Kitchen Reviews

If someone I know is just starting out or is undecided about a choice for a formal china pattern, I might recommend BIA Cordon Bleu. It is an inexpensive open stock white porcelain pattern, which could be used as extras for entertaining later on.

So if you are ordering BIA dinnerware, I would recommend buying a set of dinner plates, a set of salad plates, and a set of these cups and saucers, all of which come in service for four. You might also like to add 12-Inch platters for entrées or entrée salads. If you add a set of soup/cereal bowls, then you have a twenty-piece set for four, or 4 five-piece place settings.

You might want to mix-and-match the white porcelain dinnerware with Willow Blue open-stock dinnerware. These classic white cups and saucers would be perfect for cappuccino, too.

Simple classic style provides grace to any dining experience with this set of 4 porcelain custard cups. Dessert never looked or tasted better. I really like all of the BIA Cordon Bleu line of products. They bring a sense of what grandma cooked and how she served it to my table everyday.

My husband and I received a set of high-end Calphalon cookware as a wedding gift and although we've enjoyed using it, it was simply too high-maintenance for two beginner cooks who make huge messes! We broke down and bought this set from Target in February and absolutely love it -- it's dishwasher safe, cleans like a dream and cooks evenly! If only they had additional, loose pieces available -- we'd love a larger frying pan, etc. I'd recommended this set without reservation to "normal" cooks -- not the experts, but those of us who cook when we have to or cook basic meals in the middle of everyday lives. That's who this set is perfect for!

This clock looks beatiful on the nightstand of my retro bedroom set. Its got a nice solid feeling to it and the dial has a lovely amber glow.

I got this clock for appearance so I didn't pay much attention to the blinking light wake-up feature. I have a tough time waking up in the morning, so I thought I'd sleep right through it anyway. Wrong! The light thing really works. It actually woke me up better than a usual buzzer alarm.

The "Bionaire A1260C Carbon Replacement Filters" are for use for several models of the Bionaire Air Cleaners(see editorial review for model numbers). I have the Bionaire BAP1175 Quietech Hepa Air Cleaner(which by the way is a fabulous product in itself).

My air cleaner works on a 3 filter system. The first removes the larger particles from the air(it may be washed) Next,this one, is a carbon filter(very easy to install and remove) that traps odors. This works great. The carbon filter does a good job of removing dog smells, smoke and cooking odors as well. It is recommended to change these filters(there are 2) every 3-6 months(it may not be washed).These filters are fairly inexpensive to replace.The instruction manuel says you will know when to replace it, as "odor removal effectiveness will be noticeably reduced". That is exactly how I knew when to change my filters.Running it almost constantly, it was just short of the 3 months that I noticed they needed to be changed, but I attribute that to the house being closed up all summer with the A/C on. And by the way, after replacing the filters,on which I could also see all the dust they filtered, I noticed the difference within minutes!(even with the dog in the house). They are simple to change(I can finally do something I don't have to ask the menfolk to help with), and they come four in a pack, so your all set for the next time. They come in a plastic resealable bag and advise to keep the spares sealed up to maintain freshness. When I ordered, I noticed that they took just a little longer then the other items, so order early.

Oh and for those interested in the Hepa Air Cleaner Model BAP1175...the third filter is the hepa filter..This is already in the machine on arrival. This filter, according to the manuel, removes 99.97% of particulate as small as 0.3 microns in size. It filters smoke, dust, pollen mold spores, pet dander and "some" bacteria. And I believe it. Now these filters are quite a bit more expensive to replace, but they last quite a while, somewhere between 12-24 months. And you will know exactly when to replace it, because there is a great feature, a digital read out of how much filter life is left.After nearly 3 months mine still has about 87% life left. For more info on the air cleaner itself please see my review.

A great buy on a very good product and easy to get here at Amazon(as opposed to running around trying to find the model number I needed.)

Thanks....Laurie

Since I have received my warm mist humidifier I have been more than satisfied with the product. As an avid gardner, I have had many other humidifiers to keep my indoor plants moist in the dry winter This is by far the best that I have ever owned!! Some of the most pleasing features include a completely silent operation. It makes NO noise! It also has no filters. So there is no more cost involved after purchasing. But don't worry about bacteria, because the water gets so hot inside the heating chamber, the mist is completely sterile when it floats out of the top. Cleaning is a sin-ch. You don't have to buy expensive cleaning products, just have some regular vinegar on hand and you are ready to go. The only thing I could say in a negative sense; is if you live in a place where you have allot of mineral deposit in your water you will have to clean your humidifier on a regular basis, and probably a little more frequently than if you have filtered city water. This is a small task in exchange for a wonderful product! I would recommend this humidifier to any one interested in purchasing one; no matter what aspect it is being used for!

Not a very exciting purchase, =) but necessary if your vacuum uses these filters. Does a great job at filtering out dust and smaller things you don't even know are in your house. If you have a vacuum with out this type of filter, you will notice a definite reduction in dust around your house when you start using this.

I used this with my Hoover carpet cleaner and it was great! I was dating someone with severe asthma and when he walked in he instantly said: "You cleaned your carpets, didn't you?" He said he could breathe easily and didn't wheeze the entire time he was over.

Got allergies? This is a great buy. I highly recommend it -- especially after waking up in the morning without feeling that puffy-eyed, dusty-lung sensation. Try it, I guarantee you'll like it.

My son is a huge Scooby Doo fan. When I saw this Scooby vacuum on Amazon I had to get one for him, and he loves it. The bonus is that to him it's a toy, but he's also cleaning at the same time. It does a great job for such a little vacuum. I find myself stealing it from his room to use in the kitchen. I think Bissell makes a plain version that I'm going to have to get for myself. This is a great gift item for any Scooby fan.

I highly recommend the Bissell 16943 Powerlifter Upright Deep Cleaner. I was not prepared how well this vacuum would clean carpets. It has a very powerful motor and extracts the dirty water from the carpet very well from the cleaning. If you want a powerful and excellent product, purchase ANY Bissell vacuum or Bissell carpet cleaner. I have never been disappointed in a Bissell product.