Cleaning Greener: Meeting Mrs. Meyers

I have been trying to make my life a little greener. A few weeks ago I spotted this in the big box wonderland of Target. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day counter top spray. I used to see this in the fancy-pants boutiques on occasion but I had never paid the price for the exclusive coolness.

I usually use Windex for cleaning the counter top or dining room table. Sort of odd, I guess, but it's simple, effective and not too harsh. It easily removes hot chocolate rings, popsicle puddles and the balogna residue that seem to follow the boys wherever they go. I often let Faddle do the post-snack clean up and he's very good if over-enthusiastic with the spritzing and I can let him since its just some ammonia.

But since there is clearly other stuff in Windex, even if I don't know if it is good or bad for the environment or my liver or anything I figured it was worth a try to make the move to Mrs. Meyer's.
At the top of the bottle it says 'aromatheraputic' and they aren't playing. This stuff smells great, but it is strong. My kitchen smells citrus-y fresh for a significant amount of time after I clean. Great for some, less appealing to others.

Mrs. Meyers contains only natural ingredients and everything is biodegradable. There are oils of lemon, lemmongrass, peppermint, clove, geranium and a vegetable protein. That's it, not big chemical names anywhere!

I was a little concerned that it might be oily or leave a sticky residue since it has so many essential oils in it, but no! I was also uncertain about its ability to power through the usual kitchen mess. I'm used to the brutal force of ammonia and in emergency cases the Formula 409 to blast away whatever disaster I have created. But I've been using the Mrs. Meyers for about three weeks now and I have been really happy with its cleaning power.

I can't remember what the price was when I had seen it before in the kitchen shops and other boutiques, but maybe with the mass power of selling through the ubiquitous bulls-eye it might be less pricey. Well, hmm. Less, probably. Inexpensive, no. I think it is usually around two bucks for most of my kitchen cleaners and this one rings in at a whopping $4.99.

The size of the bottle is decent and it usually takes me a long, long time to use up a whole bottle of kitchen cleaner. (I have like 2 feet of counter space, so that could be why.) Also I must say that I do not overuse this, just a spritz or two and I'm usually all set, so it isn't like I have to compensate for the 'natural' part by using more. Which means that five bucks isn't so big a deal for a bottle of cleaner that will last me for months. So far, so good. I definitely recommend to others who might want to try something a bit more 'green' and less harsh!