It’s spring! And if you’re one of those (crazy) people who feel the urge to clean your house down to the very bones in the spring, well this is the post for you! But forget the harsh chemicals and the fume headaches. Don’t even think about using the toxic-freak-out-if-the-baby-touches-it cleaners. And we can all do without the sticker shock from the $4 store bought bottle full of some weird liquid the color of toxic sludge that smells like mutant pine trees from outer space.- Today we’re going to learn about making your own cleaners. Yep. You. You can totally do it. And you’re going to do it with things you probably already have in your cupboard. Things that DON’T have a skull and crossbones on them, and don’t make you want to call poison control when you catch a whiff.
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Household Cleaning Scrub
First on our list of household cleaners is the humble scrub. A somewhat abrasive cleaner used for…scrubbing.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup castille soap
- 2 cups baking soda
- 1/4 cup distilled water (tap water is fine, too)
- 1/2 tsp essential oil(s) of your choice
- 2 Tbs white vinegar
Mix together soap and baking soda until creamy. While continuing to mix, add water and essential oils until combined. Add vinegar, mixture may foam a bit. That’s ok.
Store in air tight squeeze bottle. Keeps indefinitely but may harden up over time. Just add some water to thin it back out if that happens.
All-Purpose Cleaner
This recipe is great for general clean up, de-greasing, and disinfecting.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- 1 Tbs castille soap
- 30 drops essential oil(s) of your choice
- Water
Place soap and essential oils in spray bottle. Fill with water.
That’s it. See? Couldn’t be easier.
Glass Cleaner
As the name suggests, use this one on all your windows and mirrors. Great for taking off sticky toddler hand prints and doggie nose prints.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- 1 part water
- 1 part white vinegar
- 30 drops lemongrass or tea tree essential oil
Mix. Spray onto glass surface. Wipe. Pat yourself on the back for making such an excellent, nontoxic, and cheap glass cleaner.
Wood Polish
This excellent smelling polish will shine all your wooden surfaces to a beautiful gleam.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 30 drops lemongrass essential oil
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- Water to fill
Mix all ingredients together in an air tight container. Shake to combine before use.
And there you have it, folks. Easy. Cheap. Effective. Not-deadly. Not bad for the environment. Really, what more could you ask for?
Do you have any recipes for cleaners I missed? Add them in the comments!
I use vinegar and baking soda for just about everything. Baking soda/vinegar makes a great drain opener; if its just general gunk rather than a ton of hair. I also use baking soda on my glass top stove. It works great! What I love about using vinegar and baking soda to do the majority of my cleaning is that I don’t have to worry about it being toxic around my kids.
Catherine, me too! I buy vinegar by the gallon and baking soda in the big 10lb bags they sell in the pool aisle. People look at me like I’m whacko lol
These are great! Thanks. I am pinning. Where do you find the castille soap?
Alexa, you can get castille soap pretty much anywhere. Dr Bronners is a very popular brand. You should find it at any Whole Foods and even most Publix. Failing that, Amazon is a sure bet.
I had no idea that I can do my own wood polish. I have a big problems with these polishes. They smell awful and do not do anything with the wood. Thanks for sharing!
Interesting article! I thought that I can clean just with cleaners which contain any acid but now I know that I can use natural acid like lemon juice or white vinegar. Thank you! Botany Bay Carpet Cleaners Ltd.
I had no idea that I can make my own detergent! I usually use these common cleaners which are on the market but I don’t really like them. I think that they are toxic and harmful and there alternatives for cleaners are great substitutions. Thanks a lot for sharing!
It is hard to believe that there is a chance to use natural products in order to clean your home! The cleaning recipe about the wooden surface is my favorite because I have hard wooden floor and I don’t know what cleaner to buy. Thank you so much for sharing so incredible cleaning recipes!