20 Homemade Cleaning Products
With so many commercial cleaning products filled with harsh and toxic chemicals, switching to all-natural homemade cleaners has become a popular option for many people. Commercial products contain ingredients that can trigger asthma, disrupt the endocrine system, irritate skin, and even lead to cancer. Because you know precisely what ingredients go into your homemade cleaner, you can use only safe, effective, all-natural components.
Here are 20 effective homemade cleaning products which will leave your home sparkling clean, protect the health of you and your family, and help keep dangerous chemicals and waste out of the environment. Each recipe can be prepared in just three easy steps.
1. Shower Cleaner
- Microwave 15-ounces distilled white vinegar
- Pour into spray bottle
- Add 5-ounces dish soap, cap tightly, and shake gently
2. Garbage Disposal Cleaner
- Mix 1-cup distilled white vinegar, 2-tablespoons Epsom salt, 2 to 5 drops essential oil
- Pour into ice cube trays and freeze
- Add one or two cubes to disposal and run until fully ground
3. Glass Cleaner
- Combine 1-cup water, ¼-cup distilled white vinegar, and 2 to 3 drops dish soap in spray bottle
- Cap and shake gently
- Spray onto glass surface and use clean, lint-free cloth to wipe off in circular motions
4. Cleaning Wipes
- Mix ¼-cup distilled white vinegar, 7 drops lavender essential oil, 5 drops lemon essential oil, 10 drops tea tree oil, and 2- to 3-cups water and shake well
- Pour cleaning solution into sealable container
- Soak clean dishcloths in solution
5. Dishwasher Tablets
- Mix ½-cup Epsom salt, 1-cup Borax, 1-cup baking soda, and 8 drops lavender essential oil
- Add ½-cup of lemon juice, one tablespoon at a time, until mixture is firm and damp
- Press mixture evenly into ice cube tray and dry for four hours before removing for storage in airtight container
6. Grout Cleaner
- To 1-cup water, mix 2-tablespoons baking soda, 2-tablespoons lemon juice, and 2-tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- Use a toothbrush to scrub the solution onto grout
- Soak up dirty cleaning liquid and removed grout with rag
7. Reusable Mop Pads
- Combine ½-cup distilled white vinegar and 1½-cups distilled water
- Whisk in 20 drops orange essential oil
- Place 14-inch by 7-inch absorbent towel rectangles, folded in half, in airtight container and pour solution over them
8. All-Purpose Cleaning Solution
- Mix 2-cups hot water, 3-tablespoons distilled white vinegar, ½-teaspoon baking soda, ½-teaspoon liquid soap
- Pour into spray bottle and shake gently
- Spray surface and wipe off with towel
9. Dishwasher Detergent Powder
- Mix together 1-cup Borax, 1-cup baking soda, ½-cup kosher salt, and ½-cup citric acid
- Whisk in 3 to 5 drops orange or lemon essential oil
- Use 1- to 2-tablespoons detergent powder per dishwasher load
10. Laundry Soap
- Grate laundry soap talc bar (such as Fels-Naptha) into 4-cups water and stir over medium-low heat until fully dissolved
- Add melted soap, 1-cup baking soda, and ½-cup Borax to 2½-gallons hot water, stir well until dissolved, cover, and let thicken overnight
- Stir in 10 to 15 drops lavender, rosemary, or tea tree essential oil and use in half-portion with water (¼-cup soap and ¼-cup water per load)
11. Countertop Cleaner
- Mix 3-parts distilled white vinegar and 1-part salt in spray bottle
- Add a few drops essential oil
- Spray on surface and wipe off with towel
12. Room Fresheners
- Add cloves, cinnamon, or allspice to pot of water and simmer for three hours
- Pour pure vanilla in small jar, insert thin, unvarnished dowels, place on a shelf or counter in the corner of a room
- Dissolve 3-tablespoons baking soda into 2-cups hot water, add 1-tablespoon lemon juice, and pour into a spray bottle to shoot into air twice in middle of a room
13. Disinfectant
- Combine 2-cups hot water, ¼-cup lemon juice, and 2-tablespoons Borax
- Pour into spray bottle and shake gently
- Spray onto surface, leave for several minutes, and wipe off with cloth
14. Fruit and Vegetable Wash
- Combine 1-cup distilled water and ¼-cup distilled white vinegar in spray bottle
- Mix 1-teaspoon kosher salt and 5 to 7 drops lemon, orange, or lime essential oil in bowl
- Add salt mixture to bottle, and shake gently before use
15. Dusting Spray
- Pour ¼-cup distilled white vinegar and ¾-cup olive oil into spray bottle
- Add 10 to 15 drops lemon essential oil, cap, and shake gently
- Spray on dusty surface and wipe off with cloth
16. Mold and Mildew Remover
- Mix 2-ounces water, 2-ounces hydrogen peroxide, 10 drops lemon essential oil, 10 drops clove essential oil, and 10 drops melaleuca essential oil
- Pour into spray bottle, cap, and shake gently
- Spray on moldy or mildewed surface, leave for 15 to 20 minutes, scrub, and wipe
17. Toilet Cleaner
- Combine 1-cup baking soda, 1-tablespoon kosher salt, and 10 drops lemon or orange essential oil
- Sprinkle around inside of toilet and leave for 5 minutes
- Pour 1-cup distilled white vinegar over cleaner, scrub, and flush
18. Toilet Bomb
- Whisk together 1-1/3-cups baking soda and ½-cup citric acid
- Combine 1-tablespoon water and 60 drops lemon essential oil in spray bottle and very slowly spray into baking soda mix until damp
- Pack into ice cube tray, let dry 8 to 10 hours, and store in airtight container
19. Soft Scrub
- To ½-cup liquid Castile soap add ½-cup baking soda, whisk well
- Mix in 5 drops rosemary essential oil and 5 drops lemon essential oil, blending until frothy
- Use toothbrush to scrub onto surface, leave for 5 minutes, wipe off with damp cloth
20. Bleach Alternative
- Mix 1-cup peroxide, 1-cup water, and 10 to 20 drops lemon or clove essential oil
- Store in airtight container
- Add 1-cup to white laundry wash cycle or add to spray bottle to disinfect surfaces
Conclusion
Making these cleaning products is simple and will help keep you and your family safe from the dangerous chemicals found in most commercial cleaning products. And because many of these recipes use the same ingredients, it’s easy and convenient to make a large number at once to have on hand around the house.
