All Natural DIY Cleaners

Following my post about my home cleaning routine, I’ve had a few conversations with people regarding cleaning products. Yes, I am now at that age where I have those conversations more regularly than I’deverimaginede. For the longest time I’ve always associated a clean home with the scent of bleach and toxic chemicals…preferably that lemon scent.

I have tried a variety of store-bought “all-natural cleaners” but I just never felt like I was getting the same cleaning power out of them. Some even left a greasy residue and it drove me mental. So in the past couple of weeks, I have been playing around with making different concoctions and seeing what has the most cleaning power, all from ingredients that I already had around the house. My main issue was trying to make a recipe that did not have an overpowering vinegar smell. To be honest, I dislike the scent of vinegar so much and having that lingering smell all over my home was not an option. Thankfully, that is where essential oils played a huge role.

So why did I want to do this post and really ‘go green’ with all my cleaning products? it was after watching a segment on television where they were talking about VOCs in your home. What are VOCs? They are volatile organic compounds that are found in most traditional cleaning products. They are especially dangerous for people who deal with asthma and many chronic respiratory conditions. The continued use of these can cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and it is especially dangerous around children and even pets.

The other perk of making your own cleaning products is that you can save quite a bit on cash. So here are recipes for 4 cleaning products that you can make at home that I swear by.

Liquid Hand Soap

• 3/4 cup of Castile Soap

• 3/4 cup of distilled water

• 1 tablespoon of vitamin E oil

• 1 tablespoon of a nourishing oil like almond oil or jojoba oil

• 10-15 drops of tea tree oil

• 5-10 drops of lavender essential oil

Add water to the soap pump first to prevent bubbles, then the Castile Soap and oils. Give it a gentle shake to mix all the ingredients and you are set. Give it a little shake every few days since the ingredients will separate if it sits too long.

You could also do different variations of essential oils for the bathroom or kitchen. I like to use Bergamot and Lemon in the kitchen because it has that fresh and clean scent.

Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner

• ¼ cup of washing soda (yes washing soda, not baking soda)

• 1 cup of white vinegar

• ¼ cup of vodka

• 3 drops of liquid castile soap

• 4 drops of tea tree oil

• 4-6 drops of essential oil of your choice for scent (optional…but I suggest you use it because if I come over and it smells like vinegar and you tell me you made a DIY cleaner from this recipe..we are going to have a problem)

I personally really liked using lemon or grapefruit essential oil for this cleaner.

To make this cleaner, bring the vinegar to a boil (either in a microwave or stove-top)  and add the washing soda and mix until totally dissolved. Once room at temperature, add castile soap, tea tree oil, vodka, and essential oil in a jar and give it a shake. When you’re ready to use, mix one part of his cleaner to four parts of water in a bucket to mop your floors, wipe down counters/cupboards or add some to a spray bottle and fill with water for a multipurpose kitchen and bathroom cleaner.

Laundry Soap

• 2 cups of soap flakes

• 1 cup of baking soda

• 1 cup of borax power

• 1 cup of washing soda (not baking soda)

I was told that you can buy soap flakes online, but it’s so easy to do at home. Just grate a bar of soap (natural, fragrance and colour free) on the large-hole side of a grater. I’m all about being efficient, so just cut into chunks and grate in a food processor and voila.

Mix all ingredients in a plastic or glass container. For top-loading machines add 1/2 cup for small loads, 1 cup for medium and 2 cups for heavily soiled clothing.

For high-efficiency machines, use 2-4 tablespoons depending on the size of the load. Don’t add any more or else you’ll be hosting your own foam party.

Glass and Mirror Cleaner

• 1 teaspoon of dish soap

• 1/2 cup of white vinegar

• 2 cups of water

Place all the ingredients in a spray bottle and use directly on windows and mirrors. Unfortunately, there was no escaping the scent of vinegar. Adding oils would just create a residue, but this mixture works well enough that I can look past that…for now.

Do you have any favourite DIY or store-bought all-natural cleaning products?