A Method to keep yourself and your household clean
I have to do housework. Yes. I. Do. Much as I like to indulge in beauty and blogging, my real life offline involves getting my hands dirty at times and handling laundry detergent, dish washing liquid and bathroom cleaner. I don’t really give a lot of thoughts to these items because most of the time, I’ve got my gloves on when I’m doing my housework. Using products that are green and made with naturally derived, biodegradable ingredients aren’t on my radar; the idea is nice but I’m not so certain if they’re equally nice on my pockets too. So when I was introduced to Method, a range of environmentally-conscious household and personal care products, my first question was “are they expensive?”
Green & clean focus
One of the first things that caught my eye about the Method range is the color. Some of the products like their hand wash and their body wash comes in different colors and they do attract attention. It seems that most Method products use only natural or naturally derived ingredients, but in the event where this is not possible, non-toxic man-made ingredients are chosen instead. So “dirty ingredients” like parabens, phosphate, chlorine bleach, phthalates, tricolsan, bisphenol-a, ethylene glycol ethers, formaldehyde, and ammonia are not used in the Method range. The company seems to focus on being environmentally friendly, using safe and sustainable materials and making all their bottles from 100% recycled plastic. They do not test on animals, aim to reduce the carbon emitted by their business, and use mostly natural, renewable ingredients.
A mix of natural & synthetic ingredients
While most of the products seem to be formulated with naturally derived, skin-friendly ingredients, I noted that some of their hand washes do contain SLS, although I don’t see that ingredient in other products. Colorants is also quite common in many products and I spotted methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone that function in preservatives in some of their products. Even their fragrance is not 100% natural – it’s a combination of natural plus synthetic ingredients. I’ve tried a few of their products now and while they don’t smell as strong as their non-natural counterparts, they do not smell at that natural either.
Prices and availability
Besides the personal care products like hand washes and body washes, you can also find laundry detergent, bathroom cleansers, floor cleansers, and dish soaps in the Method range, amongst others. Prices start from S$5.95 for a hand wash and you can even get refills for some of their items. I noticed that they even have some baby products and the ingredients look okay enough. You can check out prices of their other products online or check out the range at HomeFix, NTUF Finest and Xtra, Isetan Supermarket, Meidiya, Carrefour and select Cold Storage outlets.
Share your thoughts
I guess it’s a nice to extend the whole non-toxic idea to household products too. But I’m not really sure I’m all for it because prices are still above what I usually pay for in terms of similar products. It’s really not a necessity for me and I’ll rather spend the money on purchasing organic food or organic skincare products. What about you? Would you consider going natural for your household cleaner and laundry detergent?
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I agree with you on the pricing of these items. The idea of using them is great and all, but so NOT wallet friendly. So I’ve started researching DIY recipes with vinegar, baking soda, lemon and etc. I also make my own garbage enzyme using orange skin. The garbage enzyme is the best cleaning solution I’ve worked with so far. It really does degrease everything!
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Green house hold cleaners sounds quiet interesting and the price also seems to be ok. It is really good to hear. A smart alternative from bleaches….
Thanks for sharing this sesame…a really good idea and information.
I too use baking soda and vinegar for my household cleaning. For laundry, it’s a mix of baking soda and a little amount of ECOS laundry detergent for washing. I’ve extended the same to my own body, e.g. poo-free hair washing and OCM for most of the times.
Yes! i have been using Method for the past 2 years and i really cannot live without the dish washing liquid. You can see the difference, my hand dont feel so dry . The body wash is very refreshing and price is reasonable.
I’ve used their products at my brothers place and love them.
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That’s good. They do smell quite pleasant.
I guess the price point for the body range is worth a shot. I rather like the muli-purpose cleaner.
I like the idea of poo-free hair washing but I’m not sure I can stretch out that long to get my hair used to it cos my hair is extremely oily.
Yeah, the prices are not bad for some of the items…
I haven’t gone the DIY route for household cleaners except using baking soda occasionally. I also like using lemon sometimes.
Hi Sesame,
I stumbled upon your site yesterday, and I’ve been reading your posts nonstop, mainly to find a right skin care product for my skin. Recently, I’ve been waking up with swollen eyes every morning for a month straight. I have red, dried patches on my upper eyelids, and dryness and irritation on my cheeks. I’ve had combination/oily skin before, and I think my skin changed due to the weather… I might have seasonal eczema, I’m not exactly sure because it’s my first time experiencing this reaction. I’m looking for an organic face wash, toner, and moisturizer containing no alcohol, not even cetyl. Do you have any recommendations?
Thanks.
Hi Esther, where are you located? Few brands are made without alcohol. One is Marie Veronique Organics (I remember none of their stuff contains even vegetable oils), another is Organic Apoteke and I think Mukti too…at least some of the products I’ve tried.
Thank you for your reply. I am residing in Los Angeles, CA . It’s been pretty humid here lately. I am Asian, Korean to be exact. I am looking for a new face wash, toner, moisturizer, and sun screen. I will check out the brands you have listed.
Since I have Asian skin, do you feel that an Asian brand/product would be more effective?
I recently used vinegar to clean the window sills!!! worked like a charm. I use baking soda when washing clothes sometimes along with the detergent but I do think that organic food is more on my priority list than cleaning utilities.
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Can’t say for sure. I think location plays more of a part because of the weather etc. Most Asian brands do contain alcohol. If you don’t mind, take a look at Marie Veronique Organics – they’re based in US.
Oh vinegar is great! But the smell ah…can’t say the same. ?
Some of its product range contains DMDM hydantoin which releases formaldehyde in negligible amounts. People with very sensitive skin should be wary.
http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/method/method-foaming-handsoap-sweet-water—300ml/
Their ingredients is a mix…some are gentler, some still contain ingredients we wouldn’t associate with natural range eg. SLS.
yeah that’s true but it disappeared within few minutes!!! so, that was fine ?
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Maybe this helps: http://myhealthygreenfamily.com/blog/wordpress/homemade-citrus-vinegar-cleaner/
The citrus peels will help overcome the vinegar smell. Havent tried it myself though.
Thanks for the link.