Purely Products BlogResponsible Products for Responsible Living

As this NY Times article begins, Food scares, such as the latest salmonella outbreak and egg recall, often trigger a rethinking in cooking and shopping habits. Any kind of recall or universal food scare triggers a rethinking of our habits and sends us scurrying for fixes and remedies. For a while. Then, the scare moves out of the headlines, and how many of us slack off from our new clean and healthy living habits?  Too much trouble. Forgot to do it today. Just this once won’t hurt.

This full article on creating a clean kitchen, In the Age of Recalls, Tips for a Pathogen-Free Kitchen reminds us,  “This summer’s huge egg recall was the latest reminder that we do battle against dangerous pathogens like E. coli and salmonella in our kitchens every day. And the battle is expensive.”

Recently a nutritionist reviewed Pocket Purifer, the handheld UV germ-killer that kills 99.9% of germs that cause colds and flu, plus E. coli and salmonella, along with mold, fungus and MRSA (staph). Among several suggestions is using the right cutting board and keeping it sanitized.

“First a dietician, now a nutritionist, I used this product in the kitchen to sanitize the surface of my cutting board after cutting raw chicken and then switching to lettuce.”  

Ultraviolet light technology, a non-chemical approach to disinfection, is used in sewage treatment plants, hospital clean rooms and many other areas where killing bacteria, viruses and spores is crucial.

So how does UV light work?  UV-C light is germicidal,  deactivating the DNA of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens and thus destroying their ability to multiply and cause disease. Specifically, UV-C light causes damage to the nucleic acid of microorganisms, preventing the DNA from being unzipped for replication, and the organism is unable to reproduce. In fact, when the organism tries to replicate, it dies. A very satisfying thought for any chef.

After cleaning with your favorite eco-friendly cleaner, give those cutting boards and counters a once-over (15 -20 seconds over the surface at about a distance of 2-3 inches).  If you’re looking to green up your kitchen, cut down on your chemical exposure and keep your family healthier- this compact, lightweight, good-looking but deadly little germ-killer may be just the thing you want to pop in your kitchen drawer and pull out often.

We‘re looking for a few good foodies to try Pocket Purifier! Anyone game? DM us @purelyproducts and tell us what you think of kitchen germs.

As the economy pushes families to scrutinize household budgets even more intensely, mom’s influence has solidly increased  in all family purchases, according to a recent report from Experian Marketing Services reported on by Media Post News.  69% of moms report being  “the most influential person in the household when it comes to making purchase decisions.”

And from organic milk to free range chicken, the trend is moving swiftly from thinking green to buying green. “The growth trend toward green purchases among younger moms, at this point, is outpacing the 35-and-older mothers by at least 5% a year.” The report  attributes it, especially with moms under 35, to “more information available about the impact of green choices on children’s health.”

Bloggers this summer reviewing Pocket Purifier, the handheld germ-eliminating UV light  from Purely Products, just  in time for the back to school germ wars bore this out.

Real Moms Real Views asked,”Why would you not avoid getting sick if you could?  Well…TADA!  You  can! Did I ever test it out!  I used it on my keyboard, my toothbrush, the sponge, my puppy’s toys, my cell…everything I could think of. Now you can kill germs without chemicals, isn’t that very green chic!?”

Or as RealMommy365 explained, “I have a large family with 8 children and that means I’m in a constant war with germs. I love that the Pocket Purifier is chemical free and so would my followers. Most of my followers are similar to me in that they prefer more natural choices when it comes to their families.”

After disinfecting stuff at home, it was time to take it on the road! First stop, the food court at our local mall. While the hubby did the ordering, I whipped out my new “toy” and began to sanitize the table. I had quite a few stares from people wondering what I was doing with that cool light.“

We have more reviews from Moms, on the watch for their children’s health and well-being, on Purely Products’ Facebook page. Go there to hear it straight from the source – out of the mouths of moms.

What steps do you take to protect your children from germs? And more importantly, tell us -  would you be willing to zap a fast food table with a gizmo that looks like something out of Men in Black?

The inspiration for Purely Products was the fairly unglamorous mission to offer the very best and most affordable UV replacement bulbs on the market. Less than five years later, Purely UV is the leading national brand with the largest selection of 100% quartz  ultraviolet replacement bulbs and sleeves, all guaranteed to fit.

The Purely UV bulb (which comes in all shapes and sizes to fit most manufacturers’ bases) may not be glamorous or breathtaking or inspiring, but what that little bulb keeps cleaner and clearer definitely is.

As homeowners turn to “staycations” and invest in expanding their living spaces beyond their bricks & mortar walls, all kinds of water features – water gardens, waterfalls, naturalistic streams, fountains, lily and koi ponds –  have dominated  the must-have trends in landscaping and gardening over the past few years.  (Maybe another reason is the positive effects of  negative ions, generated by water gardens and waterfalls are proven to soothe soul and spirit. Kind of been a theme here lately. We’re just sayin’ … )

So now, for a little cooling summertime inspiration in this scorcher of a 2010 summer, here is a stunning tour of some gorgeous water gardens from a more temperate summer, courtesy of a self-described “17th century frugalista on a modern suburban homestead,” the Empress of Dirt.

