THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED AS OF APRIL 2019
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When was the last time you walked down the cleaning aisle in your local grocery store? You typically come across an overwhelming wall of choices for each area of your home. There are surface cleaners for the kitchen, bathroom, or living room, all in different bottles. It's pretty much all the same harsh ingredients, marketed to you in different packaging, making you think you need different products for different rooms.
After the birth of my son, I re-evaluated our habits and started researching more natural ways to keep our home sparkling. I went to my favorite online platform for DIY projects, Pinterest. After a few hours of research, I started writing down the basic formulas, made some tweaks, and started my shopping list. For the last five years, I've made my own cleaning products. Not only am I saving our home from harsh chemicals, but I am also saving hundreds of dollars a year by making my own.
Supplies:
- 16 oz. glass spray bottles
- 16 oz. glass jars
- 12 oz. glass foam soap dispenser
- Sponge by Marleys Monsters
- "Unpaper" towels by Marleys Monsters
- Washable Duster by Marleys Monsters
- small glass bowl
- silicone spatula
- stainless steel funnel
Wherever possible, we try to eliminate as much waste in our home, including buying products packaged in or made of plastic. This is why we prefer the glass bottles and reusable cleaning products from Marleys Monsters.
Ingredients:
- Baking soda
- Distilled white vinegar
- Olive oil (non-infused, no flavor)
- Distilled water
- Castile soap
Essential Oils:
- Lemon
- Lavender
- Wild Orange
- Grapefruit
- Melaleuca
- Pine (or similar, like White Fir)
- Thyme
- On Guard
Lemon Recipes
Lemon is a pretty popular and powerful essential oil. It is a natural deodorizer, antibacterial, antiviral, an amazing degreaser, and has an inviting, clean scent. In fact, diffusing Lemon EO has been shown to promote joy and happiness.
Lemon Deodorizer
16 oz. Mason jar
2 cups baking soda
30 drops Lemon EO
Add the baking soda and Lemon EO to the Mason jar. Cap and shake vigorously. Leave opened in the refrigerator, cupboard, countertop, or wherever you need some natural deodorizer. I also sprinkle a little of this on our carpets and let sit for 30 minutes before vacuuming.
Lemon Wood Cleaner/ Polish
16 oz. glass spray bottle
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
10-15 drops of Lemon EO
optional, add a few drops of Lavender EO
Combine ingredients in a glass spray bottle and shake prior to each use. Use with a lint-free cloth (we LOVE Marleys Monsters washable dusters). Do not allow the formula to soak into wood furniture. Test on a small area prior to use.
Wild Orange Recipes
Wild Orange has pretty much the same benefits as Lemon, except I've found it is a much better degreaser AND I personally prefer the smell over Lemon. I use this EO to tackle the stuck on food and grease from my stovetop.
Wild Orange Stovetop Degreaser (thicker formula for stuck on food)
Small bowl
Spoon
1/4 cup baking soda
distilled water
10 drops of Wild Orange EO
In a small bowl mix baking soda and water to form a paste. Add Wild Orange EO and stir thoroughly. Apply to stove-top over stuck on food and grease. Mix and lightly scrub with fingers. Allow formula to sit for 30 minutes. Wipe clean with damp sponge. Scrub lightly until clean. Repeat as needed. Store mixture in an airtight glass jar.
Wild Orange Stovetop Cleaner (everyday spray formula)
16 oz. glass spray bottle
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 1/4 cup distilled water
1 drop of castile soap
10 drops of Wild Orange
Mix ingredients in a glass spray bottle and shake to combine. Spray on your stovetop and wipe clean using "unpaper" towel. Rinse towel and repeat as needed.
Grapefruit Recipes
My favorite essential oil, besides Lavender and Rose, is Grapefruit. It's also my favorite fruit! Again, this citrus EO has the same benefits as the Lemon and Wild Orange, but I've found it works wonderfully in my DIY glass cleaner. And since this scent is a fave, I also use it in my all-purpose surface cleaner.
