hello?

Anyone out there? I'm not sure why, but I sure am starting to feel all lonely here... (luster roll call!)

the dirty secret

Adam Lowry is kicking butt and taking names! Make sure you take some time to read this very intriguing article from Treehugger.com (have you hugged a tree today? No? Well go! Hug! Ah, didn't that make you feel all sorts of better! Yes, I knew it would.) In it he discusses in detail laundry's dirty secret: overdosing! (No, not that kind of overdosing!)

"Laundry's Dirty Secret: The Overdose Dilemma |
by Adam Lowry, method

I blog here about design as intention, which is to say that if you broaden your design intention to include social and environmental factors, your designs can become transformational. Examining typical laundry packaging from this design perspective provides interesting insight. If you ask what is the intention of the design of a typical laundry package, the answer is clear: Big detergent jugs are designed to get us to use more. They are a symbol of bigger-is-better wastefulness. The laundry jug is the SUV of consumer products--it's antiquated, wasteful, and costly, but supremely profitable for its makers.

In last Wednesday's Wall Street Journal, Ellen Byron wrote an article called "The Great American Soap Overdose," in which she examined America's addiction to using too much laundry detergent and the various reactions of the "we're on your side" laundry detergent manufacturers.

The piece examines why dosing of laundry detergent is so confusing; why the fill lines are hard to read, and why the caps are oversized. Detergent manufacturers are quick to point out that they, too, are against overdosing and its' negative effects, and that they are constantly looking for ways to curb it.

I'm not buying it.

This rhetoric is symbolic of a greater ideological battle in sustainable business today. It is a fight between those that want to appear green as they protect the ignorance-is-bliss status quo that serves their business interest, and those that are truly willing to put their money where their mouth is and innovate better, greener solutions that help people live more sustainably.

You might ask, why is this important? Isn't it just laundry detergent? When you consider that 1,100 loads of laundry are started every second in America, that means over 500 million pounds of laundry detergent go down the drain and into our waterways every year.

The main arguments that detergent manufacturers give for why dosing is so confusing are that they haven't yet found a way to make it clearer, and that consumers want control. According to the article, large manufacturers don't want to boost sales by confusing consumers, because they don't want their customers disappointed in how the product makes their clothes look and washing machines wear.

These arguments warrant a critical eye.

If detergent manufacturers were really that concerned about the negative effects of using too much, then why wouldn't they limit the size of the cap to the amount you need for a heavy load? That's what Method did when we launched our 3x laundry detergent in 2004. Furthermore, given the huge volume of laundry detergent sold every year, "right-sizing" the cap would save manufacturers millions in plastic cost and create an enormous sustainability benefit. But they don't. Still today, the volume of the cap is often more than double what you need, and the 'natural' brands are as guilty as all the rest..."

Head on over and read the rest!

to the loo

I'm so behind on this post it's crazy (hey, I might not have much of a life and all I dream about are method products dancing merrily in my head all day; but you know, sometimes laziness, work, or a bit of both get in the way! I think I need a method lust assistant! Ha ha!) But right now method is having all sorts of bathroom goodness going on!

You can download some awesome inspirational bathroom quotes here; place an order for their bathroom kit here (which comes with one each of: lil' bowl blu, tub 'n tile cleaner, le scrub, and flushable bathroom cleaner wipes.) - and use this checkout code: SHIPTOMYLOO for free shipping! Sale ends 2/12/10! So get to buying!

AND finally, there are so many bathroom related contests and things to read, you'll just have to run over to this post on method's official people against dirty blog to learn all about it! (Pictures, Facebook contests, Twitter contests, and more oh my!)

Whew! So get going cleanin' that loo!

aha!

method lust reader Jamison just spotted method's new laundry detergent at his local Target (and I have as well! Ugh, Target! My one complaint (as I always have one, right? Ha ha!) is as usual they carry peony blossom AND fresh air in both sizes, but the free + clear (the one I buy!) only in the large (meaning more expensive) size. Grr.)

Meanwhile, reader Regan spotted the amazing product at her local QFC! (Regan, what IS QFC? I've never heard of it!)

If you happen to spot method's new laundry detergent at a store near you, take a pic and send it in to method lust! I'll post them up as I get them! Happy hunting!

1 + 1 = confetti!

2 years and over 900 posts later! Happy anniversary to method lust!

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How long have YOU been reading method lust?

method at the office

Keep watching 'til the "clappers" segment! Pretty crazy to see where method products pop up! (via method's Facebook page)

new new for you!

UPDATE Found it! During my usual Target jaunt (well, one of many many many... sigh!) I finally spied method's new limited edition waterfall hand wash! It is, as many lust readers have said, in with the main Target selection (dish cubes, all-surface cleaner, etc.) and NOT with the hand wash in the, well, hand wash area. method sorta likes to put their "top four" gel hand washes (pink grapefruit, lavender, cucumber and go naked) in with their big area product selection (now five, if you count waterfall!) They then put the remaining hand washes (sea minerals, waterflower, refresh mint, sweet water, the moisturizing line, etc.) on the hand wash aisles at Target. Should I draw you a map? Cause, really, I could. Oh how I could.

I gotta say, I love method's limited edition hand washes and hope they keep on keepin' on; but man, if I had to do a blind sniff test between their new waterfall and the sea minerals scents (which some readers have also said smell very similar) I'm not sure I'd be able to tell which one was which! I'm sorta surprised they chose a scent so very close to one they already carry. But I also know sea minerals appears to be a big hit for them, so perhaps they're trying to hook that customer base with some more similarly scented products.

You'll all definitely have to let me know if you agree or disagree on the scent similarity when you get a chance to try it out yourself (or hey, just do like I do, and sniff it in the stores! Man, I sniff so much stuff in the stores, I'm surprised Target hasn't pulled all the surveillance video together and made a mashup YouTube video of me sniffing method products! Ha ha! Oh but that's be so very sad. Let's hope that never comes to pass.)

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Look and see! A brand new limited edition hand wash scent coming to a Target near you! - Waterfall (man does it look a lot like Sea Minerals! I'm really curious what the scent smells like!)

Let methodlust know if you spot new mr. blue on a shelf near you! (Wow, so much rhyme, so little time!) Waterfall will be available thru July (or so) according to method's latest Tweet!

movin' out

UPDATE Reader Brit just let us know that Target has indeed clearanced the fabric softener - so it looks like it's either going away, or method is set to debut updated softener as part of their new laundry line. Time will tell!

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Making a quick trip to Lowe's this week to see if they'd gotten the new laundry detergent (as I had yet to actually see it in a store) I FINALLY spotted the new product! I took a big whiff of peony blossom, and it wasn't at all what I was expecting. (It didn't smell like peonies to me at all. But then, I'm more so a free + clear fan anyway, and I've already heard of lots of method lusters who love the new peony blossom scent, so what's my opinion anyway? LOL)

But while I was there, I also noticed Lowe's is putting the method fabric softener (available in fresh air and water lily + aloe) on clearance. The only other store that I know currently carrying the softener is Target, and they only carry the fresh air. So I'm not sure if this is simply Lowe's removing the product from their shelves, or method discontinuing it and bringing out a new fabric softener more in line with their new laundry products! I'll keep you updated when I find out anything more!

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And you know something I'd REALLY love to see is their fabric softener in a free + clear "scent." Towels and sheets I don't mind having a lingering fragrance, but for clothing it's sorta a big no-no for me. (Hey, isn't that what cologne/perfume is for? Ha ha!)