A Pretty Wonderful Electric Kettle: The Farberware Electric Glass Kettle!

The Good: Boils water fast, Easy to clean, Affordable
The Bad: Comparatively loud, Stiff electric cord.
The Basics: The Farberware 1.7 L Electric Glass Kettle is a decent electric kettle that does exactly what it promises in terms of boiling water fast!


Not long ago, after a decent five years of fairly heavy use, my electric kettle finally gave out. The Ovente 1.5 Liter Glass Electric Kettle (reviewed here!) did an amazing job of holding up over the years, at least for my family and I. Needing a replacement fast, I had to find a new (to me) electric kettle and we decided to go with the affordable, easy-to-find locally Farberware Electric Glass Kettle.

The Farberware Electric Glass Kettle is, as its name suggests, a clear glass kettle used to boil water. The Farberware Electric Glass Kettle has a bright blue light at the bottom where the heating coils are for no practical reason. In fact, the only reason I can tell to have the light in the electric kettle is to determine when the unit is actively heating the water. The Farberware 1.7 L Electric Glass Kettle is a two-piece electric device that is designed solely to boil water . . . fast. The Electric Glass Kettle is comprised of a stainless steel and black plastic base and the actual glass kettle, with a black plastic handle and lid.

The base is a simple six inch in diameter plastic disc with a cord that plugs into a two-prong wall socket. The cord is twenty-eight and one-half inches long, but for those who do not need a cord that has to stretch even that far, below the disc are tabs that allow the user to wind the cord up and contain it under the unit. Unfortunately, the cord is unusually stiff and, as a result, it truly only winds once around the base, lest the stiffness prevent the heating disc from laying flat on the counter upon which the unit is placed. There are soft-rubber feet on the underside which both protect finer surfaces from any sort of scratching from the plastic bass. Moreover, the rubber feet provide friction so the unit is remarkably stable and does not move from any flat surface I've set it upon. Considering the whole point of this gadget is to boil water, stability of the unit is essential.

Atop the disc is a knob that comes from a slightly raised, contoured inner disc. This is where the kettle itself attaches to the base. The base simply plugs into the wall and sits where one leaves it.

The actual electric kettle portion is an eight and three-quarter inch tall glass pot that is accented with matte black plastic for the handle, activation lever and flip top and stainless steel for the base ring. The kettle sets on the base and when together, they are very stable and hard to tip over. The kettle has a 1.7 Liter capacity (in practical terms, this is more than two full steeping pots worth of tea!) and it takes seven minutes, fifteen seconds to come to a very full boil.

Operating the Farberware Electric Glass Kettle is exceptionally easy: fill with water, place the kettle on the base (assuming it's plugged in), depress the lever on the bottom base of the kettle (the bottom of the base of the glass kettle up neon blue when active) and wait. The unit turns itself off when it is done. Because it has an automatic shut-off, one cannot burn down their house with the Farberware 1.7 L Electric Glass Kettle!

And then all you need to do is pour your boiling water out and is it that simple. Refilling the unit is a snap because of the spring-loaded top which opens by pressing a button on the handle. Moreover, the button is positioned in such a way that makes accidentally opening the top and spilling boiling water on oneself virtually impossible.

More than any other electric kettle I have used, the Farberware Electric Glass Kettle is loud when the water in it is boiling. As it nears a boil, this kettle makes a lot of noise, which was an unfortunate surprise with the unit.

Cleanup of the Farberware 1.7 L Electric Glass Kettle is impressively easy. First, I recommend only using filtered water in the unit. Whenever I fill the Farberware 1.7 L Electric Glass Kettle, I use water from my Brita Oceania Pitcher Filtration System (reviewed here!) and even with very hard water in my apartment, the Farberware 1.7 L Electric Glass Kettle has only required minimal cleaning. The glass sides of the pitcher make it virtually impossible for any build-up to build up on the surface of the electric kettle. A damp cloth may be used to clean the base after it is unplugged.

The Farberware 1.7 L Electric Glass Kettle is all right, but it is a bit louder and has a bigger footprint than I find ideal.

For other electric kettles, please check out my reviews of:
Hamilton Beach K1050 Electric Kettle
Chef's Choice 675 Electric Kettle
Hamilton Beach 45802B Electric Kettle

7.5/10

For other kitchen appliances, please visit my Home And Garden Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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For Those Who Have Use For It, The Wowly Pistachio Bowl Is Wonderful!

The Good: Durable, Inexpensive, Easy to use, Clever concept
The Bad: Nothing really.
The Basics: The Wowly Pistachio Bowl does all that it promises remarkably well!


Somewhere along the line, recently, I became a person who had virtually everything I ever wanted. There are a few "Grail Gifts" that remain on the list (with Robert Guillaume's passing recently one of the biggest is now likely out of reach), but for the most part, I have all I want. While this is nice for me in my day to day life, I have become a righteous pain in the ass for my wife to shop for on holidays and personal milestones. As such, she has gotten quite creative in trying to find gifts to give me. One of the most recent successes in her search for new things for me to use (and for her to give me) was the Wowly Pistachio Bowl.

I am a huge fan of pistachios and for the past two and a half decades, I have eaten pistachios with a bowl and a mini plastic garbage can for the shells, which I would then use in my landscaping. This was not an ideal solution to the problem of what to do with the shells from pistachios. The Wowly Pistachio Bowl is pretty much the perfect solution to trying to keep pistachios and their shells separated while consuming them.

The Wowly Pistachio Bowl is actually a pair of dishes that nest together. The top of the Wowly Pistachio Bowl is a 6" by 4 7/8" wide by 1 1/4" tall dish that acts as a tray for one's pistachio nuts. That tray fits into the top of the actual Wowly Pistachio Bowl. The tray portion fits snugly into the groove around the top edge of the bowl. The Wowly Pistachio Bowl is an oval shaped bowl that is then flared out on the long sides to have a hole that provides access to the bottom portion of the bowl.

