Here are some tips and hints for keeping your fridge working to maximum efficiency.

• Always follow any food storage recommendations on the packaging.
• Don’t buy too much food and drink and cram it into your fridge.  There needs to be space so the cold air can circulate freely.
• Ageing and decomposing fruit and vegetables can cause other fresher produce to decompose more quickly.  Use Crisper Fresh-N pouches to prolong the life of fruit and vegetables.  Regularly check what you have stored, and throw out any lurking produce that is past its sell-by date.
• You need to check the contents of your fridge every couple of days, so that you can avoid waste, and check sell-by dates and products.
• Pull out all food before the regular major shop, and give the inside and drawers a really good clean (see suggestions below).
• Place your Fridge Fresh-N pouch on a middle shelf by the fan for maximum effectiveness.
• Put older foods at the front so you can use them up first.
• Keep the inside nice and neat when returning the items back to the fridge.
• Raw meat or fish should be stored on the bottom shelf so it cannot drip and contaminate the foods below.  Store cooked meats above the raw meats.
• Cover left-over meals, raw and cooked meat and fish, as well as any chopped fruit and vegetables with cling film, foil or in a sealed container.
• Wipe up spills immediately.
• Check the fridge temperature is always at 5°C for optimum working efficiency and safety.

Fridge cleaning tips:

• It is easiest to thoroughly clean the fridge when food stocks are fairly low.
• If possible, clean out the fridge on a cool day.
• First, turn the appliance off.  There are dials or controls in the back of the fridge.  Turn them off or to zero.
• Remove food items and place them into a cool bag, preferably with some ice blocks.
• Next, take out the shelves and drawers, and wash them in warm soapy water or a water-based solution of baking soda. Rinse and allow to air dry.
• Clean the interior walls and door panel with an all-purpose, non-abrasive cleaner.
• Gently brush door seals with an old toothbrush to remove any food debris.
• Clear the filter hole of any blockages with a long wooden skewer to allow water to evaporate effectively.
• If you can, pull the fridge out and wipe down the outside walls.
• Vacuum and wipe the floor under the fridge.
• Vacuum the condenser coil at the rear with a soft brush attachment, to remove any accumulated dust.
• Push the fridge back and turn it back on.
• Return the food items keeping in mind the list above.
• Check in one-half hour to ensure that the fridge is running correctly.

Fresh-N products have no smell at all.

Sensitivities to smell are on the rise.  The incidents of childhood asthma alone have double or tripled in my lifetime.  Cancer is now a very common word and women who work from home, or spend lots of time cleaning are often the ones who suffer.  How many offices have you been in lately that are scent-free environments?

The chemicals we use to clean, to disinfect, to mask smells are all absorbed into the body.  Anything we spray, we breathe.  Do you really wear a mask each time you spray a deodorizer, or a shower cleaner?  Have you ever thought that you should?  Most of us would say, NO.

Did you know that the air inside your home carries more toxins than walking along a freeway?

We have been educated to spray SOMETHING to remove smell.  Almost all those somethings have a chemical base.  What happens when they are sprayed is that the chemical surrounds the smell molecule and we don’t smell it anymore.

When I heard this for the first time, I wondered, “What happens next?”.  I’m sure you have wondered the same thing.  Now the molecule surrounded by the chemical falls.  Falls where?  It drops onto the closest surface – the floor, the carpet, the sofa, the bed…  It’s not gone, it’s just masked.  Think about the buildup over time – yuck!

Fresh-N offers another solution.  We use zeolite in all our products.  Zeolite itself has NO SMELL.  Zeolite has a cage-like structure inside that draws the smell into it, trapping it.  This way the smell molecule is gone.  GONE, not surrounded and dropped.  The smell is then stored inside the zeolite.  The smell is then converted to a nitrate which is one of the components that nourish plants.

Think about this.  You buy a Fresh-N product and use it for several months, up to a few years.  Then you cut open the pouch and empty the granules in your garden or spread them across you lawn.  The plants can now draw on the nitrates which nourishes them.

What a great option!

The word “zeolite” comes from the Greek for “boiling stone,” because of the early observation that zeolites release water when heated.  This is why, when you heat our zeolite to re-energize it, the surface of the fabric pouches becomes damp.

