It’s fall cleaning time. Time to take out the air condtioners and put the summer clothes into storage for a few months. In preparation, I headed to the store to pick up some supplies. Walking down the cleaning aisle, I was immediately struck by a new line of Arm & Hammer Essentials cleaning products.
The concept isn’t new, nor is Arm & Hammer’s presence in the cleaning aisle; but the execution deserves admiration. Arm & Hammer Essentials is a line of eco-friendly, all-natural cleaning products in little refill containers with empty spray-bottles attached. Your first time, you’d purchase the bottle (which stands out because it’s empty on the shelf) and one included cleaning concentrate ‘refill’ (though I don’t think one can consider the first use a refill). You simply fill the spray bottle with tap water, add the concentrated cleaning formula (they have all-purpose, glass cleaner, and a de-greaser). You then purchase packages of two concentrated refills every time you run out of the product. According to Arm & Hammer’s Website:
Americans throw away 60 billion pounds of plastic each year. Each ARM & HAMMER Essentials Cleaners refill pack you buy means 2 less plastic spray bottles in landfills. And the refill pack uses 80% less packaging than 2 pre-filled spray cleaners. The ARM & HAMMER Essentials Cleaners formula is biodegradable and uses powerful plant-based cleaners—and contains no harsh ammonia or phosphates.
Incidentally, the Essentials products also cost a bit less than comparable products. And they’re significantly cheaper than the niche brands like Mrs. Meyer’s, Method, Ecover, and Seventh Generation. I gave the all-purpose cleaner and the glass cleaner a test drive, and they work as well as other products I’ve used in the past. I’ll admit, no ‘natural’ glass cleaning product I’ve ever used does as good a job as Windex, but that’s the trade-off you make for eco-savvy (or eco-irrational, perhaps) purchases. 
As far as I can tell, this new line is going head-to-head with Clorox’s GreenWorks line of home cleaning products, both in terms of price and eco-credentials. Arm & Hammer, however, may have upped the anti for all eco-focused companies by taking a major step toward reducing waste.
Learn more (and download a coupon!) at Arm & Hammer.
