I've been wanting to make my own household cleaner for some time. I don't mind supporting Method or Seventh Generation and (until recently) would have said that you can pry my Clorox Cleanup from my salmonella-covered hands, but the idea of making my own and knowing precisely what is in that bottle is very appealing to me. Also, natural cleaners made with herbs and essential oils can disinfect thoroughly and are not known to cause antibiotic resistance. I did some research and tried a few recipes and have been absolutely flabbergasted that what I make with a few simple ingredients cleans better than storebought. Unbelievable!
Tea Tree oil has antispetic/antiobiotic properties, so I include it. I'm uncertain about the efficacy when diluted in a half-gallon of liquid. I don't have near a 5% ratio of TTO in my cleaner, but my kids are almost old enough to warrant purchase of a microscope so I will run my own little experiment on this and report back soon. Regardless, vinegar is a very effective natural disinfectant so we're good either way.
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| You probably have most of these in your kitchen already! |
Becky's All-Purpose Household Cleaner
Mix 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup white vinegar with 2 qts hot water. Add a squeeze of liquid dish soap, 1/2 tsp drops of tea tree oil and 5-10 drops of essential oil that smells good to you (lemongrass and sage are quite nice). Put in a spray bottle and feel good about cleaning. For tough grime, spray on and let it sit for a few minutes before wiping.
If you live in Nashville and want to try this, let me know and I'll be happy to make you a batch! I know it sounds odd, but I have been amazed by how well this cleans. I am also working on a spray formula with water/vinegar for cleaning hardwood floors. I refuse to use a mop bucket.
Essential oils
are fairly easy to find; I purchased mine from the Plantlife store at Amazon.com and they combined shipping for several small bottles.
Update from Spring 2014: I started making this with castile soap vs. plain dish soap, and found that it separated. As it turns out, mixing castile soap directly with vinegar actually de-saponifies it, based on this post from Lisa at the Dr. Bronner blog. So, for now, I will stick with unscented dish soap.
Essential oils
are fairly easy to find; I purchased mine from the Plantlife store at Amazon.com and they combined shipping for several small bottles.Update from Spring 2014: I started making this with castile soap vs. plain dish soap, and found that it separated. As it turns out, mixing castile soap directly with vinegar actually de-saponifies it, based on this post from Lisa at the Dr. Bronner blog. So, for now, I will stick with unscented dish soap.
I have been using Method's all purpose cleaner but you have inspired me to try vinegar/water again. Maybe adding the essential oils will help with the smell. For all of our hard surface floors (vinyl and sealed hardwood) I use the Shark steam mop. It is amazing and only uses water to clean!
ReplyDeleteI have had a steam mop recommended before! I have more carpet than not currently though and have been going back and forth about justifying the purchase of some kind of carpet cleaning machine...I was toying with the Bissel little green machine.
ReplyDeleteThe scent of the cleaner with some lemongrass/sage essential oils is quite pleasant, in my opinion.
Wow, another great post!
ReplyDeleteBecky Fowler, I hearby declare you to be the new Martha Stewart (and gorgeous, to boot)!!
Thanks so much for the recipe. It's ironic, but after reading the incredible book "Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style", I've been meaning to do a search on recipes for natural cleaners (that smell good). But now I can just rely on your expertise!
My mum makes her own cleaner, too, but I have never liked the scent of ... I think it's sage? ... that is left behind, so I really love the idea of using lemongrass!
I'm going to make some THIS WEEKEND!! :-D
Hi Becky,
ReplyDeleteReferenced your blog and this cool post in my Earth Day Reading Project post today. Keep up the excellent work.
I'm so glad I finally made my way to your blog, Becky! I've made my own cleaners in the past and they were, well, okay. I think I'll try the addition of baking soda now. Thanks! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Becky! I just used your all-purpose cleaner that we purchased today at the Kingston Springs Farmers and Artisans Market and I immediately had to get on here to let you know that you've got something here! I could take a bath in this stuff! It smells DIVINE! And it does a great job cleaning my well-loved kitchen :) Thank you for sharing your incredible product! I will be sure to visit you early next time around so I can get more than one bottle before you sell out! - Erica (Fresh+Local)
ReplyDeleteThanks Erica! I'm so glad you love it as much as I do.
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