Every once in a while, I go on a cleaning binge. When I do, the biggest part of the binge consists of me stocking up on cleaning products that promise to make my life easier. It’s usually hit or miss. This one is a definite bull’s eye!

THE BASICS
Method All Purpose Surface Cleaner in Pink Grapefruit Scent comes packaged in a clear, plastic 28-ounce trigger spray bottle. The formula itself is pink and watery with a very natural-smelling grapefruit scent. It is safe on any surface that “water alone won’t harm—even tile, marble, sealed wood, metal and you.” It is non-toxic, biodegradable, and not tested on animals. All of its ingredients are naturally derived. I bought my bottle at Target for about $4. It's also sold online at drugstore.com and at the method home page.

INGREDIENTS
Purified water, grease cutters (natural minerals), performance enhancer (grains/minerals), naturally-derived surfactant (corn/grains), fragrance oils, colorants

MY EXPERIENCE
I use this spray all over my kitchen. I spray it on my linoleum floor, on my appliances (including my greasy stovetop), on the kitchen counter, in my stainless steel sink, etc. It even makes its way into the living room sometimes to spot treat food spills and/or baby leaks (my daughter recently has gotten into the habit of running around naked). I have not noticed any ill effects on any of those surfaces (wood, steel, metal, linoleum, etc.).

I have, however, noticed that my kitchen has been a lot cleaner lately—partly because this stuff works and partly because I’m not afraid to use it. I can be very lazy about cleaning the house but this stuff takes away the excuses I usually have (ie, the smell will trigger my allergies, the bleach will dry out my hands, I don’t want my daughter near it when I’m spraying, etc.). None of those excuses holds any weight when I use this spray since it has a light, natural scent; it contains natural ingredients that will not irritate skin, and it contains no bleach so I don’t have to worry about it accidentally spraying on my daughter’s skin or in her eyes. I still hide this spray away from my toddler, but I have less fear over her getting a hold of it than of her accessing other traditional cleaners I own.

Although I wouldn’t ever drink this stuff (the bottle says to drink a glass of water and contact a physician if any is ingested), I do feel much less anxiety over cleaning the kitchen while my daughter is nearby. My skin never feels dry after using this spray and sometimes I don’t even wash my hands afterward. With traditional cleaners, I could never get away with that.

I had some concerns over whether this grapefruit-scented cleaner would be as effective as other cleaners. But I’ve found that it does pretty much as good a job as your standard brand. I’ve used it on my stovetop to remove dried-on splatters and greasy, slimey residue and though it takes some effort (so do other cleaners I’ve used), I can usually dislodge it all. On burned grease, however, I have to pull out the steel wool. But that’s true with other cleaners, too. As far as cleaning the fronts of my appliances and my kitchen countertop, this stuff is great.

We generally enter/exit our house from our side door, which is in our kitchen. This means that our white linoleum floor ends up getting dirty on a daily basis. Since our kitchen is pretty small, I often just get on my knees with this bottle and a roll of paper towels. I’m easily able to lift away the mud and scuff marks. I did notice some pen marks my daughter made last week and while this spray lightened them a bit, it did not remove them. But neither did my other cleaning products.

I know I should follow George Carlin’s advice and let my daughter eat dirty candy off the floor every once in a while to keep her immune system working, but I still have fears about salmonella. So when I’m dealing with raw meat or eggs, I do use a standard cleaner to penetrate the bacteria. But I only use it to spot treat those areas that the meat/eggs touched. Everything else in my kitchen gets treated with this Method All Purpose Spray.

I purposely bought this grapefruit scent to use in my kitchen. I figured it would leave a nice, natural scent behind. And it does. In fact, I think the light, refreshing grapefruit scent cuts through a lot of cooking scents. It leaves a very faint, fruity smell that makes me feel like I’m in a clean kitchen without me choking up on bleach or thinking someone sprayed a fake-scented air freshener. (It also coordinates nicely with my Crisp Citrus-scented Bath and Body Works hand soap. Hehehe.)

My one complaint is that the sprayer seems to be a little faulty. When I twist the end of the trigger to open or close the spray, a little fluid leaks out. It's not a big deal since I don't mind getting a little of this non-toxic stuff on my hands, but it seems wasteful. Otherwise, the trigger works well once it's opened. It sprays an adequate amount on the surface and is easy to operate.

OVERALL
This is a great cleaner with a great mantra: “people against dirty.” It does a good job in my house, smells nice, and doesn’t harm my family or the environment.

FROM THE MANUFACTURER
No one holds their breath while slicing a grapefruit. For some unknown reason the noxious, unpleasant smell of bleach is associated with cleaning. Which leads you to contort your nose into—pardon us for saying so—a pretty funny face. We're against that. method is a powerful cleaner made with naturally-derived ingredients that contain beautiful fragrances and are gentle on you and your nose. Which leads to lot of smiles and the uttering of little yummy sounds.
Spray and wipe on any household surface. Safe for surfaces that water won't harm, even marble, sealed wood, tile and metal. Psst: It's always advisable to test a little method in an inconspicuous place first.
• non-toxic + biodegradable
• naturally derived
• never tested on animals

www.methodhome.com


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