Replenish is one of three new eco-friendly cleaners that aim to cut plastic waste by requiring buyers to add their own tap water to highly concentrated formulas in reusable bottles. The latest eco-friendly household cleaners are coming in tiny cartridges, sold with empty spray bottles and aiming to reduce plastic waste by asking buyers to add their own tap water to the highly concentrated formulas.
Unlike old-school concentrates that are diluted in a bucket of water, these cleaning agents are dispensed from small units called pods. In the case of two brands, Just Add Water System and Planet People's IQ cleaners, the spray bottles are first filled with water to a specified level and the pod is inserted into the bottle's neck.
The pod releases active ingredients into the water when the sprayer tube is inserted through its top and the cap is tightened. Both products require only 1/3 ounce of cleaner per bottle. Once empty, refill pods allow the bottles to be reused.
Planet People's IQ cleaner: Begin by filling the empty bottle with tap water, pop in the refill pod and screw on the top to release the cleaning formula. All said and done, the IQ formulas, which include a bathroom cleaner, an all-purpose cleaner and glass cleaner, come to just under 24 ounces and sell for $3.99 (not including the cost of your water, of course) at alice.com. Refill cartridges are $2.29 each. The JAWS starter kits come with two cartridges, making about 27 ounces each, and sell for $4.89 or $5.69, depending on the formula, at jawscleans.com. A two-pack of refills, including the multi-purpose degreasing cleaner, bathroom cleaner, glass cleaner and a disinfecting cleaner, are $3.69 or $4.79.
The third cleaner, Replenish, has an innovative cleaner pod that screws onto the bottom of its thicker-walled spray bottle. The bottle is turned upside down and the four-ounce pod is squeezed to release an ounce of the multi-surface cleaner for each of four bottle fills, totaling more than 64 ounces. A starter bottle sells for $7.99 and refill pods are $3.99 each at replenish.alice.com. Replenish also is sold at selected Whole Foods stores.
Replenish has a screw-on pod filled with concentrated cleaner at the bottom of its bottle. The bottle is turned upside down to squeeze an ounce of the cleaner into a built-in measuring cup. The bottle is then turned right-side up to add water.All three cleaners are advertised as non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Their smaller packages and the lighter weight of water-free formulations also is a boon for product manufacturers in reduced shipping and production costs. Retailers benefit from smaller refills that require less shelf space. For consumers, however, the value depends on how well the super-concentrated cleaners perform and if their prices remain competitive with traditional, ready-to-use eco-friendly cleansers.
R. Bruce Yacko, founder of Ohio-based Just Add Water Systems hopes that ultra-concentrated formulas in pods will become the standard delivery system for household cleaners.
"For us in 2011 to just buy a bottle of cleaner and throw it away after one use is so irresponsible," he says. "Our desire is that this becomes a game-changing platform and that the world adopts this strategy as a way of delivering concentrates.”
His vision doesn’t seem too far off, considering that liquid laundry detergent makers for several years have been reducing the water in their products and touting ever-more-concentrated formulas in smaller and smaller packages. Method’s highly concentrated laundry detergent remains the smallest with 25 loads promised from a 10-ounce pump container that could easily fit into a purse or coat pocket.
Just Add Water System comes in four formulas, including degreasing and disinfecting cleaners. Procter and Gamble, which earlier this month introduced "compacted" versions of Tide and Gain laundry detergent powders, is expected to introduce its
own "pods" this summer with laundry and dishwasher detergent tablets. The company has said it will produce compacted versions of all its detergent powders, the flakes of which are being made smaller through more advanced processing. Ultra Tide and Ultra Gain, sold at Target stores, promise 15 wash loads from compact 20-ounce boxes, which, of course, can be recycled.
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