Method Foaming Hand Soap
Method Bar Soap, Deep Detox
Method Laundry Detergent Packs
Ecover Automatic Dishwasher Soap Tablets
Method Glass + Surface Cleaner, Mint
One of the most famous green cleaning brands on the planet, Method has been selling green cleaners for over 20 years. However, are their products actually good at cleaning? We aimed to find out.
Since being created in the late ‘90s by college buddies Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan, Method has grown into a $100 million business. Their cleaning products are designed to use safe ingredients that reduce harm to the environment, minimizing your negative impact on the Earth.
Identified as a B Corporation, they have also proven themselves to be a progressive leader in the green cleaning space, even featuring a campaign with drag queens to challenge the gender stereotypes around cleaning.
So, after learning all of this, I was intrigued to check if their products are really that good. I personally tested several of their cleaning products to see how good and eco-friendly they are and to compare how they stack against their competitors.
Today, I’ll reveal my findings. I’ll talk about the best Method cleaning products and how effective they were for me.
Do Method Cleaning Supplies Contain Harmful Chemicals?
Method’s founders wanted to create products free from harmful chemicals, so they created a paraben-free and non-toxic cleaning range.
But I wanted to check how chemical-free they really are. A lot of times, green and naturally derived ingredients don’t mean the product is safe and free from chemicals. It actually means that ingredients don’t come from petroleum but coconut oil.
But, even when the ingredient comes from a natural source such as coconut oil, the manufacturing process can contain many other chemicals, so I checked other ingredients as well.
I found their products have no preservatives, but there are some other concerning ingredients, such as fragrance, surfactants, and colorant. The colorant is especially concerning, as it can contain residues from heavy metals and petroleum-based carcinogenic contaminants.
While I don’t think there are enough amounts of these chemicals to be harmful, body care and household products should be made without carcinogenic chemicals.
Are Method Cleaning Products Safe for Your Health?
I also checked other ingredients apart from chemicals. I started with the pH clarity of Method products. For example, the all-purpose cleaner has a pH clarity of 10.5 to 11.5, which is high enough to preserve the product without the need for preservatives, so there’s no issue there.
Method products also have fragrances. The fragrance is actually a blend of ingredients, and many of them can cause allergies, sensitization, and even cancer in some cases, so this isn’t ideal.
For example, one of the fragrant ingredients is Galaxolide, which the EU is assessing for endocrine disruption. Another ingredient is Hexyl Cinnamic Aldehyde which the EU states can cause allergic reactions.
As for the surfactants, there are Decyl Glucoside and Lauryl Glucoside. These are mild and are often used in baby washes, so they won’t cause you any health issues.
So, the answer to "Are Method cleaning products safe for your health?" is unclear. There are a lot of safe ingredients, but there are also some that could potentially cause health issues. Overall, if you have sensitive skin that’s easily irritated, you may have an issue with these products.
Do They Come In Biodegradable Packaging?
The first thing I noticed upon seeing Method’s products is how visually appealing they are. All the products are bright and beautiful, and it’s the kind of package you’d be proud to display on your counters. However, this doesn’t mean a lot if they aren’t eco-friendly.
All the bottles are made from recycled plastics and are recyclable. Some of the products, such as the new hand wash bottles, are made of aluminum, which makes them extra durable.
Moreover, I liked that the company encourages its customers to buy refills. This cuts down on plastic packaging. As the company states on its website, “refill, reuse, repeat.”
They also recently replaced refill pouches with savvy new tubs, which are made with 50% recycled plastic, and can be recycled again.
Method knows what they are doing in terms of both customer appeal and eco-friendliness when it comes to packaging.
A Peek Inside Method’s Green Factory
Method’s factory is the first green factory with a LEED Platinum certification. Their factory is known as the Soapbox and has an innovative design that creates less waste and uses less energy. For example, it has natural lighting access for workers and a 75,000-square-foot greenhouse. The greenhouse is located on the roof and produces 500 tons of fresh, pesticide-free produce.
There’s also a 1,520-foot rooftop canopy, which helps decrease energy use and improve air quality.
There’s even a turbine that provides half of the factory’s annual electric energy. The rest of the energy comes from a set of solar trees located in the parking lot and renewable energy from the grid. The solar trees are tracking trees, which means they don’t need the sun to be straight overhead, but they track its movements all day long.
Finally, the factory is located on land that’s been restored to native prairie land and is open to the community. You can go on a tour to discover the soap-making process and learn more about how eco-friendly the factory is.
My Reviews of Method Cleaning Products
1. Method Foaming Hand Soap
This is my favorite product for washing hands. The package comes with six 10-ounce bottles, which last for a long time.
The cleansers all have a biodegradable formula that’s all plant-based and aluminum-free, without parabens or phthalates.
My hands feel soft, clean, and nicely scented after each use. The scent is a mix of bergamot, lemon, and rosemary.
Together these give a nice sea mineral smell.
Finally, the box is eco-friendly. Except for the pump, the whole bottle is made from 100% recycled plastic and can be recycled again.
Pros
Cons
2. Method Bar Soap, Deep Detox
If you like bar soaps instead of liquid ones, this could be the one for you. This package has 4 bars, 6 oz in weight. The bars are great for people sensitive to smells. There’s a very faint and pleasant scent.
