A Greener Clean

I have not often had requests for posts here (although I enjoy it!), but this week, John Withum tweeted with the request that I write about my cleaning products. Specifically:

What are your favorite Method/Seventh Generation/not awful for you cleaners/house products and why? Also when/where do you find them cheap/on sale?

I had written about this once before, a while back, but have changed some of my products and feel like it’s worth an update.

First, my favorite greener/better for you cleaners. There are a few brands that come to mind, primarily Method, Seventh Generation, and Mrs. Myers Clean Day. I am the first to admit that smell is a huge motivator in my cleaning products purchases, and both Method and Mrs. Myers offer fantastic scents in their lineups. These brands have become more mainstream over the last 10 years and I find them regularly at Target, Kroger and many other local stores.

A short list of what I use:

Furniture: Method Wood for Good, exclusively. It smells like almond, which is my favorite scent, ergo I am terribly loyal.

Windows: Method Glass + Surface – a great glass cleaner that smells like mint.

Bathroom: Method Le Scrub for harder-to-clean areas like my shower, Seventh Generation Tub & Tile Cleaner for the tub, sink, and counters. Also, we have a problem with mildew growing around the hardware of our shower, so I do keep a bottle of a bathroom cleaner with bleach only for use on these areas.

Kitchen: Method All Purpose Cleaner for surfaces (in cucumber, a personal favorite), Mrs. Myers Clean Day Surface Wipes for quick cleanup, Mrs. Myers Clean Day All Purpose Cleaner for, well, anything. This is a great diluted cleaner and a great money-saver. Just buy a $2 spray bottle and use it all over the house. I use Mrs. Myers Clean Day dish soap, when I can find it. Mrs. Myers has a basil scented line, which wins me over. I also love J. R. Watkins All Purpose Natural Cleaner, but can’t find it around here, so I pick a bottle up when I’m out of town.

Floors: Mrs. Myers Clean Day All Purpose Cleaner is great if there’s a mess, but my workhorse is my Haan Steam Mop. LOVE it – it cleans so quickly, sanitizes, and uses no chemicals (with the exception of water, which IS a chemical, no? Isn’t everything, really? I digress).

Laundry: I’ve been pleased with Method’s laundry detergent’s cleaning power, BUT I’m attached to the scent Tide. So don’t follow my example here. I do like Method’s Dryer Cloths.

Reusable Cleaning Supplies: I keep a drawer full of microfiber cloths, and have a microfiber dusting wand (think swiffer, but reusable), many of which I found at the dollar store. The steam mop uses washable microfiber pads, and I use dishrags in place of paper towels. These changes made a huge difference in the amount of paper towels I go through. I probably used  one roll every couple weeks before, and now it’s one roll every 2-3 months. This alone has resulted in some major savings.

How I find these products on sale/discounted:

First let me state that I did not one day decide to throw out all my “bad” cleaning products and go purchase “good” replacements. I figured that the cleaning products were no better down the drain or in the landfill than they were to do their jobs here. So as I finished, say, a bottle of window cleaner, I just purchased a bottle of Method’s window cleaner to replace it. I went through some trial and error (learning I’m not a huge fan of Method’s dish soap or tub and tile cleaner), but I started replacing our products about five years ago, so I’ve had time to learn. By making the change gradually, it didn’t bust our budget, as most of the greener cleaners are less than a dollar more than their non-green counterparts.

With that said, there are a few things you can do to save money. First, sign up for Method’s People Against Dirty – it’s a great way to get coupons and product samples. Second, sign up for coupons from Target – they occasionally have discounts on some of these specific brands.

Finally, comparison shop. Once I found Method Hand Soap for $1.50 at Kroger on special – half off. Another time I found tons of Method and Seventh Generation cleaners at Toys R Us (of all places) on clearance because they seemed to be getting rid of all cleaning products not specifically related to babies. I cleared them out, and still have some products in my cabinet from that great find. Any time I find the items on a good sale, I purchase ahead and store the items.

I had flirted with good-for-you cleaners for several years, because I liked their philosophies, scents and design, but once I had little ones, that put me over the edge. I like knowing that if my toddler opens the cabinet and chugs a bottle of Method’s cucumber cleaner, they might get a belly ache but won’t die. And once you go green, it’s hard to go back!

I hope this helps, John. Best of luck!