Zeolite is found in mines around the world.  There are approximately 45 different varieties of natural zeolite and many more synthetic ones.  Zeolite contains potassium and can contain either sodium or calcium or both.

Zeolite looks like a honeycomb on the inside.  Particles of moisture and odor penetrate the walls of the zeolite and fix themselves to the inside of the honeycomb structure.  They are held in place by the negatively charged ions inside the zeolite.

This process effectively removes smell and moisture from the area surrounding the zeolite.  Zeolite is very powerful and will absorb many times it’s weight in moisture and smell.  Our large pouches are designed to eliminate odor in approximately 100 sq. ft.

Zeolite is naturally negatively ionic making it one of nature’s most powerful odor removers.

Most North American zeolite also contains a considerable amount of clay.  When clay gets wet, it hardens and becomes rigid.

The zeolite used at Fresh-N Home Products is 95% pure.  The other 5% is quartz which does not absorb water and therefore doesn’t harden.

Fresh-N Home Products are designed to be used and reused for 3 years.  The pouches can be saturated with both moisture and smell, re-energized and reused.

We have 18 products in our line.  We have chosen to focus on family and household applications.

Some other uses of zeolite are:

Agriculture :

Field soil amendments, Animal waste treatment, Animal feed additive. Decreases ammonia levels in ponds and tanks; filtrates water for cleaner tanks.

Aquaculture :

Aquarium water ammonia control
Fish hatchery water treatment

Building industry :

Cement and concrete aggregate
Fly ash substitute

Horticulture :

Soil amendments
Gardens/nursery beds
Reclamation/revegetation
Turf grass soil amendment
Golf course mixes

Precasting :

Lightweight aggregate; High strength.
Zeolite has been found to be an excellent pozzolan (Portland cement substitute) in concrete.
It is much cheaper and more energy efficient to produce than Portland Cement.
15-40% of the cement can be effectively replaced by Zeolite.
10 tons of Zeolite used as a pozzolan saves approximately 1 ton of fuel.

Waste Water Treatment :

Waste water ammonia removal
Pollution abatement processes
Nuclear waste removal and containment

Other uses :

Odor control products
Kitty litter
Oil spill sorbate

Pollution Control :

Zeolites have been found to increase biological activity, reduce nutrient levels, cut sludge volume and odours, reduce ammonia and BOD levels in ion exchange columns or bed effluent, can be back flushed and regenerated, with ammonia recovered for fertilizer, increases sewerage plant capacity and life cycle.

Mining :

Remediation of mines through absorption and retention of dangerous heavy metals and other metallurgical wastes.

Crops/Pastures :

Higher yields through making fertilisers more effective by preventing leeching and holding valuable nutrients such as ammonium nitrate, potassium, magnesium and calcium as well as trace elements for slow release as needed. Also produces long term soil improvements.

Horticulture :

Retains nutrients longer to lower fertiliser costs; substantial yield improvements; less nutrient leeching; long term soil improvement.

Stockfeeds :

Diminishes ammonia toxicity and scouring; increases nitrogen levels in manures for higher fertiliser values; reduces odour levels in sheds and a safer, slow release off ammonia from urea; produces lower mortality rates in fowls and limits the moisture levels in organic wastes.

Turf :

Produces significant turf root improvement; dense and deeper feeder root system; less fertilisers required; retention of key nutrients; increased soil potassium levels; permanent increase in cation-exchange capacity.

Vermiculture :

Traps nitrogen through cation-exchange, eliminates odours in worm farms, absorbs and holds heavy metals, stabilises the pH value of worm beds; increases the nutrient value of vermicast.

