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It’s high time we make a natural house cleaner. Using natural cleaning products is a great way to save money, reduce waste, live more naturally. This 3-ingredient DIY all-purpose house cleaner is great for cleaning nearly any surface with simple ingredients.
This post was originally published in August 2019
It has been over nine years since I began incorporating natural products into my home and daily routine. Starting with homemade laundry soap and moving on to making homemade shampoo, homemade conditioner, and even DIY body washes.
The goal was to switch every product in my home to an all-natural, homemade version. It was quite overwhelming at first.
But slowly, one item at a time, I finally met my goal! This homemade all-purpose cleaner recipe is one of the simplest DIYs to make and use if you’re just starting out.
Table of Contents
Why Use Natural Cleaning Products?
- Eco-friendly: Making your own cleaning products reduces waste! You can make your spray in a reusable glass bottle and skip the single-use plastic. Natural cleaning products also use eco-friendly ingredients that are gentle on the Earth.
- Natural ingredients: I like to know exactly what I’m cleaning my home with and keep it as natural as possible. Making my own all-purpose cleaner does just that!
- Save money: You can save so much money by making your own cleaners. This recipe uses just a few inexpensive ingredients, which will save a lot in the long run.
Ingredients
Vinegar
Vinegar is an excellent cleaner. The acidity in vinegar makes it effective in dissolving soap scum (like in this DIY soap scrum remover), hard water stains, mineral deposits, and detergent residue.
With a number of different kinds of vinegar out on the market, I would suggest sticking with white vinegar for cleaning, as I do in my homemade window cleaner. It doesn’t contain any coloring agents and has a slightly higher acidity than other vinegars.
Vinegar shouldn’t be used on every surface, such as granite and marble. It can ruin natural stone, so be careful with this. Use a specific cleaner, such as this homemade granite cleaner, instead.
Lemon essential oil
Lemon oil is found in many of my homemade cleaners, from homemade cleaning wipes to DIY toilet bombs. It is a natural cleansing agent that can help tackle stickiness, grease, and grime.
Feel free to stick with lemon in this cleaner, or see the list below for other recommendations.
For a 16-ounce spray bottle, I use up to 25 drops of essential oils. You can adjust this according to the amount of cleaner you are making.
Water
Water is crucial for many DIY products. In fact, it is found in most conventional products as well. The water in this recipe is necessary to dilute both the vinegar and essential oils properly.
Distilled water is best for this all-purpose cleaner; it will make the product last longer by reducing bacterial growth. Tap water can also work, but be aware that if you have hard water, it may leave white streaks on the surfaces being cleaned.
How to Make All-Purpose Cleaner
Step 1. Fill a 16-ounce glass spray bottle halfway with white vinegar.
Step 2. Add your desired amount of lemon essential oil, or a blend of your choice.
Step 3. Fill the bottle the rest of the way with water.
Step 4. Shake well and you’re ready to start cleaning!
Essential oils for cleaning
Typically, citrus oils are my go-to for cleaning because of their cleansing properties and refreshing scent. You can learn more about this in my citrus oil highlight.
Each of the following oils also makes a great DIY all-purpose house cleaner:
- Lemon
- Lime
- Wild Orange
- Grapefruit
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Cinnamon
- Clove
- Tea Tree
- Lavender
- Peppermint
Essential Oil Blends for Cleaning
I’ll be the first to tell you: nine times out of ten, I’ll reach for the lemon essential oil when making this all-purpose vinegar spray. It covers up the vinegar scent quite nicely! But, occasionally, I will mix and match. Below are a few of my favorite blends. Simply use equal parts of each oil in each blend.
- Wild orange, lemon, lime
- Rosemary and lemon
- Thyme, lemon, lime
- Lime, lavender, clove
- Cinnamon, clove, wild orange
- Tea tree, lavender, lemon
- Thyme and lemon
- Peppermint and lemon
- Lavender and peppermint
How to Use All-Purpose Cleaner
Always give your cleaner a good shake before each use.
Mist the cleaner onto any soiled surface, such as countertops, bathroom vanities, mirrors, windows, and floors. DO NOT use it on any natural stone, such as marble or granite, since the vinegar can weaken and penetrate the protective sealant.
This stuff really is all-purpose. I use it for almost all my cleaning, and it even works great on vehicle windshields and mirrors, leaving no streaks.
