the blog

people against dirty® are not against spreading the word. get the latest news, check out new products and read all about style, sustainability and everything else about method and the kitchen sink.

salmonella prevention tips

by annab, August 26, 2010

salmonella

 (mugshot of salmonella)

 

 

there’s been a lot of talk in the news lately about salmonella. while we can’t do anything to help with the egg recall, we thought this was a good opportunity to talk about what you can do to control the spread of germs that can make you sick in the home.


here are some tips on how to disinfect your kitchen and help prevent salmonella transmission.

 

     1.    always wash your hands after using the bathroom + before and after handling

             food. use hot soapy water for 20 seconds or more to effectively clean them.


      2.    always wash plates and utensils thoroughly with hot water and soap before

             you prepare any food.  

      3.    correctly use your method antibacterial kitchen cleaners on food

             preparation surfaces:

 

               - to clean the surface: just spray and wipe.

 

               - to sanitize the surface: wet the surface with the spray. leave on for 30

              seconds. allow to air dry. sanitizing the surface does kill salmonella.

 

               - to disinfect the surface: wet the surface with the spray or wipes. leave for 10

              minutes. allow to air dry. disinfecting the surface also kills salmonella.

 

                 - the difference between sanitizing and disinfecting is that disinfecting kills a

               a higher percentage of germs than sanitizing.


      4.    prevent cross contamination. once a utensil/ plate has been used with raw

             meat, do not use it again without thoroughly washing it.

      5.    be aware of keeping food the correct temperature to prevent bacterial growth.

             a great resource for understanding how cold or hot to keep food is the

            USDA site.

for more on our antibacterial line, check out the faq’s here.


for more information on the salmonella outbreak, read more on the CDC or FDA.for more information on salmonella, learn more here.


hopefully this has helped clarify how to better protect your home.

Keywords:

mango tree

by annab, July 30, 2010

 


i walked into the kitchen the other day to find these pictures and note pinned to our bulletin board. pretty cool.

 

what have you reused our containers for?

Keywords: ,

smarty fish web cam

by annab, July 27, 2010

 

hi there. my name is mr.pickles and i speak for the fishes (or at least the fishes in the method office). say hi to heidi and pat finn too. hi! we live in a tank at method and this is our first time blogging.


method adopted us a few weeks ago to be the spokesfishes against dirty. they set us up in this tricked-out tank and are recording our every bubble (think real world for fish). we’re here to talk about the dirty ingredients in your dishwasher detergent that make their way to our rivers and lakes.

 


one of the dirtiest ingredients is called phosphates. it travels from dishwasher, through the city pipes, and empties into our water. it’s a fertilizer and it causes an overgrowth of algae blooms. the algae is not only hard to navigate but it also depletes the water of oxygen and without oxygen we can die.


so we’re broadcasting live 24/7 to get the word out about smarty dish. these dishwasher tablets leave your dishes sparkling clean but are free of phosphates and chlorine bleach. yippee!


keep tabs on us via twitter and justin tv.  bloop, blooop.

 

Keywords: ,

nau- grant for change

by annab, July 23, 2010


we believe good design can change the world. that’s why our own josh handy was chosen as a judge for nau’s grant for change competition.


this is nau’s second year holding their competition to help launch “the next big thing.” nau has been a friend of method for a few years. they design clothes that are sustainable, high performing and beautiful (like, really beautiful).


there are ten finalists: five finalists were voted on by the public and five where chosen by nau. the winner will be chosen next tuesday July 27th and be awarded $10,000 for their project.


read up on the ten finalists.
 

