fabric softener sneak peek!

method luster Stephen sent me in this photo of his Target discovery! Looks like the new laundry bottle/lighthouse fabric softener has started to hit the shelves! Here's a pic of their new fresh air 50-load fabric softener (which appears to be just as concentrated as the new laundry detergent! 4 pumps = 1 load/50 loads!! Let me know when you start seeing them at a Target near you! Thanks, Stephen!

clean sweeps

+ UPDATED Seems the method limited edition waterfall scented hand wash might not be so limited anymore. I took a stroll into my local Target today, and found two bottles of the waterfall hand wash on the shelf, except one of these bottles did not have limited edition written across it (which is what happened to their mandarin mango hand wash!) So while method hasn't made a formal announcement, it looks like waterfall might is now a regular hand wash scent that will stick around!

+ There seems to be some confusion about this next item, but a method advocate recently let me know she saw the tub + tile cleaner on clearance at Target a few weeks ago. I asked method, and they said that it was indeed not going away, but to enjoy the sale! So I figured there must have been some confusion, and it was just a sale price. But then I ran into a Target on my return home from vacation, and indeed, they did have the tub + tile on clearance! At the same time, my local Targets have not put it on clearance, but you know how all Targets work independently of one another. So perhaps only select Targets will now carry the tub + tile, method is revamping it in some manner, or hey, who just knows? My guess is the product is sticking around, but Target has discontinued carrying it. That's not official yet, but I'll keep you updated as I know more info!

+ Also on clearance at Target is method's new 25 load peony blossom laundry detergent. Looks like Target will probably only carry the 50 load bottles down the line, but right now they do still carry the 25 load fresh air bottle. So pick yourself up some clearance peony blossom and tub + tile while you can get the deals!

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!

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!

what'cha think?

So! method's new laundry detergent! Moisturizing hand wash! Have you found these snappy new products? Gave them a try?

Which scents have you bought? Fresh air? Peony Blossom? Cucumber + aloe? Coconut cream + honey?

What do you think? Throw us your reviews (now, or when you DO find the products!)

big clean, little bottle!

UPDATE Just found out the new laundry detergent WILL be available at Target, beginning mid-February! I did a run to my local Lowe's today to check it out, but no go. But uh, perhaps I need a little patience (or a life? Not sure which. Or maybe both.) It IS the first day, you know? LOL

+

It's here! method brand spankin' new laundry detergent! In amazingly small bottles that take up a fraction of the room those giant laundry jugs do! Yay!

The scents include fresh air and free + clear; and new peony blossom (Hello little peony blossom! Welcome to the family!) Sounds great! Can't wait to give it the sniff test and see if I like it. The bottles are available in 50 load size (at $15.) and 25 load size (at $8.) which is pretty much on par with their current laundry line pricing. I still think their laundry detergent is a bit expensive, but then when you're sorta poor, laundry detergent in general is expensive! Well, at least green laundry detergent!


I could jibber jabber all day about it, but it'd be WAY easier for you to just run on over to methodlaundry.com and get the details; cause method's done all the work for me! And don't forget to read the Globe and Mail's big debut article (methodlust gets a shout out!), too!

AND, just to entice everyone, method's giving us an oh so nice $2.00 off coupon to get everyone started! Surprisingly (or not so much so?) don't look for the new laundry detergent at your local Target. They don't appear to be carrying it. You'll be able to pick this up at Lowe's Hardware!

So read, buy, and let method lust know what you think!