Manufacturers Where Are the Refills?

I share a frustration with a lot of consumers. Reluctantly I buy a lot of mops to clean my floors. When it's time to replace the sponge head, I can never find my present mop's refills anywhere. It sucks to have to buy a whole new mop when all I need is its replacement sponge. Talk about waste in a throw away society!

Presently I have a Quickie mop. I bought the brand from the drugstore that is a stone’s throw away from my Manhattan apartment. The drugstore no longer sells the mops or its refills. Home Depot has refills for Quickie mops, but not for my model.

I don’t think it’s an accident either. A Google inquiry confirms my suspicions. We can’t get the replacement sponges for our mops frequently due to a business practice called build-in-obsolescience. Manufactures often make subtle changes to the the design rendering older refills obsolete. I’m far from a conspiracy theorist, and I’m chill about many things in everyday life, but I know I’m not imagining this practice as there’s an official name for it!

As long as I’m on a pet peeve roll, allow me to ask, why do mops and a few other tools and devises have to use unique connection systems that only fit the exact model they are designed for? Logically they don’t! There’s absolutely no practical reason except to increase revenue that some very common things everybody owns such as mops, plastic storage carts, or even Apple iPhones can't standardize their replacement parts, for examples, sponge heads (for mops) wheels (for plastic storage carts) or charging plugs (for iPhones) giving customers universal use for newer models especially within the same brands! It’s insane that every damn newer version of a tool or devise uses its own unique size of connection parts!

Of course a short-term solution is to buy extra refills for future use (urrr, accept and give the manufacturer the money). Another course of action is to look for generic knockoffs (i.e., pay a copycat competor). 

Still, what else can consumers do? Let’s start with mops, shall we? Have you found a mop brand that you’ve been able to get the sponge refills for year after year? If so, it’d surely be my next mop because I’ve had it!😠😡

You may also enjoy:

5 Popular Things I Hate

5 Things I Hate Doing

My Kitchen Ide Too List

When Time Marches On Without Us

Almay Color & Care Tint Stick, Lip & Blush Stick

Almay  Color & Care Tint Stick is new! Nowadays I buy new makeup super mindfully, but these multi purpose sticks are right up my alley. While there’s nothing wrong with experimenting and creating new looks, I always return to simply trying to look like my best self, so cosmetics designed to enhance our natural beauty always call my name. What’s more I’m always tempting by thick multi-tasking sticks that act as both check and lip color. 

Alway claims its Color & Care Tints work with the skin to provide the perfect natural shade with a dewy finish. The stick gives checks and lips a natural flush of color and glow by working with your skin’s PH balance. Formulated for sensitive skin, the multi-tasking stick is smooth and moisturizing to the skin. 

Equally important, the Almay Color & Care Tint Stick has real staying power so you don’t have to reapply it throughout the day. The tint is also buildable.

Since I don’t carry a lot of makeup when leaving home, I love carrying a richly pigmented big multi-stick for both cheeks and lips in a purse! When sticking to natural colors, I don’t have to carry a mirror to reapply it to my lips!

Years ago, consumers had to spend $40 for a similar multi-tasker by NARS called the Multiple that we also had to reapply throughout the day. Not anymore! The Almay Color & Care Tint Stick comes in 5 natural hues. Cost: An affordable $10. Right up my alley! How about you?

You may also enjoy:

Clinique’s BlackHoney Dupes

Discover Nude Envie Cosmetics

IMGN By IMAGINE Dermatology

5 Tips For Buying A Tennis Bracelet On A Budget

Supermarket Plastic Produce Bags Rock

Let's discuss a bag equally as valuable and practical as a fine leather bag, namely a supermarket plastic produce bag! I’ll explain. 

Dispite buying a few sizes of Ziploc bags, I find supermarket plastic produce bags much more versatile, flexible, and useful for both storage and holding smaller quantities of food one needs to contain before dropping them into the trash. In Manhattan we put garbage down a compacter, as well as, separating it for recycling bins.

I try to be as neat as possible for the benefit of our maintenance men. Food scrapes and toiletries I can fit easily into these bags’ wide opening, and I tie the opening in a Boy Scout knot to close and leak proof it as it goes down the chute. 

What’s more, supermarket plastic produce bags are idea to separate articles that need to be stored away. Plastic produce bags are both strong and thin, taking up no additional space. Christmas decorations can be organized before going into drawers or huge Tupperware containers. What makes  these bags so perfect is again their wide opening, plus you can see your contents to know exactly what’s inside when you go to retrieve your items.

I have also used these plastic bags to enclose liquids such as suntan lotion, face creams, shampoos and conditioners before packing them into a suitcase or on a shelf at home when I fear a liquid could leak. The mess stays inside the bag without leaking on a shelf or inside a suitcase. 

After I arrive at my destination, I place dirty clothes in these bags, as well as, shoes so they won’t touch my clean clothes inside my suitcase.

At home I put raw beef and chicken inside supermarket plastic produce bags to first store them in my freezer, then to defrost the meats in my refrigerator.

