I’ve known of Terracycle to do good things for the earth, by helping to recycle used packaging (stuff that some recycling facilities may find difficult to process) into great upcycled products. Products that range from Capri Sun drink pouch messenger bags to vinyl record clocks and bicycle chain picture frames. These products are really creative and it’s a good use of material that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
Now what I didn’t know until recently is that Terracycle also has a line of spray products that implement the same principles of taking a product and turning it into a useful product. Terracycle’s brand of liquid cleaners (and other liquid products) don’t have a preference what container they come in, it changes based on what other company’s over stock is. So Terracycle offers to buy company’s overstock bottles that would otherwise not be used, sometimes because the product has been discontinued or a packaging change has happened, thus sometimes leaving tens of thousands or even millions of unusable bottles for the company. Unfortunately because warehouse space can be so expensive, large companies may just throw these bottles away, writing off the cost.
So this is where Terracycle begins to help out. Before any of these bottles make it to the landfill, Terracycle buys what they can, no matter what the shape of the bottle is and along with their spray triggers too they use them for their own liquid products, making them a “pre-consumer waste.”
Now you know how these different shaped bottles help to hold great non-toxic, all natural cleaners, which seriously get the job done. Now let me tell you how these cleaners work at cleaning. The All-Purpose Cleaner I figured would be great for my kitchen, to help sanitize and cut away any baked on crud on the stove. Though this cleaner comes in a bottle that would remind you of Windex, it couldn’t be more different from that product. No unnatural blue color liquid and to my surprise no harsh chemical scent whatsoever!
Before using the All-Purpose Spray I automatically opened the window, anticipating a harsh smell as with other cleaners I’ve used before, but there was no need for the open window at all. I used this cleaner, made from water and natural minerals on my stainless steel sink and stovetop. Both of which I wouldn’t have necessarily considered either of them dirty, but not sparklingly clean. Oh boy, did this cleaner help my sink shine! Sure it was already clean, but with one spray and one wipe of a cloth, it took away the soap scum and hard water spots with ease. There was absolutely no scrubbing or waiting for it to take effect. I was completely amazed that a product with very little ingredients had so much cleaning power.
Now it wasn’t a complete miracle worker on my stovetop but with such little ease it did clean freshly made stains on the burner grates. Usually I would use a lot of elbow grease and baking soda to clean both these places, so this spray has become very useful and time saving. My white refrigerator door handle area sees a lot of traffic so it is likely a place that sees the most amount of dirt. With a
few sprays and a bit of brush scrubbing (because of the texture) it easily became a bright white again.
I had just as great of an experience with the Natural Bathroom Cleaner. Derived from organic essential oils, natural plant and mineral extract, it is also non-toxic, biodegradable and hypo-allergenic. Just like the All-Purpose Spray there was no harsh scent. It removed mold from the bathroom sink drain area easily as well as soap scum and hard water spots from a porcelain sink, leaving it noticeably shiny and smooth. I am way more pleased with both these products that I had anticipated I would be, which I think says a lot about their quality and performance.
Once I run out of both of these cleaners I certainly think I would purchase them in a retail store if available, based on the fact that they are less harsh than the usual chemicals available in the mainstream. Reasonably priced at $3.99 for a 32 oz. bottle, it should last you a long while too. Don’t go to the brick and mortar store much? These are available online to order
as well.
Wow that is awesome what a clever strategy to use up manufacturers unwanted bottles. I just looked on their website and they have Bicycle Chain Picture Frame – clever. I will investigate further for gift ideas!
2 Comments
James Paulson
November 5, 2013 at 5:20 pm
Deb
November 23, 2013 at 2:48 pm
Nice price! Looks a ton better than that harmful Scrubbing Bubbles stuff! Ah!
Wow that is awesome what a clever strategy to use up manufacturers unwanted bottles. I just looked on their website and they have Bicycle Chain Picture Frame – clever. I will investigate further for gift ideas!