BillyKnowsBest

The Best Laundry Softener/Fragrance: Good Home Co. Pure Grass

My mother has many talents and strengths, but cooking and cleaning aren't among them.  Still, she tries, and appreciates a good laundry product as much as anyone.  She fell in love with the Good Home Co. Pure Grass Laundry Fragrance, but could not bring herself to pay the steep price ($25).  Yes, if you compare it to Downy or Snuggle it's mighty expensive, but on a per-wash basis, it's an affordable luxury, and it is natural, biodegradable and not animal tested.  So she got it for Mother's Day... because the mother of the son who knows best, deserves the best.  Skip the 32oz glass bottle, and go for the  64oz "refill."  And get free shipping when you order it from drugstore.com/beauty.com , where you can shop both stores with a combined checkout.  Other fragrances include Lavender, Paris Rain, Beach Days and Italian Citrus, but Pure Grass is our favorite.

The Best Surge Protector for Your Computer:APC Power Saving Essential SurgeArrest

My college buddy David Pogue wrote about this in today's New York Times.  The APC Power-Saving Essential SurgeArrest is a surge protector that also detects how much current your computer is drawing, so that when the computer is shut down, it cuts off power to three plugged-in peripherals that would otherwise continue to suck and waste power.  For those of you... um, us too lazy to reach down and flip the switch on our surge protectors to shut off our external hard drives, cable modems, printers and whatever else, this is the perfect solution.  It's in stock, and low-priced at PC Connection for $23.58.

The Best Bottled Water: Fiji?

With all the hoopla recently about many bottled waters coming from tap water, it would be easy to frame this question around the various qualities of bottled waters: mineral content, taste and purity.  And the people at Fiji have done a great job at making their case for how pure and healthy their artesian water is.  And while it may be the purest water on earth, coming from a remote source untouched by humans or even air, that completely evades the issue of the environmental damage in every bottle of Fiji water.  How do we justify the fossil fuel required to bottle that pure water, ship it across the pacific ocean and truck it to you? We can't.  The simple truth is that for almost everyone, tap water right out of the tap is safe, healthy and pure enough.  And if it isn't, a simple water filter can make it so. 

The best bottled water is the kind you make yourself with a refillable bottle, and tap water. It's a recipe that will save you money and save the environment from the needless waste of shipping water across an ocean.  I recommend Nalgene bottles for big gulpers, and the Oxo LiquiSeal Travel Mug for convenience and temperature control.  Check out  RefillNotLandfill.org for more information on the environmental costs of bottled water.

The Baggu Reusable Bag

Back when I was a travel writer, I got burned really badly writing about a hotel that hadn't quite opened yet, and never did.  Since then, I've really tried to avoid proleptic recommendations.  That said, I'm too excited about the Baggu to wait for it's release (though I promise to report on mine as soon as they arrive.)  I've been concerned about the environment almost as long as I've been an avid consumer.  As a pre-teen, I used to separate our cans and bottles and have my mom drive me to the municipal dump, where they were accepted for recycling.  And as much as I'm a fan of recycling, I'm an even bigger fan of re-use.  So I usually carry my own bags when I go to the market, but I'm often without one when I find myself on an unplanned shopping trip.  This dilemma was solved by the mother-daughter team who developed Baggu, a "super strong rip-stop nylon (holds 25 lbs)" bag that "holds the contents of 2 to 3 plastic grocery bags" whose "handles are the perfect length: you can hold them in your hand, on your forearm, or over your shoulder... they are light (2 oz) and compactible. They fold into a flat 5 by 5 inch pouch that easily slips in a purse or pocket."  I can't wait for the mid-august shipment date!  If you can't either, pre-order yours today at baggubag.com.

Fully Recyclable Furniture: Carboard Designs

I'm very tempted to put one of these in my new apartment. Cardboard Designs makes environmentally-friendly, stylish and affordable furniture and home accessories from durable, recycled honeycomb hardboard.  The ZenTable is only $105 at cardboardesigns.com.

The Best Dusting and Polishing Cloth: Brawny Microfiber Cloth

The Brawny microfiber cloth is particularly plush (and inexpensive).  It is great for dry dusting, and because it's so thick, for polishing irregularly shaped items with tight corners. It's also well suited for use with cleaning products and polishing creams for silver and other metals.  Just $2.99 at drugstore.com.

The Best Streak-free Cleaning Cloth for Glass, Mirror and Stainless Steel: Mystic Maid

My friend Liz and I share a penchant for eco-friendly cleaning products and an aversion to greasy fingerprints and streaky windows.  She swears by the Mystic Maid Original Microfiber Cleaning Cloth, using them with plain water to clean up after her three boys... I mean, her two boys and husband. Either way, it's six grubby hands.  Because these microfiber cloths are easily wrung out, they're particularly good for cleaning stainless steel, glass and mirrors, leaving them clean and streak free.  And while they're expensive ($14 including shipping when ordered from Mystic Maid), they quickly pay for themselves in what you save on cleaning sprays.  Just toss them in the washer to clean; they'll last for years.  (Oh, and Liz told me to remind you to never use fabric softener when you wash them.) Get a set of five for $49.95 from Organize.com.   If you find a few more items to feed your cleaning frenzy on their site, use coupon code A9639 to save 10% on orders over $100.

The Best Wood Floor Cleaner: Bona X Swedish MicroPlus Hardwood Floor Cleaner

This non-toxic cleaner and microfiber mop head keeps polyurethane-finished and factory pre-finished wood floors shining without any sticky residue or buildup.  Simply spray the cleaner on the floor and wipe with the microfiber mop. When you're done, pull the cleaning pad off the mop (velcro makes that simple) and toss it in your washer.  The starter kit includes the mop, microfiber mop head and a 32oz spray bottle of cleaning solution. It's regularly $26.50 from 1877Floorguy.com, but is on sale for a limited time for just $19.50. 

The Safer Pantry Pest Trap

This morning, I discovered a flour moth flying around my cereal boxes.  Now, if you've never had an Indian Meal Moth infestation before, you wouldn't be bothered by a single moth.  But if you've ever opened a box of cereal or flour or pasta and found it sticking to the carton in a mass of fine webs, you know the havoc that these voracious pests can wreak.  While some insect infestations are  tough battles to win (those of you living with cockroaches in New York City know that), this one is easy to control.  The Safer Pantry Pest Trap uses a pheromone lure inside a sticky box to attract and trap moths.  It's simple and easy - simply put the box on the shelf.  No fuss, no muss, no harmful pesticide spraying and no more moths. Available at many hardware/garden stores, or on sale two for  $6.30 directly from Saferbrand.com.

The Toilet Lid Sink

My friends Bill & Liz have a great old house in Oakland, CA. The kitchen bathroom was installed in (literally!) a closet, so there was only room for a toilet or a sink, not both. This ingenious product solved that dilemma. The Toilet Lid Sink refills the toilet tank by flowing the fresh water (yes, it's right from the pipe) through a sink faucet and bowl atop a lid that replaces your regular lid.  A built in soap dish holds the soap, and the water flow lasts as long as it takes the toilet to fill. Saves space and water, and turns your commode into a very unusual conversation piece.

$89 from GAIAM