Reviews | Eco-Friendly Mama: Safe product recommendations with a focus on organic and Made in USA!

Sloggers, proudly made in USA, perfect for outdoors!

13 Apr 2015 9 Comments

by ecofriendlymamausa in Eco-friendly living, Resources, Reviews Tags: made in usa mud boots women

I got my Sloggers yesterday & am loving them! I wore the shoes for 4 hours today while working at my Dad’s Greenhouse & they’re perfect for working their for sure as I’m dealing with water & dirt daily. They don’t come in 1/2 sizes so I got the 9’s & the shoes are slightly big with very thin socks on, 8 1/2 would’ve been perfect for me for those. But the boots are perfect as a size 9. I put them on & my Son immediately said “Mom, lets go find some puddles”, which we did & had a lot of fun stomping around! I loved all the cute designs they had to choose from! I can’t believe I just found out about this company a couple weeks ago, thanks to a post in this page! They have a great label displaying how proud they are to have been making shoes in the US for 60some years! They come in many adorable patterns. Info from the company: “They are Latex Free and “Vegan Friendly” but they are made out of Medical Grade PVC. Also, please keep in mind that our material is prop 65 compliant, meets and exceeds ALL federal and state safety regulations, INCLUDING the most stringent CSP regulations for children’s toys and pacifiers (not that you were planning on letting your child teeth on a pair of Sloggers! Although dogs do sometimes, so it’s good to know that they are safe!). I hope that helps answer your concerns.” I really appreciate this fact too: Commitment to Sustainability:In addition to utilizing Best Manufacturing Practices (BMP’s) regarding the environment, Sloggers attempts to maximize the amount of recycled material they put back into their shoes. Currently, they can add up to 50% of mixed recycled material in their soles, and they are able to use 100% of the clear material scraps back into the uppers.
The company also encourages you to send your shoes or boots back to them when they have finally reached the end of the road. They will grind them up and add them back into a new pair of shoes.”!

Their website: http://www.sloggers.com/

Or Amazon (I earn a tiny percent as an affiliate, about $1/pair): http://amzn.to/1FiXcSt

Review of Portrait Puzzles

03 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews

Review of a jigsaw puzzle made by Portrait Puzzles in La Crosse, WI. My niece has been cropped out per her Father’s request. I don’t share many photos of my children with y’all either, but in this case I really wanted to share this company & what they have to offer. A question came up in our group page about US made jigsaw puzzles, and someone suggested Portrait Puzzles, and also commented that they were made in WI. I was so pleasantly surprised when I went to check them out & discovered the company is located 1 hour from me in beautiful SW Wisconsin! I contacted them to see if they’d be interested in sending me a puzzle to highlight on this page & they agreed. All I had to do was pick out a photo, making sure it was high resolution, and decide how many pieces I wanted. They offer puzzles from 12 piece postcard puzzles to 1008 pieces for the serious puzzle lover!

My 4 year old LOVES puzzles, and is just graduating from board puzzles to jigsaws. I wanted something challenging that he wasn’t going to master immediately. So the owner helped me decide on 48 pieces. It came in a nice box with the photo on the outside of the box as well. The puzzle is definitely challenging, especially with all the leaves in the border. And we put this together sitting on a rug on our floor, so it’s not perfectly flat. It would look even smoother had we sat at the table. But I’m so impressed with the quality of it, and know our family is going to get so much enjoyment out of this for a long time! They are made from: ‘Our photo puzzles are made from a sturdy paperboard/cardboard material, similar to the highest quality puzzles you will find in stores. Your custom jigsaw puzzle is made to be handled, and the puzzles can be put together many times. Pieces are approximately 1/16 thick, made from gray pressed paperboard.” These would make excellent gifts for a puzzle enthusiast of any age! I really hope you’ll keep these in mind & support a small US business by purchasing from Portrait Puzzles! I know we’ll be adding more of their puzzles in the future!
Website: http://www.portraitpuzzles.com/

Swiggydiggydoo Subscription Box Service Review

23 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Eco-friendly living, Reviews Tags: eco-conscious box subscription for kids

