Detoxify Your Clean - Swap Your Swiffer For An Omop

If you are anything like me, you fell in love with the swiffer the moment you tried it the first time and never looked back. I must confess I didn't even bother to read the ingredients when I switched, I just tossed my new convenience into the cart and went. I did much the same thing with the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. I wan't thinking much about the toxins I was spreading all over my floor and shower at the time, I was thinking about how much easier it would be to lose the bucket, mop and sponge. As time went on, and I started changing my cleaning sprays and wipes to eco-friendly non-toxic options, the shower cleaner and Swiffer stayed for lack of an eco-friendly option - or so I thought.

This week when I went to the grocery store, I decided to browse the green cleaner section to see what my local SuperFresh had to offer. Until then, I'd been buying cleaning products online in bulk, but sometimes you just plain run out and can't wait. I wan't planning on buying anything, just seeing if it was a good place for a midnight mess run. As I was comparing prices, overwhelmingly disappointed with the selection, I came across a brand called Method that was on sale for very good prices - better than my online prices in many cases. There on the bottom row a large paper box caught my eye. It was an Omop wood cleaning kit (they make an all floor kit as well). I decided to take a closer look, and picked up the box and leaned it on my cart. The recycled paper box contained a tool that is essentially an ergonomically designed Swiffer with a larger pad. It has a longer handle with a loop to set your hand in and a curve in the handle to reach different kinds of areas more easily. Even better, the dry cloths are compostable bamboo and the wet cloth is a microfiber cloth that is machine washable. The cleaning fluid is all natural and non-toxic, perfect for a family with children or pets that might injest some fluid from the floor. Finally and eco-friendly Swiffer replacement! Into the cart it went, and I went back to the Method products, intrigued by their offering.

I collected several packets of compostable wipes with non-toxic cleaners for different surfaces around the house. Even the package lids are ergonomic, opening with the push of a finger rather than having to break a nail prying at it. A few spray cleaners to try went in the cart. Most of the sprays are no better and no worse than other comparable cleaners, so they are good for convenience or on sale (I will do an article on spray cleaners later). There was one spray that stood out as different, though. It was daily shower cleaner - the eco-friendly Automatic Shower Cleaner! This was going to take some modification, though. I am guessing that the shower cleaner is still under patent by the lack of any competition. For this reason, the cleaning spray came in a spray bottle that would not fit in the Scrubbing Bubbles sprayer, and Method does not offer an automatic sprayer of their own. The fluid looks similar to the Shower Cleaner fluid. I bought 2 bottles and came home to look at the problem.

Because I still had an empty bottle in the shower cleaner, I noticed I could refill the bottle by drilling a hole in the top of the old one, then filling with the Method cleaner. A pain, for sure, but not impossible. With a small hole saw, a drill, a funnel and a cork I was able to modify the shower cleaner to accept the method product. I am not sure how long it will work, or what to do if the bottle wears out (I guess I could buy a regular refill and dump it into a black water recepticle so it does not head to the bay). It does work today, though, and I finally found an efficient way of cleaning that is eco-friendly. Method products are worth your time to check out, though you may want to buy them on sale.