**SIFO** UPDATE Amazon's Solimo Brand

UPDATED: Go to end of post for mew pics/items

You all know that I am an Amazon fanatic. I would like to stand on my moral high ground and hate them for the way they allegedly treat their employees and conduct internal business. I am too broke and carless to be that pious in my shopping habits. Therefore...

Have you noticed the Solimo brand of products while on Amazon? If not, you need to take a look.

I can't vouch for anything but the paper towels - which have disappeared off the face of the earth along with toilet tissue, baby wipes, and common sense. However, those paper towels were pretty good. I can't remember what they cost now, but I know that they had to have been cheaper than or about the same as what I usually buy (Viva and Bounty).

Looking at the customer ratings, most of the products get good marks. I will just show you some comparisons of common items I shop for. I took screenshots of the first Solimo brand items to come up un a heading (not sorted) and screenshots of other brands that came up first in the search ( sorted by the highest star rating).

For the coffee Kcups, there is quite a bit of difference. I am picky about my coffee but I might give Solimo a try after I read some reviews.

I would most definitely be willing to try the laundry detergent if I had a family to wash for.

These are just some of the things that I typically search and shop for. There are also sections for Baby, Vitamins, Pets, etc. If you are shopping for a family, check out the Value Pack section. It's a little like Costco-mini, I guess.

I was going to do shampoo/conditioner, bandaids, etc, but I got wiped out. You get the idea though. While it's more often true than not that you get what you pay for, cheaper alternatives can sometimes be worth it. I have not used name-brand bleach in forever. I also will usually get the store brand of dairy and bread. Every saved penny adds up. Eventually.

If I end up using any more Solimo items (that coffee might be the next thing), I will surely let you know how that works out.

Peace
--Free


P.S.: Speaking of coffee...There is a cheaper Kcup coffee that I tried a couple of years ago. I got it at Menards and couldn't find it anymore until recently when I spotted it on Amazon (of course). If you like Yuban (dark roast), this Founding Fathers French Roast is awesome. and 50 percent of the profits go toward supporting military families.

UPDATE:

It's been quite a while since I composed this post. Since then, I have tried the pantyliners from the Solimo brand. They are just as good as the Always brand (long length)  that I have preferred for such a long time but every now and then, I have a problem with them bunching up right after I put one in place.

The Solimo liners are the same length (and maybe an itty-bitty smidgen longer?) and they are most definitely sturdier, which I am loving. I like Always liners because the ones I use are thin and very comfortable. The Solimo liners are the same in that respect but they don't have the tendency to bunch up.

Here's the thing though: in comparing prices, the Solimo liners are $5.30 for the 68-count box of liners (at $0.08ea) against the $6.99 for the 108-ct box of Always liners (at $0.06ea). There is a $9.99 ($0.08ea) 120-ct box of Solimo long length liners that is cheaper than Always. Now that I know how much I like the Solimo brand liners, I will probably get those next time.

Since I like the non-bunch factor with the Solimo, they are a better buy for me. No use having more liners if I'm not happy with the way every last one of them fits.

**REVIEW** Eco Friendly Machine Washable Reusable Bamboo Towels

As with the milk powder I tried, this is another item that I am counting on to save waste and money.

That is a roll of Bamboo Towels - Heavy Duty Eco Friendly Machine Washable Reusable Bamboo Towels (my emphasis)

I was a little skeptical about these washable and reusable bamboo paper towels. Basically, I wondered if they would work without falling apart. I also wondered if they would really work as claimed.

My first test was to wet a towel and clean one of the kitchen counters. I used soap for the first wipe-down, then I used a spritz mix of alcohol and water. The towel held up really well. It didn't shred or leave any fuzz/residue on the surfaces.

The next test was to rinse the towel out with some soap and let it dry. I wanted to see if it retained its original strength and cleaning properties. It did.

At this point, I was feeling pretty impressed. I don't know how long these will last but I'm going to treat them exactly as the packaging suggests and update this review down the road. If they last longer than a month, that would be saving my use of at least 3 rolls of these Viva paper towels I have preferred - and which cost about $9.50 for 8 rolls (with 88 1-ply sheets per roll).

Here's a little more info about the reusable towel:

• There are 20 sheets of 11x12 perforated sheets to a roll.
• They are made of a sustainable "bamboo source" (made into a type of rayon material, apparently)
• For concerned folks, these aren't made of wood from "normal" trees.

What about the "rayon" in "bamboo rayon"?

Some Amazon reviewers noted that there is actual rayon in the product and when I checked my package, sure enough, there was a note about rayon.

 Did you see it? Me either. Until I squinted.

Now, I myself am not troubled by using rayon to clean items in my home. Also, for those who are concerned, I found an article that somewhat clarifies the issue of bamboo rayon fibers. What does bother me is that the rayon part seemed to be hidden. This is a copy/paste of the product description on the product page:

Our heavy-duty bamboo towels are stronger, more absorbent and durable than regular paper towels. They are made from sustainable certified organic bamboo source with each roll can save up to 60 conventional paper towel rolls and fits in your regular paper towel dispenser. These 11" x 12" perforated tear off sheets are machine washable and reusable up to 120 times before discarding. Use these bamboo towels just like how you normally use conventional paper towels. Hand or machine wash and air dry for best results and longer life. They are soft enough to be used on skin and tough enough to be used as shop towels, our bamboo towels can be used almost anywhere. Perfect for household cleaning, travel, car, bathroom, pets, camping, personal care, daycare and more. Unlike normal trees, bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, growing up to 3 feet or more day and is grown without pesticides, fertilizers or irrigation, making it an eco-friendly and sustainable choice over cotton and other plant materials. (emphasis mine)

The positives of bamboo and lack of certain items are played up but the rayon is not mentioned. That just seems sneaky. Notice the emphasis I made in showing the listed product name at the head of this post.

Care and Upkeep

Because these are reusable, I wasn't expecting them to be totally easy to care for, but I am glad I paid attention to the packaging. My instincts would be to toss them in a washer/dryer, then iron them. That would be wrong.

These are to be machine or hand washed but with no fabric softener. They must be air dried and not ironed. 

Bottom Line

PROS - 

• Softer and more pliable than I expected, making them great for cleaning and drying items
• The size is large enough that one is adequate for most cleaning
• They are quite absorbent and thick
• They are tough and don't tear or shred easily (at least not after my first use)
• Will replace a lot of traditional paper towels
• They rinse out well - even after wiping stain-like messes
• There isn't a lot of shrinkage after wetting or drying

Top - dry towel
Bottom - wet towel

CONS -

• They have to be air dried so need a place to hang
• The sort of hidden rayon issue bothers me

Honestly, I really like these a lot. I am going to mention to the seller that the note about the rayon shouldn't seem so hidden. At any rate, I will most likely purchase these in the future - maybe from another seller.

Peace

--Free