CasaSugar

Method Debuts New Line of Laundry Detergent

CasaSugar — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:00:00 PST

One of my favorite green (and local) companies, Method, has just debuted a new line of laundry detergents. Available in Fresh Air, Peony Blossom, and Free + Clear scents, the detergent's ultraconcentrated formula allows for a much smaller container, 50 percent of it being from recycled plastic. The detergent is made using 95 percent natural and renewable ingredients and is biodegradable and nontoxic.

I also love that you don't pour this detergent - you pump it! This eliminates a lot of the mess and gunk associated with bottles of detergent, and the new Method bottle is small enough to fit in one hand, making it perfect for those who make the trek to the laundromat or live in smaller spaces. Even cooler? This detergent is world's first Cradle to Cradle-certified laundry detergent, and it's also recognized by the US EPA's DfE program for its safer chemistry.

Interested in trying this new detergent? You can print out a $2 coupon to make the Method laundry detergent that more tempting. I'll also be testing the detergent soon and will get back to you with my impression of this new product.

Casa Beta: Method's Le Scrub

CasaSugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 09:00:17 PDT

While I usually clean my bathroom (or, ahem, I should say, my husband cleans the bathroom) with vinegar, baking soda, and Bon Ami, I decided it was time for a switch. And to be completely honest, this switch was pressured by the hubz's complaints about the overwhelming vinegar smell in our small bathroom space during cleaning. And I agree, it's definitely a pungent scent. So, when Method sent over some cleaning products for me to test, I immediately grabbed the bathroom products. I started off testing Le Scrub ($6), a mild abrasive cleanser.

I needed to use the Le Scrub because I'd dyed a silk dress in a bucket, which I'd placed in the bathtub. And when I poured the dye water out, the tub was stained with the fuchsia dye. It looked positively crime scene-like in our porcelain tub, since the bottom and sides of the tub were stained and speckled a reddish pink. The hubz was not pleased. "Great, we have a pink tub," he groused.

Thus, the dye situation led me to put the Le Scrub to a stringent test. To see how it did,

read more.
I'm not going to lie to you: this job took a little elbow grease. However, I'd much rather put a little oomph in my scrubbing than breathe in bleach! And wow, does the Le Scrub smell good. It uses eucalyptus oil for its scent, and it smells absolutely dreamy. I could've sworn I was on a hike in a local park's eucalyptus grove instead of in my pink-stained bathroom.
My method with this Method product was to immediately scrub with the Le Scrub after I'd poured out the dye water. Then, I sprayed the product over the bottom and sides of the tub and gently dry-scrubbed the product onto the porcelain. I let this sit overnight, and scrubbed it out the next morning. I doubt that you'd have to employ the same technique on a normal, dingy tub, but for a big job like this, it worked splendidly. Method's site reveals that none of its products use nasty cleaning agents such as phthalates, parabens, ammonia, or triclosan, and the Le Scrub's ingredients seem pretty natural to me. I definitely liked this product, and while I'm a pretty staunch supporter of vinegar and baking soda, I'll be restocking Le Scrub for dealing with the tub in the future.
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Casa Verde: Method Potpourri Ornament

CasaSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:00:20 PST

Method never ceases to impress me with its well-designed, eco-friendly products. I've been waiting to see what it had in store for us this holiday season and I'm charmed now that I have. Method's new Potpourri Ornament ($10) is a tin ornament filled with compostable wooden beads. You can reuse the ornament for years to come after the beads have lost their scent. The ornament is available with a Spiced Pear or Winter Berry scent. If it smells as good as it looks, I'm sold. The scent of Christmas trees is so festive, though, that I'd probably hang this ornament elsewhere in the house. What do you think?

Get Kids Squeaky Green

LilSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:00:04 PDT

Add some Method to your madness at bath-time. Bathing babe is a chore in itself, so no mama wants the added worry of toxins floating in their tub. Method's Squeaky Green line is chemical free so you can lather up your lil ones with the hair and body wash ($7) that is made from ingredients including rice milk and mallow. The bubble top works well for traveling tots as it can be used as a rinse cup. The 99 percent natural line also includes, 3-in-1 shampoo ($7) that is a body wash, shampoo and conditioner. The fuzzy peach scented potion comes bottled up in a squeezable bath-time buddy.

Home Library: Squeaky Green

CasaSugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:30:05 PDT

While Squeaky Green: The Method Guide to Detoxing Your Home ($16.95, Chronicle Books) won't be released until April 1, it's so perfect for this month's theme that I had to tell you about it.

