Give your Planet an Earth Day Present

Imagine the reduction in toxins if you stopped using harmful chemicals for spring cleaning and switched to Watkins all-natural home care products.

Happy Earth Day 2010! What have you done today to show your home planet you really care? Did you turn off the bathroom faucet when you were brushing your teeth and shaving this morning, rather than wasting all that water? Did you ask for paper rather than plastic when you checked out of your local supermarket? Did you divide your trash for recycling?

That’s all well and good. But this year, how about making a concentrated effort to help save the planet for your children and grandchildren? Now is a perfect time to start right in your own home. Spring has finally arrived in most parts of the country. You are probably about to begin that annual spring cleaning ritual to get your home ready for the new season. When you haul your cleaning supplies out from under your kitchen and bathroom sinks, take a moment to read the labels on the containers. We did just that about a year ago when we wanted to find out what was so powerful in those products that made our whites whiter and bathtubs brighter.

We were shocked! No wonder we had to use rubber gloves to avoid first-degree burns, and would start choking if we forgot to throw open all the windows before using some of these harmful chemicals. That’s why we Big Bear Country Store managers were thrilled when we first learned about the Watkins all-natural home care product line. Our store now prides itself on offering these great products at the Big Bear Farmer’s Market every Tuesday from 8:30 am to 1pm. But if you don’t live within driving distance of Big Bear, you can order these outstanding cleaning products through the following link:

http://www.bigbearcountrystore.com/

What’s so great about Watkins all-natural products? Many all-purpose cleaners contain toxins that can be inhaled. Ammonia-based cleaners can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory system. Minimize your family’s exposure to these harmful toxins with Watkins. The company’s Natural All Purpose Cleaners feature plant-based formulas that are:

• Ammonia Free

• Animal Ingredient Free

• Benzene Free

• Biodegradable

• Bleach Free

• Boron Free

• Butyl/Ethyl Cellosolve Free

• Diethylene Ether Free

• Dye Free

• Formaldehyde Free

• Isopropanol Free

• Kerosene Free

• Mineral Spirit Free

• Never Tested On Animals

• Non-toxic

• Paraben Free

• Petrochemical Free

• Phosphate Free

• Phosphoric Acid Free

• Phthalate Free

• Propylene Glycol Free

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Free

• Sulfuric Acid Free

By going to the Big Bear Country Store website, you can view the growing number of Watkins products that have been endorsed by the Natural Products Association. You will also find a number of helpful tips that will make your spring cleaning a lot easier this year. Here are just a few of them:

• Spray a small amount of J.R. Watkins Natural All Purpose Cleaner on a soft cloth and gently rub cloth over switch plates to remove smudges and fingerprints.

• Never dust using a dry towel, this method will only relocate dirt into the air or onto the floor. For optimal dusting, lightly dampen a micro fiber cloth or paper towel with J.R. Watkins Natural All Purpose Cleaner.

• To naturally clean your microwave place a bowl of water with a few drops of lemon juice in the microwave and run on high for one minute. Next spray J.R. Watkins Natural All Purpose Cleaner on the surface and wipe away crusted food and grease.

• To clean ceiling fans, use a long-handled brush dampened with J.R. Watkins Natural All Purpose Cleaner.

Welcome to the Launch of the Big Bear Country Store Blog

Finally, an up-to-date place for old-fashioned advice for a better way of life

Howdy, folks! It’s time the Big Bear Country Store jump on this blog bandwagon.

Many of you may be familiar with the name Watkins, since this all-American company has been around since 1868. Yet our Big Bear Country Store has grown over the past year primarily through the Big Bear Lake Farmer’s Market, where we sell Watkins wares from April through October each year. When the Big Bear Farmer’s Market closes with the arrival of fall – and snow -- on the mountain, we pack up our spices, food products, body care items, apothecary line and all-natural cleaning products in the back of the Watkins wagon and roll down to Victorville, known as the Southern California high desert area for all you unfamiliar with this here part of the country, where another Farmer’s Market goes on all year long.

But we digress, as usual. Those young kids on skateboards who know more about this new technology stuff tell us that blogs are to impart helpful information that will benefit your readers. That’s what we intend to do here. While we love to chat with those passing by the porch of the country store, many of our friends and neighbors have told us, “You guys have been around so long and give out such sage advice with your Watkins products, you should spread your wisdom across the country!”

Yes, we Big Bear Country Store managers Alan and David have learned quite a bit about life, now that both of us are well into our 50s and 60s. Mercy, don’t get the idea we are a couple of old coots shuffling around the back shelves trying to remember where we stored a certain product. After all, we already have a Web site. How many other country stores do you know that are so advanced?

We actually feel that our country store is like Watkins in many ways – built on the strong foundation of our years of experience, yet constantly evolving to provide the best in all-natural, quality products. Did you know that Watkins was the first American company that offered a money-back guarantee on everything it sells, and was producing “green” products long before the term was ever created? This blog will provide further information about the “new-and-improved” Big Bear Country Store products, recipes, cleaning tips, how to look better, feel better and live life to the fullest. What more could you ask for in a blog? Free products? Oh, we will be doing that, too!

In the meantime, we welcome you to visit www.bigbearcountrystore.com/ to learn more about us, see the entire Watkins catalog, and even place an order online.