wall soap

Download! What's your favorite color? Pink! Green! no Blue! Read about the posters here!

keep on givin'

First method wanted to give lots of their cleaning goodies to your favorite charity! Now they wanna give YOU some, too!

re-nest is promoting the contest, and it's short and to the point!

"method is the leader in premium healthy and eco-friendly home care. One winner will receive the entire line of cleaning, personal care and baby + kid products ($150 worth!) in a variety of yummy method fragrances."

You've got only until December 19, at 12:00 PM EST; so get going! (Easy directions on the site!)

carbon copy

Hmm! Check out that photo? What might you see?

I stumbled upon this product at my local TJ Maxx a couple of days ago! It's a candle line from a brand called beanpod candles (soy candles). But what really caught my eye was the jar it came in. method's old ceramic soy candle jar, painted a shiny black! But the shape was totally method! I wonder if this might be a rip-off design, or another case of method having leftover containers it sold to another brand (as they've done in the past.) Curious! (What's really interesting is this particular jar is nowhere to be found on their website, so hmm...)

hanukkah method style

How-to here! (Happy Hanukkah!)

win + give

Win a year's worth of products for your charity! Yeah, uhm, that's all I have to say! Cause it's so very awesome it's worth repeating (yes, you can still use the word awesome! Even though it's really 80's! So there!) Win a year's worth of products for your charity! Oh hey, one more time! Win a year's worth of products for your charity! - from method! How cool is this!

"Charitable giving is important to method, and we’re thankful for all the people against dirty who give back to their communities. so to help you help others, tell us in the comments section below what non-profit (pick just one) is close to your heart and deserves method products. we’ll randomly choose one person against dirty to win a year’s worth of method products for the non-profit of their choice."

The total value is $360. Contest ends 12/16/09, 11:59pm pst. You must be 18 to enter. Non-profit must be a registered 501C3 and be in the US or Canada. One entry per person.

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So! Get to it! And good luck (for you, and your charity!) And remember, you only have until next Wednesday, so don't dawdle (yes, I just said dawdle!)

gifts galore

method just keeps on giving, and we keep on receiving! (Yay us!) need some adorable gift tags for all the goodies you're gonna be giving out this holiday season? Well, method's gone and designed some spiffy ones for you! And the good news is, all you have to do is click, download and cut'em out! Tada! Intant gift tags!

While you're waiting for your tags to print, why not head on over to method's website and start a little method holiday shopping (for others, OR yourself. Shh, we'll never tell!) Right now they're giving us free shipping! You can get the free shipping on all method products when you enter the code FREESLEIGHRIDE at checkout. (Valid through 12/16/2009.) So jingle jangle on over, and clean up! (See, see what I did there. Oh, that was good, wasn't it. Oh, ok, not that creative, eh? Well, I can't win'em all!)

ho ho download-e-oh!

method's taken their website and holiday-ed it all up! And left us a little treat under the tree, ta' boot! Right now you can click on over to method's official website, or hey, just click this link here and get a big ole' $2.00 (yes, $2.00!) off method coupon! Good to use in retail stores! So go ho ho ho, and download! Wait, if you went ho ho ho that might mean you were Santa, and Santa doesn't open the gifts he gives out, so perhaps you should just drink some eggnog, and download! Or hot chocolate! Or hot apple cider! Or whatever the heck holiday drink you like, 'kay? (Glogg, anyone?)

(PS - You can only download one coupon per household. Just lettin' you know, cause if you try for more, you'll just be wasting paper. Trust me on this!)

do-buy

You know, I don't usually go down the possibly political road here on method lust. And I'm not actually sure this is "political" anyway, but just in case, you've been warned. Ha ha!

I've just discovered this amazing, albeit extremely eye-opening article on Dubai. Dubai, you know, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Yes, you know, that crazy city who's built it's own man made islands. The one with the Burj Dubai, the tallest man-made skyscraper in the world. - Glitz, glamour, money. That Dubai. (Oh and yeah, the Dubai that has just admitted it can't pay back much of it's debt right now. Just wait and see the irony of that one, when you read the article.)

Well, people, all that glitters ain't gold. Now what's this got to do with a cleaning products website? Well, I like to think of method lust as not only a hub for all things method, but as you've seen in the past, for all things environmental (ok, maybe not ALL things, but lots of things!) But it sorta goes a step further. Because if we're out there trying to make a difference on this planet, to keep the environment safe and happy; we also need to be trying to keep mankind safe and happy as well. It all sorta goes hand in hand, don't you think? Clean environment, happy Mother Earth, caring mankind (towards one another) = peaceful coexistence. People friendly means LOTS of things, right? Right.

As far as I'm concerned, Dubai is failing. - In both respects. Honestly, that place just scares me. Creeps me out. I can't even explain why. But just in case you're thinking I've really stepped over the line, gone off the rails, and this has nothing to do with environmentalism; oh contraire my friend, read this excerpt:

"...I wanted to understand how the government of Dubai will react, so I decided to look at how it has dealt with an environmental problem that already exists – the pollution of its beaches. One woman – an American, working at one of the big hotels – had written in a lot of online forums arguing that it was bad and getting worse, so I called her to arrange a meeting. "I can't talk to you," she said sternly. Not even if it's off the record? "I can't talk to you." But I don't have to disclose your name... "You're not listening. This phone is bugged. I can't talk to you," she snapped, and hung up.

The next day I turned up at her office. "If you reveal my identity, I'll be sent on the first plane out of this city," she said, before beginning to nervously pace the shore with me. "It started like this. We began to get complaints from people using the beach. The water looked and smelled odd, and they were starting to get sick after going into it. So I wrote to the ministers of health and tourism and expected to hear back immediately – but there was nothing. Silence. I hand-delivered the letters. Still nothing."

The water quality got worse and worse. The guests started to spot raw sewage, condoms, and used sanitary towels floating in the sea. So the hotel ordered its own water analyses from a professional company. "They told us it was full of fecal matter and bacteria 'too numerous to count'. I had to start telling guests not to go in the water, and since they'd come on a beach holiday, as you can imagine, they were pretty pissed off." She began to make angry posts on the expat discussion forums – and people began to figure out what was happening. Dubai had expanded so fast its sewage treatment facilities couldn't keep up. The sewage disposal trucks had to queue for three or four days at the treatment plants – so instead, they were simply drilling open the manholes and dumping the untreated sewage down them, so it flowed straight to the sea.

Suddenly, it was an open secret – and the municipal authorities finally acknowledged the problem. They said they would fine the truckers. But the water quality didn't improve: it became black and stank. "It's got chemicals in it. I don't know what they are. But this stuff is toxic."

She continued to complain – and started to receive anonymous phone calls. "Stop embarrassing Dubai, or your visa will be cancelled and you're out," they said. She says: "The expats are terrified to talk about anything. One critical comment in the newspapers and they deport you. So what am I supposed to do? Now the water is worse than ever. People are getting really sick. Eye infections, ear infections, stomach infections, rashes. Look at it!" There is feces floating on the beach, in the shadow of one of Dubai's most famous hotels.

