It’s been a long time since mealtimes left a ridiculous aftermath that looked something like this…

These days, Calvin just ends up getting peas, eggs, chicken, and whatever else is for dinner inside his belly, but there’s usually a few casualties on the table, chair, and of course, the floor.

Thank goodness for vacuum cleaners and all the other modern day inventions that make domestic life a little easier.

Thank goodness for our new smart seat chair protector.

Raves:

It’s machine-washable, and usually, stains wipe up easily with only a damp washcloth.  Essentially, it’s stain-resistant and waterproof.  The smart seat attaches/unattaches easily to a variety of dining chair types and sizes with hook-and-loop closures on the straps.

It’s easy on/off to save my furniture and help with clean-up.

The seat cover is available in sandstone and midnight blue (shown in the

photo).

Room for improvement:

I’d love to see a greater variety of seat cover fabric options in fun prints (such as Amy Butler or Ikea).

The Smart Seat retails for $19.99, and it’s available for purchase on www.smartseatdiningchaircovers.com. Special deals and offers are exclusive to their Facebook page.

When meal time is over and it’s time to load the dishwasher (one of the greatest inventions of all time), my son eagerly assists.  His favorite part of the task is adding the dishwashing powder, then clicking the cover over the powder, shutting the dishwasher door, and turning it on.

Since I first learned that many brands of dishwashing soap also contain chlorine (notice that pungent smell when the soap gets hot?), perfumes, and dyes, I tried using “green” brands.

Most of the green brands were weak.  They didn’t cut the grease, and they left me twice as much work scraping and cleaning dishes after a cycle in the dishwasher–major fail.

I was about to throw in the towel on green dishwashing soaps when EcoStore asked me to try a couple of their products.

What did I have to lose, but more elbow grease? I opted to test drive the auto dish  powder, and the results were impressive.

Yes, impressive.

Raves:

Green dish washing powder that actually got my dishes clean. Consistently clean. As in, I didn’t have to do a pre-wash, a post-wash and scrub.

EcoStore’s super concentrated auto dish powder saved me time, saved water, and it made me a much more pleasant mommy.  1 Tablespoon of dish powder cleaned an entire load of dishes–so that $8.50 for a container stretches for a long time.

The dishwashing powder uses plant-based surfactants and mineral salts for extra cleaning and scrubbing power.  The natural citrus oil gives it a great scent.

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When I was using other green brands of dish washing powder, I had to get my hands wet and use a concentrated dish soap.  Additionally, when I wash my hands in between working with patients (close to 30 times a day), it definitely creates wear and tear on my skin.

EcoStore’s baby moisturizer doesn’t have any petroleum-based products, perfumes, or harsh chemicals that would make me avoid applying it to a baby.  It’s been a life-saver for me recovering dry and chapped hands from constant hand-washing.  The plant-based oils and butters are soothing and completely beneficial.

For $8.50, you get an 8 fluid ounce bottle that lasts a very long time.

Room for improvement:

My only gripe is that it’s only available online in Virginia–I wish I could run over to the Blue Ridge Eco Store and pick it up or have Retail Relay deliver EcoStore products to me, but one must plan in advance and order more dishwashing powder through EcoStoreUSA before running out.  Or else, you’ll end up buying another green brand to tie you over until the EcoStore dishwashing powder arrives in your mail box, and you’ll be grumbling under your breath every time you unload those dishes with caked on scum and spots. Not that this has EVER happened to me.

If you live in Michigan, you can find EcoStore products in select Meijer and Duane Reade stores, otherwise, purchase them online.

*I received a smart seat chair protector, dishwashing powder, and baby moisturizer for the purpose of this review.  Read my full disclosure policy.