The Good: Good corporate policy (in theory), Decent scent, All right cleaning power
The Bad: Scent is not exactly what it claims to be, Mixed execution of corporate policy, Expensive
The Basics: Honestly perfectly average, Method Pink Grapefruit all purpose wipes are durable, but expensive and do not have the scent that sells me on them.
One of the truly wonderful things about getting into various movie screenings is that oftentimes - okay, only sometimes - movie studios will try to spice up the screenings with little incentives or giveaways. It seems the real giveaways come when two studios are screening different movies in the same theater on the same night and they want to lure viewers into their screening as opposed to the other one. So, for example, I was absolutely thrilled when I went to see Alien Trespass in Boston that I was able to get a free pack of 30 Method Pink Grapefruit All Surface Wipes. What do Method cleaning wipes have to do with a 1950s style science fiction parody film? Absolutely nothing; Alien Trespass had the director there and that made it the movie I went to Boston to see. The thirty-pack of all purpose wipes was being given out for the screening of Sunshine Cleaners (which, come to think of, I still have yet to see). Being a person who likes to have my cake and eat it to, when many screeners for Sunshine Cleaners passed the incentive by, I grabbed a pack and took them home to review!
Right off the bat, it is important to note that Method Pink Grapefruit All Purpose Wipes in the thirty-pack are available two ways: a flat pack and a plastic canister. The flat pack is what I was able to snag for free, but since I investigated the canister and the product inside is identical. Method has a corporate policy of environmental responsibility - the wipes are labeled as "non-toxic," "clean," "planet friendly," and people and panda friendly. Because they are biodegradable - they are made of bamboo fibers - they are a bit more expensive than other wipes. Here, though, the packaging becomes a point of debate. The flat pack is essentially a plastic envelope with a hard plastic dispenser in the middle. It is a #5 recyclable, which is granted one of the less universally-recyclable plastics. The canister is a #2, which can be recycled virtually anywhere that has a recycling program, but the sheer amount of plastic - the canister is over six inches tall with a four inch diameter! - seems bulky and far less environmentally friendly than the flat pack. For a company trading on environmental responsibility, it seems like the flat pack would be the only way to go.
That said, the canister is a pricey medium-hard plastic container with a cap that has a flip top dispensing hole. If one fails to thread the wipes through correctly, the cap may be popped off and access granted to the container, though it is not recommended to leave the container open as the wipes will dry out.
What are Method Pink Grapefruit all purpose wipes? They are like baby wipes for one's stuff. By "stuff," I mean possessions, furniture and virtually any surface one might usually dust or use a limited cleaner on. Use of these wipes is ridiculously easy: flip the cap open on the top of the plastic container and pull the wipe out. As it exits the container, it will present the top of the next wipe for the next time. Close the container by clicking the cap back in place and wipe the surface you wish to clean with the wipe. It is that easy. Wipes may be thrown away or, I suppose, composed after use.
Method Pink Grapefruit all purpose wipes are 7 1/4" by 8 1/4" rectangles of fibrous cleaning power. The baby wipe analogy is an apt one. These cleaning cloths are durable, clean and have limited stretch to them. Despite being pink grapefruit scented, they are white (at least when one starts cleaning with one!).
As for the scent, I don't smell it. I love grapefruit and coming out of the canister, these wipes smell clean and are slightly moist, but they do not have a rich smell by any stretch of the nasal nerves. They immediately smell generically fruits, but there is no citrus scent to them even. Within a minute out of the package, mine smell more like fresh water. That might seem like a weak connection, but that is the precise smell; fresh, clean, running water. The Method Pink Grapefruit wipes are not strongly scented, but they do have a clean smell that most people will appreciate. The fact that the scent is not that strong might appeal to some. I, however, like my scented cleaners to smell good and like what they claim to. This does not.
With any wipes, one has to ask the fundamental question "does it work?" That depends on what one's expectation of this as a cleaner is. Wipes are traditionally good for cleaning up dirt where minimal scrubbing might be involved, the appeal being that the cleaner and the cloth are all in one and one does not need to worry about cleaning the cleaning cloth when one is done. In that regard, Method Pink Grapefruit wipes are quite good. I was able to use a single sheet to dust off the tops of all my computer equipment, scrub make-up powder on the wood dresser off, dust off the tops of other hardwood surfaces (like the frame for the mirror), scrub coffee/sugar that had dried onto the nightstand, scrub a similar mix from the top of the plastic coffee maker (along with dust), then clean a window, a mirror, a whiteboard and more dusting of general surfaces.
The results were pretty clear and simple. First, after all of the cleaning - much of which involved scrubbing - the wipe did not tear at all. This has durability going for it in a big way. As well, these wipes retained their moisture surprisingly well. It was only after I cleaned the wood around the cat's litterboxes - where litter dust has accumulated - that the wipes began to kick out and I had to do multiple passes to get the surfaces cleaned. These wipes hold up well with scrubbing and basic dusting.
The Method Pink Grapefruit wipes also did a decent job of retaining the things they captured. I cleaned up the make-up residue early on and when I cleaned the wall next to the whiteboard, the surfaces got cleaned, I was not simply transferring powder from one location to another. As well, the wipes did get glass - both windows and mirrors - generally clean. Fingerprints and stuck-on gunk came off, though some required a little scrubbing for the wipes to lift.
Where the wipes fell down, then, were in the details. The Pink Grapefruit wipes do leave streaks on glass. They did not leave residue on glossy wood surfaces I cleaned with them, but those surfaces are not reflective or transparent to begin with, so it is not a difficult surface to clean and keep me happy with. Moreover, the scent did not transfer to any surface I used these wipes on. Again, that might be a selling point to some, but for my money, I want something that smells good for longer than just while I am cleaning. These wipes do not denature plastics or leave a residue, so they actually do clean, but the scent only endures so long as one is using them and they have not absorbed something foul smelling.
My wife, who used these a bit more than I did, complained that they left a film on her hands, but I did not have that experience. In fact, I found these did not leave a residue or scent on my hands.
Ultimately, I consider Method Pink Grapefruit all purpose wipes as little better than glorified dusting wipes with additional durability. I'm not saying for that the added expense of these wipes over any of their competitors, I would want them to wash my car (though, that would be nifty), but they are expensive and while I believe in paying for our environmental morals, the cost of these seems high for the benefits. For "all purpose," the fact that they did not clean glass disappoints me and the environmental impact of the plastic container is not ideal for such an otherwise environmental company.
For other cleansers, please visit my reviews of:
Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets
Speedy White Hearth & Ceramic Glass Cleaner
Arm & Hammer Pet Fresh Odor & Stain Remover
5/10
For other home and garden reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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