my laundry dream team

Steve over on squeaky clean + green has decided to start posting on his favorite method products. First up, laundry!

"i figure it's time for me to start showing my love for method a little more. starting today, i will feature the products i use and why i love them so much. first up--method laundry detergent, fabric softener and dryer cloths.

my first lust, as Nathan over at method lust calls it, was the method laundry detergent and fabric softener. about four years ago, i was perusing my local Target. i had never before frequented a Target because the closest one used to be an hour away from my place. now, thanks to my having moved, the closest is about ten minutes, and i go at least once a week, but i digress. i was wandering down the detergent isle, trying to decide what kind of detergent to buy. i have a lot of allergy issues, and most detergents cause itching and rashes. i noticed this nifty display at the end of the isle for a line from a company called method. i had never heard of method, nor had i ever seen what they were offering--a detergent that was 3x concentrated! also, back then the bottles had this awesome flip-top squeeze dispenser that i really miss. i also loved the scent, which method dubbed morning bloom. i read the label touting its environmental and people friendliness and decided to give it a go. i knew i could drop it off at my parent's house if i couldn't use it (she gets all my rejects. i'm always trying new stuff, cause i can pass it on if i can't use it.)

to make a long story short, the stuff is awesome! i have never had any adverse reactions from using method detergent or softener. pictured is my laundry lineup. since i now have a front load washer by lg (which claims to only use 12-15 gallons of water for an entire wash load!) i only use a third of a capful for a full load of laundry and about a half capful of fabric softener. i skip the fabric softener and use one dryer cloth when i wash towels, since frequent and excessive use of softener on towels causes a loss in absorption. the dryer cloths are a recent addition to my lineup, replacing method's discontinued dryer sheets. they are wet cloths that come in a resealable package to keep them from drying out. they can be used multiple time, according to method. i have never really tried this. since i only do laundry one or twice a week, i usually do my towels first, and leave the dryer cloth in the dryer for every subsequent load. i then use it to wipe down the surfaces in my laundry room to remove all the airborne lint and dust that has settled everywhere. my clothes always smell fresh and clean and are always soft and static free. i recently was forced to use my local laundromat (uck!) when my washer decided it was in need of an extended vacation. i got comments all around from people who had never before seen method.

unfortunately, Target no longer sells my morning bloom detergent. thankfully, a local grocer, bloom (i just realized the irony of the store name), sells my detergent. they do not, however, sell the fabric softener, so i will be quite cross if Target ducks out of selling it too. the dryer cloths have also been discontinued from Target. i am still using the supply of cloths i bought when they went on clearance at Target. unless method comes out with something else or Target brings them back to their stores, i suppose i will break down and order them online when i run out.

as a side note, i should mention a fourth member of my laundry regimen--method go naked dish soap. i began spot treating with dish soap years ago, after reading about it in an article on doing laundry in Martha Stewart Living (the only magazine i have ever subscribed to, and one of very few i give a fig about enough to read.) i was always very careful when i did this, because all the dish soaps on the market had some sort of dye or color that i was afraid would stain my clothing, completely ruining the point. then method came out with the go naked line. i was thrilled to have a dish soap that is completely clear and color free! i can apply it to anything and everything. i keep a bottle in my laundry room and another in my closet next to my hamper. i can spot treat every little stain or blemish without having to worry about any dark spots caused by leaving the soap on the fabric too long before washing."