How to Give Your Bear a Good Buffing

David Goldberg of the Bear Care Co. in Beverly Hills has recently introduced what he believes is the “first surface cleaner specially formulated to safely clean all stuffed animals.” Called BearBath, it’s a nontoxic formula that reportedly cleans a stuffed animal without leaving a stiff residue like soap or fabric cleaners. Goldberg tested his BearBath on 27 different plush fabrics and says his product left the stuffed animal soft and odor free.

“I can’t tell you the secret ingredient because I’m currently applying for a patent on the formula,” said Goldberg, who’s president of the company. “But its something safe enough for children to teethe on the bear after it has been cleaned.”

An 8-ounce bottle of BearBath should clean two or three average, 1-foot-high bears--or any other animal for that matter--depending on how dirty they are. Directions are to lightly dampen a cloth with the BearBath and clean small areas of the stuffed animal at a time, then wipe off with another water-dampened cloth. Goldberg advises allowing the stuffed animal to dry naturally, and does not recommend using a blow dryer to speed up the process. Tough stains, such as ink, may take several applications to the stained area.

BearBath costs from $3.99 to $5, and is available in the Los Angeles area in selected toy and teddy bear shops, Coach House Gifts, J. K. Gill card and gift stores, Buffums department stores and Nordstrom at South Coast Plaza.

A Six-Pack of Tea

For those counting calories, or searching for natural or low-sodium beverages, the latest drink in Southern California is unsweetened St. Thomas Iced Tea, a bottled product made from brewed Darjeeling and Ceylon teas and purified water, not from tea concentrates and crystals. It tastes similar to the “sun tea” you can make at home.

The ready-to-drink-brewed tea was introduced a few months ago and is the brainchild of partners Christina Hurn and Karen Yates, who founded St. Thomas Beverage Co. in Downey in 1986. Their first product, on the market just last year, was a sweetened iced tea, brewed naturally with fructose, with only 32 calories per 10 ounce bottle. A six-pack of St. Thomas tea, unsweetened or sweetened, retails for $2.29 to $2.89 and is available in Irvine Ranch Markets, Pace Membership Warehouses, Vons and Vons Pavillion markets, Albertson’s, Bristol Farms and General Nutrition Centers, or in selected restaurants, delis and gourmet shops. This month, St. Thomas is bringing out a watermelon beverage containing 115 calories.

Keeping a Record of Possessions on Film

Photo Safe--a photographic inventory system--will help you keep a record of your valuables and other contents of your home and office, so you will have an accurate accounting of them in case they’re lost, stolen or burned.

A black binder, designed specifically to fit in a safe deposit box, Photo Safe contains three transparent photo protector pages--designed for either prints or slides--with attached inventory logs where items in photographs can be described. Included is a 16-page manual that tells you what you should photograph and how to do it, with special instructions for taking close-ups of reflective objects such as jewelry and crystal.

The album, sold with three pages but expandable up to 10, costs $12.95, plus $3 for handling, and in California, 6% tax. Additional pages/logs are available at $1.25 each. To order, write Photo Safe, P.O. Box 3683, Dept. LA, San Dimas, Calif. 91773. Checks and money orders, MasterCard and Visa are accepted. No phone orders.

Hitting With Power

Prince Manufacturing of Princeton, N.J., the company that changed the game of tennis in 1976 with its widebody racquet, has just introduced what it calls “the tennis racquet of the 1990s,” one that the company claims offers maximum racquet power without shock when you hit the ball.

Calling their innovation the Constant Taper System design, Prince spokesmen say the racquet has increased thickness at the frame’s tip, which expands the racquet’s “power zone.” The new racquet also tapers “at a constant rate to a flex point just above the handle.” Lowering the flex point to just above the grip, they claim, allows the player to maintain maximum power and precise control.

The new CTS racquets can be tested at these Los Angeles-area stores: Go Sport, Merchants of Tennis, Nevada Bob’s, the Racquet Doctor and Westwood Sporting Goods. Tennis players outside this area may call (800) 257-9480 to locate a store near them that carries the CTS racquets.