The ingredients are all plant-based. The bars are infused with cucumber, seaweed, and green tea. There aren’t any parabens or phthalates. My skin always felt well-moisturized after using these bars.
The packaging is eco-friendly as well. It’s made with 50% recycled paper, and it’s not tested on animals.
One thing to note is that these bars are very big, so you may have to cut them in half to fit more comfortably in your hand.
Pros
Cons
3. Method Laundry Detergent Packs
Here’s something for washing clothes. One pack of this laundry detergent holds 42 pouches. One pod is enough for one load, so you can use these 42 times.
The pods contain a plant-based powder that works wonders on lifting stains. I used it in both hot and cold water, and it successfully removed all kinds of stains from my clothes, including wine, gardening stains, and more. Plus, these have a hypoallergenic formula that brightens the colors and whites.
The fragrance is Ginger Mango and gives zingy notes of ginger and the tropical scent of mango. The scent may be too strong for some people, especially those sensitive to fragrances, so I recommend using them with unscented pods.
Pros
Cons
4. Ecover Automatic Dishwasher Soap Tablets
Your dishes deserve eco-friendly treatment as well. These tablets are made with plant-based and mineral ingredients that are biodegradable. You can use them on all kinds of dirty dishes such as glasses and flatware.
The tablets were able to remove even the most sticky and stubborn food, and one tablet is enough for one wash cycle. I didn’t have to rewash or wipe anything once the washing cycle was over.
One thing I wish they’d change is stop packing each tablet in a plastic wrapper. While I’m not a fan of this, I’m aware that if the tablets weren’t packed, there’d be crumbs everywhere, and they would dissolve into a mucky paste.
Pros
Cons
5. Method Glass + Surface Cleaner, Mint
When it comes to cleaning glass, you usually need ammonia-based products for the cleaning job. However, this one is totally ammonia-free, harnessing the cleaning power of natural ingredients instead.
While my glass windows don’t look as impressive as when I use Windex, they still look really good without me putting nasty chemicals into the air.
Thanks to this stuff, I didn’t have to breathe in ammonia when cleaning my windows.
While my glass windows don’t look as impressive as when I use Windex, they still look really good without me putting nasty chemicals into the air.
Thanks to this stuff, I didn’t have to breathe in ammonia when cleaning my windows.
I also have a glass coffee table that gets covered in coffee stains and fingerprints, but a few sprays of this is enough to get my table looking presentable again. Not AMAZING, but presentable. That’s good enough for me.
Pros
Cons
FAQ
Yes, Method’s cleaning products tend to be very good at cleaning various surfaces, from stainless steel to glass and wooden floors. And not only are they effective; they’re also safer for the environment and your health.
While the regular Method All Purpose Cleaner is not antibacterial, they do sell a specific Antibacterial Cleaner that is designed to kill 99.9% of germs, including influenza and rhinovirus.
Method’s All Purpose Cleaner is safe for adults, children, pets, and the environment. The ingredients are non-toxic, so exposure won’t harm your body. Once you’ve cleaned, there is no toxic residue left, so your household is totally clean and safe.
Regular Method bathroom cleaner does not kill germs and bacteria, as it’s designed to clean away bathroom mold and mildew. However, you could use Method’s Antibacterial Cleaner afterward to make sure that the bathroom germs are dead.
You should not use Method All Purpose Cleaner on granite. However, Method has a Daily Granite Cleaner that you can use on granite. You may want to look into a granite sealing spray as well if you’re looking to preserve and clean granite countertops.
Should You Buy Method Cleaning Products?
Method Cleaning Products get my seal of approval. While there are some things I wish they would change, overall, these products are much better compared to many of their competitors, both who market themselves as eco-friendly and especially those who don’t.
Method pays a lot of attention to our environment, which can be seen in their factory, product packaging, and ingredients.
No matter what kind of product you need: from laundry detergents, hand soap, and dishwasher tablets, they have you covered. Check them out, and start using eco-friendly products for the betterment of our planet.
7 Comments on “Method Cleaning Products Review: Are They Effective?”
Realize this is late in the game, but just wanted to share that my partner tried the Method pink grapefruit all purpose cleaner on our windows and Wow! Much better than anything he has tried so far, including Method Glass Cleaner! He just adds a little, maybe a Tablespoon, to his mop bucket of water(2/3 full), then uses a squeegee and a microfiber cloth. Too soapy full strength.
Because it’s foaming hand wash not gel hand soap, it’s clearly indicated on the package
Why is my method foaming hand wash refill 828ml like water not gel not happy
Hello – this article was very informative and I passed it onto my clients and boss. Please keep writing.
Hey Joseph,
great article, its given my loads of tips for my cleaning business and knowledge to pass onto my clients as we try to educate them along the way. Cheers Phil
I just saw a TV commercial for method. I have heard of the products before and I believe I’ve seen it in the supermarkets, but now I am sold. The commercial I saw had a red headed lady that was very normal and practical looking in comparison to real women. The lady was not stick thin and that kind of woman represents myself and many other people I know. We would like to see people that look like us as we can relate to buying things when they look like us. So very proud and thankful to the company that produces the cleaning product method. Thank you for including all of us instead of just a minority of people. Because they made a commercial that includes people that look like I do I will for now and onwards into the future buy their products. Thank you very much method products. From a very happy and satisfied consumer.
Can the all purpose cleaner be used on solid surface (not granite) countertops?