The basic concept of the Wowly Pistachio Bowl is that consumers will pull a fresh pistachio nut from the top tray, crack open the shell, consume the meat within and then drop the shells through the flared out slots on the sides so the empty shells accumulate in the bowl below the tray. And it works perfectly. If one consumes a lot of pistachios in a single sitting, one might need to shake the bowl a little to settle the shells out to make room for more, incoming, shells.

When one is done consuming pistachios, simply detach the top tray portion and dump the shells from the Wowly Pistachio Bowl wherever one dumps their pistachio shells (I live in a forest, so there are a lot of all-natural options for me!). The Wowly Pistachio Bowl wipes clean exceptionally easily and it is top-rack dishwasher safe.

The Wowly Pistachio Bowl might be a very specific kitchen tool, but for those who love pistachios, it is perfect for one's needs!

For other kitchen gadgets, please check out my reviews of:
ThinkGeek Star Wars Battle Of Hoth Pint Glasses
Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven
Home Essentials Can Opener

10/10

For other kitchen product reviews, please visit my Home And Garden Product Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Low Durability Makes The Wheeler Rex 24" Hand Saw A Disappointment!

The Good: Handle actually holds up, Inexpensive
The Bad: Blade bends with even limited use, Cheap
The Basics: The 24" Hand Saw from Wheeler Rex has limited use and ended up disappointing me with even casual use.


Recently, I decided to take on a big project outdoors. The complex I live in has a forest, which is pretty awesome for my dogs. Shortly after Myah died, however, there was a huge storm and two trees fell and obscured the path that was her main route from our home to the clearings where she had been used to bathrooming. Benny has been with us for a few months now and I've been taking him all over for bathrooming. Recently, I felt the pull to recover the pathway Myah had used for Benny and that meant doing the hard work of cutting up the felled trees. For that, I needed a saw. After going through my tools and discovering I no longer had a hand saw appropriate for cutting through a downed tree, I went out to buy one.

When I found the 24" Wheeler Rex Hand Saw at my local discount store, I was a bit apprehensive. Ironically, my sense of apprehension that the 24" Wheeler Rex Hand Saw would be the right tool for the job came from the plastic handle. The plastic handle was attached to the metal blade by three screws and my feeling was that even for a comparatively small project like sawing through two trees, there was no way the tool would hold up. I was wrong.

Unfortunately, I was also correct.

The 24" Wheeler Rex Hand Saw absolutely failed on the durability front. It took less than a week of daily use (one to three hours each day) before the steel blade of the 24" Wheeler Rex Hand Saw was warped and bent in a way that was problematic.

The 24" Wheeler Rex Hand Saw is 28" long from the back to the tip and it has a 5 1/2" tall grip. The grip is wide enough to accommodate an adult hand in work gloves. After several days of use, the grip remained tight and firmly attached to the steel saw blade.

Unfortunately, despite the ridiculously easy ease-of-use of the 24" Wheeler Rex Hand Saw and the surprising strength of the grip, the saw blade was hardly durable for practical, continual, or professional use. After getting through the first tree and returning to a less thick tree for sawing, the blade quickly exhibited warping at its midpoint, which made it very hard to start new cuts midway through the second tree.

As a result, it is impossible to recommend the 24" Wheeler Rex Hand Saw for even moderate home use, much less a professional setting.

For other tool reviews, please check out my takes on:
Coleman 2000008547 Rechargeable LED Lantern
Stanley Tools 66-183 6 3/4" Flathead Screwdriver
Gator Grips Universal Socket

3/10

For other home and garden reviews, please check out my Home And Garden Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Sturdy Glassware, Disintegrating Feature, ThinkGeek Disappoints With The Battle Of Hoth Pint Glasses [2017 Review This Again]!

The Good: Good initial artwork, Good glassware
The Bad: Expensive for pint glasses, "Function" does not work properly, Not dishwasher safe, Incredibly poor durability - decals wear off completely!
The Basics: The Star Wars Battle Of Hoth Pint Glasses from ThinkGeek quickly degenerate into pretty standard pint glasses, making for a disappointing investment.


[There is a big meme in the art community going around now called "Draw This Again." In the meme, artists illustrate how they have grown in their chosen medium by putting side-by-side pictures of art they created in the past and now. My wife had the great idea that I should do something similar with my reviewing. So, for 2017, I will be posting occasional "Review This Again" reviews, where I revisit subjects I had previously reviewed and review them again, through a lens of increased age, more experience, and - for some - greater familiarity with the subject. This review is one such review, where I am re-experiencing ThinkGeek's image-changing Star Wars pint glasses. These glasses were originally reviewed here!]

My wife is pretty incredible in terms of finding gifts for me, despite me being a tough person to shop for. Despite that, she often finds fun things to give me and it always stinks when she makes the effort and the gift turns out to be a lemon. Such, however, is the case with the Star Wars Battle Of Hoth pint glasses. My wife picked me up a pair of the ThinkGeek Star Wars Battle Of Hoth pint glasses, but within a month of hand-washing the glassware, the decals on them had completely worn off, making them virtually indistinguishable from other, plain clear-glass pint glasses.

The Star Wars Battle Of Hoth Pint Glass Set Of 2 are two identical pint glasses that feature artwork from The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!). The pint glasses are predominantly blue and white and feature the AT-AT's coming across the ice plains of Hoth with a snowspeeder headed toward them.

The Star Wars Pint Glass Set Of 2 features artwork that is identical to the promotional photos of the AT-ATs on Hoth that have appeared in books and things like toy boxes for years - since The Empire Strikes Back was released. The AT-ATs are silkscreened on heavy, clear glass. Each set of two is identical. As the name implies, each pint glass holds a little over two cups worth of liquid. A whole 16 fl. oz. fits into the glass. Wider at the top, the 5 3/4” tall clear glass drinking glasses are both identical, including the image silkscreened onto them.