So much for the inspiration. Now for the perspiration.  If you want some practical know-how on how-to build a water garden, read up on the basics  from a Purely UV customer, water garden guru, Trevor Cole with Across the Pond.

Send us a photo and your best story about building (or maintaining) your water garden by July 31, 2010  to patricia (at) purelyproducts (dot) com. We’ll post them. Best story gets two free Purely UV bulbs of your choice (because you need to replace your pond’s bulb at least once a year, right?).

Yep. Really. Clean and healthy probably aren’t words one typically uses to describe spring break. But when the Knoxville Ice Bears asked us to put together a prize for their Chuck-A-Puck giveaway, that’s precisely what we gave them: a clean and healthy spring break.

The Purely Cool Spring Break Package featured a Pocket Purifier™ hand-held germ eliminating light. Think about it… rest stop bathrooms, hotel TV remote controls, the stroller, running shoes, the backpack after the fast food floor spill. The Pocket Purifier kills 99.9 percent of germs in 15 seconds … even on spring break.

Then we threw in the SunMate™ hand held UV monitor to measure UV strength intensity. This helpful little ’mate’ will  take out the guess work on which SPF number sunscreen to use on sunny and cloudy days, when it may not look like UV rays can do any damage.

Finally, we made sure a clean and healthy spring break was possible from start to finish by tossing in the IonicLifestyle™ car negative ion generator. It plugs into the 12-volt outlet in your car to eliminate dust, pollen, smoke and fumes. Oh, and it also helps fight odors, which we figured might also be a problem in your car on spring break.

You might even say this little ionizer also helps fight “fights”, or at least helps keep things a bit calmer in the back seat. Negative ions can actually boost positive vibes … even if you’re stuck on the interstate.

The winning dad was thrilled that he was heading off with a carful of kids on a clean and healthy spring break. As for making them behave … well, we have our limitations.

What other ways can you think of that might make spring break clean and healthy? Drop them in the comments. The best idea gets an IonicLifestyle negative ion generator for your car for your clean and healthy spring break trip!

.

Say hello to Purely Products new Executive Vice President of Sales, Tony Pecoraro. You might not know his name, but you will know the national brand names he has helped to grow over the past thirty years– household names like Helen of Troy (Revlon, Bed Head, Vidal Sassoon Hair Care Appliances), Nordic Ware, Litton Microwave, Magic Chef, and  As Seen on TV, K-Tel.  Tony has enjoyed a thriving, successful, satisfying career and led his salesmen and companies to thrive, grow and contribute to the marketplace. In one of our first conversations, the question popped up, How did you get into sales? His ready answer was, Someone saw something in me.

The story he told sounded like the opening scenes of Tom Hank’s tribute film to the early 1960’s, That Thing You Do. As a teen-ager, Tony worked every Saturday as a delivery boy in Buffalo, New York for one of those long gone neighborhood mom and pop appliance stores.  One day, the owner, Don Pirson, told Tony his customers had been raving about the helpful, conscientious young man who delivered their appliance, set it up, patiently walked them through the manual and answered all their questions.

Don asked Tony to show up the following Saturday in a jacket and tie instead of jeans. It was time for Tony to learn more than just delivery. Also working in the store were five retired gentlemen – all salesmen – who just could not retire. Each had been successful in their respective fields, from utilities to furniture to stocks & bonds, with a lifetime education in sales and service to offer. These six gentlemen chose to take him under their wing. Tony listened, learned and modeled everything he saw – what serving a customer with excellence truly meant.

So instead of following a career after college in psychology (like all natural salesmen, people fascinate Tony), he pursued a career in sales, moving vertically through sales management positions for some of America’s best loved household brands into senior management.  Thirty years of serving his customers followed, just like when raving customers called Don Pirson about him, only now he was serving in a national and international arena.

Which is why coming to Purely Products was a next logical step. The founder and president preaches and lives the gospel of raving customers – customers who are madly in love with you because you served them well. Tony sees opportunity and the vision of this thriving eco-minded, consumer-demand driven company. He is excited about expanding and opening up new channels for Purely’s innovative clean and healthy living brand. 

However, Tony also saw something powerful in Purely’s heart to give back by helping children as part of its business model.  A percentage of all Purely Products’ sales support diaperLove™ a non-profit supplying diapers to children in need.  Tony sees the Purely paradigm as “the new American entrepreneurial spirit that unites strong business practices with social responsibility.” Again, it’s all about serving with excellence.

Twenty years into his career, Tony got the opportunity to go back to Buffalo and thank Don Pirson for seeing something in him and taking the time to help him develop natural gifts. The other five gentlemen who mentored him were no longer around to thank, but when asked, their names – Judd Rosengrant, Ellsworth Layer, Abbie Goldman, Eddie Wolmuth, George White – roll off his tongue as quickly as the names of friends he saw last week. Unforgettable, these six gentlemen from Buffalo. We thank them, too.

Tell us about someone who springs to mind who saw something in you.