Homemade cleaning products can be inexpensive and effective. The Optimist isn’t in business anymore, but their formulas are still great.
For the last decade, I’ve kept an ugly, industrial-looking spray bottle of diluted white vinegar under my sink. I use it mostly as a simple, non-toxic countertop spray that’s good for quick clean-ups during meal prep. While it’s been effective enough, both the look of the spray bottle and the unadulterated scent of vinegar leave something to be desired.
Enter The Optimist Co. Founded by Devin Donaldson after conventional cleaning products left her with a nasty asthma attack, they focus on simple, effective, non-toxic cleaning products that will help you keep your home spotless without compromising your health or the planet.
Devin sent me The Optimist Co.’s Make Your Own Cleaning Products Kit to try out a few weeks back. It comes with two amber-colored spray bottles with the cleaning formulas printed on the labels, a small bottle of castile soap and three small bottles of essential oils to make your custom scents.
Add some white vinegar and flat club soda* from your pantry to the mix and you have everything you need to build both an all-purpose spray (Time to Shine) and a glass and surface cleaner (Bright Side).
I made up both bottles the same day that the kit arrived. I followed the suggested recipes almost exactly, making only one change to the Bright Side. It suggests that you use plain white vinegar but instead, I used some of the lemon-infused vinegar I’d made during my Meyer lemon frenzy back in January (that’s what’s in the smaller measuring cup in the picture above). Bolstered with the enclosed lemon essential oil, every spray of that cleanser is an olfactory pleasure.
I’ve been using these sprays exclusively since they arrived and could not be more pleased with their effectiveness. I use them without worry around food, because I know that if a few droplets land on the contents of the fruit basket, no one will be harmed. Plus, they are far prettier than my old bottle of watered down vinegar.
*When we talked, I asked Devin what the flat club soda added to the mix and she said that it helps the cleaner wipe away streak-free, particularly on stainless steel appliances. So clever!
Disclosure: The Optimist Co. sent me the make your own kit at no cost to me for review and photography purposes. No additional payment has been made and all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
I was bothered by how many paper towels we were using so I purchased a few packages of the terry utility/shop towels sold at Costco. We use them for any task we might have used a paper towel for and then throw them in a basket we keep in the kitchen. Then when it is laundry time we throw them in the wash. When they get too stained to be used in the kitchen they are down graded to be used as shop towels (garage duty). It takes years and years for them to wear out completely.
In the last few years I’ve become so aware of the chemicals in my home and have switched to more natural cleaners but I’m still learning. A while back I bought a beautiful bouquet of eucalyptus and placed it in a vase in our hall powder room. When the sent faded, I bought a bottle of eucalyptus essential oil and when I clean I put a few drops on the dried bouquet. It fills the space with the scent, and adds a burst of freshness to the room after cleaning.
Cleaning tables with club soda is an excellent way to keep tables clean without nasty chemicals. Especially when people insist on eating directly off the surface!
I have switched to using Ivory dishwashing liquid for most cleaning jobs (windows, glass, etc.). I also use old t-shirts/recycled towels in all cleaning jobs. For oven cleaning I have switched to baking soda and vinegar. I use vinegar and water for as many things as I can and would love to make more of my own. With spring cleaning on my list this month this kit sounds perfect.
I have started making my own dishwasher detergent (1 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup kosher salt) and adding the citric acid right before I run the dishwasher. I have found that a) it keeps the whole container of detergent from getting hard and b) even using it in the pre-wash cup gets my glass incredibly sparkly.
I use a lot of vinegar in making my own cleaners and also use my hubby’s old, wore out socks for dusting, etc.
Thank you for this great giveaway opportunity
I made grapefruit peels in vinegar for cleaning with a microfiber cloth.
I, too, use a lot of vinegar but I also use a lot of baking soda and coarse salt for that extra grit to scrub tough pots and pans. I use vinegar and water and old newspapers to clean mirrors and glass. I would love to have a “nose-friendly” scent in my cleaning products that are environment friendly!
I use Method products, some homemade and microfiber cloths. Love the use of flat club soda!
I’m afraid I have a lot to learn about being more sustainable. I’ve learned a lot just reading the comments here! I do use old t-shirts and towels for cleaning and will try the lemon vinegar tip soon!
