Fifty Percent Less Scrubbing

The other night I was scrubbing a pan with a new bottle of dish soap. I noticed on the label it claimed, “50% less scrubbing.”

I was suspicious.

The pan I was scrubbing seemed to be taking the exact amount of scrubbing it typically does. Have I scrubbed 50% less? Would I be done now if I only needed to scrub 50% less? I ponder as I continue to scrub and eventually rinse off the pan.

Fifty percent less scrubbing than what?

On the fine print, “compared to non concentrated dish soap.”

How was this measured?

Who did the scrubbing?

What was their technique like?

Do they use a brush like us or did they use a sponge? Does that affect the outcome?

What type of food was on the plate?

Did they wash the dishes immediately after eating or let them sit for a while?

We see claims with statistics in them all the time. The fitness industry is especially susceptible to them.

Studies show to do this, but not that, or people that do X are more likely to do Y than Z.

But we should always be asking questions like the ones above about the dish soap.

You are your own experiment and will have to try things to see what works best for you.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain