What Are The Best Homemade Cleaning Products?
Spring is in the air and it’s the perfect time to give your home a deep clean. If you are looking to save some money and save the environment then here are 15 easy homemade DIY cleaning products that won’t break the bank and don’t require a degree in chemistry to make.
As we continue to track through life post-pandemic, we are still experiencing shortages of much-needed cleaning supplies. I’ve definitely gone to Target and Walmart only to discover that their shelves were empty and there were no paper towels, rubbing alcohol, Lysol, or even bleach left. Many of us have simply opted to turn to DIY solutions for cleaning our homes.
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Often times what you need can be found in your pantry and medicine cabinet. Nothing beats a little household vinegar, some essential oils, and baking soda. Studies have shown that DIY home cleaning solutions are just as effective as store brought brands.
Please keep in mind that cleaning products are not the same as disinfectant products. Your DIY Products will get the job done and do a great job with sanitizing, however, they are DIY. If you want a true disinfectant then check out the information contained on the EPA website. Your DIY products are safe for the environment and less harsh on the family pet and the children.
Best Natural DIY Cleaning Products
- Soap Nuts – Berry from the Sapindus mukorossi tree
- Cooking Oil – to season your cast iron pots
- Baking Soda – for cleaning cookware, stoves and so much more
- Lemon Juice – Cleaning Stains
- Tea Bags – Cleaning Hardwood Floors
- Vinegar – The ultimate cleaning solution
- Essential Oils- Not only smell good but have cleaning magic and antibacterial properties
Which Essential Oils Are The Best For An All-Purpose Cleaner?
Essential Oils are ultimately at your discretion. What scents do you like most? I have a preference for sandalwood. There are some essential oils that are simply better when it comes to tackling dirt and grime. See the most popular list below.
- Tea Tree Oil – The scent itself is not as pleasing as lemon or lavender, however, Tea Tree Oil has a ton of antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. Hands down, I always suggest adding a few drops to all of your recipes.
- Lemon – Lemon is nature’s natural cleaning product. Look on any shelf in your local store and you will find tons of products that contain lemon. I use it as an air disinfectant as well.
- Lavender – Calms the nerves as our ancestors would say. It’s very relaxing. But don’t let the calmness fool you, it is a solid antibacterial agent according to the American College Of Health Sciences article- Green Cleaning: Why We Love Lavender Essential Oil.
Top Pick For All Natural Cleaner
At the top of my list of all Natural Cleaners is Soap Nuts which is a berry made from the Sapindus Mukorossi tree. I use Soap Nuts to clean my laundry and even wash my hair. Princess Cole at Aikido Enchanted Apothecary provides a great recipe for Soap Nuts All Natural Cleaner
1. Laundry Detergent
Buying Laundry Detergent can run up any budget. Most of us have HE washing machines at this point, so we need to make sure that our DIY laundry detergent is safe for our machines. There are only two simple items needed. Baking Soda and Sal Suds. You will need two tablespoons of baking soda and 1/4 cup of Sal Suds. If you are washing whites, then you can add 1/4 cup of vinegar to brighten your load of white clothes.
Ingredients
2. Bathroom Cleaner
Let’s tackle the bathroom. To make an effective bathroom cleaner that is an all-around cleaner (it will work on the tile floors, tub showers, and toilet bowls) simply find an empty container and fill it with 1 cup of warm water, 3 cups of baking soda, a cup of dawn liquid soap, 4 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar and squeeze in some lemon juice.
You now have a very versatile all-purpose bathroom cleaner.
Ingredients
- Dawn Liquid Soap
- White Distilled Vinegar
- Warm water
- Baking Soda
3. Window And Glass Cleaner
Do you want to know what your grandmother’s secret to streak-free windows was? I’ll give you two options. 1. old fashioned corn starch, mixed with water and rubbing alcohol. 2. Vingergar and old newspapers will do the trick as well.
Mix together in a large bowl, one cup of hot water, and one cup of rubbing alcohol. Use a whisk to add 4 tablespoons of cornstarch. Transfer it to one of your handy spray bottles. Spray on your glass or windows and use a micro-fiber towel to clean.
4. Oven Cleaner
I’m giving you a two-for-one with this one. 3 Tablespoons of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide, and 1 tablespoon of dawn dishwashing liquid. You can also use 3 Tablespoons of baking soda and 1.5 tablespoons of water. In both, you will want to mix the ingredients to form a paste. Apply evenly and let sit for 20 min, then wipe clean. You don’t need harsh oven cleaners to clean your oven. Both of these are tried, true, and tested by me.
5. Homemade All-Purpose Cleaning Spray With Vinegar
A little vinegar goes a long way. Before we had all these choices in cleaning supplies, we had distilled vinegar. This is the perfect cleaning solution to make that you can essentially use in any area of the house minus granite countertops. It can be used in the bathroom, kitchen, cupboards, garage, indoors, and outdoors. Mix 2 cups of hot water with 1 cup of white vinegar. Add the following 5 drops of lemon essential oil, 20 drops of grapefruit essential oil, and 10 drops of lavender essential oil. Put it in your favorite spray bottle and you are ready to tackle any cleaning product.
