apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I love the Method all purpose lavender cleaner. Does a great job and leave a lovely scent behind.

i agree with Lori. i'm a huge fan of the Method cleaner, love the smell and the bottle. and i didn't realize til today that it's also a green product. i just thought the graphics on the bottle were nice.

Method has products that are clear, such as the magnolia dish soap and the sweetwater hand soap (among other things). The magnolia dish soap is the only thing I leave out on my sink, 'cause truth be told, the colors scare me a little, too.

Method is all I use now, for everything. I just cannot stand the strong chemical smell of 'regular' cleaning supplies. The nice designs are just an extra.

Method products are great. The laundry detergents are the only eco-friendly ones I've found that actually get out sweat and odors.

They are a nice middle ground for people who want environmentally friendly cleaners, but still want the convienience of daily counter wipes, dishwasher nuggets, etc. (i.e. my husband will use the stuff without making fun of it)

And the products look cool and smell lovely.

I tried the dishsoap when it first came out, but the bottle didn't work well for me. Too hard to squeeze. Maybe they've made improvements?

I love the laundrysoap too. Cleans well, smells great, and is light to take up and down the stairs to the laundry room. I wish it was more widely available -- I've only seen it at Target.

I voted "no" because I used their liquid dish soap once, a while back, and thought it was pretty awful. I had to use SO MUCH of it to work up a lather that I ended up going through an entire bottle in just a couple weeks! Maybe I have extraordinarily hard water, but once I switched back to Palmolive/Dawn/whatever's on sale I was much happier.

But these raves are convincing... maybe I'll have to give them another try.

I didn't realize that the roundish bottle of hand soap I have used from Target was in this line and didn't realize it was a green product - I didn't see anything to indicate that. It was fine. I guess because I assumed nothing about the product, I didn't think much about it. I'm glad to know this line is available at Target and will check it out next time I'm there (which is not very often.)

Target is the exclusive seller for the Method laundry detergent.

I have tried almost all of the Method products and haven't been disappointed by any of them. The smells are nice, but not overpowering and they their job just fine. I especially like the wood cleaner... it is in a spray bottle, so no nasty aerosol can or messy pouring.

The best thing is that Method products are affordable, where other eco-friendly, essential-oil cleaners tend to break the bank. I am thinking of Caldrea and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products. I have used and liked both of them, especially the scrub from MMCD, but the costs and availability were daunting.

Target is also now selling a Method car-washing line that includes chamois pads and other fun stuff.

The dishwashing liquid is awful. My husband (the household dishwasher by default, since he can't cook) refused to use it any longer because it simply didn't clean. Also, while the package was cool, it was very difficult to use. The only other thing I've tried was the handsoap, and that was fine.

i really like the way the products smell, they seem to clean well, the karim rashid packages are rather nice (and i usually am tired of his design style) and honestly compared to most green cleaning products they seem to be competitively priced.

I've not used the dishwashing liquid. But I can definitely recommend the shower cleaner, the wipes, and the lavender spray cleaner. EXCELLENT!

i've used everything they offer in the stores near me (target and duane reade both carry their producs in new york) and there's nothing i haven't liked. the shower cleaner, all purpose spray, and hand soaps are particularly good, but i haven't had any trouble with the dishsoap either. all the products smell better, look better and are cheaper than ecover or seventh generation, the green cleaning products i was using before. and the laundry detergent is FANTASTIC-- cheap, effective, light to carry, and it smells so good. the only negative thing i'd say is that their fabric softener doesn't soften as well as downy. for taking care of the earth, that's ok with me. (smile)

I admit that they smell better, but I don't think Ecover or 7th Generation are expensive. Perhaps in relation to "non-green" products, but I don't buy those (except for that darn Kaboom that I have to ween myself off).

Maybe the dishwashing formula has changed, but it was just awful (WAY inferior to other green dishwashing liquids) and you'd have to squeeze the bottle with a deathgrip to get a few drops out.

I think Target was the sole distributor of Method laundry detergent when it was first launched, but it's available at more stores now. I found it at my local grocery store.

