Best Homemade All Purpose Cleaner

Time to ditch your toxic household cleaners and make your own natural cleaners instead. Today I’m sharing my diy all purpose cleaner recipe. It’s the best homemade all purpose cleaner you’ll ever try!

Best DIY All Purpose Cleaner

I was cleaning my bathroom the other day and it dawned on me that I have never shared any of my diy cleaner recipes (except for my homemade thieves cleaner) with you guys.

Which is crazy to me because I love making my own cleaners. I’ve been making them and using them for over 10 years now.

When my boys were young I learned about the dangers of household cleaning products and the thought of exposing my children to toxic chemicals on a daily basis freaked me out!

So I learned to make my own cleaners with natural ingredients and I’ve never gone back.

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Dangers of Household cleaning products

Many store bought cleaning products contain dangerous chemicals. These chemicals can cause headaches, irritate the throat and eyes and cause respiratory problems. Some have even been linked to cancer.

Click here to learn more about the dangers of household cleaning products.

Dangers of Breathing in Cleaning Chemicals

Breathing in chemicals from household cleaners can cause damage to the lungs.

Studies have shown that women who work around cleaners showed greater decline in lung function than women who haven’t been exposed to cleaners on a regular basis.

You can check out the study here.

Environmental Effects of Chemicals in Cleaning Products

But household cleaners are not only harmful to your health, they’re also really bad for the enviroment.

When you use toxic cleaners to clean your sinks or showers, those chemicals are then washed down the drain.

The majority of chemicals are removed at the waste water treatment facilities but not all. And unfortunately, many of the chemicals end up in our lakes and rivers.

The plastic bottles used to store household cleaners also harm the environment by contributing to the already massive landfills.

Click here to learn more about the harmful effects of cleaning products on the environment.

harmful household cleaning products

Below are some of the most dangerous household cleaners. If you own these I would throw them out right now.

• Simple Green
• Drano
• Scrubbing Bubbles
• Aerosol Air Fresheners
• Comet
• 409

There are actually many, many more. You can visit the EWG website to find out how your favorite cleaner ranks.

And don’t let those so called “natural” cleaners fool you.

Brands such as Mrs. Meyers and Method actually use some very questionable ingredients and are not as natural as they would like you to believe.

So be sure to check out their ratings on the EWG website as well.

DIY All Purpose Cleaner Without Vinegar

This recipe does include vinegar but it isn’t completely necessary. If the smell bothers you, you can leave it out.

I’ve tested it with vinegar and without and didn’t notice a significant difference.

I prefer to add the vinegar though. I think it gives it a bit more cleaning power, especially when it comes to cleaning really yucky messes.

In my opinion, the essential oils overpower the vinegar smell. And any noticeable vinegar scent usually dissipates within 30 minutes or less.

DIY All Purpose Cleaner with Essential Oils

Like with so many of my homemade products, I like to add essential oils. The essential oils not only give the cleaner a little extra cleaning power but they also make it smell amazing!

My favorite essential oils for cleaning are lemon, orange, lavender, tea tree and peppermint. You can add which ever essential oil combinations you like best.

You can find some of my favorite combinations below in the frequently asked questions

Homemade All Purpose Cleaner Ingredients

To make this homemade all purpose cleaner you’ll need to make sure you have a 16oz glass spray bottle as well as the ingredients below.

• Distilled or filtered water
• Unscented Castile soap
• Essential oils (my favorite oil combos are below)
• Vinegar

How To Make DIY All Purpose Cleaner

This recipe literally takes 5 minutes or less to make. Just follow the simple directions below.

• add 2 tbsp of vinegar to bottle
• add 20 drops of your favorite essential oils to bottle
• fill with distilled or filtered water (leave a little bit of room for the castile soap)
• add 2 tbsp of castile soap
• add nozzle
• shake well

Homemade All Purpose Cleaner

Yield: 16 oz

Active Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Ditch your toxic household cleaners for this homemade all purpose cleaner. It's 100% natural and takes less then 5 minutes to make!

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Materials

• 16 oz Glass Spray Bottle
• Distilled or Filtered Water
• Unscented Castile Soap
• Essential Oils
• Vinegar

Instructions

1. Add 2 tbsp of vinegar to bottle
2. Add 20 drops of your favotite essential oils to bottle
3. Fill with distilled or filtered water (leave a little bit of room for castile soap)
4. Add 2 tbsp of castile soap
5. Add nozzle & shake well

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Glass Spray Bottles
• 
  Castile Liquid Soap 
• 
  Distilled White Vinegar

How to Use Homemade All purpose cleaner

Just like the name implies, this can be used for all different purposes.

I use it on countertops, floors, sinks, stovetop, refrigerator and pretty much anything else you can think of.

Just remember to shake well before each use!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use tap water instead of distilled or filtered?

I am quick to say no because I know how many chemicals and toxins can be in tap water but I will go ahead and leave that decision up to you.

I personally only use filtered water because I know how bad my tap water is and the whole purpose of this diy cleaner is to avoid toxins.

If you know your tap water is safe then by all means use that instead.

Do I have to use vinegar?

Vinegar isn’t absolutely necessary but I like to use it every time. I answered this question little more in-depth above.

Which essential oil combinations are best?

I’m constantly changing up my oil combinations. Some of my go-to combos are below.

• 10 drops tea tree & 10 drops lemon
• 10 drops lemon & 10 drops lavender
• 10 drops orange & 10 drops lemon
• 10 drops peppermint & 10 drops lemon

As you can see, I really like lemon. It’s great for cleaning!

Can I use scented castile soap?

You don’t have to use unscented castile soap. If you have a scented castile soap on hand you can totally use that.

I prefer to use unscented because I like to create my own scent combinations.

What brand of essential oils to you recommend?

I am a huge fan of Florihana essential oils. If you’ve never heard of them you can check out my Florihana essential oils review.

I also love Plant Therapy and Simply Earth.

Please don’t think you have to spend a ton of money or join an mlm (or both) to use essential oils.

In my honest opinion, mlm brand essential oils are ridicoulsly overpriced. And I should know because I used to be a part of one.

I’ve tried their essential oils which are great but the essential oil brands I mentioned above are just as great and a fraction of the price.

So save your money!

Final Thoughts

Switching out toxic household cleaners for homemade natural ones is one of the easiest ways to start eliminating toxins from your home.

A clean house should be good for your health not bad for it.

If you have any comments or questions please share below!