Homemade cleaning products, compiled in my kitchen using the kit from The Optimist Co. have been in regular use in my kitchen for nearly two years now. They are effective and, thanks to the clear instructions on the bottles, incredibly easy to make. Plus, I love the fact that instead of carting home new spray bottles from Target or CVS, I’m reusing the ones I’ve already got.
Recently, The Optimist Co. founder Devin Donaldson (who started the company after conventional cleaning products left her with a nasty asthma attack) got in touch and asked if I might like to try a second kit. At first, I was confused because I’ve been entirely pleased with the first kit and the two products they make.
But Devin reminded me that it’s possible to do more than just make Time to Shine and Bright Side with the goodies in the box. And so I started thinking about other cleaning products that might be useful in the kitchen.
The first thing that popped to mind was a bottle of pre-made produce rinse. With farmers market and CSA season rapidly approaching, I know that very soon I will have a lot of pretty dirty produce on my hands. Instead of regularly filling the sink with a little white vinegar and water, having something that I can spritz over lettuces, zucchini, and strawberries sounds pretty darned appealing.
For this one, I used 12 ounces of water, three tablespoons of white vinegar and ten drops of the lemon essential oil from the kit (for both the sunny scent and the extra boost of antiseptic that it provides). A quick shake before using and my produce has never been cleaner.
The second thing that occurred to me was something that would help out with cleaning the kitchen floor. As many of you know, my kitchen is pretty tiny. Because there’s so little floor real estate, I rarely pull out a mop to get the job done (to be honest, I don’t think I even have a mop anymore). Instead, I do a lot of after-dinner spot cleaning (supplemented by the occasional, all-out, hands and knees scrub with a sponge and bucket of soapy water).
For that cleaner, I used 14 ounces of water, 2 teaspoons of castile soap, and 7 drops of the eucalyptus essential oil. It’s powerful enough to help cut through splatters of cooking grease, but not so soapy that I have to follow up with several rounds of rinsing. And I love the earthiness of the eucalyptus (we had eucalyptus trees in our back yard when I was very young and as a result, their scent forever feels comforting and home-like to me).
In order to encourage the Food in Jars community to think DIY and explore what The Optimist Co. kit can do in your homes, Devin is offering up three of her Make Your Own Cleaning Products Kit for this week’s giveaway. Please use the widget below to enter!
The floor cleaner would be lovely.
The floor cleaner is my first interest. We used to get a great one from our local co-op, but they stopped carrying the brand
I would make a hand soap and a floor cleaner. This kit is inspiring!!!!
Ohhhhhhhh super excited about this! The pet wash sound lovely-not to mention the floor cleaner!
So fun!
Like most, counter top cleaners are the most common I would make. But produce cleaner sounds pretty interesting. Thanks for the idea.
The floor cleaner sounds wonderful.
I love the idea of the produce wash!
I need a good floor cleaner.
I would make an All Purpose cleaner for or 8-month-old son’s toys, highchair, stroller, car seat and other things he uses.
I would make an all purpose kitchen cleaner
Bathroom cleaner and floor cleaner!
I would love to make a window wash. I already make soap for my floors!
I would make the window wash and the floor cleaner.
I have really been wanting to try out these types of cleaning products!
I am also a borderline asthmatic maybe this would help
My husband also has asthma and doesn’t tolerate cleaning sprays. Would love to try to make a non-asthma inducing cleaning spray!
I’d love to try this product; it’s new to me. Thanks for the opportunity. I have had to be very careful about produce washing with a family member in chemo. Got in the habit of really washing all produce and am very interested in your recipe.
What room in my house wouldn’t I find a use for this kit! I once had a wood polish made from essential oils that I’d like to recreate. I still have the bottle in hopes I could find it again, but just might make my own now!
Something homemade that would really clean toilet bowls would be lovely.
I like using simple homemade cleaners. Plus, I’ve read that the lemon and eucalyptus oils are great for spraying on dogs to repel ticks. That would really help us!
This is awesome! I think I’d start with the two basic guys – Time to Shine and Bright Side! I am in the process of throwing away all of my “traditional” household cleaning products and would love to replace them with this awesome set!
They all sound super. The floor and pet cleaner would certainly be handy.
My daughter has been complaining about the vinegar solution cleaners I use. She wants products she perceives as more effective and with a nice scent. Could this kit win her over? (Kids of “alternative” or “all natural” parents want scrubbing bubbles, aluminum deoderant, and McDonald’s in my experience!
Floor cleaner and pet wash!
I would use your recipe for produce cleaner…great idea!
I’d make one for the kitchen tops, floors in general, a scrubber for tub and sinks, and your produce cleaner. I grow alot of my own produce, but also purchase alot from our 99 cent store. I hadn’t thought about the cleanliness aspect, untill a fellow gardener told me that she cleaned all of her produce from the store with a vinegar and water bath. I started trying it, With some things, they tend to last a bit longer even. I like your idea of adding the lemon essential.
I would like to make a produce wash in a spray bottle…Convenience seems like it would help use it more.
I would make the all purpose cleaner. We use that the most in our house. Would be great to replace with a healthy alternative.
All purpose! Or maybe a sink cleaner for our old yellowy sink!
So far I have been very pleased with my Mighty Nest subscription. I love both the glass bottle of soap cleaner and the wool dryer balls.
This product looks just as nice.
I hope I win but even if I don’t, it’s something for me to check out.
Kitchen cleaner!
Bathroom cleaner
I’d make a countertop spray.
I love the idea of a produce spray (and reusable bottles!)
With teenagers, cleaning is constant. How nice it would be to have safer cleaners (and slate floors)
I haven’t tried making my own cleaners, but I would like to try.
I would make something to clean my entry tile floor. Thank you!
I used to do more DIY cleaning products, but since I moved in with my husband and MIL, I can’t as much. They’re both super-sensitive to vinegar, so that lets out a lot of the easy and effective methods. I’m super interested in non-vinegar based DIY cleaning methods, so the castile-based cleaners are high on my list right now.
I like these ideas! Simple yet effective products.
I love the idea of homemade produce spray!
With two young kids in the house, I would definitively make some type of stain treatment for all the food and debris that land on my kids’ clothing!
A veggie & fruit spray sounds like a great idea!
Ugh, the stovetop. I always need something to clean the stovetop.
Thanks for doing this – I do very little of diy cleaners now and this might give me the push to get started.
I would make a general cleaner to deal with “kid grime” or “toddler fingers”. That stuff that is mostly banana or whatever else has not gotten wiped off toddler hands and gets on everything.
I, too, have been using just vinegar and water for my food wash and would like to step my game up!
Floor cleaner for sure! Mine really need it with two little boys.
I would make a cleaner for my glass cooktop.
I would try to make a cleaner for kitchen countertops. Maybe the surface cleaner idea is similar!