"What I learnt about Dubai is that the authorities don't give a toss about the environment," she says, standing in the stench. "They're pumping toxins into the sea, their main tourist attraction, for God's sake. If there are environmental problems in the future, I can tell you now how they will deal with them – deny it's happening, cover it up, and carry on until it's a total disaster." As she speaks, a dust-storm blows around us, as the desert tries, slowly, insistently, to take back its land..."

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Uhm, yeah. And did I also mention residences of Dubai have the biggest average carbon footprint of any human being – more than double that of an American. Oh, and don't even get me started on what it takes to build a man made island. Can you even comprehend that? Wanna read the entire article? I'm telling you it's long. It's depressing. Perhaps even shocking. But it's HIGHLY worth the read. So take off those ADHD blinders, and settle in. And I'd LUST knowing your thoughts after you've digested this.

snarky bubbles

Wow, method's made it to that snarky land called gawker.com! Which usually isn't a good thing. Being how gawker is all snark, all the time.

In a post titled "Everybody's Mad at Dolls, Cartoons", discussing the new African American Barbie and methods recent Shiny Suds online ad (I know, odd combination!), they go on to say:

"We like to "jest" with the advertising industry about how stupid and evil they are, but the truth is that marketing is not easy. Today in Fuzzy Public Outrage: Dolls are racist, and soap bubbles are rapists. Here is one of those "viral" videos you've heard so much about. In it, imaginary cartoon soap bubbles representing chemical soap scum linger around a lady's shower, acting like jerks. That is because the household cleaner company that made it supports rape."

They're jesting (AND snarking!) on that last sentence, as it's linked to this article, over on Advertising Age:

"Household cleaner marketer Method has pulled down a viral video roundly applauded by marketers at the Association of National Advertisers annual conference last month and by most viewers who've seen it because of heated complaints from some women who view it as sexist and even condoning rape.

The "Shiny Suds" video from Droga5, New York, the agency's first work for Method since winning the account a year ago, was a parody of traditional household cleaner advertising meant to support the Household Product Labeling Acts, which would require disclosure of ingredients in household cleaners.

The video, while taken down late last week by Method from its website and Droga5 from YouTube, remains available through unauthorized versions.

Scrubbing Bubbles, which the next day turn into leering perverts commenting on the woman taking a shower and urging her to use a loofah. The message: "You deserve to know what chemicals are in your cleaners."

The video got more than 700,000 views in a week on YouTube and a five-star rating from viewers before Method pulled the plug. Method competitor Unilever seemed to like it, too. Search ads for its Dove brand appeared alongside results for searches on the phrase "Shiny Suds" the day the video first appeared Nov. 18. (A spokeswoman for Dove didn't return an e-mail for comment by deadline).

Little did attendees at the ANA or most commenters on YouTube and Twitter know, however, that the Shiny Suds were really about degrading women and promoting rape, at least in the opinion of commenters on one blog, Shakesville, which posted the video in its "Today in Rape Culture" section.

That elicited more than 100 angry comments from posters, many of whom said they would stop buying Method products and helped produce some of the hundreds of negative responses to the company's website MethodHome.com. Among the posts: "Making us fear chemical residue from cleaning products because it's tied into a rape threat is beyond sickening."

Of course, that's not the point Method was trying to make. "Due to the sensitive nature of [concerned viewers'] concerns we chose to take down the video," a spokeswoman for Method said in an email statement.

"We received a great deal of feedback about the Shiny Suds video, much of it overwhelmingly positive," she said. "We also received feedback from concerned viewers. ... As with all media messages, people will interpret our video in different ways. The purpose of the video was to raise awareness for transparency in cleaning product ingredients, to which we remain committed."

Besides offending some people, the video did result in 2,500 letters supporting the Household Products Labeling Acts to more than 400 members of Congress, according to Method."

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I guess they did manage to get some positive support out of this after all (2,500 letters!) But it's telling to me that over on gawker, commenters immediately began repeating many of the negative posts we've already seen on Facebook, and method's people against dirty blog. I'm thinking method will be glad when this bubble has popped, and gone away.

give me a g-l-e-e-!

Did you catch the method product appearance in last weeks wonderous (but then again, they're ALL wonderous!) episode of Glee, on Fox? If you did, you'd have seen this cute little quilted creamy hand wash bottle on their bedroom side table! Wait? What's that, in the bedroom?

Yep! It seems they decided to use it more as a lotion bottle in appearance, then a soap bottle. And you know what, I think that's a great idea! method needs to bring back their hand lotion (green mint, please!) and present it to us in those adorably quilted petite bottles they've been using for years for their creamy hand wash! It'd be perfect, and it's a really nice bottle to, of course, like all their products, keep out for others to see!

method... gives Glee!

danny's green christmas

method's Healthy Home 'co-conspirator', Danny Seo, has some neat tips and ideas for going green this Christmas!

pop go the bubbles

UPDATED UPDATE The really downer here is, the whole purpose of this ad, to promote the Household Product Labeling Acts of 2009 bill, has completely been lost due to all the backlash on this playful (if taken a bit too far) online ad. Not only has the video been taken down most everywhere, but the blog post on their official people against dirty blog has been closed, comments and all (because as soon as method would remove the current comments, people would get into a frenzied rage all over again.) And the people against dirty page, which allowed you to add your zipcode in order to get you involved in pushing this bill forward, has also been taken down.

I get that people are mad! (Wow, do I get that!) But besides wanting an apology (and boy, do they want that, as well!) I think many advocates are taking it a tad too far with the "I'll never buy method products again!" arguments. I mean, people, and companies, make mistakes. One possibly tasteless ad does not mean their products now suck. method had no real intention of causing this type of uproar. It'll be curious to see how this all ends up (an apology? A redesign of the people against dirty/bill page? Who knows!) But one thing is for sure, from what I've seen online so far, this ad is already infamous! I doubt we'll be seeing any additional video advertising from method for a very long time (unforunately.)

PS - "shiny suds" is the sixth most popular keyword search on method lust right now!

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UPDATE Sadly, from method's official people against dirty blog:

"We received a lot of feedback about our “Shiny Suds” video.

"We understand the concerns associated with our video and have removed it from YouTube and all other controlled sources. This includes pulling the video and its corresponding comments from our blog. We are all for healthy debate, even when it’s not in favor of method, but when individual contributors begin personally attacking each other, we feel our blog’s purpose becomes unproductive.

Here at method, we are a group of women and men who care about our planet, but first and foremost about people. The purpose of this campaign was to raise awareness for transparency in cleaning product ingredients, to which we remain committed. It was not at all our intent to offend or promote any form of harassment.