Review of a subscription box service: Swiggydiggydoo.com, based out of PA. I’m so thankful Lauren found me & sent me this initial message: “Hi! I own a new subscription box for babies and toddlers that features 3-5 eco-conscious, organic and modern products, plus a custom designed, limited edition shirt each month.” I love her motto: “ clever & fun & responsibly done”. She had just sent out her 1s…t ever box in Dec when she sent me that message, and asked if I’d be interested in a Jan box, which of course I was. Her Dec box had featured all made in USA items (except the t-shirt which is made in Honduras, but printed in the US). She let me know she wasn’t 100% committed to US made, but would definitely be featuring many items made here. And indeed, just like Dec, the Jan box was all made here, except the t-shirt again. A box for 1 month is $39.95, which I feel is a good deal for all it contained, and the fact that it includes shipping which is never cheap. The deadline to subscribe to next month’s box is the 25th.

You choose the gender & age the box is for, up to 4 for a shirt size. You can buy 1 box, or get a full year subscription & be guaranteed a box monthly. I’ve never participated in anything like this, I know there are several such services out there, conscious box being a popular one. I have to say, it was really fun to get our box & be completely surprised by what was in it. It was very fun for the kids, and fun for me as well. I will definitely be getting a box in my daughter’s B-day month, and probably Christmas as well. I’ll be keeping an eye on what she features every month, but from chatting with Lauren, reading her website/Fb pages, and based on what has been in the 1st two boxes, I know she has high standards. You get a little sheet in your box that tells you who made each item, and why she feels it was worthy of being included. For example: ‘stuffed animal by itsy bitsy baby cakes. We love this etsy shop for its cute designs and use of oeko-tex standard 100 wool felt.”

A lot of thought goes into the packaging of each box. She selects the smallest possible box to fit the items for the month, so she doesn’t have to use any fill. She uses a local box supplier that sells recycled or previously used (and inspected) boxes. Her shipping labels, box tape and paper for the insert are all green or made from recycled products. The tape is made in the USA. The labels aren’t, but they are bpa-free and the only ones she could find that were. These are all important details to her, and to me too!

Our family is thoroughly enjoying several of the items in the box! I love that the shirt is long-sleeved making it appropriate for the season, and it’s super adorable. The crocheted headband/crown is super, super cute! Unfortunately my 18m old won’t leave it on, I keep trying & have hopes she’ll get used to it because it’s just adorable. The 4 piece puzzle challenged my almost 4 year old for quite a while, he now has it figured out, but I was super happy to learn of Topozoo as a new vendor to add to my made in USA list! The felt beaver we received has been lugged around the house by my Daughter for a couple days now since receiving the box, it’s very cute! I have quite a few nursing/teething necklaces already so will pass this one on to a new Mama friend of mine who I’m sure will enjoy it! And we have another vapor rub on hand should we need it.

Please, head on over & ‘like’ her Facebook page to stay on top of all the happenings, and visit her website. I’d love to know if you get a box, and what your thoughts are! If you do order, please put me, Jess, as referral. I will receive a thank you, she just likes to know where the traffic is coming from.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/swiggydiggydoo?fref=ts
Website: http://www.swiggydiggydoo.com/

Our favorite Made in USA toys/vendors

20 Oct 2014 3 Comments

by ecofriendlymamausa in Eco-friendly living, Resources, Reviews

In no particular order:

Roys Toys Building Logs—Lincoln Logs that are actually made in the US! I got them from Pure Play Kids but have even seen them at Wal-Mart (although I know many of you boycott them, just saying, they’re pretty widely available).

