This feature blog is a little different then the rest. This time I was asked to do an honest review of a product: Firewipes. They reached out towards the end of September wanting to know if I would be willing to give an honest review of their wipes. They sent out their samples in November. I wanted to give enough time to really use them in different ways before compiling what would be my review.

For anyone who may not be familiar with Firewipes let me give you a little info. Firefighters face many dangerous situations but one that is finally getting some recognition is, the danger of contracting cancer. The risk is significantly higher in firefighters then in your average person. Almost 68% higher. If you think about all the different types of burning materials they are coming in contact with, it only makes sense that between breathing it in or it getting on their skin that the risk would go up. The skin is one of the biggest organs and what you put on it gets absorbed into the blood stream. Especially when the firefighter are working hard and sweating those pores are going to be nice and open. It can be hours to almost a whole day if not longer before a firefighter is able to take a shower after a call. This leaves the soot and dirt on their skin being absorbed the whole time. What fire wipes created are these individually wrapped cleansing wipes that firefighters can grab and use to wipe off with after being on and even during these fires. They’re not a cure but they are helping by cutting down the risk of contracting cancer.

When asked to give an honest review I probably became more sensitive and analytical of the product compared to if I would have just went out and bought it. And in this instance I believe it only helped. I instantly went to the ingredients label and went down the list googling each ingredient. Now, I do not claim to be a scientist or any kind of expert in researching ingredients, but I did what I would do when researching and looking closer at a product to see if it is something I would use. Especially when it comes to possibly using the product on my kids. After reviewing the product ingredients I was impressed and okay with using and trying it on myself and my children. I also compared the ingredients to Sensitive Skin Wet Ones and was way more impressed with the Firewipe ingredients. I also like the fact that they are alcohol, latex, MI, Paraben, and SLS free. And since they’re hypoallergenic and fragrance free I could even use them on my daughter who has sensitive skin and eczema.

When I opened the first package and checked out the wipe my first thought was they smelt very clean. They reminded me of these bath wipes the hospital sent me home with after having my oldest daughter. The texture of them has like a waffle or checkered type pattern on one side and smoother on the other. I wiped my hands down and they felt very clean after.

My next step was figuring out what would I as a fire wife use these wipes for??? The packets are small enough to slip a few into a purse or diaper bag. Even in the glove box of the car. Or even a Christmas stocking (wink wink). They’re easy to grab for a quick wipe down. As a mom I do not know how many times I wish I had a wipe to clean my kids hands or faces. So, I did a test on my kids faces before bed for a last-minute wipe down. It cleaned them well and did a great job. Added bonus my girls loved using all the boxes as building blocks. haha

But the part that completely sold me was when I used them on our wood stove. I knew I could trust the product especially when it came to helping my husband wipe down after a structure or wildland fire. In our house the wood stove is the only source of heat and since my husband isn’t always home, I am making the fires and cleaning the ash out. They were the perfect thing to keep close by. If you ever have dealt with a fireplace or wood burning stove it is almost impossible to not get soot on your hands.

This was a great use for them. Our wood stove has a glass door and I have always struggled with finding something to really clean it with. I have used essential oils to a chemical spray “guaranteed” to get off the build up. It still took me about 30 minutes to get the glass clean and when I used this cleaner I had to wear gloves and was always creeped out by the warning labels. When it came time to clean the glass door I thought, “I should try the fire wipes!” I was totally blown away!!! One wipe and it was taking it off! What took me a good scrubbing and repeat spraying of the sketchy spray took two minutes with a single fire wipe! I did use a paper towel to dry behind it and pick up any streaks. But for me this was a big deal. I was able to visually see how these fire wipes were wiping away the carcinogens and thought of my husband. How if he were to use them I could trust they were really working on cleaning him and helping his chances of beating his odds.

The timing was a little hard for my husband to do his part and test them out. He was in an academy and then went straight to a week of vacation. The first day back on shift though he was called to a house fire which he worked as interior attack. It was pouring down rain that day and it still was hot, sweaty and filled with nasty smoke and grime. Since it was his first day on he hadn’t had the chance to throw the firewipes I had sent him with in the engine yet. He was on that fire for over six hours salavging and overhauling the strucuture. After getting back to the station he was able to wipe down real quick while deconning and cleaning the equipment. He liked how clean they made him feel. The wipes were able to clean off what would normally sit on his skin for another couple of hours. He mentioned the wipes took soot off of his skin that normal soap was not able to. They were not too rough on his skin either. He definitely approved. On his off hours he loves to ride his dirt bike and we actually joke about our ranchette being a ranch of moto and not necessarily an animal ranch. He is a hands on guy and will often work on our vehicles/bike. After working on them he is always coming in the house using the dish soap to scrub his hands with. They’re still usually discolored. I plan on keeping a box of wipes in the garage where he can use them to clean up with.

As a fire wife I know how stressful it can be worrying about everything our fireman are breathing in and absorbing in their skin. The higher risk of cancer and the lack of things available to help with that. I know that this is starting to change. There are more and more firefighter owned companies coming out with ways to help. There is a good handful that I know of. Firewipes is one. I came into this review thinking I would find something for sure that I didnt like or to say I wasn’t impressed with. I can honestly say that wasn’t the case. Firewipes proved my skeptical mind wrong and I definitely would highly recommend them. Their link will be posted on my homepage for you to check out their information, story and products. Try them out for yourself.