How to clean your entire house naturally with homemade cleaning products
Effective antiviral cleaners you can make at home. Learn how to clean your entire house naturally with homemade cleaning products–made mostly from items from your pantry. From disinfectant to laundry detergent, check out the only recipes you need to keep your house clean while saving money. All-natural cleaners that WORK? Yep. True story. Make your own homemade household cleaning products today!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, but you will not be charged a penny extra! And mama, I never recommend products I don’t love or believe in.
I heard him screaming from the other room. Immediately I could picture the bottle of cleaner sitting on the coffee table from last night’s cleaning session.
While I was changing my younger daughter’s diaper, my two year old had found the disinfectant spray and squirted himself in the eye.
I ran out to find him crying, holding his eyes. It was the first time I had to call poison control.
Read next: How to tell if your essential oils are FAKE or the real deal
Thankfully, this story has a great ending. The disinfectant I used was an all-natural homemade one. Poison control said to just rinse his eyes and keep an eye out (ha) for any irritation.
It contained vinegar and some vodka, so of course it stung him, but he was totally fine.
Now, clearly this was a mom fail on my part, but can you imagine if this was Lysol? There are SO many warnings on cleaning labels because they’re full of toxic chemicals that are horrible for a lot of reasons–but definitely for your eyes.
This experience determined my path to continue cleaning with all natural cleaners.
If you want to AVOID exposing yourself and your family to dangerous and toxic cleaners, this post is definitely for you.
All of the household cleaner recipes I’m sharing with you are technically lickable. Now, I don’t tell you that so that you lick your cleaners.
I tell you that because it speaks to the gap in safety between normal store-bought cleaners and natural homemade cleaners.
Here’s the list of all the homemade household cleaners I make myself and how YOU can make them too!
Feel free to click on any of the cleaners you want to make and it will jump you to the homemade recipe.
Window, Glass, and Mirror Cleaner
Toilet, Sink, and Shower Cleaner
Why should you make your own homemade household cleaners?
Here are the top reasons:
1. It is very kind to your wallet
Making your own cleaning products is very budget-friendly. Using homemade cleaning products saves you a ton of money because the ingredients you purchase are CHEAP!
I’m talking cents. Pennies. Replacing your store bought cleaners with homemade cleaning products will save you a nice chunk of change every month.
For example:
My homemade laundry detergent costs $3.53 per recipe (112 loads) which equals 3 cents a load.
A jug of Tide Laundry Detergent costs about $17.94 (96 loads) which equals 19 cents per load (and it’s NOT cloth-diaper safe, fyi).
Over the course of a year, this saves my family of 6 over $60 just on laundry detergent.
2. Using natural homemade cleaners is good for your health
The chemicals that are in many store bought cleaners are extremely toxic and harmful. Studies have shown that household cleaners can cause a myriad of health problems including:
- Immune system dysfunction
- Inflammation in mucous membranes
- Damage to the airways
- Asthma
- Cancer
A note on antibacterials:
More research is showing that the bacteria that DO survive antibacterial sprays and soaps become “super bugs,” and develop anti-antibacterial abilities. This is when things get dangerous, like with MRSA and stuff. Antibacterials have their place, for sure, but I don’t want to overuse them. I want to save them for when I really need them.
Check out the references at the bottom of this page if you want to read more about this research.
3. Using homemade cleaners is good for the environment
Hey, I love this planet we’re on! I think stewarding it is a God-given responsibility.
Most store-bought cleaners use ingredients that are highly toxic, and these ingredients wreak havoc on the environment.
From polluting waterways, to causing hormone disruption in wildlife, most general cleaners are best avoided.
Note: The best resource to find out the dangers of products used in your home is the EWG website. Head there after reading this post to see how the products you use score.
When you make your own budget household cleaning products, you really do make a difference—every little bit adds up, right?
Now let’s get into how you can keep your house clean and save a ton of money by making your own cleaning products!
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make everything to clean your house:
- Baking Soda
- Washing Soda
- Baby Oxi Clean
- Vinegar
- Vodka
- Sea Salt
- Castile Soap
- Citric Acid (optional)
- Essential Oils
Some of the best I’ve found for multi-purpose cleaning include peppermint, lavender, tea tree, lemon, orange, clove, and cinnamon
Read next: How to tell if your essential oils are FAKE or the real deal
Check out how to make your own Thieves oil blend for cleaning and diffusing for only $12 a bottle versus $45!
Now onto the fun part: the DIY household cleaning products! I know you’re excited…
Really though, you should be! These are going to save you so much money. Cha-ching!
Recipes for homemade cleaning products (all natural and non-toxic)
Round up some empty bottles and containers and let’s make some homemade cleaners that won’t make you sick!
1. Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
Ingredients
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1 cup washing soda
- 1 cup salt
- 30 drops lemon and/or orange essential oil OR 1 T citric acid
Directions
- Place all of the dry ingredients in a container, ending with the salt on top if using essential oils (salt will best absorb the oils and distribute them throughout the detergent
- Drop in essential oils and shake until fully incorporated
- Use 1 T of detergent per load as normal
- Add ½ cup of vinegar to the bottom of your dishwasher every so often for extra cleaning power
2. Homemade Window, Glass, & Mirror Cleaner
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 1 cup filtered water
Directions
- Place all of the ingredients in a glass spray bottle and shake. I highly suggest using glass bottles like the ones I linked when storing anything that contains alcohol or vinegar. Both can damage plastic bottles
- Use as you would normally use window cleaner
3. Homemade Disinfectant
Ingredients
- ½ cup vodka
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 cup filtered water
- 40 drops essential oils (I like orange, peppermint, and clove, but tea-tree, lavender, and lemon are great options, too—if you have pets, just double check that the oils you’re using aren’t toxic to them)
Directions
- Fill a spray bottle with all of the ingredients, again, I highly suggest using glass bottles like the ones I linked when storing anything that contains alcohol or vinegar. Both can damage plastic bottles
- Shake before each use to incorporate the oils
4. Homemade Air Freshener
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vodka
- Essential Oils of choice (Grove is my new fave brand, but your favorite essential oils will work perfect!)
- 1 cup filtered water
Directions
- Place all of the dry ingredients in a spritzer like this and shake to incorporate them
- Spray into the air and over furniture, shaking well before each use
Some combos to get you started:
Fall Blend:
My friend Kristen over at The Blue Gate Blog posted this Fall Blend that is divine!
- In place of vodka, use Vanilla Extract (the real deal, not imitation)
- 12 drops orange EO
- 10 drops cinnamon EO
- 10 drops clove EO
Fresh Citrus Blend:
- 18 drops orange EO
- 10 drops lemon EO
- 8 drops grapefruit EO
Lavender Bliss Blend:
- 15 drops lavender EO
- 10 drops vanilla EO
- 8 drops lemon EO
We also use diffusers throughout our home for added smelly-goodness!
5. Homemade Sink, Shower, and Toilet Cleaner
Ingredients
- Baking soda in a shaker (I reuse a parmesan container)
- Essential oils of choice (like lemon, tea-tree, lavender, orange, peppermint, or clove)
- Water
Directions
- Sprinkle baking soda over area that you’re cleaning, then drop on your essential oils (usually 3-5 drops is enough for a sink or toilet bowl)
- Using a dampened cloth or a scrub brush, scrub area until clean and rinse with water
- For the toilet: I like to empty the toilet bowl first by quickly dumping a bowl of water down it (I’m not responsible for anything that might happen if you attempt this!! Watch a youtube video before trying this trick! I’m not liable if you overflow your toilet ;)). Then I sprinkle it with baking soda and EO and scrub. I let this sit on the toilet bowl as long as possible. Cleaning the toilet bowl weekly is crucial so that you don’t get a lot of build up. Giving the toilet a scrub with just water every other day helps with maintenance.
- For the shower: I like sprinkling the baking soda right onto a really wet cloth and then putting the oils on top of that o that it’s more of a paste. That makes the vertical cleaning a lot easier. For extra scummy days, adding a couple drops of castile soap or wetting the cloth with vinegar, will really help boost its cleaning power.
6. Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner
Ingredients
- 2 T castile soap
- 2 cups filtered water
- 20 drops of essential oils of choice
Directions
- Add all the ingredients to a spray bottle and shake
- My favorite combo is 12 drops of orange EO and 8 drops of peppermint EO
8. Homemade Laundry Softener
Ingredients
- 4 cups sea salt
- 20-30 drops of essential oils of choice (I’m a fan of lemon and orange)
Directions
- Place salt and essential oils in a container together and shake
- Use ½ cup per load. If your machine has a place for powder softener, add it there, or add it right into the load with the clothes before starting the wash
9. Homemade Dish Soap
Ingredients
- 1 T washing soda
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup castile soap
- 10 drops of essential oil of choice
Directions
- Boil water and pour one cup into a pourable measuring cup.
- Sprinkle in the washing soda and stir until it is dissolved.
- Allow mixture to cool slightly and then stir in castile soap and essential oil.
- Pour dish soap into dispenser (I use an old dish soap squeeze bottle).
Phew! That was a lot of recipe overload, but now you are certainly ready to clean your home on the CHEAP, man! Plus, you’re getting rid of toxins while you save money.
What are some other natural cleaners you want to see posted?
Read More Money-Saving Tips
Super simple ways to save massive amounts of Money on Meat
8 Ways to save money on Produce without coupons
How to save money and stay on budget while eating Gluten Free
Resources
If you want some more references on the danger of household cleaners, here are some articles I recommend:
Exposure to Cleaning Products Are as Bad as Pack-a-Day Smoking
I also recommend doing research on the EWG website to see how your household cleaners rank.
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