We continue to learn, and we appreciate the fact that you took the time to reach out to us."

Ouch.

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So method recently debuted their brand new "ad", promoting their support for the Household Product Labeling Acts of 2009 bill to lots of cheering and excitement! And then... the bubble burst, and the backlash hit. Comments have popped up on their official people against dirty blog; as well as on their Facebook page, with statements including:

"When did Method become pro-humiliating women sexually? Do you not understand that your target market is women, not frat boys? Why do you find the sexual harassment and humiliation of women so hilarious and such a selling point?"

"Disgusting. I am so, so deeply repulsed by this advertisement. Did you not consider the implications of an image of a woman frantically scrubbing in a shower to erase the feeling of having her space invaded? Did this strike you as funny? How do you think this makes women feel? You just lost a lifelong Method customer, one with a mouth so big that you're about to lose a hundred more. Think."

"You have lost another longtime customer. I will no longer support a brand which has so little regard for women in general and obviously has no idea who their target audience is."

"Huh. I wonder if Method would be okay with commercials that happily depict other forms of illegal activity, such as carjacking, mugging, shoplifting, or slashing someone's tires. Probably not, which makes it interesting that they find illegal activity okay when it comes to sexual harassment, spying and threats."

"I'm really bummed. I love your products and I pretty much use them exclusively for home cleaning. Now I need to find another product to fill the void that will be left, as I can no longer purchase your products. While I agree with your premise that chemicals should be disclosed on the label and the website, I find your execution offensive and downright disgusting. For the record, I have a great sense of humor. Your ad victimizing the woman in the shower just isn't funny. At all. Did you stop to consider for a second that many in your target audience have been raped? Or that women undergo the kinds of comments and humiliation depicted in your ad on a daily basis? That your ad could be deeply, deeply hurtful and offensive? I didn't think so.

When I wrote to you earlier this week, I said that the only thing that would get my business back was a full apology and acknowledgment that your ad was offensive and wrong. Instead I got the canned response I clearly asked you not to send me in my note, telling me I just don't get the humor. I will not be buying Method products in the future, and I will be returning several unopened containers to the store. Judging by the other comments on this post, I'm not alone."

...And it goes on, and on, and on, and...

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So, what do you think? You can catch the ad here, if you haven't already seen it. Here's my take on this ad (keeping in mind that a) I'm not a woman; but b) as a gay man, I definitely understand being politcally correct, etc.) I think they could have ended the video at 45 seconds, and hit all their points well. After that it starts hitting some over the top territory, but I think it's still cute. I'm NOT offended by this ad. I think a lot of people are missing THE point. Those bubbles are dirty, nasty chemicals. Acting like dirty, nasty chemicals. But somehow, instead of people reacting and going "Ugh, those chemicals are nasty. I will no longer be buying bad cleaning products!" It's turned into "Ugh, those chemical bubbles are sexual predators, and I will no longer be buying method!"

What's your take? Honestly, I think everyone is so "PC" these days, we just sit around waiting for something to make us angry, so we can complain about it. And I mean everyone. You really can't do anything without someone wanting to make a fuss. But do you think method crossed the line here, or is everyone just getting way too upset for no reason? Comment away!

clean sweeps

+ I'm a little concerned about the availability of method lately. Many of us have complained about how Target seems to just continue shrinking down their method product line from store shelves (such a stupid move, mind you!); and Target has been their biggest provider for quite a long time. Luckily, Lowe's Hardware got into the game, and while I'm not sure, I'm betting Lowe's and Target are probably the two retail stores where you can find the largest range of method products. In fact, we got a Lowe's a while back in my hometown (tiny town, let me tell you!) and mom was really excited about the huge end cap of method products! This was her chance to start purchasing them herself, as we don't have a Target (shock!)

So just yesterday, my family has come to Greensboro for Thanksgiving, and we were roaming Target (of course) and mom asked me about method, and mentioned the selection at her Lowe's store was pretty much non-existent at this point. And I've noticed this as well, earlier this year my local Lowe's had two big end caps full of method goodies! They've reduced this all down to one lonely end cap now! What's the deal? And I'm starting to receive emails from many advocates complaining about how these retail stores are removing their favorite method products, and asking what exactly is going on?

Are you noticing this at your local Target, or Lowe's stores?

+ Continuing my (apparently) downer method posts today (which I really don't mean to do!) well, my omop handle broke. Again. I straight up know even the method advocacy team is fed up with those omops. LOL Sadly! I LUST my omop, but really, truly, they need to take that thing in for a design upgrade. What was really weird is, usually the 'o' handle will just snap right off. But this time it cracked off, but had some weird thick flexible plastic around the whole handle, so it "stayed on" but you really can't mop with it, as it just sorta flops back and forth. Ha ha!

Luckily for me, I snagged up an extra one during my big method weekend with Danny Seo and Rachel Goldberg; so I'm not without an omop! But I wish I'd snagged a few more, as I know it's only a matter of time (I swear this is like omop #5 or 6 for me.)method, make the freakin' handle out of metal, like the pole is, and be done with it. It doesn't even need to be in an 'o' shape (though I get that would cause name confusion, but alas.) Whatever the case, I seriously love the omop (so don't get rid of it!), but it's TIME for a redesign.

holiday gone?

So I'm noticing something troublesome this weekend while strolling through two Target stores. It appears the method holiday line we've received in the stores MIGHT (and that's a big might, as I don't have any official word yet) be it. No additional shipments?

Upon sniffing around the first Target store, I noticed all the cinnamon bark candles were gone, AND the price tag had been flipped over, so it was just a white tag. method hand wash had been put in place of the candles. And at the second store, I noticed not only was the cinnamon bark candles gone, but the tag was gone as well. All that remained were the hollyberry and peppermint vanilla tags. and even the hollyberry candles were gone! So it looks like this might be a case of stock up while you can, because usually Target will just keep restocking when they sell out (especially since uhm, it's not even December yet?) but they're doing some weird things here this year.

Grab it while you can, advocates! I'll let you know if I can get more information on this!

holiday contest-o-rama!

method's got a nifty holiday contest happening this very moment over on their people against dirty blog! So clickity-click-click and see if you can guess 2 (out of 3) of the very first holiday method scents from 2003! (And no, the picture above is not the answer! Well, not completely, perhaps? Hmm...)

"You will be entered to win a holiday assorted bundle, valued at $26! One entry per person. Must be 18 to enter and be a US, Canadian or UK resident. Contest ends at 12pm on 11/29/09." - Good luck!

mr. shiny suds

UPDATE NOW, with Take Action-ability!

