The National Academy of Sciences report that the water that millions of Americans drink to quench their thirst, is making them sick. Its hard to believe that the water that flows through our tap over much of America, is contaminated. Though the density and levels of contamination may vary from place to place.

As per the analysis by The Environmental Working Group, there are around 300 pollutants present in the water that we drink. Water that is provided to our houses contain large amounts of chemicals like arsenic, or some deadly radioactive substances like Uranium. Various other contaminants like fuel additives, illegal and prescription drugs are also present in the water supply. Even dangerous bacteria, mostly found in sewage, can be present in our drinking water.

There have been many confirmed outbreaks of waterborne diseases like Cholera, Typhoid and other gastrointestinal diseases, that not only make Americans sick but few of them die due to severe health complications. As per the research, even bottled water can no longer be considered to be safe, as 40% of bottled water is filled from tap water somewhere. One can no longer ignore the fact that protecting our lives is in our own hands. For more information, view this guide from the National Academy of Sciences.

The only way to protect ourselves is to filter our drinking water. One gets confused regarding the selection of water filters, as there are various types and varieties of water filters available in the market.

Trust me! its really difficult to decide which one to buy? Many questions come to our mind like which one is the right one for my home? or whether water will be safe enough to drink? or whether all the contamination will be removed or not after filtering? That’s where friendsofwater.com come to our rescue.

Friendsofwater.com is a family run website and an online store as well. They provide us various information on several water related issues like the risks related to drinking contaminated water, precautions one need to take regarding our health and several tips to lookout for signs and symptoms of various waterborne diseases. The best part about them is they also send health care professionals to our homes, who help us understand issues regarding health, identifying symptoms of various waterborne diseases and various precautions, one needs to take. They help us recognize the need for filtering water and keeping diseases at bay.

The people at friendsofwater.com offer a variety of water filters, such as the fluoride water filters, for you to choose. One can select the most suitable, from the wide variety range.

ShopSmart Poll:
* Only 7% of Women Hate Cleaning Their Homes;
* Spend Five Hours per Week Cleaning

According to a new poll featured in the May 2009 issue of ShopSmart, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, women spend an average of five hours per week cleaning their homes. Surprisingly, only seven percent said that they hate cleaning their home, while 25% said that they love cleaning or find it relaxing.

The poll also found that vacuuming is by far the preferred cleaning task for women (41%), while cleaning the shower or tub (26%) and toilets (25%) were the tasks disliked the most.

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Conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, the household cleaning habits poll is part of ShopSmart’s feature on making cleaning easier and saving consumers’ money, which includes a list of the best household cleaners; a roundup of cleaners to avoid; cleaning safety advice; top reader tips; and a guide to tackling the toughest jobs.

“We were surprised to find that women actually like to clean their homes, some even finding it relaxing!” said Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart. “Our guide will help make cleaning easier and cheaper by showing women which key items they need to purchase and the ones to avoid.”

BEST Household Cleaners

All-Purpose — Ammonia is an inexpensive good all-around cleaner.

Bathroom — Comet Scratch Free Disinfectant with Bleach is the top rated shower scum buster.

Windows — Windex No Drip works on indoor and outdoor grime.

Dishes — Dawn Direct Foam got the best results in dirty-plate tests.

Metal & Floors — For the best results, pick a product designed for the particular surface.

What NOT to Buy
Antibacterial cleaners — Overuse can result in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Drain cleaners — These can damage skin, eyes, lungs and septic tanks, use a Master Plunger instead.

Furniture polish — New furniture is sealed at the factory, making polish unnecessary.

Toilet-bowl cleaners — All-purpose cleaner gets the job done instead.

Oven cleaners — Chemicals are corrosive; use nonabrasive nylon scrubbing pads and baking soda, add salt for tough stains.

Who Does the Dirty Work?
Eighty-three percent of married* women said they do the majority of the cleaning in their household. However, 56% indicated that their spouse or significant other also helps with the cleaning.
Thirty-seven percent of married* women said that they have arguments about cleaning the house.
Over a quarter of women (26%) said that the amount of cleaning their spouse is doing is declining.

What are you Purchasing?
On average, women typically use five products to clean their homes.
Over one-third (37%) of women are purchasing more environmentally friendly cleaning products than last year, while 13% admit they are buying less.

Coming Clean
Thirty-six percent have made areas off-limits to guests because the rooms weren’t clean.
Three quarters (75%) of respondents said their home is as clean or cleaner than the one they grew up in.
* Married includes single, but living as married.

