Clean Happy With Method Products & MyBrownBaby!

Nothing against Method home-care products, but I have my allegiances, right? I mean, my mother taught me how to clean and do laundry and she used very specific products my entire childhood—products that, when I got a place of my own and a husband of my own and children of my own and a home for my family, I quickly added to my pantry. I loved them long time. Word to 2 Live Crew.

So when the good folks at Method asked me to try out their home-care products line and share them with the MyBrownBaby audience, I was a bit, well, hesitant—until I heard the Method pitch, as explained by founders Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan on Method’s website:

Eric knew people wanted cleaning products they didn’t have to hide under their sinks. And Adam knew how to make them without any dirty ingredients. Their powers combined, they set out to save the world and create an entire line of home care products that were more powerful than a bottle of sodium hypochlorite. Gentler than a thousand puppy licks. Able to detox tall homes in a single afternoon.

Not that I was totally sold on that one paragraph, mind you. I mean, I’m all for products that smell good and look pretty, but really, when I clean something, I want it to be Bettye Millner clean. You-put-your-back-in-it clean. Like, you-can-lick-the-butter-off-the-floor clean. And if sodium hypochlorite and a few other chemicals have to be involved to get the mold out of the shower, the grass stains out of the soccer outfits and the grease out of the fry pan, well hey—bring it.

But I have to admit, more recently, I’ve really started giving a lot more thought to the ingredients in cleaning products now that I’ve stepped up my daughters’ chores. Mari’s on dishes and countertops twice a week, Lila’s on laundry duty and floor sweeping twice a week and come the weekends, they take turns scrubbing down the guest bathroom and the boudoir they share. And while I never once thought twice about spraying down the tiles with all kinds of chemicals while I shower (and inhale them all into my lungs) or sploshing my hands in a bucket full of industrial strength cleaning products when disinfecting toilets or scrubbing floors, it wasn’t until I considered the effects of those chemicals on my babies’ skin and bodies that I started thinking about just how dangerous some of the products I clean with could actually be.

Isn’t that the way it always works with our children? No matter what we’ve done to our own bodies, we go above and beyond to protect our babies.

And so I agreed to partner with Method if only to give their products a whirl with my girls—to see just how well “green,” sustainable products can get my laundry, floors, toilets, showers and counters clean, while protecting my kids from harsh chemicals and funky fumes.

Last week, I went to the Method headquarters in San Francisco to meet Adam and Eric, learn the company’s back story, hear about the company’s process in creating its products and its mission to get America to “clean happy.” About 20 other bloggers and I had a blast testing different scents, checking out future designs, learning about Method’s “green” practices, previewing the company’s new ad campaign—check it out in the video below!—and even learning about a few top secret partnerships Method’s got coming down the pike. I left with a big smile on my face, but between all the fun times, happy talk and good eating, I made very clear to the good folks of Method that I fully intend to give their products a run for their money. After all, I have my allegiances. And I know clean. And as I test their products out over the next few months and share my thoughts with MyBrownBaby readers, I fully intend to tell the truth and nothing but the truth about whether their dish detergent, laundry detergent, shower cleaner, all-purpose cleaner and wood floor cleaner really work.

Get ready!

In the meantime, Method is offering the chance for one lucky person to win a trip for two to San Francisco to visit the Method headquarters, have lunch with the Method co-founders, a year’s supply of Method products, and a few more surprises. And babies, if your trip is anything like mine, well, you’re in for a treat!

To enter, “like” the Method Facebook page and click on the “Clean Happy” tab, then click on the “enter to win” banner. The contest ends April 3^rd, so get to it! Clean Happy! And don’t forget to check out the crazy video below; I actually met the dude with the guitar and posed in pictures with “Nose.” I know—one of these days soon, I’ll explain. Promise.

 

So you know: I recently partnered with Method to write about my family’s experiences with the company’s cleaning products. Yes, I’m getting a check for this. No, they’re not paying me to say nice things about their product. As always, my experiences and opinions are my own.