The Art Of Green Compromise Bathroom Cleaning || The Tranquil Parent

The art of green compromise: Bathroom cleaning

By Mika

October 17, 2008

The art of green compromise: Bathroom cleaning

Photo by Mika.

For the rest of the house, I prefer using old rags and microfiber cloths. But when it comes to the toilet, I’d rather not be reusing something, especially if there is the chance it could accidentally be used to clean another part of the house (yes, I am a germaphobe). Thank goodness that Method helps me avoid reuse, but also keeps me green.

Method’s tub + tile wipes. As mentioned in one of my previous posts, Method is a company that has created a whole line of green cleaning products. Not only are they better for the environment than traditional disposable wipes, but they come in eye-pleasing packaging and yummy essential-oil based fragrances like pink grapefruit and lavender. They are also widely available in your local stores and at Amazon.

One of the things that drew me to the Method wipes was its packaging. When purchasing products, one way to avoid creating garbage is to look for products that come in the least amount of packaging. Many products come in multiple layers of packaging that are often unnecessary and will immediately get tossed in the trash. Instead look for items that have minimal amount of packaging, or its packaging can be recycled. Many cleaning wipes that are sold, including another type sold by Method, come in big plastic containers. And although most of those plastic containers are recyclable, I’d rather avoid having to recycle it in the first place. The wipes package, when empty, is very small. It’s also supposedly recyclable, although there isn’t a symbol telling me what kind of plastic it is made of.

The wipes are scented a lovely eucalyptus mint scent that isn’t too strong.

Instead of lugging out the gloves, spray bottle and a paper towel or rag, all you do is pull out the pre-moistened wipe. There is no need for gloves since there are no harsh chemicals to worry about. Just make sure to close the resealable opening so your wipes don't dry out. If they do, you can just wet them with some water, although you may lose some of the wipes' effectiveness.

Once you wipe and clean, it gets tossed right into the toilet. I love that they are flushable (wait until something else, ahem, needs to be flushed in order to not waste water) and biodegradable, making them a great, fairly green solution, particularly when compared with other forms of disposable wipes.

Do you use any products that are a "pretty green" solution that makes your life much easier? Or do you have any other bathroom cleaning tips to make the chore less of one? Share them here!

Categories: bed and bath, cleaning, green living, household supplies

1. Audrey [10/17/08]

I use these and love them! I like that they smell good, not chemically.

2. Marketing Mommy [10/17/08]

I’m a huge fan of Method products, but anyone who lives in an older home should be very cautious about “flushable” wipes. After my sewer pipe clogged and backed up into my basement (yech!), the plumber showed me exactly what was causing our problem: tampons and flushable wipes, the kind designed for kids who are being toilet trained (and we’d only been using them for 2 months). He warned me that older pipes are sensitive and can’t even handle premium toilet paper since it doesn’t break down as quickly as the cheap stuff.

3. Kirstin [10/18/08]

It’s not just old pipes that get clogged by wipes. Lots and lots of coverage on how these supposedly “flushable” and “biodegradable” wipes are bad news for public wastewater systems.

If you have to use disposable, better to just pitch them in the trash. If they don’t clog your pipes, they may end up blocking up a pump somewhere down the line. See this article for more on this.

4. Jeremiah [10/19/08]

Thanks for educating us on this, Kirstin!

5. Mika [10/19/08]

Thanks Marketing Mommy and Kirstin for that info. I just wrote to method regarding this concern and am hoping to get some data regarding their wipes and how quickly they biodegrade. The most environmentally friendly option would be to compost them yourself if you have a yard.

6. anna [10/24/08]

It would be interesting to learn more about products made that are biodegradable or compostable. Is there a difference between the terms? Its such a shame that it’s not as simple as throwing these new biodegradable stuff in the yard waste for the local disposal people to pick up. (You have to check with them on every product and whether it’s acceptable). I am still trying to find the best disposal solution for my doggie’s poop - and back yard composting isn’t quite the answer when it’s not your own house you live in.

7. Mika [10/24/08]

Here is what the people at method had to say about their tub + tile wipes:

“We currently purchase a particular substrate (80 to 90% degraded after 60 days) which is both biodegradable (at least 60% to degrade in 60 days in a septic environment) and dispersible, meaning it will break apart and easily flush.”

Perhaps I will research biodegradable and compostable products and write an article in the future regarding what the industry means by these terms and what actually happens once we flush something down the toilet. The sad thing regarding sending anything to the landfill is that despite the fact that it may be biodegradable or compostable landfills do not have enough oxygen so nothing breaks down; its all just sitting there like a big storage facility.

8. kaseychandler [2/11/11]

Are these wipes strong enough to scrub down the tub with? I use baking soda to cut down on soap scum in the tub. As for keeping the shower curtain clean, I usually wipe it down after I get out and then drape it over the air-it-out shower hook (it’s basically just a suction cup device that pulls the curtain away from the tub siding to eliminate moisture and mold from http://www.air-it-out.weebly.com). Maybe some disinfectant wipes would further help prevent shower mold? As long as they don’t fall apart while scrubbing…

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