ShopSmart’s Nine Cleaning Tools For Getting At Every Crevice

• Feather duster for cleaning knickknacks, photo frames, and other lightweight objects.
• White cotton gloves for cleaning chandeliers and between the slats of Venetian blinds.
• Disposable Swiffer cloths for cleaning dust magnets like computer and TV screens, all kinds of hard surfaces like tabletops and floors, and even car dashboards. Keep one in your car and do a quick swipe when you’re at a stoplight.
• Scrub brush with a handle for miscellaneous cleaning tasks.
• Microfiber cloth for catching and holding dust.
• Cotton swabs to get into tiny crevices in plastic bath mats, silver, and other small, hard-to-reach spots.
• Tile grout brushes with a single row of stiff bristles for scrubbing between ceramic tiles. Toothbrushes also do the job.
• Lint-free dust cloths made of 100 percent cotton for cleaning easily scratched items; other fabrics used as rags can create lint and are abrasive.
• Lambswool Dusters or dust mops for wiping large surfaces, even walls, to pick up dust and cobwebs. The head can be removed and washed. Or save a few bucks and make a dust mop by wrapping an old cotton rag around the end of a broomstick.

ShopSmart Brand Loyalty Poll Methodology
The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a telephone survey of a nationally representative probability sample of telephone households. 1,008 interviews were completed among women aged 18+. Interviewing took place over December 18-21, 2008. The margin of error is +/- 3.2% points at a 95% confidence level.

About ShopSmart magazine:
Launched in Fall 2006 by Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, ShopSmart draws upon Consumer Reports’ celebrated tradition of accepting no advertisements and providing unbiased product reviews. The magazine features product reviews, shopping tips on how to get the most out of products and “best of the best” lists. ShopSmart is ideal for busy shoppers who place a premium on time. ShopSmart has a newsstand price of $4.99 and is available nationwide at major retailers including Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, Borders, Kroger, Safeway and Publix.

If you’re looking for green products for your home or business, only one flooring option available on the market today comes from a renewable resource – wood flooring. Trees are a raw material that can be harvested and replanted to replenish forests time and time again. In fact, not only are trees a renewable resource, but there actually are more trees in existence today in the United States than there were 50 years ago.

The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service conducts annual studies of U.S. forests and reports that average annual net growth for hardwoods is greater than average annual removals for hardwood. They report that the average growth to removal ratio is 1.66, which means that for every cubic foot of hardwood that is harvested each year, 1.66 cubic feet is replanted in its place. This means that U.S. forest volume is growing by more than 50% every year.

Obviously, forests are being replenished at a rate greater than they are being harvested, making wood, and wood flooring, a renewable resource and an obvious choice for environmentally conscious consumers. To learn more about the benefits of wood flooring, visit the National Wood Flooring Association’s web site at www.woodfloors.org.

The NWFA is a not-for-profit trade organization of more than 4,000 wood flooring professionals working worldwide to educate consumers, architects, designers, and builders in the uses and benefits of wood flooring. The NWFA can be contacted at 111 Chesterfield Industrial Blvd., Chesterfield, MO 63005, or at 800-422-4556 (USA), 800-848-8824 (Canada), or 636-519-9663 (local and international).

Microscopic insects called dust mites are the leading cause of indoor allergies. The other primary offenders cited in the arena of indoor allergens are pet dander and dust mold. Dust mites are microscopic arachnids that feed on dead skin. They infest beds and carpets by the tens of millions. There can be as many as 1000 mites in one gram of dust. In an article written by Jay DeFoore titled “Is your dorm room making you sick?”, doctors say one in five college students suffer from allergies, and many do not know it. Poor circulation, cramped quarters and dirty carpet can diminish a student’s health and efficiency at school or work.

Imagine this when slipping into your bed tonight, a typical mattress is reported to have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million dust mites in it. If your comfortable pillow is at least two years old or more, 10% of its weight is more than likely composed of dead mites and fecal droppings.

Think of every movement during sweet slumber, you stir up a tiny cloud of mites.

We recommend (according to dust mites.org) washing your bed sheets weekly in extremely hot water, temperature of 130 degrees or above and using fitted sheets to protect your mattress.

Bedwetting, also called Enuresis, is defined as: bed wetting, lack of bladder control, not fully developed bladder, or the inability to control the passage of urine. This situation can cause a high level of stress.

• It affects one in every 50 teens.
• It afflicts 15 to 20% of school age children between the ages of 4 and 16, evident among boys and girls.
• It also affects 2 to 5% of the adult population.
• It means washing your bed sheets daily.

Love to travel, but hate the idea of sleeping on linen that does not belong to you? Regardless of the quality of the hotel or star rating, all of us have experienced one issue or another with lodging. A survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association showed that 50% of hotels allow pets. Since I have children with allergies I have to ask myself, is this going to be a clean environment or will I have to shorten my well planned vacation?

A fairly new company, SweetDreamzz LLC., celebrates the launch of its disposable bedding line. Established in August of 2006, the company is passionate about changing the way consumers think about bedding. We encourage consumers to try this product in an effort to add a hint of convenience to their daily lives. We invite you to try the disposable sheets in a dorm setting, hotel, for camping, travel or daily living.

Simple, effective, hassle free, disposable, and biodegradable. It certainly ain’t your Grandma’s idea of disposable bedding.

SweetDreamzz USA LLC., products are available for sale at www.sweetdreamzzusa.com

SOURCE Sweet Dreamzz USA LLC