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!

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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!)

clean sweeps!

A couple items of quick interest for all you lusters!

+ Melissa let me know that drugstore.com is having a sale on method's squeaky green baby line!

"Thought you might be interested to know that drugstore.com is currently having a sale on Method baby products - buy one get one free! I picked up two of the Rice Milk & Mallow washes, I've been waiting for them to go on sale but they never seem to, so I jumped on this." (FYI - It appears the sale is only good on the rice milk + mallow scent.)

PS - She's also started a green blog, so I thought I'd give it a quick shout out! You can check it out at Thrifty In Green!

+ method lust reader Jamison found some new goodies at his local Big Lots recently!

"...It appears that Big Lots has a plethora of the Wood For Good, Go Naked and Granite wipes in the old containers for $2.50. THAT'S A STEAL!"

taken for granite

I bet this has been out for a while now, but JUST in case, I thought I'd make mention that I just found a granite refill bottle at Target! It looks exactly like a spray cleaner bottle, but instead of having a trigger nozzle, it has a simple screw on/pop top cap. And it allows you to refill your granite spray bottle, just like the shower spray and hand wash refills! How cool is that!

I wonder why they haven't done this with the stainless steel, and especially the wood for good cleaners! I use up some wood for good like mad, a refill would be great! Perhaps this is a test concept to see how it flies (but why choose granite? Is it popular?) Has this product refill been out forever, and I'm just clueless? (No granite for me = no granite spray, hence never really noticing that section of the store/method product line.)

pop that top!

Check out the new packaging for the method cleaning wipes! Complete with a pop open top! How cute, and functional!

Their site lists lavender, pink grapefruit and go naked cleaning wipes. (go naked wasn't available for the above photo. He had a prior engagement and wasn't able to make the photo shoot, but sends his apologies. Oh ok! So I was just too lazy to include him in the photo, ok? Happy now? Of course you are.) Missing are (cucumber?), as well as the leather, wood for good, steel and granite wipes. (I hope those were all still current, man I'm losing it today, I tell you! But I also must admit I don't really buy the wipes; I'm more of a microfiber and spray kind of guy!) so I'm wondering if those have been discontinued, or the new packaging for those products simply wasn't available to include on the site as of yet. I'll let you know, when I find out.

granite me the wisdom...

Yeah, yeah! You knew those bad titles would be back! Yes you did, don't lie! Lying isn't nice. (Unless it's... well, ok, no, it's not nice!) Anyway, I got a phone call this morning, and it was from method's granite polishing spray. You see, he was a little miffed that I hadn't given him any spotlight here on method lust. It was all "lil' bowl blu this, and squeaky green that!" Ok, ok, Mr. Daily, here's ya go! Geesh!

How about a quick, but informative review from Meredith:

"Granite countertops are quickly becoming the standard. We've loved the granite counters that the previous owners installed. After a year of hard use, though, they no longer feel as smooth as they first did. I set out to investigate the best granite cleaning products.

Granite is extremely hard, but it's still porous. If you've used Windex as a default granite cleaning product, you may need to re-seal the countertops earlier than the once-a-year recommendation. (Guilty as charged!)

Special care is needed when cleaning your granite countertops:

Wipe spills immediately. Grease can absorb.
Avoid abrasive granite cleaners, even "soft scrub" style pastes.
Don't choose acidic cleaners, like vinegar or citrus based formulas.

I have been pleased with Method brand's The Daily Granite, which you can pick up at Target. Method granite cleaner has a fresh smell that matches its all-natural marketing. Method left my counters smooth and streak-free, but it's expensive. With the messes we make, we could easily spray through a bottle every two weeks.

The best granite cleaning cloths are definitely microfiber. The ultra-smooth nap makes the granite streak-free."


What? Not enough for ya Mr. Daily? Man, you are an egomaniac! Ok, ok, how about another one!

"Anyone who has black granite knows that you can't use any old cleaner on it. It'll show streaks and look just as dirty as if you hadn't cleaned it. Well, I've had the pleasure of having black granite in two houses now (honest, I do love it) and out of necessity I've become an expert in keeping it look good as the day it went in. The product I've come to trust the most to get the job done is Method Daily Granite.

This cleaning product from Method is actually designed for both Marble and Granite. Of course, like all Method products, it's formulated with the environment in mind, as it contains biodegradable surfactants derived from corn and coconut. Ideally, you should use a microfiber cloth with this product (less wasteful than paper!). Method does sell a separate companion microfiber cloth, but I have plenty on hand, so I have not used the one they sell.

Daily Granite comes in a 12 ounce spray bottle with a trigger handle pump. It is a little spendy, considering the bottle is pretty small. But I love this stuff, so I'm (willing to splurge) every 4 weeks or so for a new one. I should add that I have a lot of granite counter space in my kitchen, probably 3-4 times the amount that I had in my old home. If your kitchen is smaller, this bottle probably would last easily 2-3 months. I use it primarily after dinner when my counter gets the messiest.

I have used other "green" granite sprays. But what makes Mehod Daily Granite more appealing is its wonderful scent. Method describes it as orchard blossom. It's a pleasant light floral scent that isn't cloying or so sweet like some floral scents in cleaning products that have the tendency to give me a headache.

You should know that Daily Granite isn't designed to be a counter sanitizer. Its purpose is to give your counter a nice shine without any streaking. And that it does very well. Its consistency is pretty much like glass cleaner, although it's clear and not blue. In my experience, however, it isn't very good in cutting through heavy messes on its own. So if you need to cut through dried-on messes, you're best off (using another product), and then as a finishing step, use Daily Granite.

When I first got granite counters in my old home I tried to see if I could get by without using a granite spray, opting for a traditional cleaning spray instead. I soon learned I needed a spray such as Daily Granite. It really is a necessity for me, especially since black granite is probably the worst when it comes to showing streaks. Despite its high cost, I would still recommend this product. Granite is an investment and what's the point of having it if it doesn't look good. Daily Granite will keep your precious granite looking great and you'll be the envy of all your neighbors."

There ya go. Never again shall you be taken for... granite. Ba-dum. HSN.com currently has a great deal on a 6-piece method granite cleaning kit, for $19.98!