Can you spare seven cents to support U.S. jobs?

Seven cents. Yes, it seems insignificant, doesn’t it? But sometimes that’s all it takes to support American jobs instead of those in China, Mexico, and other foreign countries. And sometimes, it doesn’t cost anything extra at all.

Everyone buys scrubber pads, whether it’s for cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, counters, dishes, etc.

A recent visit to my local supermarket revealed just how easy it is to make the right decision – the decision to support fellow American workers – when making small purchases where the price difference is negligible.

Here are the options I found (all packages of three). You could buy the following imported scrubber pads for slightly (very slightly) than the American-made options. We are talking pennies, here:

• Scotch-Brite – Made in Canada with globally sourced materials. Scotch-Brite is owned by St. Paul, MN-based 3M. I know Minnesota is in the Northern U.S., but do we have to go across the border to Canada to make these? And can’t we do it with domestic materials? Makes you wonder. $3.89 per 3-pack.
• Scotch-Brite Greener Cleaner – Made in Mexico. It is interesting that this “green” product is made in a country that ranks number 60 in Wikipedia’s “List of countries by air pollution.” The United States is a distant 143. The lower the ranking/number, the greater the pollution. $3.29 per 3-pack.
• Dawn Non-Scratch Scrubber Sponge – Made in Mexico. Dawn is a brand owned by Cincinnati-based Proctor & Gamble. $3.59 per 3-pack.

Or, you could buy any of the following American-made scrubber pads for seven cents more or even less than that:

• Dawn Power Clean Scrubber – Made in USA. $3.99 per 3-pack.
• Brillo Estracall No Scratch Scrub Sponge—Made in the USA. Brillo is owned by Armaly Brands, which began in the Bahamas in 1908 and moved its headquarters to Walled Lake, Michigan, in 1983. It costs $3.09 per three-pack.
• Libman All-Purpose Non-Scratch – Family Made in the USA Since 1896. Libman is based in small-town Arcola, Illinois (population 2,927) and is slightly more than 100 miles from my hometown Jacksonville, Illinois. Libman is one of the few remaining makers of traditional (American-made) corn brooms, and they actually manufacture many of their product components in-house. $3.79 per 3-pack.
• Libman Heavy Duty Easy Rinse – Family Made in the USA Since 1896. $3.79 per 3-pack.

I based the “seven cents” in the article title on comparing the Mexican-made Dawn Non-Scratch Scrubber Sponge at $3.59 per 3-pack to the Libman All-Purpose Non-Scratch or the Libman Heavy Duty Easy Rinse, both at $3.79 per 3-Pack. This represents a 20-cent difference, or seven cents per scrubbing pad, since there are three in a pack.

But you can clearly choose the American-made Brillo Estracell Scrub Sponge at $3.09 per 3-Pack and pay less than you would for any import in this category.

Personally, I prefer to pay that extra seven cents to buy Libman products. I recently bought the American-made Libman Tornado Cotton Twist Wet Mop for $12.98 at Lowe’s. Compare that to the imported Swiffer mop at $15.98.

If you purchase any Libman mop, all you need is an American-made Libman bucket (or any other American-made bucket), which I already had. With Swiffer, you will need to keep buying imported mop and also imported (can’t they at least make these in America?) wet/dry mopping cloths. Once again, the American-made version is the cheaper option.

I don’t count the Mexican-made Scotch-Brite Greener Cleaner as an option based upon the misleading “green” claim listed in the above pollution details.

President Abraham Lincoln once said, “…when we buy manufactured goods abroad, we get the goods and the foreigner gets the money. When we buy the manufactured goods at home, we get both the goods and the money.”

He is arguably America’s most popular president, and he was absolutely correct. Let’s spend our dollars on American-made goods from American-owned companies to keep jobs, profits, and tax revenue in the USA. It’s easy to do, and in the cases listed above, it can either cost less or simply an additional seven cents.

About Roger Simmermaker

Roger Simmermaker has written multiple books on buying American and trade policy since 1996, and has been a frequent guest on Fox News, Fox Business Network, CNN, and MSNBC. Roger has also been quoted or featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, BusinessWeek, and The New York Times, among many other publications.