If you are without containers to store flour and sugar, you can enclose them inside these plastic produce bags,  the tops secured with our trusty Boy Scout knot. Residual flour and sugar from their packaging ends up inside the plastic bags not inside your cupboards to clean.

They work so well to store all kinds of goods! I highly recommend repurposing your plastic produce bags that you bring home from the supermarket once you remove your produce. Think free storeage plastic bags. Not too big or too small but just the right size for so many jobs! Plastic produce bags never seem to develop holes from their travel home from the supermarket! Don’t toss them out as garbage, re-use them for garbage or storage bags. Personally, I don’t buy as many Ziploc bags as I once did.

Moreover, if you need more plastic produce bags than you carry home from the supermarket, you can buy them from Walmart, Amazon or ReStockIt. Who knew?

You may also enjoy:

My 5 Key Organizing Tips

What Can You Do For Earth Day?

It Pays To Give Old Things A New Life

Dry Food Storage Containers & Cookie Jars

The Honey Deuce

Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

In September there’s a lot of talk about a mixed drink called the Honey Deuce, the official cocktail of the US Open. Created by mixologist Nick Mautone in 2006 and featured in Grey Goose’s cookbook, it features 3 fresh honeydew melon balls to represent tennis balls. At the US Open this year, it costs: $23. Drinking is expensive, no doubt about it.

Here’s how to make the cocktail at home:

The Honey Deuce

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces vodka - the US Open uses Grey Goose
3 ounces lemonade - A simple lemonade recipe combines lemon juice, simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) and water.
1/2 ounce raspberry liqueur - the US open uses Chambord
3 honeydew melon balls, for garnish

If making cocktails for a crowd, mix the following larger quantities in a pitcher:

16 ounces vodka, 32 ounces fresh lemonade, 8 ounces raspberry liqueur.

Directions:

1) Fill a tall glass with ice.

2) Add the vodka, lemonade and respberry liqueur. 

3) Stir to mix.

4) Make 3 honeydew balls with a melon baller.

5) Place the balls across the top of the glass. The US Open threads the melons on a skewer.

This is a tasty drink even I (who usually skips mixed drinks for a simple glass of red wine paired with food) finds refreshing probably because during the summer, I drink water flavored with raspberry lemonade water enhancer, the only variety I think has much flavor.

So if you never drink alcohol, a raspberry lemonade flavor enhancer added to a glass of icy water is super refreshing too. Bottles up -- or in this case glasses up ... to your lips!

You might also enjoy:

A Well-Stocked Bar

Intense Orange Julius

Let's Plan A Wine Party

Emeril’s Virgin Or Bloody Mary

Demantoid Versus Tsavorite Garnets

Demantoid Garnets

Tsavorite Garnets

 Photos: jupitergem.com

Did you know that Mother Earth makes 2 types of green garnets? Demantoid garnets were originally found in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1851 and Tsavorite garnets were later discovered in East Africa in 1967.  

Demantoid - Wikipedia

A demantoid Ca3Fe2(SiO4)3 is an andradite garnet while a tsavorite Ca3Al2Si3O12 is a grossular garnet.

Tsavorite is a rich, deep green like emeralds. Its color is derived from chromium and vanadium. A yellow tint from ferric iron is more characteristic of demantoid garnets.

A demantoid garnet has a higher dispersion and refractive index than a tsavorite garnet, giving it more fire*, brilliance* or sparkle.

A tsavorite garnet is harder, registering 7 - 7.5 on Mohs Hardness Scale compared to the softer demantoid garnet at 6.5 - 7.

While both are rare mineral gemstones, high-quality demantoids (from Russia) are often considered the standard for green garnets and are highly sought after for their intense sparkle and rare horsetail inclusions. These inclusions are feathery golden threads of chrysotile that curve to resemble the tail of a horse. 

Tsavorite

Tsavorites are valued for their vibrant green hues and durability. Tsavorites are brighter and cleaner (meaning they have fewer inclusions) than emeralds.

Here’s an informative link to compare the value and desirability of all 3 green gemstones. If you covet an emerald for less money, a green garnet is worth considering.

At Tiffany and Co, I remember seeing demantoid garnets in a showcase that were yellow tinted and sparkled like crazy. Tiffany is known for its top of the line colored gemstones. Once again, we have to marvel at the spectacular beauty and versatility of Mother Nature!

 

₊˚💎𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ 💚 ‧₊˚ 💠 𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦  🟢 ₊˚ 💎𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ₊˚

Lesson Time: *Gemstone brilliance is the overall white light reflection from a gemstone, contributing to its brightness and liveliness, while fire is the dispersion of white light into rainbow-colored flashes, created by the gemstone’s (especially a diamond’s) internal refraction. Both are key components of a gemstone's "sparkle," but brilliance is about the amount of white light returned, and fire is about the colorful light shows that occur. This is especially key when determining the value of diamonds. Colored gemstones sparkle far less than diamonds. Color is their most important factor.

You may also enjoy:

Cabochon Cut Gemstones

About The Clarity Of Colored Gemstones

Blue Diamonds Hold The Earth’s Secrets

What Gives Fancy Diamonds And Gemstones Their Colors?