Do ever try to do to the right thing, eat better, buy greener and then find your wallet just felt lighter? It is a conflict we all face. Once in a while someone gets it, or at least they fool us into thinking they do. Living near the beach automatically makes you a little bit of a “greenie”. This happens because you see how long plastic lasts on the beach and floating in the harbor. No one with a choice wants to live in a trash dump.
For the past four years my house has been using method laundry detergent and buying the refills to try and reduce our footprint just a little. And yes, I drive a Chevy Volt, but I also own a business and consider myself a Libertarian/Republican. Doing the right thing isn’t about political direction.
Across the board the method product looks greener and less wasteful. The smaller package and using only four pumps let me to believe that we were saving money and reducing our impact on the environment.
Smaller packages mean less fuel used to ship the product to the store. Smaller packages are easier to recycle and if people don’t recycle it is less waste right? If it is such a great deal, why doesn’t everyone do it?
Today I was shopping with my wife. She was frustrated because she couldn’t find the refill packages for method detergent anywhere. The gas spent looking, even in her diesel was getting expensive. We found the regular pump bottles at several places around town, just not the refill. So after finding the refill at Target which did 85 loads of laundry for $17.99, we figured out that shipping water must be cheaper and the big guys are getting smarter.
On a per load basis, every other brand of detergent was less expensive to use. Several also had smaller packages for their detergent as well. All Small and Mighty uses the same amount of liquid per load. Then we found several larger packages that quite a bit more laundry. This is an item where bulk is better. It doesn’t expire that I know of.
We ended up getting a bottle of a national brand that did 118 loads for $12.99. That is half the cost per load when compared to method. The refills for that big jug with the spout on it were 20% less than the big jug alone so we could save more next time getting the refill jug.
I’ll save the 50% and make sure I recycle the jug thank you. Yes I know I am getting 30% more water than method, but I’ll take it. If you want to use less packaging and detergent, All has the “All Small and Mighty” detergent. Just one ounce per load, the same as method and it is still 20-30% less expensive then method. My wife wanted the measuring cup and the spout on the big jug and she is in charge of all indoor purchases. I only get “input”.
When you are shopping for laundry detergent, it is hard to know what you are really getting since the ingredients aren’t on most of the bottles. My advice is go with the best price that gets your clothes clean. After trying All, and All Small and Mighty, my method jug has hit the recycle bin and my wallet is a little fatter.
Mike Neal is a freelance writer who lives along the California Coast.