The Star Wars Battle Of Hoth Pint Glass Set Of 2 was constructed with a color-changing gimmick. The snowspeeder is supposed to be invisible until a cold liquid is placed into the glass. Unfortunately, the snowspeeder is entirely visible, regardless of there being any liquid in the glass and while it is initially faint, it does get darker like it is supposed to. When a cold liquid is placed in the pint glass, the snowspeeder gets more distinct and darker, but it never truly fades to be anywhere near close to surprising for its appearance when a liquid is added. This was less of a detraction for me because the snowspeeder being visible the whole time looks authentic and cool - and is appropriate for the setting without any form of "cloaking."

Unfortunately, the Star Wars Battle Of Hoth Pint Glass Set Of 2 is entirely lacking on the durability front. It took less than a week of using and cleaning the pint glasses before each of them showed noticeable wear. While the snowspeeder on the glasses held up fine, the rest of the silkscreening showed some chips and scratches. The glasses are not dishwasher safe and having hand washed the pint glasses with softer cloths to try to avoid damage, it was especially frustrating that the glasses already show wear to the silkscreening. It took less than a month of use before the entire decal sleeve slid right off both of the glasses, making them just plain, dull pint glasses. This is entirely disappointing for any Star Wars fan who likes the concept and spends the money on them.

ThinkGeek appeared to rush the Star Wars Battle Of Hoth pint glasses to market before the technology was perfected, making for a gift that will ultimately disappoint their target audience.

For other kitchen supplies, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Pint Glass Set Of 4
Star Trek Decloaking Klingon Bird Of Prey Mug
Norpro Deluxe Stainless Steel Baster Set

.5/10

For other kitchen product reviews, please be sure to visit my Kitchen Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Worthless After A Couple Weeks: The Star Wars Cloud City Pint Glasses Flop (2017 Review This Again!)

The Good: The glassware itself is durable and good.
The Bad: No durability outside the underlying glass, Expensive for pint glasses, "Function" does not work properly, Not dishwasher safe
The Basics: The Star Wars Cloud City Pint Glasses take about three weeks of washing before they are just plain glass pint glasses.


[There is a big meme in the art community going around now called "Draw This Again." In the meme, artists illustrate how they have grown in their chosen medium by putting side-by-side pictures of art they created in the past and now. My wife had the great idea that I should do something similar with my reviewing. So, for 2017, I will be posting occasional "Review This Again" reviews, where I revisit subjects I had previously reviewed and review them again, through a lens of increased age, more experience, and - for some - greater familiarity with the subject. This review is one such review, where I am re-experiencing ThinkGeek's image-changing Star Wars pint glasses. These glasses were originally reviewed here!]

Sometimes, in my enthusiasm to review something, I jump the gun on the product. That is pretty much what happened with the Star Wars Cloud City Pint Glass Set. My wife bought me the Star Wars Cloud City Pint Glass Set Of 2 and I was initially very happy with them despite the fact that the appearing Millennium Falcon feature did not actually work. But what ultimately made me re-review these pint glasses was simple: within three weeks of daily use and hand-washing (never in the dishwasher!) the sleeve-like image silk screened onto the clear glass pint glass was destroyed, having peeled off and leaving only a pretty much worthless pint glass.

The Star Wars Cloud City Pint Glass Set Of 2 are two identical pint glasses that feature artwork based on The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!). The pint glasses are predominantly blue and white and feature the Millennium Falcon flying toward the Cloud City station hovering in the clouds of Bespin.

The Star Wars Pint Glass Set Of 2 features artwork that looks like the original optical painting of Cloud City silkscreened on heavy, clear glass. Each set of two is identical and features the same glass in duplicate. As the name implies, each pint glass holds a little over two cups worth of liquid. A whole 16 fl. oz. fits into the glass. Wider at the top, the 5 3/4” tall clear glass drinking glasses are both identical, including the artwork silkscreened onto them.

Unfortunately, the Star Wars Cloud City Pint Glass Set Of 2 was constructed with a color-changing gimmick. The Millennium Falcon is supposed to be invisible until a cold liquid is placed into the glass. Sadly, the Millennium Falcon is entirely visible, regardless of there being any liquid in the glass and it is about as faint as the Cloud City station; which is deliberately hazy to give it a sense of perspective, being further back. When a cold liquid is placed in the pint glass, the Millennium Falcon gets more distinct and darker, but it never truly fades to be anywhere near close to surprising for its appearance when a liquid is added.

The Star Wars Cloud City Pint Glass Set Of 2 is not at all durable. It took less than a week of using and cleaning the pint glasses before each of them showed noticeable wear, less than three weeks before the entirety of the silk screened images were gone, leaving only a clear glass pint glass behind. The Star Wars logo on the bottom remained perfectly intact, but the main image around the pint glass entirely disintegrated . . . and that was from hand-washing, as directed! The glasses are not dishwasher safe and having hand washed the pint glasses with softer cloths to try to avoid damage, it was especially frustrating that the glasses ended up without any of their imagery on them. By contrast, I've had a set of Buffy The Vampire Slayer pint glasses for over five years that have been washed by hand (and once a year in the dish washer) and not one of them has a scratch or chip in the artwork!

Fans of Star Wars are likely to fall in love with the concept of the Star Wars Cloud City Pint Glass Set, but be utterly disappointed by the results of how even cleaning destroys the unique aspect of the glasses.

For other kitchen supplies, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Star Trek Decloaking Klingon Bird Of Prey Mug
CocoStraw Stainless Steel Straw Set
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Pint Glass Set Of 4

.5/10

For other kitchen product reviews, please be sure to visit my Kitchen Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Welcome Benny, So Long Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponges!

The Good: Inexpensive, Durable
The Bad: Retains a terrible odor, Abrasive side cannot be used on non-stick pans
The Basics: The Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge is an unfortunate cleaning tool that is not worth picking up . . . even at its cheap prices!


