Crystal Forestry Project

Type: small business

Produces: Household Cleaning Products

Location: Iowa City, IA

Miles from Coop: 2

crystal-forestry-project.jpg

“I wanted to bring sustainable cleaning products to market that are fun to use and smell fabulous.”  

May, owner of The Crystal Forestry Project, has been making natural products for over a decade for use at home and in her work cleaning professionally.

She came up with the line to help families reconsider what cleaning products can be made from. Using a combination of natural ingredients, May leaned into elements from earth, water, and plant life.  

She adds, 

”While cleaning for a living, I found the unique fragrances and minerals made cleaning more enjoyable than working with traditional products, without compromising effectiveness.”

“Often, people clean with products that contain lots of chemicals and artificial fragrances, that when flushed into our drains or environment can have toxic effects over time.” 

The right combinations of plant extracts and natural ingredients can make powerful cleaners for everyday use with less impact on the environment.

Crystal Forestry Toilet Cleaning Crystals are made with cinnamon and rosemary, the herbal vinegar concentrates contain herb extracts, and the multi-purpose concentrates contain lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus and mint essential oils.

Crystal Forestry cleaners are also infused with quartz minerals for a clean, neutralizing solution with no abrasiveness. 

From cleaner to container, May’s focus is on keeping her product line as sustainable as possible. Using reusable dark glass bottles with concentrated solutions, customers can buy the spray bottle once and purchase the concentrate when they need to fill up. 

 “In our grandparent’s generation there were a few home remedies used to clean around the house. Now there are literally aisles of products that are made to clean one or two things. People can reduce their cleaning supplies greatly with just a few simple products.” 

Try Crystal Forestry Project cleaning solutions in your home for a naturally fresh and clean finish. 


Other Local Producers

Be sure to check out these others great local producers!

Trowel and Error Farm

Trowel and Error Farm

Carly Andrews was inspired to start farming after attending The University of Vermont, and learning about the local foods movement. After seeing a panel of all women farmers in her undergrad, she decided to try it out for herself.

Iowa City, IA

Tiny But Mighty Popcorn

Tiny But Mighty Popcorn

This is the most flavorful popcorn we’ve tasted – and its hulls explode so they don’t get stuck in your teeth.

Shellsburg, IA

Oasis Street Food

Oasis Street Food

When owners Naftaly and Ofer were unable to find the Mediterranean food they craved and grew up with, they decided to use their own family recipes to bring authentic falafel and hummus to Iowa City.

Iowa City, IA

Ferndale Market

Ferndale Market

“We keep [the turkeys] rotating onto fresh pasture. It’s a true free-range program, outdoors from early spring.”

Cannon Falls, MN

Frontier Co-op

Frontier Co-op

Founded in 1976, Iowa based Frontier Co-op is a leader in branded organic and natural herbs, spices, and essential oils. As a co-operative owned by wholesale customers that buy and sell its products, Frontier sources hundreds of different botanicals and oils from over 175 suppliers in 50 countries.

Norway, IA

Organic Greens

Organic Greens

For James Nisly, growing organic vegetables is about fulfilling a vision of producing healthy food for a healthy community and building well balanced soil for sustainable food production.

Kalona, IA

Sweet Season Farm

Sweet Season Farm

Husband and wife Ethan and Carly share a strong belief that Iowa needs more vegetable and organic farms. In 2021, they took matters into their own hands and founded Sweet Season Farm.

Calmar, Iowa

Joanna's

Joanna's

Joanna's tonic syrups are handcrafted in small batches, and made with natural ingredients to create the perfect additions to both cocktails and mocktails.

Iowa City, IA