The bottle is the best -- it dispenses the perfect amount. It's great for apartments -- I'm fortunate to have w/d in my unit, but space is always an issue -- the Method laundry detergent bottle is small and manageable, I don't have to lug around a huge great jug of liquid or powder.

I feel better, now that I know that I'm not the only one who was let down by Method dishsoap.

Any one else use Dr. Bonner's soap? I buy it in a big bottle and use it for some household cleaning and for a hand soap in the bathroom. I mixup 1/3 water and 2/3 soap and put it in my bathroom soap dispencer. It's very similar to the Method smell and is also a green product, but is less expensive, wastes less packaging.

There's a funny review of Method's fairy liquid here
epinions.com/content_151951281796

Chris, no, I've never tried Dr. Bonner's for cleaning, though I've almost bought it a couple times. It's not sold near my house, though, so I'd have to lug it home, which deterred me because I had other packages at the time. I've even heard of people using it as laundry detergent...wonder how that works.

Great comments and reviews for this product. I'll have to give them a try.

By the way how come nobody here mentioned the fact that the girl is hiding denying us straight males on AT a good "taco de ojo".

The dish soap isn't that great. The Karim Rashid container, on the other hand, is horrible. It looks obscene and it's impossible to get a small amount of soap out of the bottle, which is designed to squirt down (i.e. the opening is on the bottom, not the top.) You squeeze a little and A LOT OF SOAP comes out. It also drips and oozes on your countertop.

Am I the only one who doesn't think that plastic + curvy = good design?

I like that the laundry soap is small and lightweight, but it has way too much scent -- your clothes will completely overpower perfume or cologne or aftershave for that matter.

JB

I've used Dr. Bronner's as a hand soap for years. I've used it so long, I don't even think to mention it here. I really like it. Great pepperminty smell, good soap. If you use it as a body wash, it's tingly. I like that it's green and that I can get big jugs of it and keep refilling the same hand soap container (rather than use and toss.) I sometimes use it as a cleaner. I'd be interested to hear how it is as a laundry detergent - doesn't seem like it would work, but who knows.

I read in a recent issue of (believe it or not) british Esquire that there are studies showing that all this perfume (among other things) in all the products we use leads to infertility in male babies (no, Max I'm not pregnant). Yikes.

Take a whiff before you buy. The fragrances in these Method products are STRONG. Not necessarily bad, but they're powerful and they linger. I had to give up the hand soap because the fragrance wouldn't rinse off.

I like the Method dishsoap (we use the Magnolia scent, is that the only one?)... but a la Martha I like refilling a glass container that supposed to be used for olive oil or vinegar. the metal "spout" ensures more control over the amount used than a squeezable plastic container.

I use Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap every summer. Nothing cools you off like it in a cold shower.

Why not just use the green cleaners you can make yourself? Floors and windows get really clean (and the room smells really fresh) when mopped with diluted vinegar... Baking soda scours nearly anything you need.

Save money, don't buy into the "designer green" hype. You don't need a cute bottle to go green (but neither do you have to go "no-style"). Perhaps refill your Method spray cleaner bottle with diluted white vinegar instead?

I'm very brand-loyal to Method. Initially, I had similar problems with the dishsoap in the Karim Rashid packaging--formulation not strong enough, too much liquid coming out and dripping after the initial squeeze, difficult to squeeze. Now I just buy the dishsoap in the more traditional packaging sold at Target ("Magnolia" because it's clear liquid in a clear bottle.) I've also had a problem with the squeeze bottle for the liquid detergent--the product running down the sides of the bottle, leaving it sticky and "goopy". But that's a minor nuisance at worst. Their cleaning supplies are great, especially the daily shower spray and almond-scented wood furniture polish. It's nice to clean with products that don't make you feel like your lungs and throat will burn up if you accidentally breathe in some of the overspray.

Dr. Bonner's peppermint castile soap is also good as an all-purpose cleaning product. I've used it in combination with bleach and water to create a disenfecting litterbox cleanser (when I had cat).