Today is a big milestone day in my family's life. For the past few months, my wife and I have been without a dog. We had about two day's notice before we had to do the humane thing and put our beloved Siberian Husky Myah down when her kidneys failed. We had just enough notice that she gave me an opinion on one of her final treats (reviewed here!) and I was able to mourn her pretty much immediately. I still miss Myah and so does my wife, but today, my wife convinced me to go with her to the local animal shelter and we went 3-5 with buying a pet. Yes, three of the five times I have been to our local animal shelter, I have come home with a new pet. My wife convinced me it was time to open my heart again and she found us a pretty incredible English Setter at the animal shelter and after an unusually protracted conversation for us in public, she convinced me that we had to get this dog for our family before someone else snatched him up. So, when I started to consider getting a new (to us - he's three years old, the shelter thought) English Setter, one of the things I considered that it meant that I would be able to start reviewing dog products once again. Today has been a whirlwind of cleaning, my wife training Benny (that's our new English Setter's name, named after the alternate version of Benjamin Sisko from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Far Beyond The Stars," reviewed here!), and me trying to figure out what I could review to introduce Benny to my new readers. My wife, however, gave me sage advice: Benny just came from the shelter and he's getting used to our home - there's no way to judge what he is actually liking as opposed to what he is trying for comfort (and because he's a bit on the thin side).

So, rather than do a pet review, I figured it was a good time to review the Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge. What kind of segue is that? I'll tell you. We have a new, mostly white English Setter with fur so thin we can see where he is dirty. He spent the last three weeks in the animal shelter after (apparently) being abandoned and being found running through the woods. Our new, slightly dirty, English Setter smells far, far better than the Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge we've been using in our home for about the same three weeks.

The Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge is a 4 1/16” long by 3” wide by 15/16" thick sharp-cornered scrubbing sponge! These are orange or green sponges with a dark orange or light green and white floral print scrubbing pad (reminiscent of steel wool, but having more of a brick-like texture to it than most scrubbing sponges) fused to the top. The scrubbing pad accounts for 1/8” of the sponge’s thickness. Like most All-purpose sponges, the Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge arrive out of the package flexible but firm and ready to clean. While the sponge is very soft, the abrasive side is fairly hard and minimally flexible, even after multiple uses.

As far as basic kitchen cleaning goes, the Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge are fine. The sponge side soaks up spills efficiently and the scrubbing side good for its abrasiveness. This sponge would be a decent staple item for cleaning stainless steel or other surfaces that cannot be easily scratched were it not for the major problem of the sponges.

The Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge is impossible to clean. Within four days of use, the Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge had a foul, gross odor to it that nothing has been able to get out. First and foremost, it is worth noting that both my wife and I are fastidious about wringing out our sponges. From day one, we've been wringing out our Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponges. Our Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge smells foul, as if we were not keeping our sponge dry. Here's the thing, we've fully dried (oven and microwave) our Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge, we've bleached it, we've put it through the dishwasher, squeezed it out and then dried it fully. The moment our dry sponge gets wet again, it smells like we dipped it in tuna juice and stuck it out in the sun for twelve hours. No matter how long the Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge is fully dried and then used to clean anything with again, it stinks. This is the most smell-retaining sponge I have ever used. We've used three of these sponges and after the first one went foul, the next one I started using with a spray cleaner. The only thing that went into the sponge was spray cleaner and water and it was wrung out completely, dried for two days. The moment water hit it next . . . it bore the same terrible scent as the first sponge! Our third sponge got wet and smelled gross right away. The Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge is the worst-smelling, impossible to make good sponge I've ever encountered.

Unlike several other premium sponges I’ve used, the scrubbing pad on this sponge does not separate easily from the main sponge. If the Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge didn't retain and spread a scent like rotten fish, that would make the sponge worthwhile. As a result, the Gain All-Purpose Scrubber Sponge is impossible to recommend; it is not merely inexpensive, it is truly cheap.

For other kitchen product reviews, please visit my takes on:
Cascade Citrus Scent Action Pacs
Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth
Outset B218 Stainless Steel Handheld Cheese Plane

3/10

For other home and garden product reviews, please visit my Home And Garden Review Index Page for a concise listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Adequate, Not Exceptional, Cascade Citrus Scent Action Pacs Do Most Of What They Promise!

The Good: Ridiculously easy to use, Cleans well, Price is now affordable
The Bad: Not actually distinctive on the scent front
The Basics: Cascade Citrus Scent Action Pacs work well enough to recommend, even if they don't thrill consumers on the scent front.


One of the disadvantages of being on the cutting edge of product reviews (which, admittedly, seldom happens outside media reviewing), is that new products often cost more than they end up being when the product ages successfully into the marketplace. After the initial pricing, wherein a company recoups its R&D investment if the product is successful and the product endures, is usually a little higher and if the product works and consumers respond to it, often the price goes down. With dish detergent Action Pacs, I was biased against the product line for years because the initial pricing was so high relative to the convenience/benefits of the packs. Well, time has gone by and the prices have gone down and I occasionally find myself picking up dish detergent Action Pacs. I've been going through a bucket of Cascade Citrus Scent Action Pacs for weeks because my local grocery store had them on clearance and I realized that I have pretty much come around on the product line.

My wife and I live in an apartment now where we have an objectively terrible dishwasher. The water in our complex is very hard and I've discovered that one of the few ways to keep the drain pipes properly draining is to mix up what detergents we use. So, in addition to standard dish washing solid detergents, we've started using things like Cascade Citrus Scent Action Pacs.

The Cascade Dishwasher Detergent Action Pacs are small, concentrated plastic bags that contain a block of preformed, premeasured Cascade Dishwashing detergent and two types of concentrated Dawn dish soap. The pack is about 4/5 solid detergent, 1/5 liquid/gel detergent. The premeasured packs have a thin, but strangely durable, plastic bubble that surrounds them. There are sixty of the pillow packs in the bulk container. We managed to find ours on clearance because at about $.22/load, the locals have not responded to them (getting them at $.11/load was a steal as far as I'm concerned)!

