5 DIY Homemade Cleaners
One thing on my to-do list has been learning to make my own DIY homemade cleaners. Now, with all that’s going on in the world, it has moved up in priority.
While I haven’t actually made these myself yet, I have been gathering up the information and recipes to do so. Rather than wait, I wanted to share it here today. Not to feed into the frenzy but in case any of you are having trouble finding supplies.
Here is a list of basic ingredients for the five homemade cleaners I’m sharing. Most of these supplies you’ll probably already have on hand. I’m listing my favorite essential oils that are noted for their cleansing and disinfecting properties. You don’t need them all, one or two bottles will be enough for these recipes. One single oil can be used for various cleaning solutions.
What You’ll Need For Homemade Cleaners *
- White Vinegar (can substitute vodka, and in some cases witch hazel)
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Liquid Castille Soap (unscented)
- Fractionated Coconut Oil
- Aloe Vera Gel
Recommended Essential Oils:
- Lemon Essential Oil
- Tea Tree Essential Oil
- Eucalyptus Essential Oil
- Arborvitae Essential Oil
- OnGuard Essential Oil
Another benefit of using the oils is you can choose your favorite scent, or favorite combination of scents and use it in all of your homemade cleaners for a continuous scent throughout the house.
How To Make Hand Sanitizer
Since this seems to be the first thing that has flown off the store shelves, I thought I’d share this first. It’s really very easy to make your own! Most of us have a bottle of Aloe Vera gel around for sunburn. I happen to also have an aloe vera plant, they’re surprisingly easy to keep alive considering I haven’t killed mine yet.
- 1 Cup Rubbing Alcohol
- 1/2 Cup Aloe Vera Gel
- 15 Drops Tea Tree (Melaleuca) Essential Oil
Combine these ingredients and you can store your homemade hand sanitizer in a pump dispenser or refill any empty containers you may have.
Homemade Surface Cleaner
This homemade surface cleaner is useful for most surfaces throughout your home, like doorknobs, countertops, etc. Always test in an inconspicuous spot first.
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- 1 Cup White Vinegar
- 10 Drops Lemon Essential Oil
- 10 Drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil
- 5 Drops Tea Tree (Melaleuca) Essential Oil
I would not use the above recipe on wood. To make your own wood polish combine 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of vinegar and 10 drops of arborvitae essential oil. And to clean windows, I prefer to use my steamer. Additionally, since paper towels are in short supply it might be a good time to invest in reusable cleaning towels.
How To Make Disinfectant Spray (Like Lysol)
There is nothing I dislike more than the chemical smell of Lysol-type aerosol sprays! It’s so bad I’d almost rather take my chances with the germs! I also just read that the chemicals in these products can cause asthma in healthy people as well as cancer!
From the research I’ve done, there are several different ingredients you can use to make this. First is the one I plan to make, followed by the other options.
- 1/2 Cup Witch Hazel
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 15-20 Drops Lemon Essential Oil
- 10 Drops Eucalyptus Oil
- 10 Drops Tea Tree Oil
In place of the witch hazel, you can use either vinegar or vodka. I choose witch hazel because it’s the least offensive smell of the three options (to me). Combine all the ingredients in a spray bottle, shake it up and you’re set.
Homemade Hand Soap
I’ve made my own bar soap before, and that was a fun DIY project. Making liquid hand soap is even easier. Just mix these ingredients together and place them into a dispenser.
- 2 Tablespoons Unscented Liquid Castille Soap
- 1 Tablespoon Fractionated Coconut Oil
- 10 Drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil (or essential oil of choice)
DIY Disinfecting Wipes
Although not as awful smelling as aerosol sprays, disinfecting wipes can be harsh smelling as well.
- Paper Towels
- 2 Cups Warm Water
- 2 Tablespoons Fractionated Coconut Oil
- 3 Drops Essential Oil (On Guard is perfect for this one)
- 1-2 Tablespoons Foaming Hand Soap (you can use the hand soap recipe above for this)
You can store these in an airtight container with a lid.
For spray bottles, I love these pretty amber bottles (almost identical to the ones shown below) that come with labels so you know what you have in each of them.
For a more cost-effective solution, you could also use spray bottles from the dollar store (though not as pretty). I’ve even used painters tape for labels in a pinch.
I also really love these refillable hand soap dispensers as well as these adorable little glass jars with corks.
As far as buying essential oils, I prefer the doTerra brand for their standards. You really only need one or two bottles for all of the recipes above. However, it is a much better value to buy the kit and you’ll have an assortment. I was reluctant to do so at first, but I’ve never regretted that purchase.
In addition to making the switch to more organic cleaning products, I’ve also been adding Copaiba essential oil, to my drinks. I really don’t drink water as I should, I have a serious Diet Pepsi addiction. However, for the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to transition from the soda to sparkling water that I add the Copaiba to.
The Copaiba has a multitude of health benefits such as aiding in a healthy immune system so my timing on that was on point. It tastes pretty good with the sparkling water. Eventually, I’ll make the switch to pure water. Baby steps!
If you’d like more information on which essential oils offer what benefits, you can read my full guide to essential oils here.
*This post may contain affiliate links, you can read my full disclosure here.
Love all the advise…..thank you!
Glad you found it helpful!