For heavily soiled surfaces, soap scum, or hard water stains, allow the mixture to sit for several minutes before wiping it with a clean microfiber towel.
Tips for Switching to Natural Cleaners
Begin by making a list of items you want to replace, then begin with one at a time. Don’t think you have to make this switch overnight or worry about all the conventional products still in the home.
Set a goal. Maybe it’s just one a week, but over the course of several months, you can easily have nearly every item swapped out.
How to Store Natural Cleaners
Store your cleaners in glass bottles. Any cleaner, beauty product, room spray, etc. that has essential oils in it should be stored in a glass container. Over time, essential oils can break down most plastics, so glass is always best.
In addition to glass, store out of direct sunlight and in amber or blue-colored bottles. Essential oils can lose potency when stored in clear bottles or in direct sunlight.
Recipe FAQs
The simple answer is yes, natural cleaners work. There may be a time or two when you’ll need to put a little extra elbow grease into your cleaning, but it’s worth it to save money, reduce waste, and use only natural ingredients.
If stored properly, all-purpose cleaner should last around 6 months.
I hope you enjoyed this DIY! It’s one of my favorites, and I use it all the time. If you’re looking for more, I recently made a similar recipe for a homemade porch screen cleaner that I absolutely love—be sure to check it out next!
Related DIYs
- DIY Anti-Mold Spray
- How to Clean Wood Stove Glass
- DIY Beeswax Furniture Polish
- Homemade Ant Repellent.
- Homemade Furniture Dusting Spray
- Homemade Trash Can Deodorizer
- Homemade Grout Cleaner
- Homemade Shower Cleaner
If you tried this DIY All-Purpose House Cleaner or any other tutorial on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
DIY All-Purpose Cleaner
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20-25 drops lemon essential oil
- 8 ounces vinegar
- Water
Instructions
- Add lemon oil to the spray bottle.
- Fill halfway with vinegar and the rest of the way with water.
- Secure sprayer top and shake well.
Video
Notes
- Shake well before each use.
- To use, mist the cleaner onto any soiled surface, such as countertops, bathroom vanities, mirrors, windows, and floors, then wipe with a cloth or paper towel.
- DO NOT use it on any natural stone, such as marble or granite, since the vinegar can weaken and penetrate the protective sealant.
- For heavily soiled surfaces, soap scum, or hard water stains. Allow the mixture to sit for several minutes before wiping it with a clean microfiber towel.
- Store in a glass bottle out of direct sunlight. This cleaner should last around 6 months.
- Check out the post above for more essential oil options.
Is this a disinfectant?
The oils used in this do have cleansing and purifying properties, making it great for cleaning!
Hello and congratulations on your work!
I tried the recipe and I am very satisfied with the result. However, I want to ask you this: although I used 25 drops of orange essential oil in a 450ml container (filled with the water/ white vinegar mix), the cleaner still smells like vinegar. Is it supposed to be this way, or is there maybe something wrong with the ingredients? I added the oil last, instead of first in the glass container.
Thank you
I am so glad you like it! Yes, that is normal. You can add more essential oils if you prefer.
Hi Laura,
Have you ever considered writing a book with your all natural cleaning tips? I often pick a book over online, but you have great content
Hi Laura, I want to make my own all purpose cleaner and have looked at several. Some sites suggest using Castile soap also in their all purpose cleaner and some use baking soda instead of vinegar. Can you please share your thoughts on this? I can get so overwhelmed with choices that I end up doing nothing. Please help!
I find this recipe to work so well for a true all-purpose cleaner! It works well for everything. I find that the added castile soap doesn’t work for windows, glass, or mirrors.
Hi Laura, I just listened to your podcast last night with your sister and heard this recipe. I am wondering if you have indoor cats? We just got a cat and I am wanting to keep him off my kitchen bench and thought this might be a good cleaner and also deterrent for my benches but also don’t want to hurt him with the Lemon E Oil. Thanks for your time! Naomi
We do not have any indoor pets. I have a blog post all about using essential oils with animals that you can check out!
Easy and affordable
I’d love to know if you’ve had problems with vinegar cleaner trusting things? My stainless steel extractor hood rusted after I’d used a vinegar cleaner, I assume I hadn’t rinsed it off thoroughly enough?
I have never had any issues and use it daily!