Keywords:

a breath of fresh air

by annab, March 18, 2010


when people tell me I have the best job at method, I simply say, “no, suzanne does.”

suzanne has the experience and the nose to develop all of the fragrances for method products. when we want to develop a new product, suzanne starts by doing research about fragrances that are already being used in that product category. she then looks at fragrance trends, similar to how a fashion designer might consider seasonal style trends. she then develops many fragrance options and tests, tests, tests with internal and external ‘people against dirty’ panels to tweak it until it is just right.

and voila….you have a heavenly new method fragrance!

i sat down with suzanne to discuss the fragrances we offer in our new line of method laundry detergent.

anna- what fragrances are we offering in method laundry? why?
suzanne- we have two  fragrances and one fragrance-free option for the fragrance averse.  the first fragrance is called fresh air. the goal of fresh air was to create that “white cotton shirt on a clothing line” type of nostalgia.  similar to a fragrance your mom might have used, it’s a fresh, clean, positive scent.

the other fragrance is peony blossom, which is a bright, happy, floral fragrance. peony flowers bloom around may for a short amount of time and have a very light, petal-y, floral fragrance to them. i tried to stay true to that feeling when developing this fragrance. it’s a very pretty flower and a signal that winter is over and spring is here.

anna- who do you think each of these fragrances appeal to?

suzanne- fragrance is so subjective, everyone has their own idea of what smells good and what smells bad. that said, both fresh air and peony blossom have very different personalities. we wanted to please a wide variety of people so both of these fragrances have broad appeal.

i imagine that fresh air will appeal more to whole families  and peony blossom will appeal to the floral lover.

all our fragrances are inspired by nature. so you won’t find any fake perfume-y scents to them.

anna- what fragrance laundry detergent are you currently using?

suzanne- i’m always using what we are coming out with next or what we are currently working on. i need to live with my next creation, to feel what it smells like; in the morning when I first put it on, in the afternoon after a few hours and in the evening as I am taking it off.  i want the fragrance to be appealing throughout the whole day.

everyone’s olfactive senses are sharpest in the morning, which is why i do all my laundry in the morning so i can best evaluate the different notes of the fragrance.

thanks for the interview suzanne! can’t wait to hear what is next in the world of method laundry fragrance innovation.

 

Keywords:

mr. yuk

by annab, March 17, 2010

 

growing up, every year during poison prevention week, my elementary school would  give each student a whole sheet of ‘mr. yuk’ stickers (don’t know who this green, sour-faced dude is? read more here. we were tasked with going home and sticking mr. yuk on anything toxic, which at my house amounted to  basically anything under the kitchen or bathroom sinks.


poison prevention week is march 14-20, and it’s a good reminder to look at what toxins could be in your home. toxins can come in many forms: from medicine to plants andpaint to cleaning products.


the first step to protecting your family and pets is to be aware of what is in your house and what ingredients are in those products. for more information on what is poisonous and poison prevention, visit poisonprevention.org.


the next step is replacing those toxic products with ones that are safer for your home and family. here are a few of our recommendations:


-    voc-free paint
-    non-toxic nail polish and beauty care
-    non-toxic pest control
-    non-toxic cleaning products


have any non-toxic product recommendations? comment below.

Keywords: ,

ginger yuzu = floor love

by annab, March 10, 2010

 

we’ve been inspiring floor love with lemon ginger and almond squirt + mop floor cleaner for a while now. they both smell lovely and clean amazingly well, but it’s time we spice up the floor care routine a bit. introducing our newest floor love – ginger yuzu.  


we think our ginger yuzu floor cleaner is pretty darn special, but here are some other reasons to try it out:


-    effectively cleans, shines and deodorizes floors
-    has non-toxic + biodegradable formula
-    comes in a 100% recyclable bottle that is made from 100% recycled plastic
-    contains all-natural dyes
-    has a fresh fragrance infused with natural essential oils
-    has a spray nozzle which means no bucket required
-    is never tested on animals
-    is DfE-approved


this little bottle of floor love is available nationwide at Whole Foods as well as at select natural grocery stores in your area. give it a sniff and let us know what you think!

Keywords:

what’s so smart about laundry?

by annab, February 16, 2010

 

 

one of our unsung heroes here at method is fred. fred works on our formulations team, and not to brag or anything, but in his life before method, he developed the first oxiclean® liquid! we are lucky enough to have fred on our team now, and for the past year, he has focused solely on creating the stellar formula for our new laundry detergent. i sat down to pick his brain about what makes our formula better than the rest.

