J.R. Watkins Natural Home Care

On a recent Target run we decided to try something new: products from the J.R. Watkins line of natural home care. We picked up the aloe and green tea liquid hand soap ($6.99 for 11 fl. oz.) and love it. From all-purpose cleaners to dish washing detergent to room sprays, we'd like to hear from you if this line has made repeat appearances in your home. The Minnesota-based company seems to have had a good thing going for a long, long time...

Read about the company's core values here, which include being "committed to using the finest natural ingredients since 1868. Whether it’s our line of 100% pure organic spices or our all-natural hand salves and body oils, we have been blending nature’s finest ingredients with cutting edge science for more than 140 years."

The Home Care line includes:

All Purpose Cleaners

Dish Soap

Automatic Dish Washing Detergent

Bathroom Cleaners

Window Cleaners

Furniture Polish

Liquid Hand Soaps

Laundry Detergent

Room Sprays

J.R. Watkins also boasts Personal Care and Natural Gourmet lines, too.

Comments (14)

i use the handsoap and love it.

I love their lotions and body care products, but I haven't tried anything from their home care line.

cleaning: just discovered the cleaning supplies a month ago. i only bought the aloe/green tea wipes.

body care: been using it for about five years. love the lemon creme shea butter! L-O-V-E!!! (and the mango moisturizer smells awesome too). (available at mass retailers)

ingredients: my family has used Watkins at least my whole life. a regional salesman used to drop by my gramma's house, sit on the couch and chat for a few hours. i only ever knew him as "the watkins man." she bought all her extracts plus soda flavorings from him. when she died, my mom made a point of rounding up all the baking supplies.

i'm just glad you can get this stuff at stores everywhere now.

Lady J, thanks for sharing the story about the Watkins man's house calls to your gramma. That alone makes me want to try some of these products.

I love their Lavender lotion. It's so light and moisturizing and their lavender scent actually smells like real lavenders and not perfumey junk. Online the lotion costs 9 dollars but it sells for about 4.50 at my target so I stock up whenever I pass by.

then let me add that i really like the aloe wipes, as opposed to the lysol ones i usually favor. they are maybe thicker than other brands, they sudsy with cleanser and the smell is very light. on the whole they remind you more of a facecloth than a household wipe.

I am so glad you posted this - I am thrilled to share my over the moon love of these cleaning products. I purchased the lemon verbena and it is just heavenly. I bought the wipes (bye bye lysol), the dish soap (bye bye dawn), the multipurpose spray (bye bye greenworks and windex). I am in love with all of them and they work just as well as regular cleaners. The wipes aren't quite as moist as I would like, but they still get the job done and have a nice texture. My whole apartment feels fresher & cleaner and it's nice to not have the toxic chemicals, and I feel these work a bit better than some Method items.

Would love to know how the dishwashing detergent works. I'm currently using Palmolive ECO and it works pretty well.

I tried the liquid dish soap but prefer Seventh Generation's. But I do love the Watkins' spices, natural extracts and the shea butter hand repair.

I really don't care for the dish soap. It's a little runny in consistency, requires a lot of extra rinsing, and smells a little too much like shampoo for my taste. I am, however, totally interested in the personal care products! Can't wait to try them!

I am weary of using any body care products by a company that make cleaning products as well. I am a believer that that anything that goes on my face and body needs to be from a company that is an expert at skin care and only makes products for the skin which are typically French companies for me.

I saw these cleaning products and thought cute packaging. However, such small amounts per bottle and then you have go through lots of plastic bottles not very eco friendly. I think I will stick to buying my cleaning products Seventh Generation (only 2) by the bulk because I can just keep refilling at the refill area at my co op.

My grandma LOVES the double strength vanilla extract. Won't use anything else.

I was going to buy these one day simply because of the label (its the graphic designer part of me) but the thrifty part of me won and I ended up buying a cheaper brand. Given the reviews I've just read I think I'll splurge a little and try them out next time.

My family has used Watkins products for over 50 years The one item I MUST have in my first aid kit is a tin of their Petro-Carbo salve. It will help heal anything!! I have converted several people to it's use. It is the only thing I have found to heal those painful cracks in heels. It is great seeing their products here on Apartment Therapy.

If anyone is interested in joining Watkins and receiving a 25% discount on products for themselves or earning part time income, join for just $39.95. No-obligation business details at
http://www.vanillasage.com or http://www.NotJustVanilla.com