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Leave it to method to always take something just ONE step further than you feel comfortable with. And I mean that in a good way! This video is hysterical! Not only are the shiny suds sexist frat boys, but I love when the woman says "what the f*!?" upon discovering them in the morning. ONLY in a method video! Ha ha! It looks like method made this video themselves, which is sorta a peek into what their television commercials could look like, if they were to ever go in that direction! Enjoy!

new marketing in action

Those folks over at Zeus Jones have a really cool blog post on new marketing ideas in action, focusing on method! Here goes:

"As you know, we’re big believers in the idea that brands are increasingly defined by a company’s internal culture. The two examples that we use in our presentation to clients to make this point are Zappos and Method. So it was a rare treat for us to be able to get a tour of Method and spend time with Eric, on our recent trip to Planningness.

Apart from some very cool and top secret stuff they are doing on a product front, the stuff that impressed me the most was the amount of energy and creativity that they devote to their culture. It’s no accident that culture is what defines them. One of the things that really stuck with me was something that Eric said offhandedly, “we always try to find ways to help our people feel like they’re working at a place that matters.”

This becomes increasingly more clear and evident as you walk around their space. From their wall of values which every employee has posted a quote onto, to their staircase of employee pictures with their ideas on “how to keep method weird,” to their grass-lined quiet room, every part of their space is a reflection and an embodiment of who they are. It is literally impossible to work there and not understand what they’re about.

Lest you miss it, one of the touches that I really loved was seeing the kit they lay out for people who are just starting to work there.

Of course it contains all the stuff you’d expect but on page two of their orientation binder is this:

A lottery ticket! It’s a really nice little touch and is emblematic of the attention to detail they’ve taken in all things cultural.

We try to make culture a focus here at ZJ, but I walked away realising we don’t spend half the time on it that we should. I also realised that if, as I believe, brand strength is directly correlated to the strength of your culture, there are very few brands out there who can compete with Method at the moment."

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And you're a winner either way! Cause even if you have a losing lottery ticket, you've still won cause you're now working for method! Win, win!

seasonal savings!

UPDATE Just heard back from the wonderful Sarah at method, and she's got an update on the holiday backorder issue a lot of people are experiencing. It appears there may be two answers.

"1) We are restocking items later this week- orders will be shipped out Monday; and 2) We are pulling items off of the site as we sell out - unfortunately it takes about a day before it appears off of the site. Currently we are ALL out of 3 items, and will be reaching out to those who ordered them and got a backordered notice: spiced pear surface spray, peppermint vanilla surface spray, and hollyberry dish soap."

As I guessed, the hot items (spiced pear and hollyberry dish soap; well, maybe only hot because those were the ones I had my sights on, and I knew they'd sell out quickly; as this was only back stock they were trying to sell) are history.

Here's hoping next year method catches a holiday clue, and brings back everyone's favorite holiday products! I know everyone was excited to see some of them appear on the website, but for many of us it seems it might have been "too good to be true" as they were snatched up quickly, and had a low count to begin with on the remaining products available.

I'll have a post shortly on the whole holiday products line (or lack of), so look for that soon! I hope this at least answers some people's questions concerning their orders.

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Wow! Drop what you're doing (well, unless it has anything to do with scalding hot water, small babies, or Ginsu knives!) and run on over to your computer (unless it's right next to you, or up a flight of stairs, or at the repair shop!) and check out method's grand holiday product sale!

They're clearing out the leftovers, and we get the deals! I'm talking hollyberry dish soap for $1.60; cinnamon bark spray cleaner for $1.60; and big bundles of holiday products in your favorite scents for a mere $16.00, and up (depending on HOW many products you want!) All scents are cinnamon bark, peppermint vanilla and hollyberry (except for some yummy leftover spiced pear spray cleaner, also for $1.60!)

So what are you waitin' for? Snow? Better days? Thanksgiving to be over? Bah! Forget all that, and stock up! Head on over for some great finds (unless you have band practice, a car pool, or you're still at work. If so, you might want to wait until after, ok?) Ah heck, shop at work! No one will know, I've checked, and your boss just went to lunch. You've got a one hour window. Don't waste it!

my precious...

Step away from the bottle. Remove your finger from the spray nozzle trigger, and just step away from the bottle. Do not release any of that wonderous elixir! Move, move, move!

Whew, that was a close call! You almost used an old skool treasure from my belusted method vault! One of those products that should, yes very much so, be currently displayed in MOMA! Because more than likely it will never be made again! Discontinued! All gone! Arrivederci! Sniff-sniff! And you lust it oh oh oh so much! So what's a boy to do, except hoard, hide, sneak, and every once in a long while, slip some of these items out, unscrew a cap oh so carefully, and take in a nice, smooth whiff of this scent heaven! Oh method, why have you forsaken me so!?

Come on, you all know what I'm talking about! (Uh, no, Nathan, we don't. Because you've obviously lost it.) I'm talking about those great method products that you've bought up in bulk, because at the time they were being discontinued, and they were your most favorite ever! And you'd bought eight, nay, sixteen bottles/jars/bowls/refills and just KNEW that would be enough to keep you in business for ages! You were set! Ha ha, take that method! But now, you're on your last bottle/jar/bowl/refill (how did THAT happen?!?) and so you decide, against your better judgement (and realizing that something used and loved is better than something hoarded away, but still) to sneak it away into the very back of your method product vault/hideaway. For this has now become a rare bit of method history. Your most amazing method scent/product ever... is no more.

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method has changed a lot over the years, and I for one (again, needing mental help) just LOVE looking over items/scents, etc. from their past. Especially stuff that even I have never had the chance to try! (Vanilla melon all purpose spray cleaner, people! Did you even know this existed? Where was I when this was happening?! Tsk-tsk.) And two of the biggest ones (to me at least) have always been the bamboo and coral spray cleaners. Now these are some old skool method products. The method Holy Grail of products, I like to call them! In fact, check out these oh so freakin' awesome tags that were used as part of their product rollout, so very very long ago (I mean, these were two of method's VERY first products, to my knowledge! I will continue to swear to you that I at one time saw the bamboo spray cleaner in my local grocery store, AGES ago. And. Didn't. Buy. It. To this day, I cry and weep in the corner of my bedroom for hours upon this mere thought. Stupid, stupid Nathan! But alas, we must all let go and move on... in just a little bit, let me think about these products just a tad longer, I'm almost through, I promise; hold on a minute...) Are these tags amazing, or what? (Muy muchas gracias, Anna!)

Have you tried the coral spray cleaner? Have you ever even seen it? What about the bamboo? I honestly never thought I'd ever see either of these products. Then one day, just recently, a wonderful method lust reader (hey Jean!) casually posted about having some bamboo spray cleaner, and loving it so much, she retained just a small amount in the original bottle; and every once in a while would take in the divine scent, then seal it back up again! She simply couldn't bare to use the last remaining drops of a product she lusted so much! And yet, get this, she was willing to pour a little into a sample bottle, and send it to ME to try! Oh my word! Did I just fall through a rabbit hole? What was going on here?! And when I received that bottle in the mail, you would have thought it was Christmas day, method style!

