DIY Homemade Cleaners

I grew up with the smell of bleach meaning the house was clean. That smell brings back wonderful memories of coming home from school to a clean home. But as i get older and started cleaning my own home I wondered what this actually was and how i can do this better. I think i was just really overhwhelmed and honestly not interested in it for the longest time. But now that i find myself scrubbing bath tubs and cleaning all the time I have become more and more fascinated by this DIY home cleaners does it actually work? how easy can it be? well to my surprise easier than i thought and it can be done with most of the products found in your pantry and a few more things that can easily be found online i made a list of some things you will need. I made 3 types of cleaners and you can get rid of those over priced chemical filled cleaners. A big thanks to Meredith for helping me choose oils and blends to make this the most effective and best smelling cleaners!

1. Baking soda
2. Distilled white vinegar
3. Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Liquid Pure-Castile Soap
4. 2 glass spray bottles preferably two different colors so you can tell the difference between the all purpose and vinegar spray easily – note they need to be glass because the essential oils eat away at the plastic
5. A few of your favorite essential oils including at least one citrus

So now you are ready to get rid of those cleaners? but the real question do these really work? Well i am happy to report after using these cleaners for quite sometime i am so happy with the results. Vinegar has been used to clean homes all over the world for the longest time Vinegar is one of the best natural cleaning agents there is, and this is largely due to its antimicrobial properties. So why are we not using it?! For one i was nervous about the smell i did not want my bathroom smelling like salad dressing. After all i love that scent of freshly cleaned floors and counter tops the thought of replacing it with vinegar was awful. But thats where essntial oils come in they dont only smell amazing but also have a lot of natural cleaning properties especially citrus blends. This is a really great all natural way to add a fresh scent to your DIY cleaning mix while also helping fight off scum and dirt. My personal favorite is NOW essential oils

Three Mixes:

Vinegar Spray– note it cannot be used on granit and marble counter tops

• I use this spray for my bathroom or anything really stinky that needs a good cleaning. I mixed this with some of my favorite oil blends and it smells lovely. At first you may smell vinegar but it goes away quickly and by now i smell the yummy oils i mixed in. To make the spray use one part vinegar to three parts water and 20-30 drops of your favorite essential oils

Vinegar Spray Recipe

• 1 1/5 cup water
• 1/2 cup distilled vinegar
• 10 drops rosemary essential oil
• 10 drops grapefruit essential oil
• 10 drops lemon essential oil

Pour into a glass spray bottle shake it up and use it!

Bathtub Scrub– this is great for tiles, sinks and bathtubs/showers

• This is an all natural way to scrub that bathtub down! baking soda mixed with castille soap and some essential oils it will be sure to clean away dirt and soap scrum. I do this once a week and if you were to take away anything from here it would be this solution! its super easy and you probably already own baking soda, soap and essential oils! so you can do this today! To make this cleaner you want to use equal parts baking soda + soap and a few drops of oil!

Bathtub Scrub Recipe

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Liquid Pure-Castile Soap
• 3-5 drops eucalyptus essential oils

In a small/medium size bowl mix together solution. This must be used right away so dont make it in a advance. Using a sponge scrub down that tub

All Purpose Cleaner– this is a great solution for counter tops and everyday use. I leave this in the kitchen and always use it to wipe things down after eating or cooking

Super duper easy cleaner an it can be used everywhere! 1 tablespoon of soap for every cup of water and your favorite oils! this is great for kitchen counter tops little messes it also smells great! you are not only saving money but not smelling those toxic fumes that let off from your typical all purpose cleaner. I also think its kind of fun to make and design your favorite smell!

All Purpose Cleaner Recipe

• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Liquid Pure-Castile Soap
• 10 drops lavender essentail oils
• 10 drops lime essential oils

Pour into a glass spray bottle shake it up and use it!

The blends i put together are my personal favorite essential oil blends! I used NOW foods essential oils and love them. I like to use at least one citrus oil in the cleaners but other than that have fun with it- lavender is great, tee tree, eucalyptus, peppermint…you really cant go wrong and here is when you can be creative with what smells speak to you or whatever you already own!

I recommend trying this out for a few weeks and slowly getting rid of your other cleaners it can be hard at first saying good bye to bleach and all purpose cleaners but at the end of the day you will be so happy with not only the money saved but with you your kids and your family not taking in the toxic smells! I had essential oils for a long time and didnt use them because i didnt have a diffuser this is a great way to use them! another trick is putting a few drops inside the cardboard part of the toilet roll for a fresh scent every time you use the restroom! there are so many ways to use these wonderful oils without having a  diffuser i am so happy i tried them. i hope you do to! if so comment below let me know what you tried and how you like it!