trader joe's spin off -- favorite non-food items

[salsah]

i have seen lots of tj's favorites threads and the answers are mostly (maybe only) food items. while i love shopping for food at tj's, i've never tried their other stuff (soaps, etc.). anyone have any recommendations?

tia

[egoldber]

I use.....

TJ's castile soap (I put it in foaming hand dispensers and for cleaning)
(they also have Dr. Bronner's soap)
Oatmeal vegetable bar soap
Cleanliness is Next to Godliness all-purpse cleanser

I keep meaning to try their shampoos and sunscreens.

I used to buy pet supplies there when I had pets....sigh....

[maestramommy]

I buy castille soap and tea tree oil from TJs. I guy the store brand, it's much cheaper than Dr. Bronners. We used to get their powdered dishwasher detergent, but recently it wasn't working well, and now we're supposed to use liquid anyway. Dh buys his vitamins there.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Scrubby pads
Castille soap (store brand)
sunscreen
I think their shampoo has some not so great ingredients in it so you might want to check it. Good otherwise.

That's all I can think of now. :)

Beth

[lisams]

I'm interested in any laundry detergent reviews. Anyone? Right now we're using 7th Generation, but TJs would be cheaper.

I like their hand soap.

[Zansu]

Liquid glycerin hand soap
Toms of Maine toothpaste, or the TJs brand, depending on flavors
tea tree oil
vitamins
Refresh citrus lotion

[momtoonegirl]

Some of my favorite non-food items are TJ Castile Soap and Desert Essence Facial Wash. I have bought the Tea Tree oil also.

[mommylamb]

I use their citrus shampoo and conditioner. It's only $1.99 and works really well. They also have great deals on flowers.

[C99]

I didn't like the TJ's brand laundry detergent (liquid) and went back to my usual standby (Purex Free & Clear, which is much cheaper anyway) before I finished the jug.

I do like their bar soaps -- have tried the plain white one, lemon verbena, lavender, and rose oatmeal. Also like the boxed tissues and cleanliness is next to godliness pump handsoap.

[brittone2]

I like the antibacterial handsoap (just uses TTO etc. vs. Triclosan)
Castile soap for cleaning
I think they sell straight Jojoba oil there? I don't buy it from them but I use this to wash my face (I know sounds really, really weird but I swear it works.) and as a moisturizer.

I've used the paraben free shaving stuff before and it worked well. These days I mostly just use hair conditioner because it is cheaper and I have extra to use up.

Oh, and they carry a fennel flavored xylitol containing (fluoride free) toothpaste now for 1.99 so I've been using that a lot lately (we were paying quite a bit more for other xylitol containing toothpastes).

[Twin Mom]

I use the liquid laundry soap. I haven't had any issues with it although I prefer unscented which it isn't.

Also the TJ's brand castille soap and the TJ's toothpaste for myself.

I was looking for face moisturizer but I didn't see anything that was specifically for the face.

[MamaMolly]

I like the Cleanliness Next to Godliness room freshening spray. It is a little pump spritzer and I keep it in DD's room to freshen things up after a poopy diaper.

[kimberley-k]

I love the Oatmeal & Honey soap - we've been addicted to it for years. It's the only thing I've found that doesn't irritate eczema-prone skin. And, their Nourish Spa shampoo is free of laurel/laureth sulfates. The Moisturizing Cream Extra Dry Formula is nice, although I can't use it on my eczema-prone areas.

We like the lamb & rice dog food too.

I didn't like the laundry detergent - too much fragrance for me. I use Planet or Charlie's Soap.

-Kim

[citymama]

I like the dishwasher detergent a LOT. We also like their liquid dish soap (for handwashed dishes). We use the laundry detergent sometimes but don't especially love it. I buy Tom's of Maine deo there, as well as T of M toothpaste.

I don't like their shampoo or conditioners much at all - find them very drying. Ditto for the economy priced moisturizers. Their Oatmeal and Honey hand/bath soap is pretty good though.