Q- hi fred! Method laundry detergent is here. how excited are you?
A- this project is the coolest thing i’ve ever worked on. now that  this ultra-concentrated detergent has rolled out, it seems the “ultra” theme keeps coming up - i’m ultra pleased that we’ve managed to make laundry ”handy”. the pump is ultra easy, just one hand to use. it’s ultra portable for folks on the go (even if it’s to your mom’s or the ’mat). we’re starting to see people blogging about how they have discovered that method laundry detergent eliminates the need for an extra product for those tough spots and stains. ultra effective! seriously, we’ve heard about grass, garage greases and oils, blood, ink and marker, and that’s just NOT your typical foodie stuff. so give it a go as your pre-treat strategy as well. what can method laundry detergent do for you today?

making life easier and greener, like that, gives me and all of us here at method the ultra satisfaction.

Q- what is so much “SMARTER” about method laundry detergent?
A- there are a whole lot of smart ideas in there, but i think my favorite is that the formula is more efficient at how it approaches the fabric and soil. it gets more work out of less material. so that means super clean clothes with less product than conventional 2x detergents. minimizing the requirement at the washing machine level has translated into minimization all along the packaging and supply line. less packaging, less energy into raw material and manufacture, less fuel and shipping, all equals less waste!

Q – what does ‘ultra concentrated’ mean?
A –it’s 8x!!!  our formula is 4x more concentrated than traditional 2x, and 8x more concentrated than old 1x formulations.

Q – how’d you make it so concentrated?
A – it wasn’t easy! quite a few man-years of development have gone into just investigating material functionalities and compatibilities for method® laundry detergent with smartclean™ technology. this detergent is pushing the limits of concentration, and that’s about all i can say here. the rest is covered in our patent application.

Q – how is it that such a little bit works?  and why does it work so well?
A – we redesigned laundry detergent so it works in a whole new way. getting your clothes clean requires cleaning agents (aka surfactants). surfactants bond to dirt and stains in the wash, lifting them up to be carried away by water.

traditional detergent’s cleaning agents are on the inside in little balls and water is on the outside. for those cleaning agents to work, the cells have to break open to release the surfactants, which requires agitation and time… and is a little hit-or-miss…. not all surfactants break through which means you use (and waste) more detergent than you really need.
                                                
our smartclean technology™ formula is designed to be inside-out with cleaning agents outside, water inside. this allows cleaning agents to get to work right away – once released into the wash, they’re like magnets immediately drawn to dirt and stains. and unlike traditional detergent, more of our cleaning agents are used. that’s why you can use so much less and still get a great clean!

Q- so now that you have revolutionized laundry what are your next plans fred?
A- it’s safe to say you’ll be seeing more news from method in the laundry aisle. stay tuned!

Keywords:

lowe's road trip!

by annab, January 29, 2010

 

you might remember that we've been using biodiesel trucks to deliver method products to stores on the west coast. well, we’ve got news. that very same truck will be road tripping to select Lowe's stores in California over the next month.

the journey starts with Lowe’s in Chico this saturday (that’s tomorrow) where Lowe's employees will be handing out method laundry samples and showcasing our biodiesel truck. the truck will then drive to the Roseville store for the exact same event on sunday.

Chico: 1/30 (10am-4pm)

Roseville Lowe's: 1/31 (10am-4pm)

if you live in these areas, go ahead and check them out. if you send a picture to info@methodhome.com, we'll send you a free method shirt!

Keywords:

target limited edition

by annab, January 28, 2010

 

introducing method’s new limited edition gel hand wash fragrance… waterfall! (insert golf claps.)


this vibrant aquamarine gel hand wash is available only at target stores, for a limited amount of time (6 months). it will be in the cleaning aisle, in-line with the rest of the method products. so go ahead, scoop it up and let us know what you think! if it’s a big enough hit, it just might stick around a while longer.


we’re always innovating around here, so expect to see other limited edition hand wash fragrances on target's shelves in the future!

Keywords:

subscribe to our blog

Featured Promo

spring clean kit
get the kit!
spring clean kit
 
© 2010 method.