I have been making my own homemade cleaning supplies for a few years now and absolutely love them and they work so well. Reusable wipes would have to be my favourite. Initially it was to save money, as the cost of cleaning product added up quickly at the checkout. However, over time I could see the benefits DIY cleaning products were having on my family (3 out of 5 have sensitive skin with psoriasis and eczema), as some store-purchased products can irritate the eyes and skin. So over the past few years, I have started to reduce the amount of chemicals I use around the home, replacing most of my commercial products with homemade versions.
There are natural solutions to almost every cleaning tasks. I haven’t shared all my recipes on the blog yet, but I will over time. Here are my favourite Natural DIY cleaning products:
- All purpose cleaner
- Re-useable Antibacterial Wipes
- Linen Cupboard Deodoriser
- Fridge Cleaner
- Floor Cleaner
Making your own homemade cleaning products really is easy. Surprisingly you will find you have most ingredients already in your kitchen.
BAKING SODA
Baking soda, also known as bicarb powder, is an ideal deodoriser. In addition, it’s also an effective antiviral agent that can eliminate grease and grime, especially when used together with vinegar. Use the bicarb/baking soda you find in the baking aisle.
WHITE VINEGAR
The natural acidity in vinegar makes it a great natural anti-fungal and antibacterial to disinfect, cut through grease, de-scale, clean glass and so much more. There are so many different ways to clean with vinegar. Use the white vinegar you find in the dressing/sauces isle at the supermarket. I always choose homebrand.
ESSENTIAL OIL
Essential oils help to refresh the air to give a more pleasant smell. However, there are many more benefits than just making your home smell nice. Add some essential oils like lavender or tea tree oil into any natural cleaning recipe for an antibacterial effect that smells lovely and fresh (read more here). Join my Facebook group The Organised Housewife – Essential Oils.
Some of the best essential oils for cleaning are:
- Lemon
- Lavendar
- Eucalyptus
- Tea Tree
- Wild Orange
I use doTERRA Essential Oils. You can purchase oils at 25% discount, there’s no minimum spend and there’s never any obligation to make another purchase if you don’t want to. You do NOT need to place an order every month or on-sell to friends or family. You simply get to save 25%.
Read more: How to buy DoTERRA Essential Oils and join The Organised Housewife – Essential Oils facebook page.
DETERGENT
Preferably PH neutral, fragrance free and septic tank safe. This will help lift dirt and grime. You can find at your local supermarket – Earth Choice, Fragrance-Free Morning Fresh (ph neutral) and ecostore.
SALT
Use your standard table salt as an effective scouring agent. Pour salt mixed with hot water down the kitchen sink regularly to deodorise and keep grease from building up. Mix salt with Lemon essential oil and use to remove stubborn coffee and tea cup stains. Coupled with baking soda and vinegar, this makes a really good abrasive cleaner.
BORAX
Powdered borax is white, consisting of soft colourless crystals that dissolve easily in water. It is an important boron compound, a mineral and a salt of boric acid. Borax can be found at some supermarkets, however I found mine at Bunnings. Many question if borax is natural, I have done so much research and can’t find anything to prove it’s not. My personal opinion is that it is safe to use within my cleaning products. It’s very effective and I just love how my homemade all-purpose cleaner can clean just about everything.
CLOTHS
I use micro-fibre cloths as they are reusable. Simply throw them into the wash and hang on the line to dry. I use paper towel for the really grotty cleans such as wiping grease, pet puddles and around the toilet.
SPRAY BOTTLES
To make your homemade cleaners, you are going to need spray bottles. I am trialling a few different ones at the moment and will share details after I have spent some quality time using them (one has failed my test). However, you can find bottles at the grocery store and Kmart. There is a debate that glass is better, especially when you are using essential oils. However, I prefer to use plastic as I knock my bottles over all the time and would worry glass would break.
12 comments
Do you make, or have recipe.for homemade laundry powder.?
Bronwyn, no this is one thing I don’t make myself yet. However, would love to know if anybody can recommend a recipe 🙂
Stainless steel spray bottles are a great option. They don’t break when you drop them, they are light and they aren’t plastic! (Although the sprayer is of course)
Laundry Powder
• 1 bar of soap (eg. Palmolive Naturals Pomegranate OR I use 1 cup Lux soap flakes)
• 1 cup borax
• 1 cup washing soda
• 1 cup bicarb soda
Grate your soap of choice with a hand grater. Mix with borax and washing soda. To get it to combine better, rather than settling in layers, whiz for a few seconds in a food processor. Wash utensils well after making. This is suitable for a front loader or a top loader machine. Use two tablespoons per load.
OR
Borax-free Washing Powder
1 bar of sunlight or velvet soap, cubed (again 1 cup Lux soap flakes)
1 cup of washing soda
1 cup bi carb soda
1/2 cup of salt
1/4 cup of citric acid
20-30 drops of essential oil, optional
Place soap into bowl.
Blitz slowly up to speed 9 until very fine. Approximately 20 secs. Scrape down.
Note: You want this to be a super fine dust so that it dissolves easily in cold water. If you are a warm/hot washer it won’t matter if its slightly coarser.
Place everything into the bowl.
Blitz on speed 6 for 30 seconds.
You just want to break down the ingredients slightly and ensure they are well combined especially the essential oil.
Store in an airtight container.
Amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing Susie 🙂 I will have to give this a try.
Hi Katrina, where did you get the clear plastic spray bottles?
Hi Janet, Stay tuned… I hope to have these available soon
Hi All, I’m interested to know if anyone has a proven liquid washing detergent recipe using essential oils? Thanks
I’m interested in this too!
Fantastic way to empower oneself, by making your own cleaners also because almost every commercial ‘soapy’ cleaner is made with Palm Oil (including almost EVERY baked good and biscuit). So many strong reasons to avoid using all Palm Oil products (no such thing as ‘sustainable palm oil either) and derivatives too (most “palmate” are palm oil). I could go on about the carbon gassed off into the atmosphere when palm oil plantations are created by digging up the rainforests but most people just want to hear about the Orang-utan babies. Regardless, thank you for shining a light for the mainstream to be guided by! Power to you all
Hi Katrina, do you use the all purpose cleaner to clean your toilets or do you have a different recipe that you use? Thank you!
My kids also suffer from eczema so I am always on the search for using natural products instead of chemicals. Thank you.