I love me some method products! THeir dishwashing cubes are really amazing. I first learned about them in "real simple" magazine and tried them - now I am a snob about this product

I think my mother put it best when she mentioned that she had purchased the Method Glass Cleaner last week. I asked her for her opinion, and she said "well, it smells like Mint... and it doesn't really seem to work."
Well, I guess I'm a glutton for punishment... or I'm just a sucker for well-branded product in cute packaging. Either way, I've tried many method products, and have consistently ended up dissapointed. The dish soap was my first try, and being dishwasher-less and a regular cook, I expected something great. It was pretty blah. The grease cutting power was signifigantly lower than your everyday Dawn, requiring you to use substantially more. That, combined with the higher price, made it very not-cost-effective. Likewise, the All Purpose cleaner was similarly average... when I used it on my kitchen counter, it would just streak, without really cleaning anything. I've read all the marketing stuff on their website, about using multiple surfectants, etc... but via experience, I wouldn't purchase from this line. Actually, some of the hand soaps are nice, but good-smelling handsoap does not a cleaning line make.

I really like the dishwasher "cubes" (more like spheres really) too. They work better for me than those dishwasher detergent "tabs" I've tried in the past which wouldn't dissolve completely. This isn't a problem w/ the Method cubes, which are little bundles of powdered detergent (powder formulations in general are supposed to be superior to liquid in effectiveness, at least according to consumer reports) wrapped in some sort of easy-dissolve film. So convenient, plus they come in translucent plastic containers that are eminently reusable (the label peels off easily and cleanly).

I also like their all-purpose cleaner, liquid hand soap (NOT antibacterial--yes!), and daily shower spray. I can see how some people might not like the fragrance, but I actually find most of them quite pleasant & MUCH less overpowering than the obnoxious stuff from proctor & gamble et al. Finally, their products are very reasonably priced and more widely available than most eco-friendly lines.

The daily shower spray really works (and doesn't asphyxiate you whilst spraying like some products), but the rest of the line seems a bit weak. I love the minty glass spray, but it doesn't clean as well as Windex or vinegar.

I like their laundry detergent, but have had problems with the cap leaking/dribbling. I dropped an email to Method and they say that a redesign of the laundry cap is in the works.

i think the dish soap works as well as any other dish soap i've used, i've had the same bottle for months, and i have no problems getting a small amount.

basically everything's worked perfectly except for the dishwasher pouches, but then my dishwasher can't wash with cascade pouches or powder either.

Love their stuff. Unfortunately, they don't have a distributor in Canada, so I rely on friends who travel to Target to get it. The Dishwasher cubes are amazing, but I think my fav is the window wash 'cause of the mint smell. Other glass cleaners stink and have me itchy and paranoid 'cause I don't like to be using chemicals and breathing them in. And Method looks good sitting on the counter, although the beautiful Karim upside-down dish soap tends to squirt too much at a time. Green tea hand-soap is another amazing item. I could go on about their stuff all day.

Thanks to previous threads on this website, I had recently bought and started using the method shower spray and the hand soap. Thanks to this particular thread, last night I finally motivated to get to Target (I had bought the others at LnT) to buy the laundry detergent (the pile of dirty clothes in my closet helped the motivation & empty bottle of Tide helped the motivation) and I'm looking forward to giving it a try. FYI though, some have mentioned not liking the smell -- the one I got says that it is a "no fragrance" version.

Method is def. a mixed bag. I am very loyal to their laundry detergent, and get the no fragrance version. I tried the dryer softner sheets, and the smell from them was so strong I ould smell it when I walked into my apartment, when it was stored down the hall in my closet! I tossed it immediately. The hand soap is great, but I did have to try several of the fragrances before I found one that was quite mild and palatable. It takes a bit of trial and error. Big fan of the packaging though. I am a sucker for curvy plastic.

I'm with Martha on not buying into the designer green. Still, I may try the dishwasher tabs--I've never been able to find a green dishwasher detergent that works well. Thanks for the tip!

My favorite all-purpose spray... reuse a spray bottle, add a squirt of Dr. Bronners, 10 drops each of lavender, tea tree, and coriander EO, and fill to the top with water. Cleans, disinfects, smells great!

Thanks to an over-exposure of harsh chemicals while working as a vet. assistant, I'm pretty sensitive to most household cleaners -- especially anything with bleach. So I'm really inclined to use/like/be satisfied with the Method line. BUT -- I'm not a fan of the shower spray -- I just don't like the smell, and the ylang-ylang appears to be the only fragrance.

