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One of my favorite parts of spring is scrubbing down the entire house, throwing open the windows so the breeze can come through, and hanging rugs and bedding outside. Maybe it’s weird but I just love spring cleaning. However, what I don’t love is the expensive, chemical-laden cleaning products from the store. That’s why I suggest that you spend the time to make your own cleaning products from simple, cheap, non-toxic ingredients.
Many of the chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis never leave our bodies but accumulate in fat and bone marrow. There’s little oversight and testing on those chemicals. We’re living in a toxic civilization that seems sparkling clean and sanitary but is actually poisoning us.
Cleaning products are rife with corrosive substances, irritating artificial fragrances, and petrochemicals. They can cause immediate symptoms like skin irritation, respiratory issues, allergic reactions, and eye irritation. Even worse, they can cause long-term issues like hormone disruption, brain cell death, permanent lung damage, and cancer.
It’s quick, frugal, and easy to make your own cleaning products.
That’s why I spend just a few moments of extra time making my own cleaning products, from simple, non-toxic ingredients. I order most of my basic supplies online in bulk and keep them on hand, so I can always whip them up as needed. Not only are you sparing your health, but you’ll save a lot of money with DIY products!
Here’s all you need for a clean home:
- Baking Soda (Save lots of money by buying it in bulk)
- Borax
- Vinegar
- Essential oils in your favorite scents
- Bronner’s liquid Castile soap in your favorite scent
- Non-smelly cooking oil (I get something inexpensive for this, since we won’t be consuming it)
You can make everything you need from those items. My favorite scents for cleaning products are orange, lemon, basil, pine, and eucalyptus. To me, all of those smell so nice and fresh. The combo I use most often is lemon and basil oils.
Recipes to Make Your Own Cleaning Products
With the following recipes, you can tackle just about any cleaning project in your house. So make your own cleaning products and let’s save some money and get our homes fresh and clean without all the chemicals.
How to make scouring powder
- 1-part baking soda
- 1-part borax
- Essential oil of choice
In a mason jar, mix the baking soda with the borax. Sprinkle in some essential oil. (I like citrus or mint smells for the fresh clean fragrance.) Combine the mixture well and put it in a sunny windowsill for a week to let the powders absorb the scent of the oils. If you aren’t concerned about the fragrance you can use this right away.
How to make multipurpose spray surface cleaner
This cleaner works for non-wood surfaces and glass.
- 2-parts white vinegar
- 1-part water
- Essential oil of choice
Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar and water. Add your favorite essential oils to cover the vinegar smell. Feel free to use the cheapest white vinegar you can find for this.
How to make spray wood cleaner
This one is good for wood surfaces. Mix this up as you go along because the oil can become rancid and you don’t want your beautifully polished furniture to smell bad.
- 3 parts unscented cooking oil
- 1-part vinegar
- Essential oil of choice
Yes, basically, it’s salad dressing. I like to add sandalwood essential oil to this because it’s…well, woody. Lots of folks use citrus oil to get that lemon fresh fragrance. Spray this on wooden furniture and work with the grain.
How to make hardwood floor cleaner
Your hardwoods will gleam with this cleaner. If you use it on laminate it will be slippery. This is only for real wood floors. If you have laminate floors use the cleaner recipe below.
- 16 parts hot water
- 1-part cooking oil
- 1/2-part lemon or lime juice
- Citrus essential oil
How to make non-wood floor cleaner
- 16-parts hot water
- 1-part borax
- 1/2-part Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap
- A few drops of tea tree essential oil
- A few drops of other essential oil for fragrance
If your floor is particularly greasy you can replace half of the water with white vinegar.
How to make drain cleaner
(This DIY was provided by a reader, Mimi)
- ¼ cup of Baking soda
- ¼ cup of Salt
- ¼ cup of Cream of tartar
Mix the ingredients together then sprinkle into the affected drain. Follow with 2 cups of boiling water, and then let it sit for one hour. Rinse, and your drain will be clear.
Do you make your own cleaning products?
You can also make your own cleaning products for the dishwasher, scouring powder, and laundry soap.
Do you make your own cleaning products? If so, do you use any of the recipes here? Do you have other recipes you’d like to share? What DIY ingredients do you keep on hand to whip up a batch of cleaner? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
8 thoughts on “How to Make Your Own Cleaning Products and Save Money”
I made an ‘all purpose’ cleaning spray for the kitchen and bathroom. I infused ACV (with the mother of course) with an abundance of oranges I had dehydrated. Mixed it with liquid castille soap, a bit of water, and lemon EO. Works like a charm on the glass stovetop for grease and cooked on junk. Makes the bathroom smell very fresh after cleaning.
That sounds amazing! I plan to try this myself! Thanks for sharing.
This isn’t really a natural cleaner but it is massively cheap and also very effective as an all around household cleaner. It’s a product called “Awesome.”
Comes in a really plain bottle, sometimes with a spray top or sometimes a refill version. You can buy a quart or sometimes even more for a dollar at most Dollar Stores. Grocery stores sometimes have it too, more often the ethnic ones. You can thin it out to various strengths for different purposes and I like it best for scrubbing grimy, oily surfaces.
I’ll use things like vinegar as well but sometimes I need something with a little more oomph, and still don’t want to pay a fortune. The ingredients aren’t too bad in the stuff either.
Thanks Redbranch. I have always wondered about this product. I think my Mom used to have it around the house. Next time I’m at $ Store I will have to pick some up. Maybe I’m just a bad housekeeper but I always need that little extra oomph. The only exception is the one part vinegar and one part alcohol cleaning solution in a spray bottle. I used to use it a lot and it really cuts grease but the only problem is the house smells like a salad afterwards.
My husband LOVES my homemade windshield cleaner: 1 Gal. Distilled Water, 1 T. Dish soap, 1/2C. Vinegar, 1 C. Rubbing Alcohol: Put in Gal. jug, Seal & swirl.
I make an All Purpose Cleaner: 2 T. Borax, 1/4 C. Vinegar, 2C. Hot Water: Mix in spray bottle or bucket. Apply, wipe clean. I hadn’t thought about adding Essential Oils, I will next time I refill my bottle.
My Toilet Cleaner: 1/4 C. Vinegar, 2 C. Water; Mix in spray bottle, shake, spray along inside of rim. Let sit 15 min. Scrub with brush. Same as above, next time I will add Essential Oils or Dehydrated orange peels like the post above.
Careful, borax can cause extreme allergic reactions including death…. careful what you trust on the internet…
Thyme essential oil is a natural disinfectant and mold killer. Lavendar is also disinfectant and mood enhancer. Orange boosts mood. Essential oils have way more benefit than smell. I use a thyme cleaner as my all purpose cleaner. Be sure to get REAL essential oils (plant therapy is a good less expensive brand) not the pseudo chemical frangrance oils they sell at Walmart etc. Great article!
Since more and more clothes I’ve bought in the last few years have come with “wash only in cold water” instructions … it’s worthwhile searching for the detergents (both DIY and at retail) that are cold water compatible. While I started using the ALL brand from Walmart first … I later learned of some DIY formulas as well. Since there is a benefit of using cold water washing of both energy saving and longer clothing life …
here’s one of those DIY formulas (that also works in hot water) that works either at home or at your local laundromat:
https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/how-to-make-homemade-laundry-detergent/
–Lewis