I’ve been making my own cleaning concoctions for a while now; baking soda and vinegar are the most prevalent ingredients. They make my stainless steel sink nice and shiny! I have also re-pursposed some cloth diapers as cleaning rags to use in place of paper towels. They are really absorbent and don’t leave behind a linty mess! Would love to try out this kit!
I have tried to replace my cleaning products with vinegar…
I wash my canning/yogurt draining flour sack towels in baking soda/vinegar in the washing machine with a double rinse. They are used for nothing else and are kept separate from other kitchen towels.
My motto has always been that saying “After the first four years the dirt doesn’t get any worse.” That’s only sustainable for a while. now it’s time to clean up with something non toxic.
I use lots of white vinegar. Also love to use essential oils. Have been making my own laundry soap for several years.
I use borox, Dr Bronner’s peppermint soap, vinegar, and essential oils. It’s healthy for my family and it makes the house smell great! Thanks for the giveaway.
I’ve been making my own laundry detergent for years. I love it!
We use microfiber cloths for everything and they are wonderful. I make quite a few of our cleaners but we are always looking for something else to try.
We use vinegars forr a good amount if out cleaning with reusable rags. In addition web are our own furniture polishes with beeswax from our bees.
I have been making my own laundry soap for years. I like the idea of more natural cleaners. Some commercial products are so strong that they make me cough. Ugh.
I love using vinegar and lemon juice to get rid of my mineral build-up in my bathroom.. also vinegar on my black granite to lessen the white residue from water as well…
I have been using vinegar and baking soda as cleaning agents for some time now. I also use washable cloth when possible rather than paper towels or napkins.
I also make cold process soap for personal hygiene and I make my own laundry soap.
I made homemade laundry soap yesterday.
I have been using ecloths for several years now to clean my windows, only water needed. Works great and the cloths can be washed up to 600 times. I also have a vinegar and water spray bottle I use all the time.
I use vinegar on my windows and make cold process soap for my family and anything that needs scrubbing gets baking soda. That kit looks just as easy and such cute bottles!
It might be a small thing, but I dilute Bronner’s soaps and put them in foamers. Makes soap last a very long time.
I use borax to scrub the tub and in the toilet along with a little squirt of castile soap. I use the vinegar spray too but would love to upgrade or tweak it. Thanks!
I make my own laundry detergent and stain remover. I use bottles of concentrated biokleen that I mix with water and vinegar to clean the rest of my house. Thanks for the opportunity to try these new cleaners,
I, too, recycle old bath towels to reduce the use of paper towels. Also, use a steamer with a wee bit of fresh lemon juice mixed in with the water, to refresh dry cleanable clothes. Works well, especially on sweaters, and cuts down on dry cleaning, which is both better for the environment and my clothes. Would love to try this kit.
I loved the Meyer lemon idea you shared, and made a container of the spray after curd making. It smells wonderful and cleans well.
I buy white vinegar by the gallon and put one in the kitchen pantry and one in the laundry room. Love vinegar and baking soda and lemon for natural cleaning! Getting down to the basics!
We are big vinegar users in this house. I really like the ability this kit gives to continue to make your own cleaners after your first batch is gone. Sad that I can’t win. 😉
Vinegar and baking soda for everything!
I have switched to using Seventh Generation products and vinegar. The Optimist kit would make a cute house warming gift!
I have been making my own cleaning products for the last couple of years, use my lemon vinegar for cleaning most all surfaces as well as my own laundry detergent (which not only does a great job of cleaning, saves throwing away containers, is great for the environment and also saves me a lot of money!). I have a batch of citrus enzyme cleaner on my counter now, just waiting for the time to elapse so I can start using that! Would love to have this kit, love the looks of the containers, sure beats my recycled Windex bottles!
I also developed asthma later in life and have had to ban cleaners and commercial scented products from my home. Microfiber clothes and my handheld steam cleaner are my cleaning options for everyday. No phthalates, bleach, or petrochemicals.
I’ve been using old t-shirts cut into rags instead of paper towels. They are (usually) all cotton and can be washed and reused.
I use microfiber cloths for almost everything, and cut up a few to use on my old swiffer, instead of the disposables
Love this idea – make most of my own cleaners, the club soda idea is one I’ll try.
More efficient cleaning with multi-purpose cleaners instead of individual cleaners for each task. It reduces the number of bottles sprays and clutter. Also gave up dusting
What a nifty idea!
Using white vinegar to clean is one of my favorites. I use it on my stovetop, where I wouldn’t want any toxic chemicals.
