I know these products are "green" (somewhat at least - there are greener ways to clean your house), but are they really frugal????
Three New Products from Seventh Generation
Photo: Seventh Generation
Love their soaps and spray cleaners? A sucker for their paper products? Green cleaning giant Seventh Generation has launched three new products into the ecosphere. Guess who scored review samples to test drive for you and a peek at the not-yet-publicly-released press kit? Read on for the results write up.
With so many companies still not bothering to step up at all, I like to support those that do with exposure. So when Seventh Gen's media maven Meghan Butler expressed an interest in a Wise Bread review of their newly released products, I was psyched. Following are the results.
Dryer Sheets
These are made of paper and come unbleached in 65 count boxes with an MSRP of $4.99 - $5.29. You'll find them a bit different if you're a die-hard polyester fabric sheet person. These are crisp, perforated and totally biodegradable. They even make great compost pile additions once they've been used. While they also come in unscented, I found the scented ones to be delicate enough to not be obtrusive. Translation? The men of the house won't feel like they are heading to the gym with Jasmine scented sweat socks. I admittedly don't use dryer sheets very often to begin with, so a detailed comparison isn't the type of information you'll be finding in this review.
I can say this: They don't send me into severe fits of sneezing like other dryer sheets tend to do when I bother to use them, and the snap crackle pop show that normally happens when I pull things out of the dryer was virtually non-existent when I tried these out. Since in my mind their sole purpose is to provide a light fluff and keep me from shocking myself silly, I'd say these pass the test. If you haven't been able to give up your regular dryer sheets and have been looking for a green alternative, these might be just what the doctor ordered. I notice they aren't up for sale yet on Amazon, but are apparently available via brick and mortar retail sources like Whole Foods.
Dishwasher Tabs
While the company has had dishwasher products for some time, the individual tabs haven't been in their repertoire. These come in recycled product boxes of 15 each, with an MSRP $4.19 - $6.49. Unfortunately, I was left with a film after using these. That being said, I end up with a film from many dishwasher soaps due to hard water. In the interest of fairness, I'm farming out the extra samples to a couple of friends on different county water supplies and asking them check back in through the comment section with any notable results either way.
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Since I've been uber thrilled with every other product from Seventh Generation I've ever tried, I'll willing to hold off on a judgement call here and ask for further input from any others who have tried the tabs. Chances are if you have used their other dishwasher cleaning products and had good luck, these will work for you as well. But I really would love it if people would share their experiences either way on this one. Never hurts to get group input, right?
Rinse Aid
Again not a product I tend to use often. I'm more of a vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser type of girl. However, even the dishwasher soap product I normally use still tends to leave a light residue on the inside of my drinking glasses. Test driving this new product reduced that significantly. So if you prefer a specially formulated rinse aid, this may be a green alternative you want to check out. (I'd be interested to hear how those of you with varying water issues have made out with this product as well.) The new rinse aid comes in an eight-ounce recycled bottle good for up to 75 loads. The MSRP is $4.19 - $5.19.
That's it for this round. Coupons for additional Seventh Generation products can be found on their web site using this link. Have a great green day, folks!
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You know, I think it all comes down to balance in the end. Certain things do cost more, which is why I mentioned an alternative or two. When it comes down to brass tacks though, I think we all make certain decisions about where we want to spend green bucks.
For example, I've found their dish soap to be comparable as well as their bulk toilet tissue. I don't use a ton of dryer sheets personally, but for those who are drying more outside and want them only for towels and such, the product could be financially doable.
As I said, there are limited companies "stepping up" so to speak so I like to support those that do. And two of these are for things I haven't seen other companies release at all. To tell you the truth, I've been considering a sort of "balancing green" post for a while now that covers areas where I cut back in order to make another green choice that requires an extra dinar or two. We do have a separate green living section and while I try to include super frugal green ideas where I can, the reality is many green products are not the cheapest on the market. So it comes down to quality and corporate integrity for me quite often.
Thank you for your comment.
I am a huge advocate of frugality, and I practice it in most ways that I can. One area where I will spend a bit extra though is on green products. This is an absolute rule in my book. I am so glad to see that many of the big players in the corporate arena are jumping on the bandwagon with green (or greener) options. But a lot of the time, their products still do not compare in quality or are as truly earth-friendly as Seventh Generation, Ecover, or a variety of other green brands.
Bottom line is that with most green products, you are going to pay a bit more for them in comparison to the toxic, but cheap, "conventional" products. The reason being is that the more natural and the less toxic ingredients found in green products cost a bit more to produce and manufacture.
But you could also look at it this way: If all these super-cheap, but super-polluting chemicals that are found in many household products didn't exist, and we were forced to use the greener stuff anyways (under the current price), then would we think any different because we were not used to the convenience of paying less?
Furthermore, I would assume that more demand for these products would eventually drive the price down. If we use them more, then we may not have to pay more.
With the earth in the state that it is, it should almost be an automatic for everyone. Even with my frugal ways, I think that it is definitely worth it to pay a couple extra dollars on something that doesn't continue to contribute as much to the excessive pollution of the earth.
I think it is long overdue for society as a whole to stop placing money as a higher priority than the natural world around us.
I clean my house with vinegar and baking soda... super cheap and super green... these commercial products don't convince me one bit.
As I said, it's all about balance and personal choice. I use vinegar and baking soda quite a bit around the house as well. However, I'd be hard pressed to use them in place of dish soap, dryer sheets or even shampoo for that matter. Also, some folks just like the premade products. It's all about where your comfort zone is. For those that like to tumble dry quite often, the dryer sheets could be a Godsend. If you air dry most of the time, you can probably make a different choice. If you're getting by with different products, then I say good for you. But others will at least want to know they have the option, whatever they decide.
I have used their laundry detergent for almost a year, now and it's great! My clothes get clean and BEST OF ALL the Seventh Generation soap doesn't bleach out or affect the colors so my things stay looking fresh and nice and bright rather than dinging out! More recently I've added their dishwasing soap (replacing that blue liquid with the morning kind of name, you know) to my kitchen and I love that too. Doesn't dry out my hands, works perfectly well and quickly on grease and it's all good for the environment which makes it worth it to me. And I'm on a budget but I feel that buying with an environmental consciousness is a good thing.