The Puzzle People—we own 5 of their puzzles & other than books, they’re some of our most used & cherished items by far! They take a looooong time to get your order to you, so seriously order NOW for this Holiday season, you won’t be disappointed! https://www.facebook.com/397517646930548/photos/a.568349859847325.144572.397517646930548/718713404810969/?type=3&theater

Smiling Tree Toys—We own a lot of their items & cherish them all. I feel they’re quite affordable, and they are exactly the small Mom/Pop type business I had in mind to support when launching this page. They are also a vendor for the upcoming Nov Buying Club. We have: the regular & deluxe building block sets, smiling moon balancer, camera, memory tiles, lacing/tracing puzzle, penguin bowling game, shape sorter, ornaments, I’m giving my niece the xylophone for her upcoming B-day, I’m sure I’m forgetting some items. Everything is amazing quality & they are a favorite of mine for sure! https://www.facebook.com/397517646930548/photos/a.568349859847325.144572.397517646930548/636647163017594/?type=3&theater

Pure Play Kids—Absolutely love Pure Play as well! We have numerous things from them, and I love their shop by age function which helps narrow things down. I even have a 15% off coupon for them, good the remainder of the year! https://www.facebook.com/397517646930548/photos/a.568349859847325.144572.397517646930548/1015990168416623/?type=3&theater

Maple Landmark Town Train Set—just absolutely love this, it’s much, much cheaper on Amazon then directly through them unfortunately. https://www.facebook.com/397517646930548/photos/a.430947503587562.117422.397517646930548/848011088547866/?type=3&theater

Elves & Angels- dollhouse & adding castle this Christmas. Dolls from Wildflower Innocence. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.868582543157387.1073741838.397517646930548&type=3

Wooden kitchen—One of our most used items as well, my Son LOVES his kitchen. Ours is on loan from a local family, if I was in the market for one I’d get it from Elves & Angels. I’ve accessorized it with this & that: unused fondue pots, stainless steel & wooden items I’ve picked up at garage sales, and we have a few things from Green Toys for it: the sandwich & pizza shop and the pot & pan set. Wooden eggs from Pure Play. https://www.facebook.com/397517646930548/photos/a.430947503587562.117422.397517646930548/586659754683002/?type=1&theater

Beka art easel—my Mom has purchased this for my Son for Christmas this year, I CAN’T WAIT to get it! We love art supplies from Wee Can Too, Eco-Kids (available from the Buying Club), and Filana crayons.

Books—I pick up books whenever I see them at garage sales & thrift stores. ENDLESS entertainment for very cheap. I very, very rarely buy new books. Hard to find made in US, but I couldn’t leave them off this list!

Stuffington Bear Factory Review

17 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews Tags: organic cotton stuffed animals made in usa, organic cotton teddy bear made in USA, stuffed animals made in USA

Review of Stuffington Bear Factory, located in Arizona. Several months ago someone asked about made in the USA stuffed animals. I didn’t know of any great companies off the top of my head so reposted the question and am SO thrilled that someone commented: “check out Stuffington Bear Factory”. What a gem! They have been making teddy bears & stuffed animals in the USA since 1959. The cotton is US grown, the bear are handmade from start to finish! From their website: “Every animal wearing the Stuffington Bear Factory brand is made in our USA manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona. We also use American-made materials in the production of our animals, whenever possible. It’s a fact we’re proud of because it’s a big deal to our economy and our country.”

They offer a very nice selection of teddies, stuffed animals, dia de los muertos dolls, even dog toys. Here’s the description of the polar bear they so generously sent my family: “This snowy-soft organic polar bear is made with 100% organic velour fleece material and 100% organic cotton stuffing. Standing at 12′, it’s the perfect size to cuddle and love, and fits into most clothing.” The bear came with an adoption certificate which is a fun idea for older kids that older kids. And yes, they also offer organic & non-organic teddy & stuffed animal clothing, the sundresses are just adorable, you have to check them out for yourself!

You do have a choice of options when choosing an organic bear: 100% Polyester fill, 100% recycled Polyester Fiberfill, or 100% certified organic cotton (+$15). I know some will browse the website and feel the prices are expensive. But please keep in mind all that goes into making one of these adorable stuffed animals. The prices are a TRUE reflection of what it costs to make something like this by hand, in the US, with US grown materials. I, and I know many of you, are willing to pay to show our support for this great company. They’ve been in business a long time, so it makes me happy to know that many do value what they have to offer! T

Again, I’m so thrilled to have learned about this company and that they were so kind as to send my family one of their precious handmade , organic items. They do have a FB page but the most recent post is from 2010, so I guess don’t go over & ‘like’ that. But DO go check out their website & as Holiday shopping is upon us (in many families), please consider adding a stuffed animal of teddy from Stuffington Bear Factory to your family!

Website: http://www.stuffingtonbear.com/

Organic cotton nursing necklaces & teether

16 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews

Organic Cotton Nursing/teething necklace & teether, handmade in WA by page co-admin Jolene. Jolene came up with these great designs for teething and/or babes easily distracted when nursing. Having something hanging down to focus attention on & grasp while nursing can help keep an older babe centered. My Baby Girl is now 15 months & is a tweaker (Mamas of older nurslings have probably experienced… this, my Son did it too). So, having this hanging down while she’s nursing & literally putting it in her hand for her helps keep her hand that is exploring occupied. Also, she hates getting put in her car seat, so I always grab this when headed out the door then either dangle it in front of her while loading her up in the car, or take it off entirely to give her to play with. I’ve received many compliments on it while wearing it out! I love it, it’s something different than the other nursing necklaces I have which are gemstones, and I feel very good about it being organic! Jolene pre-washes the fabric in Eco-Nuts & recommends hand washing, but tossing them in your washer on a gentle cycle seems like it would be OK

One Mama on our page bought one of these as part of the 1st offering for the August Buying Club, for her ~8 year old daughter who has autism & likes to mouth things. That Mama has since written us to let us know how much her daughter is enjoying it & that even the daughter’s therapist has commented on & written in his notes how great it was working for this girl. The length she requested it at is the exact length of these adult necklaces Jolene is making, but on the 8 year old it hangs down quite a bit farther, thus she is able to play with & mouth it while she’s wearing it!

The fabric is GOTS certified organic cotton, made in India. Jolene definitely did her research & organic cotton made in the USA is very tough to find, and also extremely expensive. We discussed what would be better: non-organic but made in USA, or organic made abroad & I think most of you would agree that organic is preferable, especially for a product specifically designed to be mouthed & chewed on by a child. She will continue to search for a made in the USA option. The beads are unfinished (raw) wood & made in the USA. Necklaces like the one pictured will be $17 & she’s still finalizing the price she will offer the smaller teething rings and the other style of necklace at (will have a wooden ring in the center for additional grasping/mouthing). So, stay tuned as I’ll be finalizing ALL details of the upcoming November Buying Club very soon, and adding what Jolene has to offer to the already great line-up!

Thanks for sending me these Jolene!!
Here is her FB page for these necklaces & other offerings: https://www.facebook.com/hnsboutique?fref=ts See More

Poofy Product Comparisons

06 Jul 2014 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Eco-friendly living, Resources, Reviews Tags: Poofy Organics reviews

Photo courtesy of Poofy Organics Midwest DIVA

Another product comparison from Poofy Organics Midwest DIVA. My motto: ingredient lists speak for themselves, they just need a voice. Midwest DIVA’s comments: “My mission is to bring awareness to people about the products they use every day…. Today’s Product Spotlight is our Citrus Punch Shaving Gel!

Did you realize that one of the most widely used Shaving Gel has a MSDS Safety sheet that Proctor & Gamble has to file with OSHA?? BECAUSE IT HAS TOXIC CHEMICALS!!! This is what we and our young daughters put on their skin almost everyday! MSDS link below.”

Poofy Ingredients: Saponified organic oils of coconut, olive, & jojoba, vegetable gum/glyerin extract, organic aloe vera, Organic Unrefined Shea Butter, Organic Guar Gum, rosemary extract, Organic Lemon Essential Oil, Organic Lime Essential Oil, Organic Orange Essential Oil, Organic Milk Thistle Extract. 8oz. $16.