I like their greeting cards - 99c - cheap and colorful!

[KarenLud]

I like the liquid hand soaps (the lavender one is yummy)
tissue
the soft dog treats..well my dogs seem to enjoy them :ROTFLMAO:
flowers are a good deal
their greeting cards are nice too

I do wish they sold some more non food items like batteries for the times I need them and don't want to make an extra stop.

[anamika]

Oh, and they carry a fennel flavored xylitol containing (fluoride free) toothpaste now for 1.99 so I've been using that a lot lately (we were paying quite a bit more for other xylitol containing toothpastes).
Hey Beth,
Does it taste as good as the Tom's? We love love love the Tom's but I want to try the TJs version.
I think their hair care pdts have the parabens. I use the ToM deo also - the only thing which works for my sensitive sweaty skin!
We buy castille soap from them too and put it in our foaming bottles and for cleaning around the house.

Will have to check out some of the other suggestions - as if I didn't spend enough at Tj's already :ROTFLMAO:

[ku9296]

I tried the citrus shampoo when it first came out but it made my scalp extremely itchy so I stopped using it right away. It didn't bother my husband, though, so I guess the results vary. It was cheap so I just let my husband use the rest while I switched back to Pantene.
I also did not like the TJ dishwasher detergent (powder type).
I liked their handsoap though.

[brittone2]

Hey Beth,
Does it taste as good as the Tom's? We love love love the Tom's but I want to try the TJs version.
I think their hair care pdts have the parabens. I use the ToM deo also - the only thing which works for my sensitive sweaty skin!
We buy castille soap from them too and put it in our foaming bottles and for cleaning around the house.

Will have to check out some of the other suggestions - as if I didn't spend enough at Tj's already :ROTFLMAO:

It has been a long time since I've used Tom's, but if I remember correctly, I think I like TJs version better. It is very fennel-y but our family doesn't mind that. Anyway, 1.99, no fluoride, and it contains xylitol.

[salsah]

It has been a long time since I've used Tom's, but if I remember correctly, I think I like TJs version better. It is very fennel-y but our family doesn't mind that. Anyway, 1.99, no fluoride, and it contains xylitol.

i couldn't find this at my tj's so i just picked up the tom's toothpaste instead (for $4 though, so i'll look at other tj locations in our area).

[salsah]

thanks for the suggestions everyone! our tj's doesn't carry all of these things (like the toothpaste or cleanliness next to godliness), but i did find some of them and plan to try them soon. i'll also go check out larger tj locations in our area for the things (food and non-food) that i haven't found.

[MartiesMom2B]

I like their brand of body wash that has tea tree oil and is minty. It's very nice to use when you are sleepy in the morning.

[JMS]

Does anyone else think their dish detergent isn't sudsy enough? I feel like I need to see more bubbles to know it's working :)

[mmsmom]

I get my prenatal vitamins at TJ's... cheaper than my co-pay! Also flowers, pot scrubbers/sponges (safe for non-stick), bar soap.

[lizajane]

oatmeal honey soap is AMAZING.
i love the laundry detergent. the scent is lavender, so i don't find it offensive. and i like how my clothes feel.
i use the TJ's castille soap for nearly any cleaning project in my house- bathrooms, kitchen, handsoap, floors, you name it. i even washed the dogs with it and my sweet yellow lab was positively shiny and delicious. ;)
the shampoo has sodium laurel sulfate (sp?). i use something else from target's natural section or burt's bees.
love the pump hand soap- whatever the big cheap one is. have it in kitchen and two bathrooms.
kids HATED the toothpaste. can't remember if i got their new cherry gel from there or somewhere else?
dishwashing detergent didn't work very well. i started using palmolive eco.
dish soap doesn't foam, but i use it and it seems to work.
i also use their melatonin for me and the kids.
and i got some dog treats that went over well. ;)

[kransden]

I like their primrose oil capsules. Their mulitvitamins aren't coated and I have a hard time swallowing them.

