Carol, a Celadon Road representative, contacted me and asked if I'd like to pick a few products to try out and review. I chose the stain removal spray, body wash, and laundry detergent.
My products arrived in a box with the little dissolvable packing peanuts - I appreciate it when a company uses the peanuts rather than non-biodegradable plastic bags, because it makes me feel less guilty about my often non-eco-friendly online shopping habit!
Ingredients: Saponified Organic Oils of Coconut, Olive & Jojoba, Peppermint Essential Oil Blend, Vegetable Gum/Glycerin Extract, Organic Aloe Vera, Rosemary ExtractI chose the peppermint scent, because I sincerely miss my Bath & Body Works holiday peppermint body wash (but do not miss the artificial junk that it contains!) The scent is super yummy. It's pure peppermint & really refreshing. It's glycerine-based, which I'm not usually crazy about, but the obnoxious "squeakyness" that glycerine soaps usually leave behind was relatively minimal. The suds are light, and it takes a lot of product to get a good foam going. I think this is one of those things about truly natural products that takes some getting used to. I have to keep reminding myself that bubbles do not necessarily equal clean. Overall, a very nice, very natural body wash with a great all-natural scent!
Grade: B+
Stain Remover
Ingredients: Organic-based surfactants, cleaning agents, enzymes, and biocatalystsI honestly approached this product with very low expectations. How good could an all-natural stain remover really be? Uhm, AMAZING! It was also really easy to use - no rinsing, no drying, and no worrying about toxic chemicals being left behind in the carpet. Spray on (heavily), rub in, wait. That's it! I found that the heavier the product was applied, the better it worked. In cleaning a couple of stained baby clothes, the 2 small wine stains, a semi-large tea stain, my car seats and a persistent pet stain, I used almost half the bottle. When I reorder, I'll definitely be ordering at least 2 bottles at a time!
The red wine stains in my carpet from my not-so-proud mommy moment are almost completely gone! Seriously. I had tried everything to get the wine out of the carpet, but nothing worked (the conventional stain removers and carpet shampooer did nothing!). It did take 3 applications of the stain remover, but each application left it lighter and lighter.
I also used this product to clean the seats of my car. I seriously wish that I had taken a before picture, because the comparison is crazy! I drive a Chevy Equinox, and the cloth seats are impossible to clean. Truly impossible. Every product that I've used, including the carpet shampooer, left big, gross streaks on the seats. But, because this stain remover sprays on evenly and does not require rinsing, there are no longer ANY stains on the seats of my car! I cannot tell you how excited I was when I saw that the seats were finally clean - cleaner than after the dealership detailed it! As an extra bonus, the cars even smells clean - not like cleaners, just clean. Ahhhhhh....Grade: A+
Ingredients: Sodium Bromate, Soda Ash, Coconut Oil, Clay Powder, Vinegar and Essential Oil
So, being the cheap, I-can-do-it-myself-er that I am, my first thought was, these ingredients are so simple that I could just make it myself and save the money. Yeah, anyone know where to get Sodium Bromate or Soda Ash? Me neither.
I asked if there was a fabric softener to go with the detergent and was told that you don't actually need a softener with this detergent. It's built-in to the detergent. Carol actually suggested that I soak a rag in a mixture of the detergent and water and toss it in the dryer as a dryer sheet. I never tried this, because my clothes really did come out soft (not quite as soft as when I used conventional fabric softeners, but close enough). I even washed my jeans (on which I usually use Woolite Dark detergent and Seventh Generation fabric softener) and hung them to dry with really good results.
The detergent is a powder, and is supposed to be compatible with HE washing machines. I found that occasionally powder reside was left behind in the detergent hole. I'm not sure if this is my lazy washing machine or the product, but mixing the detergent with a little water before adding it to the machine completely fixed the problem. I really liked the scent of the detergent (I chose lime), but was disappointed that the clothes did not come out with any scent at all. Really, though, what's wrong with clothes that just smell clean?This detergent is supposed to be super versatile. I haven't had a chance to use it on more than just laundry, but will be trying it on my tile floors and as a general cleaning solution. The ingredients are super gentle and super natural, so it can be used just about anywhere.
Grade: B+
Overall, I am really impressed with the integrity of the ingredients in Celadon Road's products. I think the prices are a little steep, but if you are looking for truly natural products with no hidden nasties this is absolutely the way to go!
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I think a B+ is solid grade for Celadon. I have been using their products for several years but agree the pricing on some things is a bit more than I am will to spend.
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