BUTZWASSER - Review
For us, Butzwasser is the ideal, eco-friendly all-purpose cleaner we’ve been searching for so long. It’s completely natural and chemical-free.
Since you can use this functional water anywhere and on almost any surface, you can do away with the usual hodgepodge of products and free up space in your cabinet. On top of that, you have the very reassuring feeling that you haven’t put any additional strain on the environment—or polluted it.
Due to space constraints and because we’re on the go a lot, we’d been searching for quite some time for a practical and eco-friendly concentrate that we hadn’t been able to find in organic markets or from alternative suppliers. Above all, we wanted one that doesn’t need to be broken down in the water cycle at all and thus has ZERO impact on the environment. Even organic and eco-friendly cleaners have to be “broken down” in nature—we didn’t even know that before. So much for the background—this wasn’t an easy task until we were made aware of humanum’s products.
We found their approach very interesting, since the manufacturing process produces absolutely no waste or wastewater, and the cleaning solution is also vegan and safe for people with allergies. You don’t even need gloves. If I have to wear gloves to protect myself from my cleaner, then something’s definitely not right—right?
Whereas before we might have had a separate cleaner on hand for every surface—as advertising “suggests”—we now get by with a small 125-ml bottle of Butzwasser concentrate that you mix with tap water. The tap water immediately takes on the properties of the concentrate.
For us, who also travel a lot, it’s great to have just one small bottle that fits in any bag and lasts a whole year, even with multiple uses every day. Yes, you heard that right. Because the Butzwasser is a “concentrate,” just 5 drops are enough for 0.5 liters of tap water and 7 drops for one liter. That works out to a price per liter of about 0.05 cents! Unbelievable but true? We wanted to find out for sure and tested it over several weeks. And it cleans and cleans and cleans!
The first cleaning test was my totally smudged laptop, including the screen, and it did exactly what it was supposed to—and did it really well. The baked-on rice in my rice cooker came off wonderfully, as did all the usual cleaning tasks around the house (kitchen, bathrooms, floors, windows, furniture, etc.). Considering that the cleaner is water-based, that alone is quite impressive. When we asked, we learned that “back in the day,” it was normal for water to have such cleaning power. Today, however, water is “information-saturated” due to pollution caused by human activity and therefore no longer possesses any natural cleaning power. This is where chemicals come into play, so that the water can clean at all. With Butzwasser, it’s completely different. Back to the roots and “cleaning thoroughly.”
So I gave some to my mother, too. As a homemaker in a single-family home, she has plenty of surfaces to test it on, I figured. Besides, she’s an independent and open-minded woman—though until now she’d sworn by conventional household cleaners and kept plenty of them “in stock.” Basically, a special cleaner for every kind of surface, as is typical. And this despite the fact that her skin has an allergic reaction to them. After some initial skepticism—wondering how tap water mixed with a few drops of butzwasser could possibly clean anything—she quickly came around after a few “aha moments.”
When cleaning windows, she didn’t notice any difference at first compared to alcohol-based glass cleaners. One positive aspect right from the start was the absence of that pungent, sharp smell and the lack of unpleasant fumes. Who likes those anyway? The windows could be cleaned just as streak-free. However, now the white window frames were shining just as brightly as the glass, and with every “cleaning session,” they became “even” whiter. But that’s not all.
My mother’s big moment—and what truly convinced her—came with the following experience: A few years ago, my parents had their bathroom renovated and had some very nice toilets installed. Now, with constant use over time, the toilet seat had become discolored, making it look very unsightly and seriously detracting from the appearance of the designer toilet. She first tried a strong, chlorine-based special cleaner, then a special cleaning paste recommended for this purpose—but to no avail. The discoloration wouldn’t go away. Instead, the seat became even rougher in the treated areas and took on a dull finish.
My mother then went to a specialty store to order a new toilet seat, which, according to the saleswoman, was a discontinued model and only a few were still available. My mother promptly said, “Then please order two right away!” The saleswoman replied, “But you do realize that each one costs 190€.” That was too much for my mother, and she came home empty-handed. Only then did she think to try using butz water, and she could hardly believe what she saw. Even after the very first cleaning attempt, the discoloration was gone, and the seat was clear again. The dull spots from previous cleaning attempts have disappeared. The toilet seat now shines like new again. Since then, Butzwasser has become a household staple in my parents’ home, and they can’t imagine life without it. They use it to clean just about everything. My mother is happy that, as someone with sensitive skin, she no longer has to handle harsh cleaners. She also no longer has to inhale harmful fumes.
We, too, were quickly convinced by the cleaning and nourishing powers of Butzwasser. We wash our daily dishes exclusively with Butzwasser and cold water. After meals, we immediately spray everything down with the handy spray bottle. It’s easy to adjust the spray from a coarse mist to a fine mist. Caked-on or dried-on food residue is no problem—just spray it once, let it sit for a few minutes, and wipe it off under cold water with a cloth. Even burnt-on residue or stubborn stains from juices like beet juice are no big deal. There’s no more dish soap smell on the dishes or glasses. This functional water does exactly what we’ve always wanted it to do: clean, maintain, and—at the same time—protect the environment and our health. Simply fantastic. It feels great.
This functional water is a real insider tip from us—and a big shout-out to humanum for making something so meaningful possible for all of us. They do exist—the real alternatives. We recommend that everyone try it out without reservation, and you won’t want to use anything else.
Judith & Norman Capito / Vrohkost