Popular cleaning supplies often contain endocrine disruptors and other harmful chemicals. When I realized how easy it was to make my own laundry detergent, I figured making the rest of my cleaning supplies wouldn’t be that hard. So after some trial and error, I came up with several natural cleaning solutions that I love. It’s amazing what you can do with just some water, vinegar, and powerful essential oils! (See the studies below on the effectiveness of vinegar and essential oils for cleaning and disinfecting.)
Remember when using the highly concentrated, potent essential oils we do, it is best to use glass or plastics #1 or #2 for storage. I have also found that buying white vinegar in bulk helps cut my costs, which is another huge bonus to making your own cleaners.
All-Purpose Cleaner
Mix together 16 oz each of distilled water and vinegar in a 32 oz spray bottle. Add 20 drops of your favorite essential oil with cleansing properties. Since this is my go-to cleaner, I prefer using an immune-boosting proprietary blend of Cinnamon, Clove, Rosemary, Eucalyptus (radiata), and Wild Orange essential oils. The bathrooms, kitchen, and the playroom all see this cleaner daily. Give the spray bottle a good shake before each use to re-mix the essential oils and other liquids.
Glass Cleaner
In a 16 oz spray bottle, mix together 1 1/2 cups white vinegar and 1/2 cup distilled water. Add 6-8 drops of your favorite citrus oil for powerful cleaning and a fresh scent. Grapefruit is a favorite in my house. Again, shake the bottle before each use.
Instead-of-Swiffer Refill Pads
This last one is probably my favorite. I love my Swiffer mop and vacuums because they are so compact and easy to use. But it is a pain to buy the refill pads every couple of weeks, plus the wet pads seemed to give my floors a slightly sticky feeling. So when I discovered this recipe, I was jumping for joy! Bonus: the re-usable rags create less waste than disposables, in addition to saving money. I make this up in a glass food-storage container with a snap-on lid.
4 cups distilled water
2 cups white vinegar
12 drops of your favorite essential oil
10-11 clean towels or rags (11″ x 11″ work really well)
Mix all of the liquids together, shaking really well. Then lay the towels in, folding each one in half. It may seem like quite a bit of liquid, but the rags will soak it up.
If you have a favorite green cleaning recipe, please share so that we can all benefit!
Shannon is a wife and mom to one little guy. She spends her days playing with him and looking for new activities and recipes. She also has an addiction to sci-fi and B movies.