Yes, we're both a bit crazy. But come on now, you know you are too. I bet you've done the same thing. Bamboo spray cleaner. Coral spray cleaner. Vanilla melon all-purpose. Magnolia dish soap. Chocolate Martini candles. What's your secret method vault obsession. Something that not only did you buy in bulk once it disappeared from store shelves forever, but NOW can't even bring yourself to use the last container of, because that would mean it would be gone... forever! Here are some of my all-time favorite selections, from my own method vault:


First up is the vroom brand auto product line. Now, honestly, I'll still use these on my car. Just sparingly. Not only did a lot of people not even know about this line, but it was but a blip on the radar, and then, gone! The sea flower (an amazing scent!) interior refresher is sublime, and then you have the wipes, interior protectant, and all purpose cleaner! Drool!

Then we have the iconic method dish soap in the bowling pin bottle, in MINT! I don't even have to say more than that. Mint. Iconic. Ugh, I just can't believe method doesn't still make the mint dish soap. It was so so very awesome!

And what do we have here? Fig aroma spray. Wowzers. Do you know why this is so rare, I can't bring myself to spray a drop of it? Cause not only was it out for a tiny bit of time (- mere months! it was a Fall limited edition) but it just happened to debut at the time when method had some issues with their aroma sprays, and pulled the ENTIRE lot of all aroma sprays from store shelves. Including the fig. Disposing of them all. So chances of finding fig aroma spray at your nearest Big Lots? Well, (though I could of course end up being wrong) I'd say "None! Never!" Oh oh my figgie poo. And then we have beach sage aroma spray! What's that, you say? They never made beach sage aroma spray? Well, but they did. And again while I could be wrong (and please let me know if you ever saw this actual product on your store shelves!) while method sent me a bottle, and said it was released at select Target stores in the US; I NEVER saw it hit a single Target store, nor did I ever hear anyone speak of having found it. So talk about rare? Crazy!

And then some of my favorite rosemary mint floor cleaner. Old skool floor cleaner in a stupendous scent that they really should think of bringing back! (This blows stinky old citrus leaf away! Ha ha! Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)

Even more! How about some hand lotion, in method's hand wash bottles; in both signature scent (secretly nothing more than sweet water!) and lavender? Or what about aroma sprays in spiced pear and frosted cranberry? When was the last time you saw aircare in the holiday line? (And it's disappointing every year that we don't, too!) Or some delicious candles in magnolia, creamy vanilla and spiced berry scents! (Confession, I actually burnt the spiced berry all the way down, but keep the box for posterity's sake!) Lemongrass hand wash! Only the most Heavenly grassy scent ever! And when I mention lemongrass hand wash to method, they're always like "lemongrass? When did we make lemongrass?!" Ohhhh. Seriously, I know method has to cater to the "lowest common denominator" when it comes to scents and customers who think Glade and Pine-sol smell fabulous, but some of the scents they've discontinued seriously have so much more unique wow! over a few of the subpar ones they've been using forever (I shall mention none by name.)

And oh, what about these really old skool cleaning spray bottles? We've got bathroom spray cleaner (in cucumber, which you can see is totally gone!) and some remaining grapefruit mandarin spray cleaner for the kitchen, which I can't bring myself to finish using, cause I lust it so! Whew!

+

So there you go! Old skool products, horribly hoarded away! Should they be behind glass protected with laser beam security, or used up and lusted while doing so? And what might your horrible hoard secret be? Do tell!

remember when...

Did you know at one time method's all-surface spray cleaner was called Home spray cleaner? Pretty cool, right? And it only came in lavender. You also had Kitchen, in grapefruit mandarin (I still can't figure out why they got rid of this scent, it blows pink grapefruit away!), Shower in the ever fabulous ylang-ylang, Glass in mint, and Bathroom in cucumber. Yeah, most of these scents are still around, but at one time they were all specific to certain areas of the house!

Curious to know if anyone still owns some of these old-skool bottles? Check back this weekend for a post on hoarding (ha ha ha! No but, uh, really, hoarding!) long-gone-so-long method products!

it all adds up!

As much as I preach, beg, and scream about using reusable bags whenever you go shopping, to the grocery store, anywhere you might be subjected to the "paper or plastic (or SHUDDER, just plastic!)" question; it hasn't been the easiest thing to get people to convert. I mean, what do THEY get out of this deal? Saving the planet, ending global warming, helping Mother Nature? Bah! Who's got time for that! Show me the money!

And so, places are starting to do just that! Ok, so you won't get rich from it, but hey it's a start! And Target has joined the bandwagon! Starting recently, every time you use your reusable bag/tote, they'll take off five cents from your total purchase! I know, I know, five cents?!? Come on! But I'll bet you it's the cost of that plastic bag you're about to walk out with. So it's sorta a little bonus, you know? You save them five cents, and they give it to you! AND, just imagine, if you're as much of a Target shopaholic as I am; and you start counting up just how many times you head off to Target, adding that up over a year, the five cents could turn into something more substantial! A new house? Eh, no! But who knows!

Right now it's hit or miss, I was officially told it's their new policy, but I've had some cashiers do it, others not so much. I think it's like the reusable tote thing in general, at first you have to beat it over their heads every time you bring one with you. "NO! Take that out of the plastic bag! I have a reusable tote!" and after a while, you have them trained, and they're just standing there holding your items, waiting on you to open that magical bag of wonderment for them to fill full; to which you can then go home, unload, fold up, and prep it for the next trip! And the next, and the next, and... so right now, if they don't make mention of it, bring it up to them! "Oh, did you give me my Target reusable bag discount?" It NEVER hurts to ask!

Well, it might if you don't. You might be five cents poorer. So next time, give it a try! (Oh, and if you aren't already, USE reusable bags! method has some wonderful plastic rehab bags; and I'll be a total salesman and let you know my favorites are Baggu bags! They come in a zillion colors, are strong, and just rock (and now they even come in canvas!) So you have no excuses! None, nada, zip, zilch! (That'd be a big zero, good buddy!)

crafty tricks or treats!

Just in case you haven't had a chance to check out these two nifty Halloween craft projects (cause method lust is behind, behind, behind! But then again, uh, you all know why by now, right?)

First up (see above photo) are these awesome method cut-outs you can use to carve pumpkins! method says "trick or treat? we’ll take both. we like to get crafty from time to time, so we created some custom pumpkin-carving stencils to celebrate our favorite holiday (dressing up in costume for fun? yes, please). just download, cut, stencil, carve, decorate…you know the drill." You can download the stencils here! And all the details are here! And they are even having a contest! "Show off your pumpkin carving skills and win. go to our Facebook page and upload a picture of the pumpkin you carve with your method stencil. the winner (chosen at random) gets a fall cornucopia-inspired batch of products. just think gingerbread spice, almond, vanilla apple. Total value $50. contest ends 10/31/09."