The ActionPac is ridiculously easy to use. Remove the ActionPac from the container of Action Pacs and place in the primary wash detergent dispenser in your dishwasher. The primary wash is the one that usually has the little flip door that you close after putting detergent in. Put one ActionPac in there and close it. It does not get much easier than that!

It is worthwhile and important to not that the detergent is not removed from the ActionPac when it is put into the dishwasher. The plastic bags are not supposed to be cut open before the ActionPac's contents are put in the dishwasher detergent dispenser. The ActionPac is designed to go in intact. Put it in and run your dishwasher as you normally would.

And the dishes come out clean. I have no idea how they work, but they do. The plastic bag that surrounds the ActionPac completely dissolves. The materials from the Cascade Citrus Scent Action Pacs quite effectively dissolved and washed away without a trace, even in hard water conditions!

With the general price drop on whole solutions for dishwashing, the only real strike against the Cascade Citrus Scent Action Pacs is that they have no discernible scent. Despite being called Citrus Scent, the dishwasher is odorless during and after the cleaning cycle, so there is no olfactory benefit to these Action Pacs that makes them at all exciting or stimulating. As a result, these are a decent standard, but not one that is worthwhile for those using the dishwasher to help the house have an aromatic experience!

The Citrus Scent Formula Action Pacs work well and are a decent household staple, even if they are not truly aromatic.

For other dishwashing products, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Seventh Generation Lemongrass & Clementine Zest Natural Dish Liquid
Ultra Palmolive Antibacterial Orange Dish Soap
Finish Jet-Dry

5/10

For other home and garden product reviews, please visit my Home And Garden Product Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Efficient And Easy To Use, The Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner Is An Affordable Home Vacuum Cleaner!

The Good: Inexpensive, Good sucking power, Easy to assemble, Easy to clean, Veryy quiet
The Bad: Not the most powerful home vacuum, Cord is not retractable
The Basics: The Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner is a good replacement vacuum that will serve most households quite well.


A few years ago, I found an amazing vacuum cleaner in the form of the Bissell Cleanview Rewind Pet vacuum (reviewed here!). That vacuum has served my household exceptionally well for the past three years and while the latch that locked to keep the vacuum's handle upright has stopped working, I did not see that as a reason to replace it. My wife, on the other hand, wanted a new vacuum and given that the key selling point of the Rewind Pet for us was its amazing ability to vacuum up all of the Siberian Husky hair in the house, following Myah's death, I could see that getting a brand new, shiny vacuum cleaner was a good idea. Given how successful the Rewind Pet was at keeping our apartment clean for the past few years, Bissell easily earned our repeat business. While I was out of town, my wife picked up a Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner for our home and I arrived home to discover the simple joy of a new, highly-functional vacuum cleaner.

The Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner is a very simple canister-style vacuum and the 1834 is noticeably less-powerful than the Rewind Pet we had before. The Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner is surprisingly light, though; already, I have found that using it to vacuum our stairs is much easier than with any other upright vacuum I have previously used. The Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner continued the experience we had which found that Bissell vacuums had great durability, despite its light weight.

The Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner came unassembled, so our first task was to get it out of the box and put it all together. Anyone with a Phillips head screwdriver can put this together, probably without even looking at the directions; the assembly is pretty intuitive for both attaching the handle and affixing the tube. One simply needs to attach the base to the handle assembly and connect the hose and they all come together in one way. The handle has two pieces which snap into the base and screw together to form the solid drive shaft of the vacuum. The Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner my wife purchased is predominantly red for all of the front pieces (that are not made out of clear plastic) and black for all of the components along the drive shaft of the vacuum.

Properly assembled, the Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner is 44" tall by 14” wide by 12" deep at the base. This is an efficient-looking canister vacuum cleaner with a handle with a guard that actually makes it very easy to maneuver the vacuum. The drive shaft holds the tube, so the handle is not encumbered by the tube which is transporting the sucked up matter from the ground to the canister. The 1834 has the belt and motor assembly in the base of the vacuum, which rotates the brushes. There seems to be suction from the canister area, though, even without the brushes rotating and sucking (which makes sense because the hose on the back of the vacuum detaches in order to get into tough areas). The canister is attached to the front of the handle assembly and snaps in easily. The tube winds around the back of the handle assembly.

With the Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner vacuum properly assembled, it simply needs to be plugged in to power the unit. The cord is attached to the back of the Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner, which is a step back from the Rewind Pet vacuum we had before. Instead of having a cord that is internally-wound, the Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner has a fully-extended cord that attaches to the back of the vacuum's base and has to be wound on the back of the handle. The cord does not stay wound well on the back of the vacuum, which lowers the ease-of-use of this vacuum.

When activated, the Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner makes very little noise. My cat Elim does not leave the room when I vacuum with the Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner and our other two cats only seem to leave the room or room immediately adjacent to the vacuum when I start moving it. When they are a room away, they do not seem to be bothered at all by the vacuum actually being on.

As for the vacuum's power, the Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner works quite well. Even without Myah around, there is still Siberian Husky hair around our apartment and the Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner has been steadily finding it all. After a month of solid use, the Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner has continued to clean our apartment exceptionally well; with each pass, the vacuum seems to find even less lingering hair from our dear, departed Myah. Elim, however, has been shedding a bit more and the vacuum always gets his hair up exceptionally well.

Because the transport tube comes in the right side of the base, the right side of the Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner has stronger suction than the left side on this vacuum cleaner. Suction on the Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner is quite good, but there is a noticeable difference between the quality of the suction on the right and on the left.

The vacuum easily removes dirt and hair and every other form of solid matter I’ve been able to find so far from carpets and walls. Because the hose may be detached from the base, this vacuum has quite a bit more versatility than most uprights and it may be used to get cobwebs as well . . . assuming the cobwebs are within five feet of the base of the vacuum, as that is about the length of the vacuum’s hose. The Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner is easy to move over any level of carpet or hardwood, which makes it easy to clean with.

