Green Bee Reviewed: J.R. Watkins Naturals Home Care Products

The results are in and the "Green Bees" have spoken!!

"Nestled in the Mississippi River Bluff town of Winona, MN., Watkins has been America's pioneer in natural living since 1868. As America's original natural apothecary manufacturer, Watkins uses only the finest natural ingredients in its diverse lines of personal care, home care, remedies, and organic flavorings."

                                          

All Purpose Cleaners

         




           Green Bee Jenn writes;

I would like to provide feedback for a product I have been using:  J.R. Watkins Lavender Natural All Purpose Cleaner. I typically use your everyday all purpose cleaner but I liked this product better because it does not smell of strong chemicals.  It smelled great.  The product did a great job cleaning and was not harsh on my countertops and appliances. I would definitely purchase this product again and recommend it.

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            Green Bee Ania of The Lauren Daniels Co. writes;

           

I use the J.R. Watkins Orange Citrus Natural All Purpose Cleaner in my home as well as clients’ homes.  Not only does this cleaner has a great scent; it does not make me cough and I do not have to fan out any fumes before I clean my bathroom.  This point is very important to me because my son has breathing problems and the fumes would always get to him.  Before my search of finding natural but effective household cleaners, I would have to put him down for his nap, close his door, and open his window before I could begin cleaning the upstairs bathroom.  I will be purchasing this product again and after reading the other reviews from the “Green Bees”, I will be purchasing other J.R. Watkins’s products as well.

Ingredients / Contains:
water (aqua), ethanol (corn derived / issu du maïs), decyl glucoside (plant-derived surfactant / agent de surface issu de plantes), cocamidopropyl betaine (plant-derived surfactant / agent de surface issu de plantes), glutamic acid N, N-diacetic acid tetrasodium salt (naturally-derived biodegradable chelate /chélate biodégradable dérivé naturellement), preservative / agent de conservation, fragrance (contains natural oils / contient d'huiles naturelles), citric acid (food-grade / de q ualité alimentaire)

    

Bathroom Cleaners

Green Bee Karin of Prospect Images writes;

    

I tested the J.R. Watkins Toilet Bowl Cleanser.  I normally use bleach, pour it in the toilet and  leave. I was surprised that this product actually cleaned the toilet, the only difference is I had to scrub. :)...Call me lazy...It was definitely effective, I was actually surprised the toilet bowl was white.  There were no odors, fumes or any discomfort caused by this product…Never touched the product since it had a perfectly shaped nozzle to squeeze the contents into the toilet bowl without having to come in contact with the product.

Would you purchase this product again? DEFINITELY....PLEASANTLY SHOCKED WITH THIS PRODUCT...ESPECIALLY FOR CLEANING A TOILET...

Based on the performance of this product, would you like to try other
products from J.R. Watkins? Totally opened to the idea of trying other J.R. Watkin products.

How would you rate this product on a scale of 1-5? I would rate this product a 5 for sure.

Ingredients / Contains:
water (aqua), decyl glucoside (plant-derived surfactant / agent de surface issu de plantes), glutamic acid N, N-diacetic acid tetrasodium salt (naturally-derived biodegradable chelate / chélate biodégradable dérivé naturellement), ethanol (corn derived / issu du maïs), cocamidopropyl betaine (plant-derived surfactant / agent de surface issu de plantes), sodium citrate (natural sequesterant / agent séquestrant naturel), preservative / agent de conservation, fragrance (contains natural oils / contient d'huiles naturelles), citric acid (food-grade / de qualité alimentaire), tea tree oil / huile de melaleuca

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Green Bee Denaya writes;

I tested the Watkins Tub and Tile Cleaner and the all natural Laundry Detergent. I believe both products worked better than the products I normally purchase. The detergent didn’t have the harsh chemical smell I usually encounter and I was able to use less in each load of clothes, unlike my normal purchase, and still have my clothes smelling fresh and looking clean. The tub and tile cleaner didn’t have the harsh chemical smell as well and I only needed a few sprays to get the tub clean.

Both products were effective at performing its task beyond my expectations. I truly thought that natural products needed harsh chemicals to get the job done, but I was truly mistaken. I used less and still was able to get the same or better effect.

Neither of the products made me cough, sneeze or choke. Usually I’m holding my breath when I use a cleaning product to make sure the smell doesn’t affect me. I didn’t have to worry with these products. I was still able to use it and breathe freely and neither of the products was harsh to my skin and there was no leftover residue in the tub after cleaning.

Would you purchase this product again?

I would definitely purchase these products again. It saved me money because I didn’t have to use a large amount of the products for it to be effective and I didn’t have to worry about any harsh chemicals.

Based on the performance of this product, would you like to try other products from J.R. Watkins?

I would love to try other Watkins products.

How would you rate this product on a scale of 1-5?