Benefits of using Zeolite in cement and precasting applications :

Lighter in weight, Increases sulfate resistance with high alkali cement, Has shown greater resistance to corrosion by soils high in sulfate, Inhibits Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR), Improved resistance to chemical attacks by salts on concretes used in desert soils, Reduction in amount and rate of heat evolution during hydration, Improved ultimate compressive strength, Longer setting time, Improved workability, Reduced permeability, Fly ash substitute, more energy effecient than producing Portland cement, environmentally friendly

Uses of Zeolite with cement :

Precast walls, Concrete Siding, Flatwork, Highways, Roof Tiles, Blocks, Mortar, Stucco, Mass footings, Sculptures, Zeolite as pozzolan saves money and fuel

Benefits of using Zeolite in Horticulture applications :

Increases cation exchange capacity (CEC), Improves porosity. Water-holding properties, Increases nitrogen retention in the soil, Reduces ammonia volatilization, Reduces nitrate leaching, Improves potassium retention, Improves the utilization of nitrogen and phosphorus by plants, Decreases water runoff and ponding, Decreases ocurrence of localized dry spots, Increases amount of water available to plants, Increases length of time between irrigations, Inorganic substitute for peat moss in mixes, Increases in fertilizer use efficiency, Relieves compacted soils, Excellent tolerance to traffic. LA wear index (%) is 24, USGA specs should not exceed 40

Uses of Zeolite for landscaping :

Aerification, topdressing, new construction, greenhouse mixes, landscape mixes, golf course mixes, planters, turfgrass production

Canadian made, with biodegradable packaging, our zeolite is 90%+ pure and will last for 3 years.

Check it out!  Type the word “dragons” without the quotation marks and receive a 10% discount.

Crisper Fresh-N comes in a 2 pack that will significantly extend the life of your produce.

Simply drop the pouches in with the fruit or vegetables and the zeolite absorbs the ethylene gas which slows down the ripening process.

2 pouches come in each can.

Fridge Fresh-N is baking soda on steroids!

This single pouch will keep all your food fresh in your fridge.  The zeolite controls the moisture content and stops the cross of smells and tastes between foods.

Using this pouch saves 10% on the cost of the energy used to run your fridge.

We have other products for your home, car, shoes and sports equipment.

Our online store is open 24/7 and our products are available right now – no searching!  We ship from Hamilton, ON and offer a money back guarantee.

Several years back, I “ran” with my son, on the day my husband threatened to kill me.   On that particular day, I believed he just might.  Prior to this, he had posed the threat, but I didn’t think he was serious.  On this particular day, I realized that I had to get my very young son out of this situation and if I didn’t, his father would be the person to raise him.  I set every bit of pride I was clinging to and went home to my parents.  I was told many years later, that they had been waiting for the day I would wake up and get out.  It was embarrassing to have to admit that I was that stupid.  For the sake of my son, I had to.  I was the only person – EVER – to be divorced in my family.

My life has turned around.  I am married to a wonderful man.  We’ve been together 18 years and we have 2 more children.  I’m blessed.

I share the story above, for no other reason than to tell why I firmly believe that given a chance, people can turn their lives around and lead happy productive lives.

Today, some of our products are produced by at-risk teens and single moms.  We are hoping to be able to expand this work force as we grow.  My production manager, Rob, has a background of service and working with these kids.  Under his strict supervision, our workers learn new skills and earn a living wage.

Rob was able to reunite a young man with his family earlier this year.  Our first true success story.  This young man was estranged from his family in South America.  As the young man started to work for us, his father started to talk with him again.  His father started to believe there was hope for this boy to turn his life around.  The boy went home to his family several months back and has been in rehab for the past few months.  He is doing well.

We hope to share more of these stories.

Come out and visit me at the Fresh Fraser Valley Exhibit, a showcase of Fraser Valley’s finest businesses and local entrepreneurs.

I’ll be sharing my amazing Fresh-N products, so come out and get yours {save on shipping}!

DATE: September 25, 2010
WHERE: Ramada Plaza & Conference Centre, Abbotsford, B.C
TIME: 9AM – 5PM

WEBSITE: http://freshfraservalley.com

After 5 outdoor markets, being left in the truck and not refrigerated. The apple stored with the Crisper Fresh-N pouch is still very edible.  The volcanic mineral, zeolite,  in the pouch continues to absorb the ethylene gas and control the moisture, so the apple stays firm and crisp.  The apple is also very sweet because the moisture remains in the apple.

This apple is still firm and crisp.

Note the smooth skin of the apple on the left and how pockmarked the apple on the right is.