Grapefruit Glass Cleaner
16 oz. glass spray bottle
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 cup distilled water
1/2 teaspoon castile soap
20-30 drops of Grapefruit EO
Combine ingredients into a glass spray bottle and shake to mix thoroughly. Spray onto any glass surface and use "unpaper" towel in a side to side, and up and down motion until your glass sparkles.
Grapefruit All-Purpose Surface Cleaner
16 oz. glass spray bottle
1/4 cup vinegar
1 1/2 cup distilled water
30 drops of Grapefruit EO
Combine ingredients into a glass spray bottle and shake to mix thoroughly. Spray onto surface and use "unpaper" towel to wipe up. You can use this cleaner practically everywhere! I use in the bathroom, kitchen, living room, my office, and on the patio. My fave!
Melaleuca Recipe
Melaleuca is a pretty powerful essential oil. It does amazing things for your skin and that, in and of itself, makes it a staple in our home. But did you know it can also be used to clean your home? It works great to battle mildew and mold and prevents bacteria from growing on surfaces. Basically... the best shower cleaner ever!
Melaleuca Shower Mist/ Daily Cleaner
16 oz. glass spray bottle
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup distilled water
10 drops of Melaleuca EO
Combine ingredients into a glass spray bottle and shake to mix thoroughly. After each shower, shake the bottle and spray over all surfaces. No rinsing needed.
***For a deeper scrub, add 3 drops of castile soap and 3 tablespoons of baking soda to this recipe. Mix thoroughly, spray onto surface, and scrub with a sponge after about 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water.***
Side note: We were all hit with the lice bug a few years ago and Melaleuca saved our lives and our sanity! Just add 10 drops to your shampoo every time you shower to help get rid of those little pests. We also made a spray using warm distilled water and 30 drops of melaleuca to spray on our couches, pillows, mattresses, stuffed animals, etc. Definitely, keep this in mind if you find yourself experiencing this!
This one may be a little obvious, but I use White Fir (a Pine) to create my own Pine-sol floor cleaner, less the yucky chemicals. And this recipe is super easy to make!
1 cup distilled white vinegar
15 drops of White Fir EO, Douglas Fir EO or similar
warm tap water
Put the distilled white vinegar and EO to a bucket. Add warm water to the bucket (about 1 gallon). Enjoy that fresh pine scent and sparkling floors!
Thyme Recipe
Thyme is an amazing essential oil and tackles those yucky bacteria like E. coli and salmonella. I use this recipe on all my surfaces after cooking and clean my knives, utensils, and cutting boards with it.
Foam soap dispenser
Castile soap
distilled water
10 drops of Thyme EO
Fill foam soap dispenser about 1/4th of the way using castile soap, add 10 drops of Thyme EO, and fill the remainder of the bottle using distilled water. Leave a little room on top so you don't overflow when you put the pump back in. Mix gently, then place on top of your counter for everyday use.
On Guard Foaming Hand Cleanser
This is my favorite recipe for everyday cleansing, and we keep it stocked in every bathroom in our house. It foams well and smells incredible! Best of all, I added in some fractionated coconut oil to keep your hands moisturized.
Foam soap dispenser
1/3 cup castile soap
2/3 cup distilled water
1 teaspoon fractionated coconut oil (sub with olive oil if needed)
15 drops On Guard EO
Combine ingredients into a glass spray bottle and gently swirl to mix thoroughly. Be sure to swirl before each use to combine ingredients as much as possible. Separation is common as these are natural ingredients and there are no preservatives or harsh ingredients keeping them mixed. I typically do a quick swirl, then flip upside down, then back and this doesn't create too many extra bubbles.
After cleaning up, I recommend a good sage-burning ("smudging") to really freshen up your home. This is the perfect ritual to "cleanse" your space from negative energy now that all the visible smudges are cleaned up.
I hope these recipes help you live a more natural, eco-friendly life. Not only will you save money, but you can get rid of those yucky, chemical-laden cleaners from your life. What's your fave natural cleaning recipe? Leave in a comment below!
Happy cleaning,
Carley
All views expressed herein are my own. Although these recipes are a more natural way to keep your home sparkling, they can still be harmful if ingested. Keep any and all cleaning products out of reach of children and/or pets.