Homemade Cleaners – Easy and Simple
I have been making my own homemade cleaners for years and it is so much better for you and it is really easy. Most commercial cleaning products contain chemicals and harsh ingredients that can be harmful to you and your pets. Homemade cleaners can be easily made with simple ingredients, most of which you already have in your house. Natural, homemade cleaners are healthier for you, healthier for your pets, less expensive and better for the environment.
The ingredients that you will need to make your own homemade cleaners are:
- Baking soda
- Liquid Castile Soap
- Lemon juice – either fresh or bottled
- Essential oils – eucalyptus, lemon, pine, tea tree and lavender
- Grapefruit seed extract
- Olive oil
- White vinegar
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Glass containers
- Spray bottles
- Microfiber cloths, Handiwipes, an old sponge or old wash cloths
The following are 14 recipes for homemade cleaners:
1. All purpose cleaner. One part Castile soap mixed with four parts water with a few drops of essential oils. This one and the one below are the homemade cleaners I use the most.
2. Sink and tub soft scrub. Mix one part baking soda, one part water and one part liquid Castile soap. This makes a soft scrub cleanser perfect for sinks and tubs.
3. Toilet cleaner. Baking soda mixed with a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil sprinkled into the toilet. Use a toilet brush to scrub.
4. Dish detergent. Use 2 Tablespoons Castile liquid soap in a pan of warm water and a few drops of lemon essential oil.
5. Glass cleaner. Fill a spray bottle half and half with water and white vinegar. If you don’t like the smell of vinegar you can add 10 drops of lavender essential oil, although the vinegar smell dissipates very quickly.
6. Furniture polisher. One tablespoon of lemon juice mixed with a two tablespoons of olive oil and a few drops of pine essential oil. Buff with a microfiber cloth.
7. Granite and marble counter tops. Use hydrogen peroxide undiluted as a disinfectant and mixed half and half with water for a general cleaner. Please do not use vinegar as it can be damaging to these counter tops.
8. Disinfectant. Spray bottle filled with straight vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Spray on, leave for a few minutes and wipe off with a microfiber cloth soaked with water.
9. Floor cleaner. Use 1/4 cup Castile soap mixed with a bucket of warm water.
10. Pot and pan scrubber. Use coarse sea salt mixed with liquid Castile soap.
11. Air freshener. Spray bottle filled with water and 10 drops of orange or lemon essential oil.
12. Air disinfectant. Spray bottle filled with 10 drops of Grapefruit seed extract and 10 drops of eucalyptus oil.
13. Carpet freshener. Mix baking soda with eucalyptus or lemon oil, sprinkle on the carpet and vacuum up.
14. Mold deterrent. Fill a spray bottle with water and 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract and 10 drops of tea tree oil.
If creating your own homemade cleansers seems like too much work, there are a lot of good, natural cleaning products that you can buy such as Seventh Generation and most Trader Joe’s cleaning products.
If you have come up with other homemade cleaners that you like, please post in the comments below.
