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Eco-friendly store opens to sell cleaning products in St. Pete

You can use your own containers to make spray cleaners and buy safe household cleaners by the ounce.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Think about all the trash your family generates. Think of all the pasta sauce jars and plastic containers that end up becoming part of a landfill.  

So many of those things can be cleaned out and re-used. Imagine taking that old jar and filling it with safe, eco-friendly products to use in your home.  

There's a new, unique store in St. Pete that helps you do just that.

"We have spray bottles here or you can bring your own, plastic or glass. We don't care. We just offer jars here, and if you want to bring your own, bring your own and you literally .... fill 'er up!"

Monica Leonard is showing just how simple it is to make your own, naturally scented, chemical free, spray cleaner in her new store, The Refillery.

"We just thought it would be a really fun, natural concept for them to come and save money, make their own stuff and get rid of some of the nasty chemicals in their house."

She says the whole process is easy.

"OK, so it's 4 steps. Bring a container and when you get here we're going to weigh your container and then you're going to walk around store and fill your container with whatever it is you want to buy. Are you coming for dish soap today, all-purpose cleaner, for a scented vinegar are you coming to make a bath or a salt scrub? So you fill your container and then we're going to weigh them and you pay by the ounce."

A bit of advice from my own experience: Bring more than one container. As soon as you get the hang of how it works, you'll be creating your own cleaners and skin care products that you'll feel good about.

 "There's nothing in here with unsafe ingredients; so you can walk in here and shop and not even worry about it."

It's a popular concept in Europe, but it's so unique here in the states, that Monica says they only found a few others like The Refillery across the country. And, she hopes this one small store is the beginning of something big. 

Just getting in the habits of little things of reducing waste. It makes a huge difference if we're all doing something.

Click here to find out more about The Refillery in St. Petersburg.

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