I purchase locally made organic cleaners from the local farmer’s market. These work well for me!
I make a lot of my own cleaners, but I’m always looking for new ones to replace the few chemical ones I have left in my repertoire.
i use something called biokleen which is concentrated and smells okay. I sometimes need harder cleaning stuff with the kiddos though
I switched to vinegar and/or baking soda for many bathroom cleaning tasks.
I bought a pair of microfiber cloths for cleaning windows sans spray, and they’ve been fantastic! Especially for smaller jobs. I have yet to test them out on the entirety of the outside of the picture window. But it’s coming soon (c’mon spring!)
This seems a bit lame, but using all my old towels as rags rather than paper towels has made a bit difference. And getting some clothes designed for cleaning.
I love making my own cleaners. I made the switch many years ago to more natural cleaners and then I started making my own. I would love this cleaning set. The flat club soda is a great tip and is new to me.
I use Dr. Bronner’s peppermint castile soap mixed with baking soda to clean surfaces in the kitchen and the bathroom. This is a gentle but effective scrub and it smells so good I actually enjoy cleaning!
Being allergic to just about everything, its been mostly vinegar for some things and baking soda for others. Even hair washing. It would be great to have some other options.
I use vinegar as much as possible when cleaning. I even use it as a fabric softener mixed with a small amount of mint hair conditioner and lavender essential oil.
When purchasing vinegar I make sure it is a grain derived vinegar. I was surprised to find out years ago that some white vinegar is made from petroleum.
We use vinegar/water sprays for most cleaning. We use rags, not paper towels. We use damp microfiber cloths for lots of things. All of this is great because my kids do a lot of cleaning and I don’t have to worry about what they’re handling. Would be great to have a nice scent instead of just vinegar 🙂
I clean with microfiber cloths and water anywhere that I can.
I use lots of microfiber cloths instead of paper towels for cleaning.
I use a diluted vinegar spray for my countertops too, and a baking soda/ Castile soap paste to clean my bathroom. This kit sounds lovely!
I try and make my own stuff, like carpet freshener baking soda and essential oils. Mixed up the sprinkled onto carpets, let sit about 15 and vacuum.
I used to rely heavily on the Lysol disposable wipes for light cleaning, but I have weaned myself off of them and switched to microfiber washable cleaning cloths and and all purpose cleaner spray.
http://www.lisabronner.com/a-word-of-caution-about-vinegar-and-castile-soap/
You should not mix Castile soap and vinegar.
Just FYI.
Mandy, The Optimist Co. kit does not have you mix vinegar and castile soap. The glass cleaner uses vinegar as its base, the surface cleaner uses the castile soap.
We have swapped out a lot of our paper towels for reusables.
I make my own laundry detergent.
I’ve been thinking about trying a more natural cleaning product but have to admit that I’m a little nervous it won’t be effective. A free giveaway would be perfect for a first try!
I throw a splash or two of vinegar in the dishwasher to deal with hard water. Works like a charm and keeps the inside of the dishwasher nice and clean too!
Such a great idea! We buy eco-friendly brands, but haven’t yet made the switch to making our own cleaning products.
I have been making my own laundry detergent for over 20 years and vinegar is my go to cleaner.
In addition to switching to reusable cloths from paper towel and from Windex to vinegar, I have also let go of some of my OCD when it comes to cleaning and I do less of it! 😀
I use vinegar instead of bleach to wash towels. We also use absorbent cotton kitchen towels instead of paper towels.
I have completely phased out paper towels with bamboo fiber dish cloths. I love the cute patterns and designs and also that I can just throw them in the laundry. For cleaner I use the leftover rinds from citrus fruit that I have juiced and let those soak in my vinegar for a week or so. It smells so much better, but still like vinegar!
We don’t clean…….
No, seriously, we’ve done as much of the paper-to-cloth switch as we can – napkins, towels, rags, etc. Still keep paper towels around for some tasks. I tried making my own furniture polish from olive oil, lemon juice, I forget what else – it worked well, but I didn’t use it up quickly enough and it got stinky. Would love to try some other homemade cleaners.
I just made homemade liquid soap with my 3rd graders as part of a science fair project comparing store bought with homemade. The kids aren’t thrilled with the smell bit we are enjoying using our own soap in class. (We also made homemade toothpaste & were all very brave in trying it!)