P & G Shave Gel, HOLY PARABENS (5 DIFFERNT TYPES), this ingredient list is enough to give someone like me nightmares Water, Palmitic Acid, Triethanolamine, Isopentane, Glyceryl Oleate, Stearic Acid, Isobutane, Sorbitol, Fragrance, Hydroxyethylcellulose, PEG-90M, Silk Amino Acids, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Retinyl Palmitate, Uritca Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Betula Alba Leaf Extract, Achillea Millefouum Extract, Rosmarinus Officinialis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Glucose, Phospolipids, Silica, Benzoate, Sodium Sorbate, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Blue 1

MSDS link: https://www.menards.com/msds/111333_001.pdf

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Photo courtesy of Poofy Organics Midwest DIVA

Poofy Organics Argan Eye Serum vs Arbonne’s eye serum: “make no mistake…Arbonne is NOT “all natural” and Poofy Organics IS certified organic/100% toxin free! See below for a side by side comparison. Left side is our Argan essentials vivid eye serum $30 that can be used all over the face and on the right is Arbonne’s RE9 advanced intensive serum $58. Poofy Argan serum is PHENOMENAL with superb results AND economical. You be the judge!”

I know it’s tough to see all the ingredients, but look how long Arbonne’s ingredient list is, and believe me, it’s full of synthetics & very icky ingredients. Poofy’s eye serum: Ingredients: Organic Grapeseed Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Argan Oil, Organic Borage Oil, Organic Rose Hip Oil, Organic Calendula Oil, Organic Lavender Essential Oil, Organic Palmarosa Essential Oil.

https://ecofriendlyusa.wordpress.com/buying-clubdeomy-poofy-organics/my-poofy-organics-link/

A comparison of each pressed foundation Poofy offers:

From the left…Serenity, Hypnotism, Truth, Love, Peace & Harmony.

LUSH- ingredient labels speak for themselves, they just need a voice!

28 Jun 2014 9 Comments

by ecofriendlymamausa in Eco-friendly living, Resources, Reviews

LUSH= Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, 100% vegetarian, ethically made, fair-trade vanilla. Great line, right? ABSOLUTELY, POSTIVELY NOT. One of the worst Greenwashers, in my opinion. Clicking through their ingredient labels is a horrible experience for a label reader such as myself. Bar soap is something very easy to make safely. Many of the lines on my So-So & Greenwashers lists make bar soap with absolutely no ingredients of concern. Please take a look at the men’s bar soap by LUSH- ingredients:

Water (Aqua) , Propylene Glycol , Rapeseed Oil , Coconut Oil (Brassica napus; Cocos nucifera) , Sodium Stearate , Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Fragrance , Glycerine , Spearmint Oil (Mentha viridis) , Thyme Oil (Thymus vulgaris) , Menthol Crystals , Sodium Chloride , EDTA , Tetrasodium Editronate , Sodium Hydroxide , *Limonene , *Linalool , *Farnesol , Hydroxycitronellal , Methyl Ionone , Mica , Titanium Dioxide , Iron Oxides , FD&C Green No. 5. http://www.lushusa.com/Dirty-Soap/03581,en_US,pd.html#q=soap&start=4

Propylene Glycol is the main ingredient after water?!?! I would hope, even if you’re not a super educated label reader, you can look at that & know it screams TERRIBLE.

Their shampoo: Water (Aqua) , Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Ammonium Laureth Sulfate , Cocamide MEA , Fragrance , Propylene Glycol , Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum) , Fresh Papaya Juice (Carica papaya) , Fine Sea Salt (Sodium Chloride) , Carrageenan Extract , Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis) , Fresh Pineapple Juice (Ananas comosus) , Fresh Kiwi Juice (Actinidia chinensis) , Fresh Mango Juice (Mangifera indica) , *Citral , *Limonene , Benzyl Alcohol , Methylparaben , Propylparaben. http://www.lushusa.com/I-Love-Juicy/9999902007,en_US,pd.html. Methylparaben AND propylparaben– WOWWWWWWW!

