By Andrew Liszewski
What’s this? A brilliantly clever eco-friendly packaging design that’s not just a concept, but is actually available for sale? Crazy! Anyways, according to the Replenish website, your typical spray bottle of household cleaner is about 95% water, and 5% cleaner. And it turns out you’re not only paying for something that already flows from the faucets in your home, but the extra plastic needed to transport it in the bottle.
So taking a cue from the big boxes of concentrated syrup that Coca-Cola sends to restaurants, where water and carbonation is added after the product’s been shipped, Replenish sells concentrated refills of their cleaning product in small containers that snap into the bottom of their reusable bottle. To mix up a new batch you simply flip the bottle upside down until a small built-in measuring cup is filled with the concentrated solution, then add water and shake. The bottle itself, which includes a concentrated container of cleaning solution, is $7.99, but keep in mind that each refill actually makes 4 entire bottles of cleaner. And the refills are just $3.99 each, essentially making the product about $1/bottle after the initial investment.
[ Replenish Cleaner ] VIA [ I New Idea Homepage ]
vinegar in a spray bottle does most clean ups
I don't get how this saves me or anyone money, other than the Replenish owners. I can buy a 64oz bottle of concentrated cleaner from Costco or Home Depot for maybe 10 bucks. With that bottle, I can get roughly 100 full spray bottles when mixed with water. I use an old, recycled spray bottle I already have. When I'm done with the concentrate bottle, I recycle it. So initial cost of the spray bottle (you can even buy empty spray bottles from the grocery) is around $2-$3. The concentrate is $10. I get 100 bottles full of cleaning solution for ~$13. And I have zero waste because I recycle the ONE concentrate bottle. The Replenish solution, to get the same amount of cleaning, would cost over $100. So this doesn't save me any money. It saves Replenish money because they don't have to produce and ship large bottles filled mostly with water. And it puts even more money in their pockets because people now have to keep buying their proprietary pods. This is just another company abusing the current “green” craze to line their own pockets.
I think it is a good idea for people who particularly like this brand. I think there are cheaper routes however.