Two newish cleaning products popped up recently in the postbag. One, called Method and made by a company of the same name, is a range of sprays, wipes and other cleaners containing biodegradable chemicals, and is packaged in recycled and recyclable plastic. The other, Aquo, made by Kilrock, is sold in the form of an empty spray bottle with water-soluble refills of concentrated cleaning agents: fill the bottle with water, drop in the refill and you’re ready to clean.

The rationale behind Aquo is sound. Have you ever thought about how much fossil fuel is used to ship thousands of plastic bottles filled with a liquid that is more than 98 per cent water? An empty Aquo bottle weighs only 77g while a filled one weighs 772g, so fossil fuel isn’t wasted transporting tonnes of water. And whereas most spray bottles have a metal spring, making recycling impossible, Aquo bottles are also completely plastic and can be reused 20 times.

Sadly, I can’t get enthusiastic about either Method or Aquo. When I used them on a stainless-steel sink bearing varying quantities of well-entrenched grease, they dealt with light grease passably well. With moderate grease, they struggled. With the heavy stuff, they failed.

Don’t get me wrong: I admire Method and Kilrock greatly and their products aren’t bad – I’d happily choose them over conventional cleaners – but they don’t compare to the third product I used on the greasy sink, an E-Cloth and cold water.

E-Cloth (www.e-cloth.com) uses a microfibre technology I’ve praised before. It leaves even the yuckiest steel grease-free without the need for chemicals or spray bottles. The more I use them, the more convinced I am kitchens need nothing more than a couple of E-Cloths, water and ordinary washing-up liquid. Plastic bottles, however well intentioned, are de trop.

greenkitchen@the times.co.uk

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