AND, and, right now (until 10/31/09) you can get 20% off any purchase on methodhome.com! Just enter the promo code halloween09 during checkout!

Here are some of the method pumpkin entries!




+

Second up is this oh so cute "carved" hand wash bottle! Danny Seo, method's Healthy Home 'co-conspirator', has come up with this quick and easy craft.

He says: "As a magazine editor, i’ve put together many halloween parties photographed for the pages of some of the largest lifestyle magazines out there.

what many readers don’t realize is that the beautiful buffets of halloween treats, intricately carved pumpkins illuminated by the flicker of candlelight, and the fabric-draped ghosts hanging in the trees over bushels of hay stacked just so took days to put together. and behind the scenes, there are glue-gun wielding stylists lugging suitcases full of every crafting supply and tool you could imagine. in other words: good luck on re-creating the bewitching projects!

so, when my friends at method asked me to come up with a halloween craft idea, i jumped at the chance but decided to keep it realistic. some rules:

+ i wanted to “upcycle” existing method packaging
+ the supplies had to be things most of us have around the house.
+ it had to be quick.
+ i’ve been using (and loving) the “guest star” limited edition mandarin mango hand wash i picked up at target. using that, here’s the world’s easiest upcycling project for halloween.

1. find some black duct tape
2. cut out eyes, a nose and a mouth
3. stick on the bottle.
4. voila! pumpkin hand wash!"

Have fun! And Happy Halloween week!

think big!

the big (96 ounce!) bottle is back! You can now find method's ginormous hand wash refill bottles at your local Bed, Bath & Beyond! It comes in two scents: sea minerals and sweet water (what, no lavender?! What in the world, method...) So go and grab up a few bottles! And then, when you're all finished, you can make yourself your very own method fish tank! So cute! (But uh, how do you change the water? Hmm!)

method lust is back!

This. Was. Me. - All last week! What happened to method lust? Did you wrap it up, Nathan? Were you over and out? Finished? Mopped up (using the ever snazzy omop, mind you!) No! It's called "welcome to the wonderful land of domain name transfer!" It's too confusing to even discuss, but it has to do with the methodlust.com address, and me deciding to move it to a new provider, and OH MY WORD was that a bad idea! So all last week method lust was gone. MIA. History!

Thanks to everyone who contacted me asking where their (hopefully!) favorite blog (well, ok, favorite method blog! Cause really, my ego isn't that big. Trust me.) was! Cause baby, we're back now! And while today I've got to run into work all day long (yeah, don't ask about that either. It's Sunday, right? Yes, yes, it is.) I've got some great Halloween posts I've been dying to get up on here! (Oh and one about disposable razors, too!) So hold on, updates are coming! Your overabundance of exclamation points, commas and squeaky green cleanliness has returned!

holiday is really real here?!

method lust reader Tracy says in her email to me she practically ran home to tell me the big news! (Which is so sweet of her! Thanks Tracy!) While roaming the aisles of her local metro Atlanta Target last night, she actually stumbled upon a brand spankin' new holiday sparklin' method endcap chock full of holiday candles in frosted bowls and hand soap! In all the 2009 (2007) holiday scents: cinnamon bark, hollyberry, and peppermint vanilla!

Looks like this might just be a case of one Target store getting a bit prematurely excited; but it is supposed to hit at the end of October/early November! So if you happen to see holiday method hit your Target stores (or any stores for that matter, as I believe that hand wash is available to all stores, while the candles are a Target exclusive. Yeah, I could go back and re-read my previous post, but I'm sorta lazy tonight!) drop me an email or leave a comment and let method lust know what you found!

(Karin, you're just going to love this! Ha ha!)

go phosphate free!

Great deal from method! You can receive free shipping (which is like saving a fortune, cause their shipping costs are insane! But yeah, method already knows this) with the purchase of method pink graepfruit smarty dish (pouch only) on methodhome.com. enter the promo code “cleanH2O” (make sure to capitolize the H and O) at checkout.

The deal is valid through 10/21 midnight pst! And be sure to read their post on phosphate free states (is yours one of them?)

method quickies

Some quickies here! (Mind. out. of. the. gutter, people.)

+ No, nathan (oh wait, that's me, so perhaps I shouldn't speak in third person to you, like I did the other day to the woman at the Panda Express restaurant. Yeah, I'm thinking when the person in front of you (oh, that'd be me in the role of "person in front of you") says "And I should probably stop speaking to you in third person." You more than likely smile politely (as she did), while reaching for the red panic button underneath the counter in order to silently notify the police, hoping that Sybil doesn't appear. But hey, what can I say? I like to shake things up! And so do I! Ha ha! Get it, get it, oh, just don't get it. It's better that way.) Anywho, no I haven't left you, dear readers! Life has once more taken ahold of me, shaken me left, right, up and down, and otherwise kept me from frolicking in the land of blogging, cause I just haven't had the time! But never fear, I'm still here!

+ Winners of the advocacy kit contest, and the u review contest are: (Drumroll please...) Brandon Makrides and Kirby! Congrats! Kirby has been really lucky here, as she also won the previous mandarin mango hand wash contest! (And all winners are chosen at random, unless othewise specified; so I'm not playing favorites here! Ha ha!) AND poor Kirby (if you're reading this) has still not even received her hand wash, cause I'm a slacker! (I'm HORRIBLE at sending out contest winner packages! Mind you, you WILL get them, as everyone who's won a contest on method lust will attest to; it JUST might take a bit to get it out to you. I'm working on that! Ok? Less slack, more attack!)

+ The method lust Q+A is now closed, and I'll be sending off your selected questions to the method team very soon! Look for answers to be posted in an upcoming well, post!

+ method lust reader Jamison wanted me to let everyone know he found a slew of method candles (but he hasn't told me where, hmm...) in all sorts of scents! So if there is something you're looking for, he can probably get it for you! Just drop him a comment in this post if you're looking for a candle scent, and want him to pick it up and send it to you, if he finds it; and he'll get back with you! He also wanted me to tell you he has Paypal, so it'll be easy, too!

+ method luster Jean is SO freakin' sweet to me! She has (get this) a small amount of bamboo (oh yes, bam- oh my word -boo!) multi-surface spray cleaner which she has been hording forever, cause she loves the scent so much! Bamboo was one of the very first fragrances method put out in their spray cleaner line, way back when! And she so nicely sent me an email, wanting to see if I'd like a small spray bottle worth to try out, since it's one of my three remaining Holy Grail method scents I've never tried (pumpkin spice and coral being the other two.) She just let me know it's in the mail, and I can't wait! Yes, I'm insane like that. Giant thanks, Jean! Giant! I'm giddy!

method eco-maniacs play farmer

Great post over on method's people against dirty blog about eco-volunteering!

"our eco-maniacs* team was at it again a few weeks ago with a volunteer trip to Slide Ranch to help clear some land and learn about sustainable farming. Slide Ranch offers visitors hands-on learning about the impact our choices have on food, health, and the environment, through activities and independent exploration of the farm and coastal wild lands. not only is the ranch educational, but it is beautiful!!!"

