Simple and Natural Cleaning Recipes using household items you probably already have on hand
Natural Cleaning is a safe and effective way to keep your home clean while not having to pay the ever so rising high price tag the retailers charge us at the store. We virtually get the same products doing this with only minimal work and a small chunk of change. The ingredients I am going to talk about are just some of the many you can use. You might already have on hand a lot of these items if not all of them. My personal top “go to” cleaning ingredients and the recipes I have listed below for you all. To make your cleaning supply cabinet complete and natural, you will need to head over to your medicine cabinet and laundry room to make sure you don’t already have any of the items then whatever you don’t have make a list of that and take a trip to your local grocery store to purchase a few more things.
White Vinegar – Disinfects, deodorizes, and cuts through grease.
Baking Soda – Absorbs odors, scrubs, and neutralizes acids.
Lemon Juice – Antibacterial, deodorizing, and cuts grease.
Castile Soap – Gentle yet effective cleaner for many surfaces.
Hydrogen Peroxide – Disinfects and whitens.
Washing Soda – Stronger than baking soda, great for degreasing.
Essential Oils (Tea Tree, Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint, Eucalyptus) – Add scent and antibacterial properties.
Cornstarch – Used in window and carpet cleaners.
Olive or Coconut Oil – Conditions wood furniture.
Rubbing Alcohol or Witch Hazel– Disinfects and dries quickly.
Now for the mixing up part. Oh, and you’re also going to need some clear glass spray bottles and jars then a good crisp black sharpie to write what is in each bottle or jar. If you want to be fancy you can make labels with your Cricut, label maker, printer, or whatever it is you use to make labels. Now for the bottles, they don’t have to be glass, but I prefer glass as the glass will preserve the essential oils and other ingredients in your cleaners for a longer shelf life as what we use in these won’t last forever like regular store-bought cleaners pretty much do. The first recipe I have is an all-purpose cleaner.
1. All-Purpose Cleaner
✔ 1 cup white vinegar
✔ 1 cup water
✔ 10 drops lemon essential oil (or tea tree for extra disinfecting)
This would be used primarily for wiping down countertops, kitchen surfaces, and bathrooms sinks. Also, it is a great cleaner for kid’s toys. It can be used to lightly spray and then wipe down your car dashboard and also many electronics like computers, tvs, stereos and just so much more. It’s an all-around good basic household cleaner.
2. Glass & Window Cleaner
✔ 1 cup water
✔ 1 cup white vinegar
✔ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
✔ 5 drops peppermint or lemon essential oil
For this one just combine all the ingredients then shake well before use and there you have it. Spray a little and wipe with a microfiber cloth.
3. Natural Disinfecting Spray
✔ 1 cup water
✔ ½ cup hydrogen peroxide
✔ 10 drops tea tree essential oil
Mix it all up then shake and spray away. You can use on door handles, light switches, bathroom areas, and other germ-prone spots around the house.
4. Scrubbing Paste (for sinks, tubs, and stovetops)
✔ ½ cup baking soda
✔ 2 tablespoons castile soap
✔ 5 drops lemon essential oil
Mix into a paste and scrub with a sponge. This one needs to go in a round jar or bowl even with a lid since it’s not a liquid, it’s a paste and you can apply it by a sponge or scratch pad to the dirty surface, whichever you prefer. I use these 16 ounce glass bottles from Amazon. They come with silicon cup protectors on the bottom for extra durability. They also are available in several different earthy colors. I have added a link below to where you can purchase those if you’d like.
5. Toilet Bowl Cleaner
✔ ½ cup baking soda
✔ ½ cup white vinegar
✔ 10 drops tea tree or eucalyptus essential oil
No spray bottle needed for this one. If you try to store this,, think again and don’t because baking soda and vinegar together create a powerful volcano. You will have a smelly mess. Just pour this mixture directly into the toilet, let sit for 10 minutes, then scrub and flush.
link to the glass bottles I use —> Amazon.com: FANSTINOW Glass Spray Bottles with Silicone Sleeve Protection, 16 oz 2 Pack, Reusable Spray Bottles with Adjustable Nozzle for Hair, Cleaning Solutions, Plants, Pale Yellow&Mint Green : Industrial & Scientific
6. Floor Cleaner
✔ 1 gallon warm water
✔ ½ cup white vinegar
✔ 1 tablespoon castile soap
✔ 10 drops lavender essential oil
Combine it all in a mop bucket or pour it into the sprayer chamber on a spray mop. I use both types of mops depending on the situation I am dealing with. Also, try out a steam mop if you never have. It uses only water and works wonder for tough stains without any chemicals. Use this mop mixture on any tile, laminate, or hardwood but do not let it soak on to floors for more than a minute.
7. Carpet Deodorizer
✔ ½ cup baking soda
✔ 10 drops lavender or eucalyptus essential oil
This one I do not use regularly as I have tried stearing away from carpet these days as it is so hard to keep up with staying clean with children and pets, but this is a good alternative to buying the vacuum stuff at dollar tree or wherever you purchase yours. Baking soda alone does the job honestly! Just pour some of this on your carpets, let sit for 20 minutes then vacuum it up!
8. Wood Polish
✔ ½ cup olive oil
✔ ¼ cup white vinegar
✔ 10 drops lemon essential oil
Apply this mixture with a soft cloth or microfiber towel to create a pretty shine on all your wood furnishings and Wala! Beautiful!
Switching to natural cleaning products is one of the simplest ways to create a healthier home while reducing toxins and waste. With just a few items most of us typically already buy, you can keep every corner of your home fresh, clean, and chemical-free! Our ancestor’s used the Earth as their store for supplies when they needed to clean. For thousands of years before us this was their grocery store, the land, and they were just fine. We started contaminating the planet when we added in all the artificialness, oh did we go oh so wrong; not knowing then what damage we were ultimately going to do to our world. Now we must all work together to start towards the fight to save it.
Which DIY cleaner are you excited to try first? Let me know in the comments. I want to know what everyone thinks of these compared to store bought cleaners. Do you think they work the same, worse, or better than store bought? I’d love to know what everyone thinks. Make sure to subscribe to my newsletter for more frugal tips like these. I will be sharing my version of the homemade liquid laundry detergent recipe and how I make it for my family to wash our clothes. I only have to spend $30 on detergent for my family of 7 every other 2 months. You would not believe how much this saves me and could save you too if you’re not afraid of doing a little work to make it.