MAINLA, Philippines — They say it's best to start the New Year with a spanking clean house, rid our dwellings of the dust of the past and move on with a fresher perspective. Doing this invites good luck into our homes.

Well, as chief mayordoma in our current residence, I generally find this practice a backbreaking task. Literally, it would take a couple of painkillers and a few good backrubs spread out within a few days to get me back into shape after all the housework has been done since our house is a few hundred square meters, with four boys, and the option of extra househelp chiefly a cost consideration.

But, it must be done.  The "chris-mess" and the aftermath of the New Year celebrations simply must be dealt with. This means picking up all the new toys that the boys received, and making sure that the house is spic and span before they all head back to school and I get wrapped up in work again.

It is a good thing that before the holiday rush, European direct-selling Stanhome World brand held a media conference, and two French mademoiselles came to visit the country to demonstrate the cleaning capacity of their top products – chemistry expert Claire Gautheir, who heads Research and Development, and Audrey Benoit, who heads the International Brand Liason for Home Care. At the Stanhome Philippines conference room, Audrey and Claire did practically everything except clean the kitchen sink, which I was determined to do with their products.

First up, was the Try-It Super Concentrated Cleaner. In our house, my waterloo is, well, the loo. Our bathroom is perpetually messy and wet, and no matter how hard I scrubbed, there were always stains that stay on the walls, on the floor, between the tiles. In fact, I got a memo from my mother-in-law who lives in the States, with marching orders to clean the bathroom! This is where I put the Try-It to the test, because it is said to be “specifically formulated for really difficult cleaning needs”. And the product really surprised me! I used it instead of the bleaching agent that I was used to and there was a dramatic difference. I was actually quite bothered that when I swiped it on the bathroom walls, and rinsed, I actually saw a rush of gunk streaming down with the water. There was also this stubborn stain that never came off no matter what product I used, and it came off a lot better. I was also quite glad that it is said to be non-toxic, because when I use bleach, I plainly see little wisps of vapor rising up from the bowl, which stings my eyes as I scour, and I am afraid of its effects if I breathe it in. I also used this product to sop on the mop that we use to clean up Ali’s, er, accidents, and there was no acrid smell which never happened when we use laundry detergent. Try-it also did the job in wiping our walls that resemble an art exhibit with the pencil scrawls and crayon drawings. There was less rubbing needed, and I was happy to be able to let the kids do the scrubbing because I knew the product was safe for them, as long as they don’t drink it and wash up properly afterwards.

I used the Germ-trol Disinfectant Cleaner on the kitchen sink, and it left the metal surface grease-free and spotless. It also removes any odor from the leftovers; plus I use it to clean the sponges I wash our plates and utensils with – something I can’t do with bleach because it can cause poisoning. As a final touch to this cleaning fever, I used the Stan-wick home Deodorizer (in pine), which really made the house smell all Christmas-sy. There is a variant using Citronella and that is what I want to try next, as it is said to keep mosquitoes at bay. There were also other products that I liked such as the Prime-Wash Laundry Detergent, and the very useful (insert applause here) Iron Liss Wrinkle Remover that I used in lieu of the plansta for their Misa de Gallo clothes.

To view the Stanhome World Philippines full product lineup, and to learn how to be a dealer, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/StanhomeWorldPhilippines.