Homemade Multi-Purpose Cleaners | Adding Essential Oils

My husband and I recently had a discussion about the amount of cleaners under our kitchen sink. There seems to be a cleaner for everything, but after reading the ingredient labels we just don’t feel good about using them or even having them in the house anymore.

We have been on a mission for effective & efficient homemade cleaners that aren’t toxic to our children or the environment. My goal was to find one cleaner to do many jobs. This is one of my favorites so far.

cleaning-productsMulti-Purpose

Be sure to wear rubber gloves with using ammonia.

Recipe #1:

1/4 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 cup household ammonia
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 gallon warm water

  • Mix ingredients and store in tightly-capped container.
  • Can be used for cleaning counter tops, appliances, tile flooring, etc.

After using homemade cleaners au naturel for some time I grew tired of the strong vinegar and ammonia smell. I wanted my house to smell fresh and clean… to me that’s not vinegar or ammonia. I found organic, food grade and perfume grade essential oils at LiveTru (can you tell I’m looking into making other items at home? Smile ) to add a more pleasant smell to my cleaners.

Adding a few drops of essential oil to homemade cleaner gives it a fresh scent and (to me) a more pleasant experience using it. Once I found essential oils and played with them in my multi-purpose cleaner I decided to try it in my homemade laundry soap. Although this recipe is for the powdered variety you can still use essential oils to scent it. Try adding a couple of drops on your scoop right before use or if you want an entire batch scented the same add the oils to the batch, close it in a tight container and shake away.

Have you found a recipe for a homemade cleaner that does it all?

How about one that does a  fabulous job at its intended purpose?  

Comments

  1. Jill A. Collins says

    I’ve been teaching and studying essential oils for years. It is amazing when you really delve into their biochemical properties, just how healing, but also how anti-microbial they actually are. Not to mention they smell wonderful too. Just be careful in touching them directly (without diluting first) since some with a high phenol content, like oregano, can chemically burn the skin. Also, never rub your eyes after handiling oils without washing your hands first. They are readily absorbed through the mucus membranes of the body and will also burn you that way.

  2. I hate buying all different kinds of smelly cleaners. I will have to try your cleaner mixture.

  3. Marlena Curley says

    I love to use lemon juice with baking soda to make a paste for tough scrubbing jobs. The best part about it is that it already smells great! Tho I do also use vinegar and that is a much less pleasant smell. Maybe I should try some essentials oils… thanks for the tip!

  4. Thanks for the info, I’d love to try this!!

  5. I can’t wait to try this cleaner. I am 53 and just now learning to make my own laundry soap, fabric softener and different cleaners. It is not only cost saving but a pride that you have made something of your own and taking charge of your life and financial areas. I think we need to teach our children that you don’t aways have to go to the store to get it. I am talking about from sewing to, cooking to being more frugal with our money. Just wish I had done this sooner in my life.

  6. Jennifer Hedden says

    This is such a great idea. I have always wanted to make my own cleaners. Thank you for sharing!

  7. Lindsay Coffman says

    I am in the same boat with you on this one! I’ve been trying to phase out all the cleaners under our sink & slowly replace them with just one natural cleaner (or make my own) that’s safe for our family.

  8. Shirley says

    Sounds much better than the commercially available chemical laden stuff.

  9. Deb says

    Awesome info!! Can’t wait to try them.

  10. sheri grennille says

    does this cleaner stay effective over time?

  11. Lyn says

    This is really a good idea, especially with young children in the house. Love it that my daughter is trying to go as green as possible.

  12. Krista U. says

    I love the idea of mixing your own cleaning solutions! Buying them can get so expensive. Thanks for the recipe, I’ll have to try it out sometime!

  13. url says

    I like it when folks come together and share opinions.
    Great site, keep it up!

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