6. Auntie Ann’s Two Week All-Natural Citrus Cleaner With Vinegar
Let’s start off by saving some of your citrus peel from oranges, lemons, grapefruit, or lime. I prefer to make separate batches, but you can combine them. Fill a 1-2 Quart mason jar about halfway. Fill the jar to the top with white distilled vinegar and put the lid on tight. Shake it up and stick it in a dark closet for 7-14 days. The longer the better.
After it has sat for 7-14 days, remove the lid and strain the liquid into another container to remove the peels and any pulp or seeds. This is now your concentrated cleaner. You will want to mix one part water with one part concentrated cleaner and add a few drops of your favorite essential oil(s). Tree Tea Oil and Lavender are good options.
Warning
Vinegar is acidic and can discolor or damage some surfaces. Do not use vinegar solutions on your granite or marble surfaces. Improperly diluted vinegar is known to damage tile grout, so be careful.
7. Homemade All-Purpose Cleaning Spray No Vinegar
As much as we love vinegar in our homemade cleaning solutions. It is prone to erode the sealants on the granite counters and the acid can result in dull spots. Don’t worry we have a solution that will still get the job done without destroying your granite or other soft surfaces. It’s time to turn up and pull out that bottle of vodka. Take 2/34 cups of distilled water and mix it with 1/4 cup of vodka, 1/4 teaspoon of lavender oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of tea tree essential oil. Mix in a spray bottle and you are ready to tackle your cleaning.
8. Microwave Cleaner
This works like a charm. Take a bowl of water and 1/2 cup of distilled vinegar. Heat it on high for 5 minutes. Everything in the microwave will wipe down with ease. A simple microfiber cloth is all I use. If you want to get fancy then you can get the angry momma microwave cleaner just because.
9. Shoe Freshener and Mattress Cleaner
Baking soda is a must-have for deodorizing just about anything. Think about it, we place it in our refrigerators to absorb odors. This is simple, just sprinkle baking soda on your mattress or place it inside stinky shoes and allow it to sit for several hours. Vacuum the mattress and empty the shoes.
10. Garbage Disposal
Often times we forget that the garbage disposal requires regular cleaning as well. Twice a month I take 1/2 cup of baking soda, two tablespoons of peroxide, and a 1/3 cup of vinegar and put it in the garbage disposal. Let it sit for a few minutes before running the disposal for several minutes. Then I put 10 drops of my favorite essential oil.
11. Laundry Spray
Under normal circumstances, I’d recommend vodka be used to make a vodka martini or Cosmopolitan. However, it is the perfect solution for a homemade laundry spray. I don’t recommend using top-shelf vodka as it could get expensive. If you are switching out clothes from summer to winter, this is the perfect solution for items that have been packed in storage bins.
You can also use it in general for musty-smelling clothing or yellowing under the arms of white t-shirts. Just spritz on your clothes to dampen let them sit for several minutes, then throw them into the washer as you would normally do. If you have a steam cycle on your dry as I do, (Samsung Steam Dryer) then this works like a charm as well to re-fresh clothing items.
12. Air Freshener
Nothing beats the smell of a pleasing aroma in your home. I always get compliments on how good my home always smells. Here is my hack. Add a bunch of chopped sage leaves, one cup of hot water and 1/4 cup of distilled vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Put it in a spray bottle with the top on it and store it in a cool dry place for 12 hours, prior to use. I normally put mine in a brown paper bag and still in the hallway closet.
13. Toilet Bowl Cleaner
For the ultimate clean toilet, I suggest the following recipe. 1/2 cup of baking soda, 7 drops of tea tree essential oil, and 7 drops of lemon, or orange essential oils. Mix the ingredients and allow them to sit in the toilet bowl for 25 minutes. Scrub and allow it to sit for 5 more minutes before flushing
14. Stainless Steel Cleaner
Dish soap and water come to the rescue again. Mix a little dish soap with water into a spray bottle. A little goes a long way. Spray lightly and wipe down with a microfiber cloth designed for stainless steel.
Your stainless steel appliances will look brand new
15. Hardwood Floor Cleaner
Dawn Dish Soap works well on so many things. If it’s good enough to get the oil guck off of ducks then it’s good enough for my hardwood floors. Mix together two tablespoons of dawn with a gallon of warm water, then mop to your heart’s content. Do not over-saturate the floors as water and wood do not mix. A simple sponge mop will do the trick.
16. Carpet Cleaner, Stain Removal
We all love our pets and kids, however, they are prone to spill something on your carpet at some point and time. Use two teaspoons of any clear dish soap and two cups of warm water. First, you should wet the stain with warm water and blot it dry. Then pour the mixture onto the stain and allow it to sit for approximately 10-15 minutes. Take your scrub brush and gently scrub the area until clean.