I do, however, like the packaging -- so I'm thinking of emptying out the method and replacing with an alternative shower cleaner? Any suggestions?

(Oh! Love the dishwasher cubes! Again, great space saving design)

Someone posted that shower spray is basically rubbing alcohol and water (not sure of proportions). I guess the alcohol disinfects and helps the water evaporate?

I love the Dr. Bronners peppermint smell but tried to use it in the shower and it sucked all the natural oils off of my skin. How do most people use it for a body soap?

karin--Dr. Bronners also makes bar soaps. They're less drying.

I highly recommend Method's surface wipes and handsoap. The surface wipes do the job without an overpowering chemical smell that both I and my cats abhor. I do wish though that they had a refill container for the hand soap--I hate to buy bottle after cute bottle (love the clear--the other colors- scary--glow-in-the-dark-nuclear) even if they are recyclable. But I'm with the other people on the dishwashing soap. Squeezing that last bit of soap out was impossible--I ended up tearing apart the bottle to get to the last drop of soap.

The dish soap is terrible!! It doesn't clean and Rashid's design leaks all over the place.

Method does have refil bottles of the handsoap. I bought mine at Target.

I used the shower spray and it really does smell great-I still need to give the shower a good scrub, but not as often as without using it. My main concern is if you read the Method labels they do not disclose what ingredients are used, only what types i.e.; soap scum dissolver or nonionic surfacant. On their website they state general desriptions of sources for their ingredients but not the final version. How can you trust a company telling you they are green if they can't reveal what their green ingredients are?

I love the concept of Method, but am disappointed in the delivery. After giving various Method products many chances, the overpowering smells and less-than-stellar cleaning power finally broke me. I switched to 7th Generation - no overpowering fragrances, cleans well, green, and reasonably priced.

I have a bottle of Pink Grapefruit All Purpose Cleaner and I love it. I feel like I should mention that I mostly use it in my bathroom and in my kitchen (where I have a tiled countertop). I didn't buy it because it was "green" but I do like that I don't have to wear gloves or worry about the cat accidentally ingesting some. The cleaner totally kicks it on my particular bathroom and kitchen issues caused by scary hard water, old grout, etc. It is better on my hard water and rust-type issues than CLR, which didn't seem right at first, but I tried again and Method won again. I use it to clean the toilet also, and again, it is better than other cleaners with harsher chemicals. The smell is not overpowering, and I find myself cleaning more often because the product is pleasant to use and doesn't require me to think about if the product is OK to use on a given surface.

I love the dish soap bottle. So much that I refilled it with some other dish soap I had around. It doesn't leak for me and is so much neater due to not getting that creepy residue around the cap like the top of Dawn, etc. I am not Martha enough to put my soap in decorative bottles but I do like living without the creepiness around the top.

I've always used too much soap anyway, so I probably didn't notice that it was hard to dispense small quantities, but I just give it a squeeze and it comes right out.

I know, to each their own, but I wanted to give my experience so people would at least just try it out before deciding.

Anna

I was totally disappointed with the Method line of products. I fell for the packaging and then felt like a fool when it didn't work as well as my good old 409/Tide/Dawn - and cost twice as much, too!

I did not like the product line as a whole. I went to Target and bought the laundry detergent and softner and the dish soap and a spray cleaner and a liquid cleaner (like a pinesol thingy) and I already had the hand soap. The handsoap is fine (but most any kind is). The dish liquid sucked it did not cut the grease or clean very well. The other stuff (the spray and the liquid) were little more than perfumed water. I can't say the fragrance was strong (I bought the lavender scents) in fact I was dissapointed in the lack of fragrance. The laundry products were okay on lightly soiled items but heavily soiled stained clothes did not come clean at all. I say stick with Gain, Dawn, and Clorox bleach. Better value and much better performance.