Use of the assembled Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner is exceptionally easy. There is the standard release lever on the base of the unit which allows the handle to be unlocked. This allows one to push or pull the vacuum at an angle, as opposed to perpendicular with the floor. The Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner is activated by a power pedal near the bottom of the back of the vacuum cleaner. The pedal is not as convenient to use as a power button on the handle, but it is functional. The Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner vacuum may be used on low carpets (or bare floors), medium pile carpets or even longer carpets, with the height of the base being adjusted by a simple knob on the front of the base.

As the canister gets filled up – easily visible as the canister is attached to the front and transparent – the vacuum continues to vacuum with decent force. When the canister is filled, simply unlatch the canister from the handle assembly and empty the canister. The press of a button allows all the crap in the canister to drop out, like the canister has a trap door! The top of the filter twists off and the filter itself may then be dumped into a garbage bag. You can even wash the filter and canister out, but that just puts dirt and dust down the sink. Either way, it is exceptionally easy to get the hair, dirt and dust one vacuums up out of the canister without putting it back in the air, simply by operating the release right in the container one is dropping the matter into!

The Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner comes with a pair of attachments: an adjustable rotating brush and a little brush which attaches to that or to the hose itself. I’m not wild about attachments, but both my wife and I used the attachments and found them easy to use, though the sucking power was diminished. The vacuum worked great on the floors and for sucking up matter through the hose directly when we detached it from the base.

Ultimately, the Bissell Cleanview Bagless Vacuum Cleaner is a good home vacuum cleaner from Bissell, even if it is not the most powerful model the manufacturer makes . . . even in a similar price point.

For other vacuum reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Cheetah Ash Vac II vacuum cleaner
Kenmore 31079 vacuum
Dirt Devil KWIK vacuum

8/10

For other home and garden product reviews, please visit my Home And Garden Products Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Method Ginger Mango Detergent Cleans Well And Makes Laundry Fun!

The Good: Cleans clothes well, Wonderful scent while in the washer
The Bad: Almost no real scent during and after use, Comparatively expensive
The Basics: Method Ginger Mango cleans incredibly well, but does not leave clothes scented with its amazing aroma!


As I review various products, I have come to realize that I do not truly understand laundry detergent. It seems like it is a selling point for laundry detergents that they smell amazing while the clothes washer is going, but then leaves clothes without any scent. I love scent memories reminding me of fun, interesting or powerful moments from my past; so I enjoy the smell of good laundry detergents while the washer is running, but then I feel a bit cheated when the clothes come out of the dryer and they have not even a hint of the scent that was present when the washer was on. That is certainly how I felt with the Method Ginger Mango Detergent.

My wife and I got in the 53.5 fluid ounce bottle of Method Ginger Mango laundry detergent and have been using it for several loads now and I have been pleasantly surprised by it. While it may be a bit pricey for the 66 load bottle (and it looks like we will get that many uses out of it), the Method Ginger Mango Detergent cleans clothes well and has an incredible and accurate scent to it.

Method Ginger Mango cleans clothes without fading them. This detergent does not have any fabric softener in it, but clothes still came out fairly soft. We have used Method Ginger Mango for a month and my only real complaint with it is that it does not have a very strong or distinctive scent on the clothes after they are cleaned. In the bottle, the detergent smells delightfully of ginger and a mellow fruit scent that is very accurate for the aroma of mango. For sure, clothes come out smelling clean, but they do not carry even a vaguely fruity scent to them after using this detergent. Despite that, while the washer is going, the laundry room fills out with the scent of the ginger and mango from the detergent.

Method Ginger Mango is a translucent orange colored detergent. It smells clean, fruity and just a bit like ginger to open up the nostrils!

I liked Method Ginger Mango, especially because of the strong scent while it was in the washer, as it did what it promised. No matter how soiled or stinky our clothes were going into the wash, they always came out clean and smelling neutral with the Method Ginger Mango Laundry Detergent. That makes the Method Ginger Mango Detergent worth picking up, even if it follows the market's trend of making neutral-scented clothes.

For other laundry-related reviews, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
JMK 2 Pc. Dryer Balls
Arm & Hammer Essentials Lavender & Linen Fabric Softener Sheets
Xtra Tropical Passion Laundry Detergent

7.5/10

For other household cleaners, please visit my Tools And Cleaners Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A "Bells And Whistles" Toaster Oven: The Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven!

The Good: Cooks evenly and well, Very stylish, Easy-to-clean, Decent capacity
The Bad: Controls are not intuitive, Large footprint, Comparatively expensive, No "off" button!
The Basics: The Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven is more toaster oven than most anyone will need . . . and users have to pay for that overkill!


For the past week, I have been in one of my favorite places on Earth. The return to a place I have always loved has been a real divided experience for me. On the big plus side, I'm somewhere I love to be; on the minor negative side, it has changed. The kitchen, especially, where I am is virtually unrecognizable to the room I spent many happy hours in in the past. That said, the new kitchen is legitimately awesome and it is stocked with brand new products that I have had a chance to truly play with and now review. The first one I decided to focus on is the Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven for the very simple reason that out of all the new appliances, it is the one I am most comfortable using! There is something intimidating about working in a kitchen where one is acutely aware that they are unable to afford to replace or repair anything they damage. Even I could (eventually) afford a Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven!

The Breville BOV450XL model is fairly new to the market and it looks very modern. Built with a stainless steel finish and a slew of buttons and a dial, the front of the Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven prominently features a digital display that very clearly states times and temperature. The display face is excellent for anyone who goes into the kitchen bleary-eyed in the morning and forgot their glasses elsewhere!

The Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven is a toaster oven which has both multiple toasting settings and oven-heating settings. That means the Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven is designed for toasting bread and baking small dishes. The Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven is 15 1/5" wide by 8 1/2" tall by 13" deep and because of the heating elements inside has an internal, usable space of 11" by 11" by 4". The internal space makes it just big enough to cook a small casserole, a small tray of muffins, three full slices of pizza or three whole bagels. This is a decent alternative on small cooking projects from a standard oven as the BOV450XL is generally more energy efficient than older models. The Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven is the first toaster oven I can remember using where the electric cord is so big and thick that I did not have any concern that it could be melted by the heat of the toaster over. However, for those who are concerned with footprint, the Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven features a cord that ends in a very solid and substantial plug; trying to place the toaster directly in front of an electric outlet does not work as the plug pushes the unit away from the wall by at least three inches!

The BOV450XL is very stylish as it is a toaster oven that will thrill anyone who likes the look of brushed steel. The unit has well-obscured black feet and an obvious ceramic glass door.

Loading the toaster oven is quite simple. This is essentially a ceramic and metal breadbox-shaped toaster oven with a large ceramic glass door in the front. The top of the door in adorned with a very solid steel handle that projects away from the door. No matter how long the Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven was in use, the handle never seemed to get too hot to touch! Opening the Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven is as simple as pulling the handle down, which rotates the front door open. Inside the BOV450XL is a wire rack shelf which will support a couple pounds of food. The strong steel rack does not show any signs of buckling! After the dish or bread products one wants to toast are placed in the toaster oven, one needs only to set the controls.

Unfortunately, the conrtols on the Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven are not intuitive to use and are often over-complicated. First, one must adjust a dial at the top. The dial sets the Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven to various cooking tasks from "toast" and "bagel" to "pizza" and "Bake." How are cookies cooked different than simply baking them in the Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven? I have no clue, but they are! After the type of heat is set, the rest of the unit operates on buttons. Adjustments can be made using arrow buttons under the display to increase or decrease time or temperature. When I started cooking pizza one night, I noticed the unit was default-set to think it was frozen and had adjusted somehow; given that it was not frozen, I had to find the accompanying button (which I did by graphic alone) to change the setting. After all of those buttons are figured out, one has to actually press the "start" button. If your food is done cooking early, one must hit the Start/Cancel button and it cancels (not pauses) it.

The Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven irked me because it did not have an "off" button. The unit shuts itself off after a minute, but there is something unsettling about toasting something and when it is done and the toast is pulled out, the toaster oven is primed and ready for the next slices. Perhaps this would be a big selling point to a restaurant, but for home use, it seems like the recipe for a safety issue!

On the cleaning front, the Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven is very easy to use. Below the heating element, the bottom of the toaster oven is guarded by a tray that catches anything that falls off the cooking surface. As a result, keeping the Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven clean is usually just a matter of sliding the bottom tray out, wiping it off and sliding it back in! The ceramic door and the stainless steel also wipes clean with exceptional ease.

For the price, though, I would want a toaster oven that was more simple and direct to use. I like bells and whistles, but I like them to be easy to use; intuitive functionality based on a direct form. The Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven does not have that. The Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven does, however, do all the cooking and toasting it promises while looking incredible doing it!

For other kitchen appliances, please check out my reviews of:
Black And Decker CTO6120B Toaster Oven
Samsung Stainless Steel Microwave
GE GSD2100NOOWW Dishwasher

6.5/10

For other kitchen appliance reviews, please be sure to visit my Home And Garden Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Lemon Enough, But Not Much Cookie, ScentSationals Iced Lemon Sugar Cookie Scented Wax Cubes Underwhelm!

The Good: Easy to use, Reusable, Does not smell bad
The Bad: A little expensive, Requires other hardware to use, Not the strongest or most enduring scent
The Basics: ScentSational Iced Lemon Sugar Cookie Scented Wax Cubes are not badly-scented, but they are barely the embodiment of lemon, much less sugar cookie!


My wife and I have a surprisingly cool apartment. One of the aspects of the apartment that is especially nice is that it always smells nice. We keep the apartment smelling pretty wonderfully using things like wax cubes. One of the scents that we will not use, though, are the ScentSationals Iced Lemon Sugar Cookie Scented Wax Cubes. The ScentSationals Iced Lemon Sugar Cookie Scented Wax Cubes quite simply do not work to embody a decent scent in our home.

ScentSationals Iced Lemon Sugar Cookie Scented Wax Cubes consists of six blocks, each one approximately 1” long by 1” wide by 7/8” deep and a bright yellow color. These blocks take about half an hour to liquefy and the light scent of lemon spreads out from the heated source that melts the wax. So long as it is in its liquid state, the ScentSationals Iced Lemon Sugar Cookie Scented Wax Cubes emit an aroma.

Sadly, though, the lemon scent is not very strong, nor distinctive, and it does not go very far. With some of the scents, the aroma effervesces throughout three medium sized rooms. However, the Iced Lemon Sugar Cookie scent seems to barely fill up our bedroom or our bathroom. The scent of vaguely-sweet lemon is not strong enough to even fill our living room.

ScentSationals Iced Lemon Sugar Cookie Scented Wax Cubes are a bit expensive. Despite the fact that they may be cooled and can be reheated later on, the scent never gets stronger. As a result, they use a lot of energy to yield little in the way of results.

Ultimately, ScentSationals Iced Lemon Sugar Cookie Scented Wax Cubes are vaguely lemon-scented and most cleaners that are lemon scented have a stronger, cleaner, smell than these emit, making them a tough sell for homeowners.

For other products designed to change the scent in the home, check out my reviews of:
Renuzit Aroma Adjustables Creme Brulee
Glade Winter Collection Pure Vanilla Joy
Air Wick Hawai’i Exotic Papaya & Hibiscus Flower

2/10

For other home and garden product reviews, please visit my Home And Garden Review Index Page!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Wonderful So Far . . . The Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector Seems To Work!

The Good: Appears to work, Comparatively inexpensive
The Bad: No reset/fuse button, LEDs are incredibly bright, Tight outlets
The Basics: Appearing to work so far, the Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector is about the best basic surge protector I can find these days!


