DIY: Simple all-purpose cleaner for your nontoxic home
Even before I studied Holistic Nutrition, I’d always invested in a holistic lifestyle, so natural cleaning supplies were quite familiar to me. I knew I didn’t need all those fancy bottles and unfriendly ingredients to clean my home.
We’ve pretty much been brainwashed to think that cleaning is a complicated situation - that it’s necessary to have different products for every area that we clean in our homes. The truth is, it’s quite simple - and a hell of a lot cheaper than you think!
Many of the chemicals found in popular home cleaning supplies have the potential to cause respiratory problems, certain cancers, and even disrupt hormones in our body. On top of that, when these products are washed down the drain, they are attaching themselves to microplastics that guess what … end up back in our food chain. Yup! It’s a vicious cycle, and it’s hurting us all.
Let’s keep plastics out of the landfills, toxins away from our systems, and put money back in our pockets.
Vinegar and soap have been my go-to cleaners for as long as I can remember. Here's an easy cleaning DIY for an all-purpose cleaner that you can use on mirrors, bathroom sinks, tile and countertops.
Basic all-purpose cleaner:
- 1 part water
- 1 part vinegar
Don't like the smell of vinegar and want a scented cleaner? You can add your own essential oils or even use citrus peels before composting.
I place the skin of one or two pieces of citrus in a mason jar, add vinegar and let it soak for about a week. Then I place equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Viola!
My favourite essential oils to use for cleaners are; lemon, lemongrass, grapefruit or tea tree.
If you have granite or marble countertops, you’ll want to stay away from vinegar because the acidity can eat away at the surface.
Here’s an alternative if you’ve got granite or marble surfaces:
- 1 tablespoon castile soap
- 1 cups of water
Either recipe then needs to be mixed in a glass bottle. Check out our Recap Mason Jar Sprayer to simply add a spray nozzle to any mason jar you have. Otherwise, you can also reuse any plastic spray bottles you've already got.
Vinegar is also helpful as a deodorizer, to unclog drains, as a fabric softener, stain remover and is great for stainless steel appliances!
For the toilet bowl and tub, I use baking soda and castile soap (or dish soap). First, I use the all-purpose cleaner to spray the tile and tub about 15 minutes prior so it’s easier to get the grime off, and then continue with the baking soda and soap.
If you clean frequently, you shouldn’t have to use heavy cleaners. Use old towels as rags, and Swedish sponges instead of paper towels, plus they’re great for stainless steel and can soak up triple the amount of water. Purchase durable, compostable cleaning supplies to avoid toxic and synthetic products AND more trash.
What are your natural cleaning tips? Leave your comments below.
No longer wasted,
Jenn