Don’t let the hip “pin” design of Method dish soap container fool you: While its sleek contours and enticing colors may call for on-top-of-the-counter placement, advanced surfactants are busy efficiently lifting food particles and breaking down grease and baked-on foods.

 

tool continues below ↓

Method dish soaps are also environmentally preferable; derived from natural products and biodegradable, their quick-rinse formula leaves dishes clean with less water use.

You can also forget about “dishpan hands.” Method soaps are made with essential oils that leave hands soft, and they come in appealing fresh scents, such as cucumber, mandarin, and mint.

Hand washing dishes not your style? Method automatic washer dish cubes can be used in your dishwasher's soap reservoir or tossed in the bottom of your machine. The plastic pouch dissolves in the wash cycle, dispersing the cleaning crystals, which contain no phosphates or bleach and — like all Method products — are not tested on animals. Also like their liquid-soap cousins, the cubes come in “cool” fragrances, including pink grapefruit, cucumber lemon, and lavender, making them not only fragrant but attractive for display.

Cost:

 

Dish soap, 25 ounces, US$5.00

Dish cubes, US$5.00 per jar