Written by Method founders Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, the book comes in a hardcover binder format, with seven organizational tabs for each section of your home, from living rooms to bedrooms to bathrooms to pets.The introduction, from green guru Danny Seo, notes that, "Method's cleaning products are nontoxic solutions that really work and smell great and the packaging is, well, sexy. Yes, sexy."

I definitely agree that Method's design-savvy green products have been a main reason that many people have converted to green cleaning, and this introduction of sleek design to formerly homely/hippie green products has helped to mainstream the trend. But Method's much more than a pretty face, as reflected in the pages of this book. Squeaky Green is chock full of excellent advice on how to clean your home thoroughly with green products. Some of the facts are just plain shocking: Did you know that there's beef fat in fabric softeners and dryer sheets (see page 114)? Or that women who work at home have much higher cancer rates than those who don't, most likely due to conventional cleaning products (see page 47)? This book offers both startling facts and easy solutions to making sure that your home is squeaky clean and green. You can order an advance copy here.

In The News: Method's Founders Dish the Dirt

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:00:00 PDT

Since I've been chatting with you this month about ways to clean green, I knew you'd also be interested in hearing from Method's co-founders Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, who recently gave an in-depth interview to one of my favorite green websites, Grist. In the interview, they discuss their new book Squeaky Green, their newest product (toilet bowl cleaner!), and ways that Method has brought green cleaners into the mainstream.

One of my favorite answers in the interview is when Grist asks the duo what most surprised people about conventional cleaners; Ryan responds, "The light bulb goes off the most [with] things that seem so obvious but you never stop to think about it. [Like] the idea that you clean your tub with toxic cleaner, but then you soak in it afterward." Now that's something to think about. Read the whole interview here.
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Your Favorite Cleaning Product

CasaSugar — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 07:02:38 PST

By an overwhelming majority, you chose Method as your favorite household cleaning product. Mrs. Meyers came in as a distant second, and a surprising number of you also mix up your own cleaning products. At my house, I use a mix of products, including homemade, Method, Mrs. Meyers, and I'm also test driving the new Clorox green products. (I'll have a review of that last one to you soon!)

This Method butterfly was made from recycled Method products by 7-year-old Veronica Judson in North Carolina!
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On Our Radar: Method's Plastic Bag Rehab

FabSugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 04:00:22 PDT

Now that the Anya Hindmarch "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" craze has died down, there's yet another eco-chic bag to take its place. Method's Plastic Bag Rehab is perfect for stashing your groceries or laundry. It's a bit brighter than Anya's but has a similar Boogie Nights-esque writing font. Plus, it has its own tiny interior pocket so you can fold it when not using.

If you want one, go here and download a mail-in form. You must purchase $20 or more of any Method product either at a retailer or online. Once you do, save your receipt and mail it to the address on the form. This offer is good from October through December, and while supplies last.

Congrats to the Winner of the method Air Care Gift Set!

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 04:20:31 PDT

Thanks to our generous friends over at method, we've been hosting a series of sweet giveaways over the past four weeks, wherein every week, one lucky CasaSugar reader wins a set of method eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning products. Well, last week was our final method giveaway, for an Air Care Gift Set worth $54. Congratulations to SGDish, who will get a great selection of scented goodies and air-freshening products.

Thanks again to method for all the great prizes, and stay tuned for more CasaSugar giveaways in the coming weeks!

Giveaway of the Week! method Air Care Gift Set

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:05:35 PDT

Thanks to our generous friends over at method, we've been hosting a series of sweet giveaways over the past three weeks, wherein every week, one lucky CasaSugar reader wins a set of method eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning products. Congratulations to Clarkbar9, who won last week's prize of a method Home Care Gift Basket!

Well, this is our final method giveaway, and this time, we're offering a delicious-smelling Air Care Gift Set worth $54. The set features a selection of scented goodies and air-freshening products, including:

2 Aroma Candles
1 Aroma Pill
1 Aroma Ring
1 Aroma Spray
1 Box of Aroma Sticks

To enter this week's giveaway, simply leave a comment in the comments section below by 5 p.m. PDT / 8 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 14. We'll announce the winner next Monday, Sept. 17. Please, only ONE comment per person; duplicate comments will be discarded. You must be a TeamSugar member to comment, so if you're not a member, please register here. For the rules and regulations, click here.