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