Skoy Cleaning Cloths

The kind people at Skoy (I love that word) were generous enough to send me samples of their biodegradable and compostable cleaning cloths, and I've been using them for about a month now around my kitchen. We've been trying an experiment in our house to see if we really need paper towels. So far.... no. The Skoy cloths, which are made from cotton and cellulose (from wood) have been alternated with our existing microfiber cloth stash to keep our kitchen very tidy, if I do say so.

My husband has been using the Skoys to clean out his wok after he makes us yummy summer stir-fries. He just wets them and swipes a few times and then tosses the cloth in the laundry pile. (I don't put these in the dryer. They air-dry nicely.) The trick is to wet these under the faucet, ring them out, and then clean whatever you've just spilled (like breakfast smoothie).

I am enjoying the bright colors (you can order them in a pack of just white if you prefer) in my kitchen this summer, and they've got a big daisy on them too... more summery cheer. I suppose how you'll feel about that depends on how you feel about floral print.

You can put these in your dishwasher, which is cool :) I need to start doing that, although the washing on cool is also fine. (More tips here.)

I haven't tried these outside the kitchen yet, but after they get a bit worn I may give them a shot in the bathroom.
More weapons in my effort to stop buying paper towels, which I have no room to store!

Mrs Meyer's Surface Wipes

I am still using up my gingerbread Mrs Meyer's products from last Christmas (I overstocked), but if you haven't tried them they're on 50% off clearance on Mrs Meyer's site!

Anyway, this is about the surface wipes, which sadly are no longer stocked by my Whole Foods. I guess they're trying to encourage people not to use disposable wipes, which is admirable. For me, they're a bathroom product. I know I could simply clean with water and microfiber cloths in the b-room but my current microfiber cloths seem to leave more lint and dirt behind than they pick up. That's a problem for another entry. They might be ready to be replaced. :)

Anyway, while I have often found Method's disposable wipes to be too soapy, Mrs Meyer's have just the right amount of cleaning-product-to-wipe ratio. They work equally well on my laminate bathroom countertops and the toilet seat. I've been known to wipe up messes on the floor with them as well. The wipes come in Lemon Verbena (I like this one), Geranium (so-so) and Lavender (when I am going through a lavender phase). Alas, the seasonal gingerbread and honeysuckle offerings haven't made it to disposable wipe form.

I know someone with a young kid who used to keep these in the glove compartment of her car. She used them to clean all sorts of car messes up, because they don't leave sticky residue behind.

I think of disposable wipes as the lazy-person's cleaning product, and I am definitely inclined to be lazy when I clean if I can.

These are made with essential oils, but I don't know if they're biodegradable like Method's claim to be. They aren't flushable like the Method bathroom wipes, but I really don't mind. Aprox. $4.99 for 24 in a resealable pack that really does keep them moist.

Twist Euro Cloths

I was really excited when my nearest Whole Foods (I'm in Chicago, so when I say nearest, I mean it) responded to my request to stock Twist products. I'd been reading a lot of great reviews in eco-blogs, and while I have plenty of microfiber cloths and the Trader Joe's kitchen cloths, I couldn't resist the allure of a new product. So, I bought a pack. (You probably guessed that when I mentioned building birdhouses out of the packages per the directions written there.)

I was a bit confused to pull a few little hard squares out of the box. Trying to clean anything on my counters with these by using sprays was like trying to use a cracker.[1] These thin, stiff "cloths" are really only useful for one thing- wiping up wet messes. Even then, it had better be really wet to turn the cloth from crispy to soggy. Sprays, as I mentioned, aren't enough. It's hard to clean with something that just isn't flexible.

I actually have run a couple of these through the wash, just for kicks. I skipped the dryer, and they came out in the same state they went in. Arghh. Somehow I was hoping they'd soften.

To conclude, I don't really know what to do with these now. They're too stiff to make paper airplanes out of. Maybe bookmarks. I feel like I'm missing some important aspect of how to use this product. I think I'm supposed to be using them like a sponge (the whole stiff/soggy factor), and just cleaning with water, but I'm not positive. I'll try that.

[1] My first metaphor choice was a shoe. I revised it after spending a few minutes trying to think of a more appropriate, actually helpful comparison to make.


p.s. I have a new approach to cleaning my hardwood floors.
Step 1:
Vacuum when I vacuum my carpets (I have a 650 square foot apartment; it's not a big chore.)
Step 2: Mop infrequently using a damp mop (not wet!) and a weak white vinegar/water solution. Anything else, and I mean anything I've tried so far, makes the floors dull. My parents almost never, ever mop their hardwood floors. I need to ask what their secret is. I have two dogs and one is sporadic with her toilet habits.

Trader Joe's cloths part II

Ok, so I have to revise my opinion on the TJs cloths. I do like their texture more for wiping around my kitchen than I did my furry microfiber cloths, but after using one to wipe my trashcan lid I figured I'd better toss it into the washing machine. I washed it on cold and dried it on low heat. The thing shrunk to half its size! I think I may have to supplement these with a couple of Twist Euro Cloths. I've been wanting to try Twist's products anyway. The boxes their sponges come in can be made into birdfeeders. My neighborhood has feral parakeets who survive on birdseed in the winter, so I definitely want to have a birdfeeder out soon. Somehow the "killing two birds with one stone" metaphor seems wrong here.

In other news, I got a box of babyganics' products today in the mail. I can't wait to try them! They look and sound quite good.