We’re still doing our markets and it’s lots of fun.  We are now having people come to back to the booth, raving about how great the Crisper Fresh-N works and encouraging

This apple is starting to wrinkle and is quite soft.

others who stop to purchase the product.

We will be setting up a testimonial sheet at our next few markets, so stay tuned for lots of comments!

Each week, we’ll pick a testimonial and give the winner a FREE product, so stop by.

We’ll be at the Langley Market on July 14th and the Abbotsford Market, July 24th.

If you haven’t already been by, stop by and “Feel the Apples”.

Only $11.95 for years of ethylene gas absorption.  Crisper Fresh-N comes in a 2 pack.

Use in:

• The fridge crispers
• The fruit bowl on the kitchen counter
• Beside the bananas to stop the fruit flies
• In your picnic cooler
• Store with your potatoes
• They’re also great in dresser drawers

Use for about 4 months and then recharge by placing in the sun for the day or in the microwave for 2 minutes.

$11.95 for 2 pouches
To purchase, click here

Placing apples and bananas together is never a good idea.  Both release lots of ethylene gas and the two together ripen very quickly.

Sign up for your FREE fruit and storage chart and learn how to store your fruits and vegetables for maximum life and crispness.

Through our experiments at the farmer’s markets, we have discovered that our messaging isn’t as clear as we would like it to be.  Our products are great if we are standing beside them talking about them.  The packaging grabs people; they want to know what we do, but unless they have time and pick up the products, they don’t jump off shelves into the buyer’s hands.

The tubes we package everything in to ship to retail are also terrific.  They seal nicely – a must when dealing with a product that absorbs.  They ship wonderfully.

How to capture attention in 8 seconds or less?  What grabs you – what do you want to know?

I’m finding that the more specific or targeted we get, the clearer the message.  For example – Diva Diamondz remove smell in HER shoes!  Gentlemen Gems take the funk out of footwear!  These are great at a retail or market.  We have organized our products into subsets and groups and our Diva Diamondz, Gentlemen Gems and SportzGemz works well as does the SportzGemz grouping for different sports.  I thought having a “Home” Fresh-N set would work as well, but it’s too broad.  This set has another natural subset which seems to make more sense.

Home Fresh-N contains:

• Home Fresh-N, a generic natural odor eliminator
• Nursery Fresh-N, for smelly diaper pails and other nasty baby smells
• Pet Fresh-N, removing kitty litter box odor, dog smell and any other animal smells
• Auto Fresh-N to remove all car smells, musty odors, spilt milk smell and the smell of cigarette smoke

Kitchen Fresh-N is the other subset and includes:

• Fridge Fresh-N for a fresh smelling fridge
• Crisper Fresh-N for longer lasting produce
• Kitchen Fresh-N to absorb cooking odors
• Bin Fresh-N to remove odor in your garbage can and to make sure your compost doesn’t smell

This seems to be a clearer message for people and it allows us to problem solve.

Do you throw out fruits and veggies?  Is your produce costing you a fortune?  Tired of knocking over the baking soda in the fridge?  Does your garbage can make you want to gag?

The next challenge is how to translate this to the web?  Most of the above don’t contain keywords with enough power to put us on page one of google, so is there a way of pushing the above and driving traffic to the website.  This is where social media comes in.  Catchy phrases grab attention and then people can click to follow the link.

This week, we’ll put the above to the test and report back.

Your comments are welcome!

It’s now Day 9 of our experiment.  The apples have been to 2 sunny, warm farmer’s markets and have sat on the counter in our kitchen the rest of the time.

The apple on the left is still firm and crisp. The apple on the right is much softer, is getting brown spots and is wrinkling.

The pouch is absorbing the ethylene gas being released as the apple is ripening.  It’s also absorbing any excess moisture.  The result is that the apple is still very crisp.

You may notice that the colour of the pouch has changed from the previous day.  At market on Saturday, a young boy picked it up to play with the first pouch and carried if off with him.  This was our display pouch which I promptly stuck in with the apple.  I forgot about it and left it there, not realizing it was a different colour until just now, when I looked at the photographs from Day 4.

Follow this link to go to our Day 4 post.