And get this, I love it (and wish my company was this forward thinking!)

"*method gives each method employee 3 days per year to spend volunteering in our community. we can use them either for company volunteer events or for personal volunteer projects."

How rockin' is that?! Head on over to their blog for more pics, and the rest of the post! Oh, and check out the first pic above, method's Grassroots Guru Anna is sitting next to a bottle of method hand sanitizer! Too funny! (And isn't this the perfect realization that they need to make this in a more portable size?)

behind the scenes

You know, I've always been interested in seeing just exactly what happens to my recyclables once I've thrown them in the container, and the waste management trucks have picked them up! So I finally did some investigating, and it's rather interesting! Check it out!

lovin' the lavender

method's french lavender (and pretty much all of their lavender scents) are some of my favorites! The lavender hand wash, the dish soap, multi-surface spray cleaner; lavender + juniper dryer sheets (may you rest in peace! I've currently got nine packages of these in my method vault! Nine! Crazy!), and the lavender + lemongrass aircare! Lavender, lavender, lavender! And believe it or not, there was a time I didn't like the smell of lavender at all; until a friend of mine got me to plant my very own lavender bush, and I've lusted it ever since!

What's all this lavender talk about, you ask? Well, I went walking into my local Target this weekend, and noticed the lavender dish soap was on clearance! I dropped to my knees, wailing and releasing horrifying words that shall not be repeated in the presence of small children, kittens, or the faint hearted elderly; and cursed the very idea that, could method really, truly be discontinuing the lavender dish soap?! What would I do? First mint, now this?! (Cause seriously, pink grapefruit and cucumber. Gah. That's all I have to say on that subject.)

So I ran home, forgetting that I'd driven to Target, quick as I could in order to contact method and see what exactly was going on. In the meantime, noticing that two other Targets had already cleared out their lavender dish soap. It was gone, empty, only the ghostly space remaining where once stood many a happy lavender dish soap bottle.

And then I got my answer. Apparently pink grapefruit and cucumber are Target's top two method dish soap sellers (let me rinse and repeat, gah?! Seriously?) so they're abandoning the lavender (probably in order to make more room for Downy dryer sheets or Tide laundry detergent; cause well you know, there just ISN'T enough of those products sitting on Target's shelves. Word!) So from now on, it looks like our best bet for lavender dish soap (which PS. is NOT being discontinued!) will be Lowes Hardware!

I am now breathing a grand sigh of relief. And dreaming of my hands frolicking in method lavender dish soap bubbles floating in the sink. Cause, well, those are just the kind of whacked out dreams I have, ok?

famous founders

A quick bit that brings a tad more light into why the method vroom brand went bye-bye, from the article Seven famous founders share money mistakes, smart moves By Laura Petrecca, at USA Today:

"Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan, the Method co-founders (notice in the article, they get the names on the above photo confused. "Adam Lowry, left..." really, now? Is that my left, or your left?)

In 2000, two roommates had a brainstorm: eco-friendly cleaning products. They whipped up some samples in their bathtub and handed them out to friends. Method was born. The company in 2008 reached $100 million in sales and is sold in retail outlets such as Target.

+ Money mistake "As an entrepreneur, you just feel a desire to just grow, grow, grow and show top-line (increases)," Ryan says. "Sometimes it leads you astray."

After the founders expanded their brand into the car-cleaning marketplace with a product called Vroom, they realized they moved a bit too fast.

"We ultimately ended up selling the line (to another company), but it was a big distraction from our business at the time," Ryan says. "There are times that you need to preserve fuel and be careful about how many growth opportunities you pursue, because you burn capital."

+ Savvy move "Hiring a CEO as our first employee was one of the best money moves we made," Lowry says.

The more-experienced Alastair Dorward helped the founders make better management and financial decisions. Dorward had the acumen "to grow smart rather than just grow fast," Lowry says.

+

I still say an auto line would rock, and sell well!

pardon me, do you have any q+a?

Oh, get ready for something fun! - And new! - But not improved! Cause well, we've never done it before, so how can you improve something before it really exists? I don't know! Ask your science teacher, and get back to me on that! Until then, let's move on, ok? Alright!

Let's get ready for the first ever method lust q+a session! I'm always seeing comments with questions, thoughts, rants, raves, and it got me to thinking! (Which is sorta rare.) Why not take'em to the experts? Great idea, Nathan! Why thank you, I couldn't have thought it up without your help! Oh pish posh, but I do appreciate a good pat on the back every now and then! Well, pat pat to you, my good sir!

Are you ready, cause here's your chance! I want you, oh yes, YOU, to give me your questions! Anything! Good, bad, happy or sad! Mean or pleasant! Don't hold back! Carte blanche, baby, carte blanche! Throw method lust your questions in the comments section of this post; once we've rounded up a bunch, I'm going to sift through them, selecting a wide variety, and send seven or so on over to those method advocate experts! Then they're going to ANSWER your questions, and I'll post the results here on method lust's first ever (did I already say that?) q+a session!

Sound like fun? So get to askin' already! And like I said, don't hold back! This is your chance to be heard! If this goes well, we might make it a semi-regular thing here on ole' method lust! Oh wait, those experts don't know that yet, do they? Shh, I won't tell anyone if you won't.

Now get! Why haven't you asked a question yet? (OH, you're thinking of one! Well, ok, in that case...)

method quickies

UPDATED

Thought I'd answer a couple various comments section questions/concerns real quick here! I think I'll start doing that from time to time, in case some of you might not always read the comments section, etc. So, here we go!

+ The method pro chef line has just been announced, and it's already got some people up in arms over the pricing of the products. I stepped into one of my local Bed, Bath & Beyonds tonight, and indeed found both the granite and the stainless steel cleaner. Apparently they had yet to get in any shipments of the multi-surface spray cleaner.

The multi-surface cleaner comes in citrus cilantro; while the stainless steel and the granite appear to (as I gave them both a sniff test!) come in their orchard blossom scent (the same scent the small bottles sold at Target come in.)

Apparently these are specialty exclusives made for method lusters who are also foodies supposedly professional versions of method's three cleaning sprays; At first glance it appears they have a higher price point! Each bottle (28 oz.) comes at a cost of $8.99!

But then I started doing some breakdowns. Math isn't my strong suit, but I figured this one out. (Clap for me, clap for me!) The target bottles of stainless steel and granite cleaner both come in 12 oz. at $3.99. So two bottles at 24 oz. would be $8.00. Break down the 12 oz. price per ounce, and you get 3 oz. for $1.00. 12 oz + 12 oz. + 3 oz. = 27 oz. at a cost of $9.00 Target price. So you're actually getting a deal with the Bed, Bath and Beyond bottles; receiving an extra ounce for free! Cool!