A friend who lives in Columbus, Ohio always seems to find the great "products". She is kind enough to share with me. Her daughter turned her onto "Method". She called me in Florida to share the best find of the year!!! I have the girls in the office using it. Nothing like word of mouth when it comes to something good...
I love METHOD!! The shower spray is the most wonderful aroma in cleaning supplies i have ever used (and I have used them all). It cleans great and leaves the showers, tile and tubs sparkling and clean. The wipes are great. The hand and body washes are a delight to use.
Thanks for making housecleaning an aroma thereapy moment!
carol in sarasota, fl

I've been getting method at Odd Lots for $3 a bottle--laundry detergent and softner. Scope out your Odd Lots and stock up!

Method stuff sucks period. It doesn't work and the fragrance is very light and not very lasting. It doesn't work its a rip off and its a marketing scam. Just wait for bleeding heart liberals who want to do the "green thing" and use over priced colored water to appear to be cleaning.

I love all the Method products EXCEPT the dishsoap. It smelled good, but didn't clean well at all. I just wish my local Target stores carried a bigger selection of the products. I guess they need to work on the dish soap a bit more.

I have used method cleaning products. I like the pink grapefruit all purpose cleaner and I love the shower cleaner and the the leave on spray. Here's why. I own a housecleaning business and I try to use products that are not only safe for me but also for the families I clean for. I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to spray a bathroom cleaner in an enclosed bathroom and not have to leave the room every tw minutes to get fresh air or wear a face mask. I didn't find the scents overpowering. I compared "the works" shower spray to the eucalyptus shower spray. Neither worked on the stainless steel fixtures but the method cleaner didn't leave a residue on them like the works did. Plus the method cleaner didn't leave me gagging and wheezing. Also the method cleaning worked great when it came to cleaning the grout. The all purpose cleaner got my counters clean and the jelly that was on them came right off. (3 kids) The floor cleaner worked well enough and smelled nice but it didn't leave a shine on my floor. So I elected to stick with vinegar and water for cleansing. The idea here is that when you use green cleaners you have to put a little extra effort into it. It's called work. Chemical cleaners leave residue are unsafe for kids and pets and you. They are poison and you are absorbing that poison into your body every time you clean with them. Whether it be through your skin (which by the way the works caused skin irritation method did not) or by inhalation, you are slowly poisoning yourself and everyone else. I am not sure what being a bleeding heart liberal has to do with it. I just calling it being more informed and taking accountability.

I hate the dishsoap, but love the mint window cleaner. Unfortunatly, my Target store isn't carrying the window cleaner any more. Anyone else have problems finding it? I finally did online and ordered several bottles.

I tried the Method products when Target first started carrying them and I didn't think they were the best at cleaning like some of the other reviews. So I just bought the hand soaps because I like the essential oil smells. I have small children and I had a scare with one of them ingesting another type of cleaning product. I'm not really into buying "green" products, but I am into buying products that are safe for my kids and Method's products are safe. I don't care if they do the best job, just get the job done. I don't use vinegar and water as a glass cleaner because it stinks. I tried adding lemon and it still stinks. The laundry detergent bottle has changed and doesn't look like it would leak (though I haven't tried it yet). The glass cleaner gets the job done - use newspaper or baby cloth diapers if you feel like it's streaking. The dishsoap cleans my dishes just fine. I LOVE the daily shower spray; I don't have to scrub out my shower anymore (everything sparkles, I was shocked)! The flushable bathroom wipes are a life saver when you have kids constantly leaving little messes. The wood cleaner smells awesome and really cleans. The foaming hand soap is the terrific, and I noticed they have an antibacterial hand gel online that I can't wait to try out. I will be switching all my cleaning products over to the Method line as needed, and I'm currently using several. For the safety of my kids, I'm not going back!

i like method alright. the laundry bottle always leaks for me, icky mess. i still use tide free in that huge container.

the wipes are too thin and you have to use at least two to clean a small surface.

they're pretty good tho. i like the grapefruit and lavender scents most, the other are too detergenty smelling.

and i have to say they are not the MOST natural, with sythetic scents and colors. you can get more natural with companies like ecover and dr. bonner.
anyway, that's my 2 centavos.

I just bought my first bottle, all purpose spray, so far soo good, I have used it on the kitchen and bathroom counters. I agree with the person who said it's not about being the best, it's about getting the job done. I have cats that I constantly worry about ingesting the products I use, if I have to put a little extra elbow grease so be it, I'd rather do that then have to clean twice so that I can get all the chemicals washed off after I am done cleaning. Looking forward to trying all the products. Love it so far!

