Activeion Ionator HOM Giveaway – Chemical-Free Cleaning & Sanitizing Tool

25. January 2010 · 411 comments · Categories: Contest, Product Review · Tags: , , ,

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I test a lot of unusual stuff at dkM.  Most of these are things I’m hoping will help us to live more chemical-free lives.  Some of these things work and others don’t.  When I was asked to review the Activeion Ionator HOM, a futuristic spray-bottle gadget that claims to clean and even gill germs with mere tap water, I’ll admit to healthy feelings of skepticism.  So it was with a sense of doubt that I filled my Activeion with plain old tap water for the first time.

The Activeion, a souped-up battery-powered spray bottle, ionizes plain tap water as you spray.  The temporarily ionized water becomes aerated and supercharged allowing it to clean as well as a general all-purpose household cleaner, as the instruction sheet told me.  Better yet, it’s said to kill germs and bacteria, sanitizing surfaces, even killing  viruses.  In fact, an independent  third-party lab certified that the microbiology testing met the Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) standard.  The tests concluded the Activeion Ionator HOM completely inactivates the H1N1  virus when used as directed. 

After charging my Activeion for a couple of hours I was ready to roll.  The first thing I cleaned was my kitchen faucet, which I know very well never shines when I wipe it with plain old tap water.  I sprayed and wiped quickly.  It shone.  Huh.  Afraid of coincidence or a too-hopefull attitude, I sprayed and wiped the hallway mirrors which I usually clean with vinegar water.  The fine mist of the Activeion wiped off quickly, removing my son’s mouth and nose prints easily.  No streaks either.  Okay, but the stove.  Surely it won’t clean MY stovetop, my snow-white stovetop which gets lentil soup splatters and baked-on veggie goop that only comes up with baking soda, vinegar, and elbow grease.  Yet again, the wondrous electric spray bottle on steroids cleaned it.

At that point I began to build chemical-free mommy enthusiasm, and over the course of the following two weeks I cleaned with reckless abandon.  We all did.  Even my 3 1/2 year old son sprayed the kitchen floor for me as I wiped away.  My  two parrot cages got cleaned using only tap water run through the Activeion; it was a much easier cleaning process, and safe.  Each parrot enjoyed a spray-down from the ionized water as well, since the Activeion is so safe it requires no warning label of any kind.  

I can’t clearly explain all the science behind why the Activeion works and why hospitals and swanky hotels have been cleaning with similar but larger units for years.  But my science- and engineer-brained husband assures me the principles are sound.  (Bill Nye the Science Guy will explain it to you in the video below.)

I’m totally hooked on this little gadget and have since used it instead of my beloved vinegar water spray bottle, no easy feat as my regular readers can imagine.  Although I don’t have a lab to properly test things like germ killing and sanitation, I’m happily giving this one my stamp of approval.  Proving that tap water can be converted into a safe and effective cleaning tool is no easy feat.  It’s definitely an issue of “you’ve got to see it to believe it”.  So the people of Activeion would like to give away one of their Activeion Ionator HOM units to one very lucky dkM reader!  ($169 retail.)  

Rules for entry are below the Bill Nye the Science Guy video.

Multiple Options for Multiple Entries:

1.) Just visit Activeion and tell me what else you learned there! (***You may enter once a day, but please list a new item you like each time.) Remember, leave an interesting comment. If I cannot contact the winner, you might be chosen instead based on your comment.

2.) Blog about, Twitter, Subscribe and/or Become a Fan on Facebook! Get an extra entry for each of these activities.  This time just leave a separate comment for each (only one time for each extra activity completed), giving me a link to your blog post, your Twitter name, and/or a note saying you’re an FB Fan and/or subscriber.  SUBSCRIBE HERE!  

(Psst!  My Twitter name is dkMommy.)

Feel free to do all five to gather multiple entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Monday, February 1, 2010, to enter.

Cleaning Your Wood Floors Naturally

31. March 2008 · 11 comments · Categories: Cleaning, Money Saving Tips · Tags: , , , , ,

884426_window_light.jpgYou know I like tea. Herbal teas are fantastic for what ails you or just as a comfort. Green tea is a great antioxidant and disease preventative. But what if I told you not to drink your tea? Today my tea advice to you is: Dump it on the floor! That’s right – a safe and natural way to clean your wood floors is with regular black tea. Tannic acid does wonders for wood. Again, this is a cheap, safe, and natural solution that allows you to rid your cupboards of one or two more cleanser bottles.

Here’s what you do: Just boil a quart of water and steep one or two tea bags until the water cools to room temperature. Take out the tea bags and use a soft cloth to dip in the tea. Wring out the cloth well, then wipe down the floors. Replace the cloth once it gets dirty.

Not only will your floors be nice and clean, you’ll also be gently covering some of those little imperfections and Hot Wheels scratches. Now when your two-year-old decides to lick the floor (simply for experimental purposes, mind you), you won’t have to worry about the dirt – or the chemicals.

Cleaning Your Kitchen Naturally

28. March 2008 · 2 comments · Categories: Cleaning, Money Saving Tips · Tags: , , ,


If you want that kitchen sparkling but you don’t want the cabinet under your sink to look like the mad scientist’s laboratory, ditch those nasty bottles of harmful cleansers and replace them with these safe and, might I add, cheap items!

Smelly cutting board? Wet it down and rub a little dry mustard on it. Let it sit a couple minutes and rinse. To disinfect, I keep an old dish soap bottle handy with 1/2 water, 1/2 white vinegar. I squirt some on the board, scrub, and rinse. (This is also a great cleanser for fruits and veggies instead of the costly Fit. One of you blogged about it and now I can’t remember who! Come forward and I’ll give you due credit – it was a great tip.)

Gas Stove Tops: For a great nonabrasive clean, remove your burners and sprinkle on some baking soda. Mist the stove top with vinegar and water. (I use 1/2 and 1/2). With a damp cloth, scrub away the crud, rinse the cloth, and wipe away the baking soda. This is one of my favorite natural cleaning tips – it will outdo any of those expensive cleaners!

Dishwasher Odors: Sprinkle some borax in your dishwasher, particularly in the bottom. Leave it overnight and wipe it away in the morning with a damp cloth. Let the next load of dishes do the rest of the cleaning.

Ways to clean your kitchen naturally, as well as the rest of your house, abound. If you try a natural solution and it doesn’t work for you, don’t give up. I’ve tried and tested many, many solutions and thrown more out the window than I’ve kept. But I’m always pleasantly surprised to find something natural that’s more effective than the usual expensive store-bought solutions. It becomes a fulfilling challenge. The best part? You feel more self-sufficient and you know you’ve got a safe, true clean in your house!