As a health and wellness coach who celebrates Mediterranean living and traditions, I’ve always believed that how we care for our homes is an extension of how we care for ourselves. Christine Dimmick, founder of The Good Home Co., brings this philosophy to life through intention, community, and deep sensory memories woven into everyday rituals. Read along to explore the emotional power of scent, Christine’s love of cooking, and how simple ingredients (and simple moments) can transform our homes into places of true nourishment.
You were ahead of your time when you founded The Good Home Co. in the '90s. What first sparked your passion for clean living and home care?
Caring for my home space has always been important in my life. Good Home was created out of love for my grandparents' farm and the many vacations I spent there. I saw a need in my own life for cleaning products that didn’t harm myself, my family (including furry family members) or our home planet. I literally whipped up scrubs and soaps in my kitchen using pantry ingredients.
You’ve spoken about the influence of your grandparents’ farm. What values from that time still guide your approach to wellness and sustainability today?
Farm life is about community. My grandparents raised their family in a 1200 sq. foot home, and I remember people were always coming in and out for visits or joining us for a meal. Food and good conversation were always available. When we think of wellness and sustainability, it often is centered around ingredients. This is true. You cannot grow healthy, nutritious food without quality seeds and soil. You also cannot have health and wellness without a healthy network of friends and family and community support. Good Home encompasses all of that. There are many “Natural” products out there. But none embody the community and quality of Good Home.
In your book Detox Your Home, you help readers uncover the hidden chemicals in everyday products. What are some of the most surprising or overlooked toxins you think people should be aware of?
Most surprising for me was our own indoor air quality. If we use a product with these huge warning labels – you know the ones – well the spray doesn’t just stay where you spray it. You may think it is gone after you are finished cleaning, but it actually stays in the air and dust. Certain dishwasher soaps can emit very harmful VOCs into the air. I was really surprised by this as I thought many things would be contained in the machine. I discovered this first hand when I ran out of my own laundry detergent and had to use a common store brand. The coating and scent it left on my clothing made me ill. It took multiple washings to get rid of it.
Sustainability is central to The Good Home Co. How do you approach creating products that are both effective and environmentally responsible from ingredients to packaging?
The first is limited quantities. Unfortunately as a small business, we do not have access to the newest packaging that is affordable. The store brands have millions of dollars at their access and can spend it on innovation. We have maybe a thousand dollars lol. That allows us to be less wasteful and really think about the packaging before we introduce it. By staying smaller and limiting our exposure, we are limiting the waste we produce. Unless you are using a powdered detergent, you are very much limited to plastic packaging or glass. Glass is heavy to ship and to refill it, you would then use liquid packaged in plastic. We have experimented with the sheets and liquid pods – all of which have microplastics embedded in them. It isn’t better and the efficacy isn’t there. I wish I could have the development team the big manufacturers have. We absolutely need more innovation. There was a time when we didn’t have plastic bottles. Glass bottles were washed and reused and refilled. I love this idea and would love to try to implement it. For now we sell beautiful bottles Made in Italy to fill with detergents and soaps and display at home.
The Good Home fragrances both smell lovely and feel transportive. Do you see scent as a kind of storytelling tool, much like food is in Mediterranean culture?
Absolutely. Smell is the most memory inducing of our senses and every scent I create is from a wonderful pleasing memory that all of us share. Pure Grass is the scent of a freshly mowed lawn in the summertime. Beach Days was inspired by many trips to South Hampton. While my experience on the beach is not the same as yours, it does have a common pleasurable thread. Good Home was also born out of my own love of cooking and putting love into my food. I say to all my friends if I cook for you, you know I love you lol! The Mediterranean was a huge inspiration for me. The food, the produce, the culture – it all has inspired me personally and of course in the products I create.
Your love of cooking clearly influences your brand. How do you think the act of preparing and sharing food ties into the idea of clean and mindful living?
Cooking is an act of love and nourishment. Processed foods are not cooking. You cannot get the same benefits of a homemade soup from a can. There is love and care that goes into making it, many do not realize. If you do not cook, maybe you sew or knit. These things take time and care and our attention. That is infused into what we are making. The same is true with Good Home products. I wanted your laundry detergent to have the same love and care and quality as a pie made from scratch.
The Mediterranean way is rooted in seasonality, simplicity, and ritual. How do those same values show up in your approach to home care?
Yes – you cannot spend all of your time cleaning – what joy would that bring. Just like you cannot spend all of your time cooking. To make a processed cheese arguably takes more time and effort for a product with little quality. A good cheese needs to be aged but requires very little ingredients to make. The same is with cleaning. A good quality soap and a fragrance that is made from the real flower or plant – that is simple. Nature shows us simplicity every day. It makes me sad at how many enjoy natures’ pleasures and take very little effort to protect and preserve it. Mediterranean life understands this. Nature provides.
In your view, what truly makes a home feel “good”?
Love and community.
Natural cleaning rituals (using lemon, vinegar, olive oil) have long been part of Mediterranean households. Do you see your work as a modern evolution of that timeless wisdom?
I do. I have a limited range of products, because I don’t believe I need to flood the market with something new just to make money. Customers will ask for a scrub and I will share recipes so they can make it at home themselves.
You advocate for slow, intentional living. What are some daily rituals or small practices you personally rely on to stay grounded and well?
I have stopped looking at my phone first thing in the morning and instead I will read a few pages from a book with my coffee. I walk my dog for an hour twice a day without a phone. Although I cannot do it daily, I take a ferry to the beach once a week. Being next to the water and outside is critical for my well-being. I find it very soothing to my nervous system. I move my body in some form of physical activity every day. And I try to make sure I stay on a mediterranean diet. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables right now from the farmers market and a little local fish. If I have bread; it is freshly made by a baker. This keeps me on track physically and mentally, but I am also amenable to change. Change is constant and we have to find ways to move with it. Sometimes I am so busy and can’t find the time to do these things exactly as I would like. In that case, I do what I can and go with the flow. Until it settles down again.
