thirty-six hours of labor for video game obsessed kids who barely lift their feet up so we can clean up their mess? We sooo don't think so!

Don't get us wrong...we are all for messy activities. After all, how can you possibly bake a cake as a family without a rousing flour fight? Finger-painting, Playdough, sandbox and water play wouldn't be nearly as much fun if we obsessed about cleanliness. It could even stifle creativity in our children.

Teaching your children at a young age to clean up after they play will go a long way towards their sense of responsibility in other areas down the road. The trick is not to overwhelm them...keep it to small, easy tasks that are fun to do. To help keep it simple, The Daily Kool will be featuring a week's worth of "kool" cleaning ideas that will help your children contribute to the household, albeit on a small scale. But who are we kidding...with our hectic schedules, every little bit is bound to help!

Here's a hint of what tasks we will be addressing this week. Come back every day for a "kool" idea!

Monday - cleaning floors
Tuesday - dusting
Wednesday - laundry
Thursday - windows
Friday - other stuff

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