Honestly, I don’t even have words for this. Again, TERRIBLE! I thought, ok, maybe the shampoo bar is safer. 1st ingredient=SLS! Just about everything in their line contains Red and/or Blue #something. I just wanted to share this info, as someone asked my thoughts. Again, the reason I recommend Poofy Organics over & over & over, is it is REALLY, TRULY the safest on the market. Take a look at a bar soap from Poofy: Ingredients: Saponified Organic Oils of Olive Oil, Coconut Oil Palm Oil, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Shea Butter, Organic Coconut Extract, Organic Burnt Sugar Extract.

And their very popular orange/lavender shampoo: Ingredients: Purified Water, Decyl Polyglucose, Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Yucca Extract, Organic Orange Essential Oil, Organic Lavender Essential Oil, Xanthan Gum.

And yes, I benefit if you purchase Poofy Organics via this link: https://mypoofyorganics.com/ecofriendlyusa

But I’m not recommending it because I’m selling it. I’m selling it because I recommend it over & over & over, as it’s everything it says it is= safe, effective, organic. Here’s more info on my decision: https://ecofriendlyusa.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/my-decision-to-become-a-diva-with-poofy-organics/

Please, if anyone you know is using LUSH, share this info with them!

Homespun Northwest Review

27 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews Tags: 10% off coupon Homespun Northwest, dry shampoo review

Review of Homespun Northwest, based in Portland, OR (and I know we have many Pacific Northwesterners on the page). I really like the variety of basic personal & home care essentials, all made with minimal & organic ingredients, and at reasonable prices. She even offers organic dog treats which I’m thinking about ordering for our 9 year old black lab.

67 items in her Etsy shop, including samples… of everything she offers. The samples are small, but cheap, and you can get a couple uses out of them. I was sent samples of:

Dry shampoo (she couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of it before, have you?) Ingredients: organic cornstarch, organic cocoa powder, organic arrowroot powder, kaolin clay. Available unscented or in a choice of several scents. Description from the site: “Finally, a dry shampoo that is perfect for brunettes! Not only will it leave your hair looking cleaner and more voluminous, but the cocoa powder gives brunettes a better solution than commercial white dry shampoo. It is best not to wash your hair too often so that your scalp can restore its natural balance and produce the perfect amount of sebum for healthy hair. Twice a week is really all you need! This dry shampoo is the perfect thing to use between washes. It will keep oily roots at bay and also give your hair some serious volume!” I have mixed feelings on this product. I do only wash my hair a couple times/week, I know many on this page do & it’s truly best for your hair not to wash it daily. But, part of my desire to only wash it a few times weekly is to use less product. When it does get greasy, I usually just don a bandana or hat But, I did use this sample when my hair was quite greasy, and I really do like how it looked. She recommends applying it with like a blush brush, which I don’t own so I rubbed it on both my hands & just worked it in as best I could. It really did take away the greasy look & I liked the results. But I don’t feel the need to keep it around as a product. I did want to review it though as I love highlighting unique products, and as mentioned, this was the 1st time I’ve seen a dry shampoo.

Grapefruit Facial cleanser/mask- ingredients: kaolin clay, grapefruit essential oil, organic oats. I did use this as a mask, while I soaked in the tub & used the cleansing cube listed below. I enjoyed my sample of it! I know kaolin clay has numerous beneficial properties for our skin!

Cleansing Scrub Cube: Ingredients: organic turbinado sugar, organic pure virgin coconut oil, organic mild castile soap, organic dutch cocoa powder, fresh ground organic raw almonds, organic sweet almond oil. I really like this idea of a convenient cube. 10 cubes sell for $6, and I felt a cube was more than enough to do my body, I think I could’ve gotten away with ½ one & been happy. I was surprised that it contained soap, I wasn’t expecting that when I started using it. So it cleans & exfoliates very nicely. And of course, you have to resist the temptation to eat it, as it’s looks & smells like a piece of brownie. Is using food ingredients as personal care concerning? I do know from my own experience that sugar scrubs can grow mold, if not used relatively quickly. You definitely don’t want to put it on a shelf & forget about it for a year before using the items. Here’s a statement from her site: “These cleansing sugar scrub cubes are a convenient alternative to traditional body washes. Each cube gently cleanses while the pure cane sugar exfoliates, buffing away dead cells, as the oils moisturize to reveal healthy, glowing skin. Indulge yourself with this guilt-free dessert for your entire body! Unlike commercial products, Homespun Northwest handcrafts products once a week in small batches, using only high quality natural ingredients.” So, since they are freshly made I have no concerns in that regard, I would just advise against stocking up too much in one order…