Now the down side is, (according to reader Josh (getting mixed reports at the moment. Ha ha! Wow, this sounds like live coverage!) the multi-surface cleaner is $5.99; which would match the pricing of the Whole Foods exclusive ginger yuzu cleaning spray (but is still $3.00 more than any of the method cleaning sprays available at Target.) Apparently BB&B decided to just hit that price point line wide; giving the multi-surface spray cleaner the $8.99 price point, as well (according to method luster Jamison.)

+ Reader Karin mentioned having no idea what method was thinking when they went and recolored their lil' bowl blu bottle, turning it into a somewhat garish blue! And I sorta have to agree! They've kept the original color with their le scrub; perhaps they're testing both versions to see which sells better. But I have to say, I really liked the nice, spa like, clean blue they originally had. So YES, to answer your question Karin, you CAN pour the contents of the new bottles, into the old ones. I did a test just today! The squeeze top twists off (don't be afraid if it feels like it won't give) and then there's this little piece inside you just pop out, pour the contents of the new (not pretty) blue bottle into the old blue bottle; pop the piece back in, twist the cap back on (the cap is exactly like the dish soap, if you've ever taken that off. It also has the little piece in the center) and tada, you're ready to go! So, yes, perhaps we're a BIT insane to do this just so we can keep a bottle color/design we like. But I say, be insane! Design (and color taste) matter!

All for now!

ring-a-ding-done?

Curious what everyone is doing (or about to be doing, if you're not out yet) when it comes to aroma ring refills? Since method has apparently discontinued them, leaving the only option at Target stores to purchase the full set (ring and refill) each time you want more refills (though the refills are at this moment still available on their method home store site).

Are you just gonna hang up your aroma ring lust? Break down and buy the full sets? Discuss!

now you can be the pro chef!

Ugh, I've had one heck of a weekend (you don't even WANT to know!), which ended with me being sick and feeling rather crappy; which has lead me to taking today off in an attempt to kick this thing! But never let it be said I won't sacrifice my health and happiness for method lusters! Ok, so perhaps that's a SLIGHT exaggeration? Who knows, I'm too stuffed up to think it through clearly...

I just had to take a moment to crawl out of bed and let you know about method's new pro chef line! The new line features, well, let's just let method do the talking (and me do the sneezing):

"whether you’re a serious cook or you think cooking involves a phone and a take-out menu our newest pro chef line will be sure to please you. kitchens tend to be the central gathering place in the home and pro chef is just the right line to get your kitchen ready to greet guests or make a sandwich.

the pro chef line is now available exclusively at Bed Bath and Beyond stores.

the line includes a stainless steel cleaner that is a whopping 28 oz. of superpowered formula to avoid leaving any streaks behind. so not only can you purchase less often you can also finally wipe those nasty fingerprints off the fridge.

also included is a 28 oz. spray bottle of granite cleaner, specially designed for granite, marble and other natural stone countertops and surfaces. natural stone is classic and durable, but it needs special care to be sure you don’t strip the sealer and allow water to get in the stone.

lastly, we have a special multi-surface cleaner to get rid of grease and food splatters while leaving behind a yummy citrus cilantro scent. it smells so good people will think you’ve been chopping fresh herbs and lemon wedges with a touch of lime."

Cool! I'm curious if the method line of products will continue to expand in Bed, Bath and Beyond stores. Some people find method products there already; but mine are (currently) method free. So perhaps this new line will help get them jump started in all their stores!

You can head on over to method's people against dirty blog, and have a chance at winning this new line! Contest ends October 2nd, so hurry!

+

And uhm, can I just be the (only one, probably) to say UGH! to citrus cilantro. I know there are plenty of fans out there that lust this scent; but method is loving reusing old scents this year, and between citrus cilantro and citron leaf (two scents I feel are very, very similar; and neither one do I really lust) I'm hoping next year shows them bringing us some new scents to sniff! Cause I for one am citrus cilantro/citron leaf/citrus leaf'ed out! (But I still lust you, method!)

surprise finds!

I've noticed my exclamation point over usage has seeped into my post titles now! They're everywhere! Everywhere, I tell you! Ah!)

I took a quickity-quick trip into Ross today (a store in the same vein as Marshalls, TJ Maxx, etc.) because I knew they carried clearance Target items every once in a while. Specifically Target brand candles, etc. So as I wondered down the candle/fragrance aisle, what did I stumble upon but some lavender + lemongrass candles! In the new glass bowls! Now, these were the old "hard to burn" formula, so I sorta passed, but they were only $2.99! Then I noticed around five cut grass aroma pills (the whole set, pill and refill) for a mere $4.49! And finally I saw two cinnamon bark aroma stick sets for $4.99 each! (A perfect find for the upcoming holidays! Especially since we won't be getting aroma sticks in this year's holiday line.) Wow!

If you have a Ross near you, a trip to the store might be in order! Let me know if you happen to find anything different, or what you pick up, method style! (You can also tell me what you pick up non-method style, but then I don't want you to think I'm straight up nosey, so really, you don't have to, alright? Cool.)

holiday sneak peek!

Yeah, yeah, you read right lusters! We're being treated to a method holiday sneak peek! (I mean, can you believe the holidays are almost upon us? Geesh! I still haven't finished eating all of last year's Christmas candy! Oh right, I should probably just uh, throw that away now, shouldn't I? Ok. Goodbye candy canes. So long peppermint bark. Oh, look, now I can buy new holiday candy! Yay!)

So, without delay, some good news, and some (bad?) news!

+ The good! method holiday 2009 will see three big returns! This year's scents will be hollyberry, peppermint vanilla, and cinnamon bark! Can you believe peppermint vanilla is making a return? I know there are a lot of peppermint vanilla fans who have been waiting for this! And all three scents come back to us from their previous 2007 visit!

These scents will be available in soy candles, and our ever faithful gel hand wash! (Are you not just lusting after those colored soy candle bowls! I can't wait to pick some up! Drool!) Look for them to hit stores in late October/early November. The hand wash will actually be available to any retail stores that carry method products; while the candles are a Target exclusive!

+ And (the bad?) No new scents this year! And the product line has been slashed! We're talking no dish soap, no aroma sticks, aroma rings, pills, sprays, spray cleaners, or limited edition products! Nada! I'm really surprised at this, as I always thought these products (at least dish soap, and spray cleaners) were always big sellers during the holidays! I know method said they wanted to return to some of their product roots; and their original line usually only consisted of hand wash, maybe lotion, and candles. But over the last few years we've been treated to quite a grand expansion of the holiday products, and I couldn't wait to fill my house with all the wonderful goodies!

What do you think of this? Excited! Drooling with anticipation! Disappointed that there are no new scents this year? Gonna miss your favorite holiday products? Comment away! And let the holiday countdown... begin! (Wait, it's not even Halloween yet? What'evah!)