My husband and I have been using Dr. Bronner's liquid castille soap in the shower for a couple of years - he likes almond, I like lavender. For us, it's not drying and it leaves almost no soap scum in the shower. My heels don't get dry and calloused in the summer anymore, either, and I wonder if that was from soap build-up. It's a little expensive to use for laundry, but I've put it full strength on stains like a pre-wash, and that's worked pretty well.
I like method's laundry soap and would like to try their dryer sheets. I've had great success with the all-purpose cleaners - lavender in the bathrooms and pink grapefruit in the kitchen. Gets the grease off the stove just fine. I'd like to try the wipes. I still like 50/50 water and vinegar for glass cleaner, though.
It does bother me that method doesn't list their ingredients. That's what I was looking for when I found this site. I stopped using the shower spray because my cats like to lap up water from the shower floor, but since using Dr. Bronner's, I don't need it, anyway. Still looking for those ingredients...

I have used the method laundry detergent. I can usually buy it at my local closeout store. At first I was hesitant because it was such a small bottle and I was hoping that it wouldn't take that much since it was concentrated to make my clothes smell good. It did a great job and I would rate it the best smelling of any other laundry detergent I have ever used. The clothes came out as clean as any other product I've used. I would give it a 10 out of 10

I just bought "method" cucumber all purpose cleaner and I love it. When I clean it doesn't hurt to breathe it in, it does the job well, is not that expensive and the smells lingers nicely in the room. I am recommending these products to people at my work who seem very interested by the non toxic qualities of the product.

I love the stainless steel wipes, the wood floor cleaner is great and smells delicious, and I love the lavendar floor cleaner. These are great products and I use them in my new york city eco-friendly, natural and holistic green-cleaning business -- www.msgreenclean.com

I live in Mexico and do not have a wide choice of environmentally friendly products here. I don't often go to the US so I was delighted when I found Method products in the local supermarket. I started with the dishwashing soap and I found it to be very good. I prefer the cucumber fragrance to the lavender. I just bought the granite and marble cleaner and it really did bring a shine to the surface - usually I am very wary of what on use on these kinds of surfaces. I wanted to find out more and that's why I ended up here, I will definitely try the stainless steel wipes and the laundry detergent.
Thanks to everyone for their comments, it's great to hear others' opinions.

Yeah, have to say I can't really see that they clean all that well. I prefer Bon Ami. I think the housekeeper stopped using it. After her first week, I noticed the bottle was really low, now it's remained at that level--I think she's given up on it. And I really like Caldrea for dishsoap.

Method is now in Canada! Shoppers Drug Mart carries a good selection (not all of the products, but hopefully will some day). There is also a generic brand, Bio-Life, that I haven't tried. And I think Wal-mart might have a generic brand up here too (?).

Anyone from Ohio? What stores carry Method there? Is the "Odd Lots" mentioned above in Ohio too?

I'm not a fan of the hand soaps. I prefer Kirk's Castile bar soap. Call me old fashioned.
Also, I find the bottle shapes annoying. Don't like 'em. Don't like 'em. Don't like 'em.

I must admit that after reading this I'm curious about some of the other products. But would def. hide the bottles.

Has anyone tried the Method wood floor cleaning product? Is it anything like Murphy's Oil Squirt & Mop?

Reeter-

I usually use murphy's oil soap to clean my wood floors, but I just purchased the Method wood floor cleaning kit. I will post to tell you how it works. Has anyone tried the granite/marble spray and cloth?

I justbought the wood floor cleaner set while at Lowes. I was there for something else but wanted tosee if therewas a microfiber mop/brush set that I could use on my wood floors as that is what my mom uses on hers and it works great. The Method packaging caught my eye and so did the bright colors.

With two kids I try and make sure all the cleaning supplies are safe. So this product caught my attention. I brought it home and tried it out and I have tosay the floors look great.

I am going to try the other products as soonas the ones that I am currently using are empty.

I only wish the Commisary carried this product..oh well at least Lowe's is right down the road. So anyone in the Greensboro, NC area they have the products there.