Method® ANTIBAC Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner

Many household disinfectants contain bleach. Bleach is great at killing bugs, but can also be corrosive, irritating, and extremely harmful if ingested. Enter Method® ANTIBAC Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner (lemon verbena)!

I am a longtime fan of all things Method®. They do a great job at making household cleaners that are safe for consumers and the environment, and I believe they make sincere efforts to educate people about the importance of knowing what’s really inside the products they purchase. Their cleaners smell great, work wonderfully, and typically serve a large range of purposes.

I was excited to see Method® release an antibacterial cleaner; this particular spray is designed to cut through grease and grime, while the similarly composed ANTIBAC Bathroom Cleaner (spearmint) is intended to clear up soap scum. 

A common misconception surrounding green cleaning products is that they're not as potent as chemical products. But, please be reminded that green cleaners are chemicals too; just because they don't carry a pages-long warning label doesn't mean they're ineffective. Green cleaners are created in labs (by actual, glasses-wearing scientists!) and are still held up to stringent EPA standards; if Method® ANTIBAC can't live up to its germ-killing claims, it loses its EPA approval. 

www.cleanwelltoday.com

The germ-killing ingredient in Method® ANTIBAC is Thymol, a component of thyme oil (related to thyme, a common spice). This ingredient has undergone extensive EPA review, and the EPA has concluded that the use of thymol in pesticide products (cleaners) should not adversely affect human health or the environment (see link below). Method® worked with Clean Well,™ the company responsible for harnessing the germ-killing properties of Thymol into a household antibacterial agent, in order to deliver the ANTIBAC line.

As much as I love this product and am thrilled to use something that is both environmentally and health friendly, I have to warn that the scent takes some getting used to. We're conditioned to believe that certain scents indicate cleanliness, and this scent brings "spice cabinet" to mind more than it does fresh and clean. The scent is  labeled lemon verbena, but thyme is very odiferous and its presence in this product is extremely evident. Fear not, though-- once your nose has adjusted to this scent, you'll find yourself enjoying it. You'll probably enjoy even more the fact that your nose and eyes are not burning from the bleach odor present in other cleaners. 

Another point to consider in using this product is the kill-time. I realized only recently that disinfectants need time to work; that means that simply spraying a disinfectant product onto a soiled surface and then immediately wiping it dry does nothing more than clean the surface. In order to disinfectant, many household cleaners need several minutes before being dried. This is very important to keep in mind: read your household cleaning products' labels carefully! Method® ANTIBAC has a three-step cleaning process (commonly referred to as "spray, wipe, spray"), and a 10-minute kill time before the surface is truly disinfected. Don't shy away from the product because this seems like an inconvenience; most, if not all cleaners carry similar rules; you were likely just unaware before this point. If you think that wipes will be easier to use, think again-- wipes, just like spray cleaners, require the same process and kill-time if they make disinfecting claims.

Give it a try-- I don't think you'll be disappointed!

For more information on Method® products, visit www.methodhome.com

Interested in learning more about Thymol? Read the EPA report here: http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/3143fact.pdf

Lavera Organic Mascara

Now for the first of my reviews! While out recently, I bought Lavera Intense Volumizing Mascara; it's an organic product that, compared to other high-end makeup brands, is very affordable at $13.50 (Target). The mascara comes in several versions-- intense volumizing, volumizing, and long lash.

Seasonal allergies have begun to set in, and as such, my eyes have been maddeningly itchy. I thought that organic eye makeup might alleviate some of the itch, so I was happy to see a product for sale at a decent price.

No Makeup

I tested the mascara out this morning, and I'm definitely on the fence. The application was a little bit messy; the brush is very fat, which looked promising, but ended up tracking mascara on both my top and bottom eyelid. The clean-up wasn't easy, either. Normally a Q-tip dabbed with water removes stray mascara, but this mascara just smeared. I had to use eye makeup remover to carefully wipe away the smudged mascara on my eyelid without removing the mascara on my eyelashes. Honestly, I didn't love the look. I once used Neutrogena lash tint, which only intends on brightening lashes instead of volumizing or lengthening (think lip gloss vs. lipstick). This mascara has a very similar look and feel to lash tint, but promises to deliver volume and unfortunately falls short.

With Lavera Organic Mascara (black)

The mascara was weightless on my lashes, which is a great feeling. It didn't itch, flake, or clump, and it kept its shape over the course of the day. My lashes were soft to the touch, and at the end of the day, the mascara removed easily.

With Mascara Again

Ultimately, I think this mascara is definitely worth the price. It's not the best volumizing product out there, but it still does a decent job of emphasizing lashes. I love the feel of the mascara; it's soft and light and removes easily. It's comforting to be able to use a product of organic origin in a spot as sensitive as the eye, and I think it's for this reason alone that I would purchase the product again. Overall, I'd recommend this for a daytime or natural look, but I don't think it delivers the intensity people typically prefer for a night out.




For more information, check out this mascara and other Lavera Naturkosmetiks for yourself at www.lavera.com.

nat.u.ral.

Natural: existing in or caused by nature.
Allie: a quiet, dark-haired tween whose name happens to substitute quite well for the suffix "-ally," thereby allowing me to create a blog URL that does not include my first name or a bunch of numbers. She is also my sister, and I am grateful that she was named so conveniently.

While out shopping earlier this evening, I was struck by an Idea. I like to shop, especially for things with nice labels and packaging (seriously, I am the person these companies market to), and I'm very interested in all things holistic, organic, and healthy. While many of us are interested in these things, it's often difficult to flesh out when a product is truly good for us and good for the environment and when it's just blowing lavender and vanilla scented smoke up your ass.

That being said, I've decided to make your life easier by personally testing and researching these products, so that I may allow you to make a more informed decision. I'll always be looking for suggestions, so if a product has piqued your interest please get in touch with me.

The environment as a whole and the health and wellness of the people around me is a serious concern of mine, so I promise to do my very best to deliver the best information to you.



Naturallie.