The only ingredient of concern to me is Borax which is used in the dish & laundry products. Many in the natural community have no problem with Borax, but I do not use it in any products in my home. It can be a skin irritant, and receives an F from the EWG Cleaning Database. Please, research this ingredient from many sources before using it. Many have, and continue to use it .

You can even make custom order requests, something I really like to see offered! I hope you’ll take a look at her shop & browse her nice variety of products, and use the 10% off coupon included below to try a few items!

10% off code: HNW10
Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/homespunnorthwest
FB page: https://www.facebook.com/HomespunNorthwest

My search for the safest, made in USA tableware

26 Jun 2014 3 Comments

by ecofriendlymamausa in Eco-friendly living, Resources, Reviews Tags: Anchor Hocking glass tableware review, made in usa glass tableware, safe

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And Anchor Hocking was my choice! I’m thrilled with it for several reasons: it’s very reasonably priced, it’s completely free of lead & cadmium, and it’s made in the USA, meeting all my criteria. I already owned several Anchor storage containers, they’re very similar to Pyrex, and they come in every size & shape imaginable. I had been considering Fiestaware which many adore for it’s bright, beautiful colors, and the fact that it’s lead free, but guess what? Those colors contain cadmium 😦 From the research I’ve done, just about anything painted yellow, orange or red will contain cadmium. And, it’s quite expensive. I could not be happier with my new tableware from Anchor. You should shop around a little, I purchased my mugs & bowls from Amazon for a very reasonable price, but the plates were twice as much on Amazon as they were from Bed Bath & Beyond. Some Target’s, Wal-Mart’s & other big box stores even carry the line, although none local to me do.

Anchor Hocking confirmed that all their offerings, even the colored glass, are free of cadmium & lead, which are the main concerns in just about all tableware. I went with the Presence line: I got 6 mugs for $20. The bowls were the most expensive, I should’ve shopped around a bit more, these were $24 for 4 of them, they didn’t qualify for Prime shipping, but I applied for the Amazon credit card which got me a $30 Amazon gift certificate, so they were free basically, and I will never use the credit card 🙂 The plates were 6/$9.99 from Bed Bath & Beyond, and shipping was $7.99, so I got 12 of each size plate (8″ & 10″) shipped for $50 total, coming out to only $2/plate. This comes out to ~$13 for the 4 piece setting, and I think I could’ve found the bowls cheaper had I shopped around more. This is less than 1/2 price compared to Fiestaware, which even on sale is hard to find under $30/ 4 piece setting. We drink from glass Mason jars, although we’ve been drinking from these mugs quite a bit, they’re certainly not just for coffee! Ball & Kerr Mason jars are made in the USA. The pint wide mouths are my favorite, and a case of 12 is less than $10. We keep the smaller sizes around for my 3 year old, it’s all he’s ever drank from other than a stainless steel or glass bottle when we’re on the go. I’m really, really happy with my purchases. I haven’t had them all that long though, so will certainly update as to how everything’s holding up over time. But, I did hear from 1 person who had the mugs for 8 years now & they are in great shape still, which is encouraging!

Amazon links: Cafe Mug (on left): http://amzn.to/1GwtkWI

Rio Coffee Mugs (on right): http://amzn.to/1yMAaDR

8″ Salad plates- 12 pk: http://amzn.to/1xzndar

10″ plate- http://amzn.to/2BAJ4vG

bowls- http://amzn.to/1sZhXAu

2 gal beverage dispenser- http://amzn.to/1wp3U2c

PLEASE read this article about the dangers of using glassware in the oven. Properly cared for it can last a lifetime. http://www.household-management-101.com/glass-bakeware.html

Eco-Friendly Mama: Safe product recommendations with a focus on organic and Made in USA!