[wellyes]

Wait, I'm confused. It Castile soap for washing myself or for washing my floors?

[egoldber]

You can use the castile soap for lots of things. :) I use it to clean with and I also use it in foaming dispensers for hand soap.

[JMS]

You can use the castile soap for lots of things. :) I use it to clean with and I also use it in foaming dispensers for hand soap.

Beth,
Can I ask you the ratio you use, water to castile soap for your foaming dispensers? TIA and Happy New Year!

[cleo27]

We like the following:

kids gummy-vites
lemon kitchen soap pump
their brand deodorant w/ cotton works really well (someone on this board suggested it. we switched from Tom's of Maine which was more expensive and I hated because it didn't work!)

I wanted to run over their today, actually, but saw on their website that they are closed for the holiday (I'm glad that their workers get the day off!)

[vludmilla]

I like most of what has been posted already but didn't see this yet...the green tea mints. Not too minty really but very yummy and I like that really have a decent amount of green tea in them.

ETA: Mints are food, duh. Don't know what I was thinking. I mean you couldn't survive on mints but they are surely food and this thread was for non-food items. Oops.

[egoldber]

Beth,
Can I ask you the ratio you use, water to castile soap for your foaming dispensers? TIA and Happy New Year!

Well, I don't really measure. I pour enough in to coat the bottom of the dispenser plus a little more and then fill with water. It's OK to use less, but I have had problems when I used too much soap.

[lizajane]

We like the following:

kids gummy-vites
lemon kitchen soap pump
their brand deodorant w/ cotton works really well (someone on this board suggested it. we switched from Tom's of Maine which was more expensive and I hated because it didn't work!)

I wanted to run over their today, actually, but saw on their website that they are closed for the holiday (I'm glad that their workers get the day off!)

oh yeah! i forgot i use the deodorant. i may be the one who recommended it... because i agree that tom's doesn't work. TJ's doesn't work as well as Degree, but i decided to go natural and just bathe more often, lol!

[salsah]

I like most of what has been posted already but didn't see this yet...the green tea mints. Not too minty really but very yummy and I like that really have a decent amount of green tea in them.

ETA: Mints are food, duh. Don't know what I was thinking. I mean you couldn't survive on mints but they are surely food and this thread was for non-food items. Oops.


thanks! i've actually been looking for a mint recommendation.

[salsah]

oh yeah! i forgot i use the deodorant. i may be the one who recommended it... because i agree that tom's doesn't work. TJ's doesn't work as well as Degree, but i decided to go natural and just bathe more often, lol!

bathe more often? i didn't know that is an option.

i actually did get the deodorant and was pleasantly surprised. it works, but only for a day.

[bubbaray]

I'm going to TJs tomorrow.

Do they sell foaming soap dispensers?

[lizajane]

bathe more often? i didn't know that is an option.

i actually did get the deodorant and was pleasantly surprised. it works, but only for a day.

LOL!!

that is what i meant. it only works for a day. and then, you have to either risk finding your entire kitchen covered with dishsoap because your three year old has been let unattended OR use a washcloth and some soap to clean the stink off. ;)

[JMS]

Well, I don't really measure. I pour enough in to coat the bottom of the dispenser plus a little more and then fill with water. It's OK to use less, but I have had problems when I used too much soap.

Thanks Beth!

[cleo27]

oh yeah! i forgot i use the deodorant. i may be the one who recommended it... because i agree that tom's doesn't work. TJ's doesn't work as well as Degree, but i decided to go natural and just bathe more often, lol!

I thought it was you that recommended it, but couldn't remember for sure and I'm terrible at searching these boards! :) I agree re: Degree - I started using the Tom's earlier this year in an effort to be more natural, but truthfully Degree works better!

[salsah]

LOL!!

that is what i meant. it only works for a day. and then, you have to either risk finding your entire kitchen covered with dishsoap because your three year old has been let unattended OR use a washcloth and some soap to clean the stink off. ;)

see, i knew that bathing more often was not an option. i think that i will go with the wash cloth idea.