Quite some time ago, I found a power strip that truly worked for me. I loved that power strip, mostly because when I worked for a computer repair company several years ago, I had the opportunity to learn about power strips. Most power strips are little more than extension cords, at least after the first power surge they experience. Unless a surge protector has a way to reset the fuse, they offer no protection after the first surge they protect against . . . at least that used to be how they were designed. So, I had a great power strip in the form of a Monster Cable AV600 (reviewed here!) . . . and a month ago, I accidentally dumped a soda onto it. Even with my stringent reviewing standards, I did not expect it to survive that (judging by the electric shocks I received while unplugging my laptop computer . . . it didn't!). So, I immediately went on a quest to replace the AV600 and found that I could not find anything quite like that locally. I did, however, manage to find a surge protector I was willing to spend money on. It was the Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector.

After a month of use and at least three power outages, the Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector truly seems to be working for my wife and I!

As the name suggests, the Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector is a six outlet surge protector, with all six outlets featuring a grounding socket and the safety-constructed slots for safety plugs. For those unfamiliar with most modern appliances, most three prong and especially two prong plugs come with the left prong slightly larger than the right prong so there becomes only one proper and safe way to plug devices in. This prevents electrocutions and destruction of electronic goods.

The six outlets are situated on the top of the eleven inch base of the surge protector. They are evenly spaced and I have had no difficulties with space issues as the only things I have plugged into this have been audio-visual equipment. We found that for standard laptop computer or other basic three-pronged plugs the Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector was able to accomodate all of the plugs, but trying to plug in more sophisticated equipment with larger AC power supplies robbed us of some of the slots. As well, I was very surprised by how tight some of the plug slots on the Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector actually were. I cannot recall having to force plugs into a power strip before, but some of the slots did not seem to want to accept some of our perfectly standard-sized plugs.

The cable for the Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector is eight feet long and ends in a three pronged plug that connects into the wall at an angle. I understand this is supposed to save space, but it still looks funny, unless your outlet is offset by a thirty degree angle. This function only truly makes sense when one is plugging the Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector into the same socket as something with a more intrusive cord. This allows the cable to drape to the side of the socket and other cords as opposed to sticking straight out. This is not a key selling point for me, but might come in handy for those who have crowded outlets or are plugging into places that are hard to reach.

The Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector plugs easily into the wall and is turned on with the flick of a switch. The lit toggle switch clearly indicates when the power is on and there are two LEDs between the power switch and the outlets that indicate that the unit is grounded and protected. Presumably, if either one of those LEDs go off, switching the Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector on and off will reset the unit. If one of the two LEDs does not come back on, it is time to replace the Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector. The Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector is rated for up to 1000 Joules.

The Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector appears to be working. The LEDs are shockingly bright when we have the room darkened (which can be problematic for those using this to ground AV equipment for a home theater). Beyond that, the Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector actually appears to work and it seems to work well. Until there is a surge that destroys my Defiant General Use 6 Outlet Surge Protector and the equipment plugged into it, I am willing to endorse this fairly simple surge protector!

For other power related devices, please check out my reviews of:
GE 34205 HDMI Cable
Canon UL-BP511 battery
Nikon L16 AA batteries

7.5/10

For other electronic device reviews, please visit my Electronics Reviews Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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More Mediocre Than Exceptional, Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth Are Good!

The Good: Fairly inexpensive, Durable, Easy to use and clean out
The Bad: Scrubbing side is not abrasive enough to justify the expense.
The Basics: Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloths are an inexpensive option for those who want to clean, but they are not special enough to differentiate them from a pretty basic cleaning cloth.


Whenever I consider cleaning supplies, I have some pretty strong criteria for judging the value of the product. I grew up with a decent array of cleaning supplies to learn to sterilize a kitchen and bathroom, make a mirror streak-free and reuse cloths. The truth is, when it comes to the reusable cleaning supplies, there are remarkably few products that I have found that need to be more than a cleaning rag to get the job done. In the kitchen, Brillo pads and the right type of sponge pretty much trump anything. So, when my wife picked up a Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth, I was a little skeptical. She got the Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth as part of a promotion and after two weeks of use, I am glad that we did not pay full price for them.

The Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth is not bad at all, but it is in no way exceptional or special enough to justify spending money upon it instead of just using any basic rag.

The Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth is roughly square at 11 3/8” long by 11” wide by 3/16" thick kitchen scrubbing Dish Cloth! This is a yellow Dish Cloth is smooth on one side and has a textured grid on the other side. The textured side is incredibly mild, with tiny dots of rubbery scrubbing dots that have shown no wear after about two weeks of daily use!

The Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloths are easy to use, but utterly unremarkable. The dish cloths are appropriately absorbent, much like virtually any dish rag. For basic cleaning around the house, the Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth seem to work at least as well as any old linen or basic sponge. The Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth, so long as it is damp, gets dirt and dust off virtually any surface without any issue.

The abrasive side of the Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth is mild and it lives up to its promise of not-scratching things like Teflon pots and pans, which is far better than the alternative. Unfortunately, by the time I added enough elbowgrease to get off baked on pieces of food, I was using at least as much effort as I would with any other basic cleaning cloth. The Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth has nothing on a decent dish sponge.

Ironically, the Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth has a very stiff tag on it that can actually scratch through dirt and I have some concern it might scratch non-stick surfaces (certainly more than the textured side of the cloth).

The Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth is exceptionally easy to clean. While it might keep from developing a smell rather easily simply by wringing it out after each use and hanging it so it might dry, the Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth may be washed in a clothes washer and dryer and it comes out clean, dry and ready to do cleaning work again! While an industrial setting might be tempted to purchase the Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbing Dish Cloth for a business's use, it seems disproportionately expensive for its value compared to simple rags or more effective scrubbing sponges.

For other kitchen product reviews, please visit my takes on:
Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge
Lysol Citrus Scent Dual Action Wipes
Finish Quantum Powerball

4/10

For other home and garden product reviews, please visit my Home And Garden Review Index Page for a concise listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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