In addition to knitting or crocheting cotton dish cloths I’m trying a knit Swffer cover rather than buying the disposable ones. Next up are cotton/linen blend knit kitchen towels.
Thanks for the opportunity!
I was using vinegar when I lived by myself, but my husband and MIL (who lives with us) are both highly sensitive to the smell of vinegar. So our compromise is to use Mrs. Meyers all-purpose cleaning spray. I get a large bottle of concentrate when I can find it in scents all three of us can tolerate.
I’ve also managed to get the household to switch from tons of paper plates to sticking with durable dishware (hey, I get feeling lazy and not wanting to do dishes, but still), and from quite so many paper towels to using washable towels for countertops and such.
Vinegar and baking soda are my go to cleaning products
I use the ugly spray bottle with water and vinegar, but I scent the vinegar a little by sticking in the squeezed out rinds of lemons in it for a while.
I like using vinegar to get rid of hard water stains
I use washcloths and rags to clean instead of paper towels!
We use a steam mop instead of chemicals to keep the floors clean.
I use vinegar in the wash in place of fabric softener, and in the dishwasher instead of a rinse aid. Works great, and I don’t ever smell it in the final result in either case. I just set up a jar of vinegar with citrus rinds to sit and infuse, and will start using that as a surface cleaner soon. We’ll see how that works. I’d love to try this homemade cleaner!
Figured out what the soap nuts we had been gifted were for and how they worked.
We use washable and reusable cleaning rags in lieu of paper towels!
I have stopped using clorox wipes and avoid buying things that are single use only. I love the idea of a simple cleaning routine but the smell of straight vinegar always gets me. This sounds like a great option!
I just bought a new bottle of vinegar this weekend for spraying down the counters. I’ve been trying to move to more non-toxic cleaning supplies, as well as reducing waste (frequently-cleaned cloths rather than paper towels) to make my cleaning routine more sustainable. I would welcome the addition of non-asthma attack-inducing cleaning supplies (an issue for me…) that smell less like vinegar!
I also have the ugly spray bottle of vinegar that I use for everything… it works, but those bottles are beautiful. I also recently switched to surgical towels for cleaning, which I highly recommend. They work way better (despite my well-meaning eco-attempts) than cut up rags and old washcloths.
We are using Castile soap and vinegar for so much more these days, as well as trying to purchase other environmentally friendly cleaners.
In a 16 oz. spray bottle I mix together about 3/4 inch Dawn dish soap, 1/2 inch Citrasolve, and depending on how strong I want it, either the rest isopropal alcohol, or a mix of water and isopropal. These amounts are approximate. It works amazingly well. I used to use vinegar, but since vinegar is an acid, it will etch certain things like marble or natural stone.
I still use vinegar in the laundry though.
We recently switched to an eco-friendly all natural kitty litter. It was by far the scariest switch we’ve ever made, but it seems to be working great!
I’ve been using vinegar, but the smell of plain vinegar puts me off. This kit looks amazing!
I usually use more natural products, but I’ve been whittling down the amounts of products I use so I don’t have so many bottles.
Vinegar and I are best friends. Every time I go to Costco, I get a couple more gallons. I use it for all kinds of cleaning applications. It’s also the only fabric softener I use.
The older I get the more chemicals seem to affect me – headaches, skin reactions, etc. I’ve been eliminating these products as I find alternatives.
I pretty much only use Method products now
I’ve also been a big proponent of the vinegar/water solution. In recent years, I’ve tried experimenting with essential oils and other all-natural ways of cleaning. Unfortunately, I was raised on bleach, so I still have that handy for some things that seem too need extra “sterilizing.” I would love to try a kit like this! Thank you for the chance to win.
i’m a big advocate of the vinegar/baking soda/essential oil type of cleaning products. it’s been years since i bought “regular’ cleaning products!
I use vinegar for my fabric softener, streak free rinse in my dishwasher, window cleaner, etc. Vinegar has become my new best friend!
We dumped paper towels for fabric cloths and rags and are experimenting with homemade cleaners. My all-purpose one is OK, but my glass cleaner experiments have been unsuccessful. Would love to try this out!
I use vinegar and baking soda.
I use vinegar and ammonia…works well but smells bad.
I’ve never been able to make my own cleaner that worked well enough for me. So right now I’m trying to buy greener commercial products. I’d love to give this a try!
I really need to start making my cleaning more sustainable!
I’ve started using natural products in the bathroom!