Both are a 5

Ingredients / Contains:
Water, citric acid (natural chelate), coconut alcohol ethoxylate (plant-derived cleaner), cocopolyglycoside (plant-derived cleaner), xanthan gum (natural thickener), lemon fragrance (contains lemon oil), preservative

Dish Soap

Green Bee Lynn writes;

I tested the J.R. Watkins Natural Aloe & Green Tea Liquid Dish Soap.  This Dish
soap is really thick and has a beautiful scent.  It works as well as the Dish
Washing Liquid I currently use.  It seemed very effective at cleaning dishes. 
The Aloe & Green Tea scent was very nice but I was slightly disappointed to read
on J.R. Watkins’ website that they do use a small amount of synthetic fragrance
in their Aloe & Green Tea products.  I would have preferred it if they had used
a natural fragrance.  I didn’t have any adverse reactions to the scent.  I use
rubber gloves when washing dishes and did not notice this product being harsh to
my skin.  I would definitely recommend this product to others.  The total cost
to receive (including shipping) would be a factor in purchasing this product
again.  I would be more willing to purchase additional products from J.R.
Watkins based on the performance of this product.  I would rate it a 5.  It
performed as it was supposed to with a really delightful scent.

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Green Bee Kat writes;

Which product did you test?

J. R. Watkins Dish Soap/Orange Citrus scent

Did the product work better, the same, or worst than the product that
you would normally purchase?

We currently use Ultra Palmolive dish soap whose slogan is "tough on Grease, softer on hands."  I felt that the JRW was effective in cleaning my dishes and cutting through grease. However, the soap suds quickly dispersed which is often an indicator (to me) that the water is dirty especially when adding additional water to the sink doesn't bring the suds back. I often found myself adding more of the JRW soap to get the suds going again. I found the JRW soap a bit harsh on my hands as compared to the Palmolive. I had to use lotion more frequently when washing the dishes with the JRW soap.

Was the product effective at performing its task? Yes

Did the scent of the product make you cough, sneeze, or choke?

The scent was what I liked the most about the product.

Did the product feel harsh to your skin or the object that you were cleaning?  My hands were noticeably drier using the JRW soap.

Would you purchase this product again?  Probably not the dish soap, but I would try some of the other products.

How would you rate this product on a scale of 1-5? 4

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Green Bee Jamie writes;

Which product did you test? Lemon Dish Soap

Did the product work better, the same, or worst than the product that
you would normally purchase? It worked worse than my typical dish soap.

Was the product effective at performing its task? It cut the grease ok, but I feel that I had to constantly reapply the soap since the sud washed away easily. Since I used more, I would have to buy the product more often. So I would choose not to buy this product for the economical factor.

Did the scent of the product make you cough, sneeze, or choke? No

Did the product feel harsh to your skin or the object that you were
cleaning? It dried my hands a little.

Based on the performance of this product, would you like to try other
products from J.R. Watkins? Perhaps...maybe a counter spray next versus a soap product.

How would you rate this product on a scale of 1-5? 3.

Ingredients / Contains:
water, sodium laureth sulfate (plant-derived surfactant), sodium chloride (salt), cocamidopropyl betaine (plant-derived surfactant), glycerine (humectant), fragrance (contains natural oils), citric acid (food grade), preservative

Laundry Detergent

Green Bee Denaya writes;

I tested the Watkins Tub and Tile Cleaner and the All Natural Laundry Detergent. I believe both products worked better than the products I normally purchase. The detergent didn’t have the harsh chemical smell I usually encounter and I was able to use less in each load of clothes, unlike my normal purchase, and still have my clothes smelling fresh and looking clean. The tub and tile cleaner didn’t have the harsh chemical smell as well and I only needed a few sprays to get the tub clean.

Both products were effective at performing its task beyond my expectations. I truly thought that natural products needed harsh chemicals to get the job done, but I was truly mistaken. I used less and still was able to get the same or better effect.

Neither of the products made me cough, sneeze or choke. Usually I’m holding my breath when I use a cleaning product to make sure the smell doesn’t affect me. I didn’t have to worry with these products. I was still able to use it and breathe freely and neither of the products was harsh to my skin and there was no leftover residue in the tub after cleaning.

Would you purchase this product again?

I would definitely purchase these products again. It saved me money because I didn’t have to use a large amount of the products for it to be effective and I didn’t have to worry about any harsh chemicals.

Based on the performance of this product, would you like to try other products from J.R. Watkins?

I would love to try other Watkins products.

How would you rate this product on a scale of 1-5?

Both are a 5

Ingredients / Contains:
Sodium Sulfate (processing aid / additif technologique), Sodium Carbonate (natural water softener / adoucisseur d’eau naturel), Sodium Percarbonate (whitening agent /agent de blanchiment), Sodium Alkyl Aryl Sulfonate (cleaning agent /agent de nettoyage), Primary Linear Alcohol Ethoxylate (cleaning agent / agent de nettoyage)

Window Cleaners

           Green Bee Heather writes;

Which product did you test? Glass Cleaner

Did the product work better, the same, or worst than the product that
you would normally purchase? Better

Was the product effective at performing its task? Yes

Did the scent of the product make you cough, sneeze, or choke? Definitely had a strong scent but wasn't unbearable

Did the product feel harsh to your skin or the object that you were
cleaning? No

Would you purchase this product again? Yes

Based on the performance of this product, would you like to try other
products from J.R. Watkins? Yes

How would you rate this product on a scale of 1-5?

            5 being the best I would rate it 4

Ingredients / Contains:
Purified Water, Plant-Based Surfactant and Natural Lavender and Rosemary Oil.