DEAD: Seventh Generation Giveaway

I had the privilege of doing a review and giveaway for Seventh Generation products. I had heard of them prior to this review, but had never purchased or used any of their products. They sent me the Natural Baby Starter Kit. It was perfect since it arrived just as Weston and I were coming home from the hospital.

As you can see the set was chock full of useful items - 2 bags of diapers (Newborn and Size 1), Wipes and a refill of wipes, baby detergent, paper towels, disinfecting wipes, bathroom cleaner and two kinds of all purpose cleaner along with a great reusable bag.

Seventh Generation Diapers - I LOVED these. They were flexible and retained any and all fluids really well. The tabs on the sides are extra large compared to other leading diaper brands and I appreciated that because it made the diaper feel better secured. I would buy these diapers over any other diaper on the market if I could find them at equitable prices.

Seventh Generation Wipes - The baby wipes were useful, but I personally wasn't as big a fan of them as the diapers. They are thinner material than the wipes I prefer and they seemed to dry out easier than other wipes. But I was glad to know that I was using chlorine free chemicals on my very new little one's skin.

Seventh Generation Baby Detergent - The baby detergent worked really well. I was surprised by the fact that it didn't have any scent as I expected it to be like Dreft or some of the other baby detergents that smell, well like babies. I like to use scented items so I was a bit disappointed to be honest, but I simply compensated by using a great scented fabric softener with this detergent.

Seventh Generation Paper Towels - This was one of my favorite items in the entire package. They're just plain old paper towels that are a light brown color (they also come in white), but are made from 100% recycled paper. My family has pretty much stopped using paper towels unless we can get them for free with coupons. We use cloths that can be thrown in the washing machine instead. But these paper towels worked well and since they're 100% recycled materials, I felt as if I was making a wise choice in using them.

Seventh Generation Disinfecting Cleaners - I'll tell you a little secret about me - I LOVE Pine-sol! I'm addicted to the scent and use it everywhere I can - in the laundry, on the countertops, floors, sink, etc. So I was curious about how I would feel using "natural" disinfectants. All of the Seventh Generation products I used worked well. I found I felt more comfortable using the disinfecting wipes than I do when I use Clorox wipes because I'm always worried that I have harsh chemical residue left on my hands or the surfaces I just cleaned. The all purpose cleaners work great on all kinds of surfaces and I have to admit I think they cleaned up the food messes made by my boys better than my regular cleaners.

Now, on the flip side, I couldn't tell a difference between the cleaning power of the bathroom cleaner and the all purpose cleaner. Neither one seemed to clean more or less than the other, so I could see myself using them interchangeably or simply buying one and using it for everything. The products I received came in Lemongrass and Thyme scent. I think the reason they're a part of the Baby Starter Set is because they have Thymol (Thyme Oil) which is a great cleaner for households with immunity suppression problems (or newborn babies). But I couldn't handle the smell. I want to enjoy cleaning because the smell left behind is fresh and clean. I've even bought cleaners in the past solely based on scent, so I would definitely have chosen a different scent for these cleaners even if I lost the benefits of the Thymol. In fact, one of the all purpose cleaners came in the Fresh and Clear scent (i.e. unscented) and I much preferred it.

Now, thanks to Seventh Generation's generosity, you have the chance to win your own Natural Baby Starter Kit. Obviously, you don't have to have a baby to get great use out of this set -  you can simply donate the wipes and diapers to a worthy cause!

Mandatory Entry: Must be a Google follower of MelissaStuff and tell me what other product you would like to try from Seventh Generation besides those mentioned in this review.

Extra Entries:

(Please leave a separate comment for each of these that you complete so that you get the maximum number of entries.)

1. Follow MelissaStuff by RSS feed or email subscription (box to the right).

2. Sign up for Seventh Generation Nation.

3. Follow MelissaStuff on Twitter.

4. Become a friend of the MelissaStuff page on Facebook

Please make sure you leave an email address where you can be reached if it is not listed in your Google profile.

Good Luck! Contest ends at midnight on 6/15/2010 and the winner will have 24 hours to respond by email.

**This item was provided to me free of charge upon my request and all opinions expressed in this post are completely mine.**