Clean Up Your Act: All Natural Homemade Cleaners

The toxic store bought cleaners bearing those labels with warnings and skull & crossbone images (which can commonly be found on everything from basic toilet bowl cleaners to oven and drain solutions) sound pretty terrible. 

By contrast, some non-toxic and all natural ingredients like baking soda and vinegar are not only not corrosive, poisonous, or hazardous to your health in any way, they’re actually completely safe if ingested (after all they’re found in the kitchen and they’re 100% edible!).


Baking Soda is a great naturally abrasive ingredient with mild alkaline properties, it’s also a natural deodorizer and stain remover, and it rinses easily, is completely non-toxic (no more dangers for kids and pets licking surfaces that you’ve cleaned) and it’s extremely affordable (you can grab a 12 lb bag at Costco for next to nothing).

Vinegar is an all natural and mild acid, it’s also a known disinfectant that can remove stains, sanitize, and it’s also completely non-toxic and inexpensive (you can also grab a giant jug of it at Costco for an extremely reasonable price). It should be noted that it shouldn’t be used on stone surfaces or acetate fabrics but there are many other natural cleaning methods that work for those surfaces.

Hydrogen Peroxide is also non-toxic and is known to be a natural bleaching agent with disinfectant and stain removing properties. It’s also extremely inexpensive (just $1 for three bottles at Walgreen’s).

All Natural Tea Tree Oil And Grapefruit Oil (which have known antibacterial properties) And Lemon Juice (which naturally cuts grease and leaves a totally fresh scent) are also extremely helpful to have in your all-natural cleaning arsenal.

Liquid Castile Soap (like Dr. Bronner’s, sold at Target, Trader Joe’s, etc) is a vegetable based soap as opposed to a petroleum based one, which makes it completely non-toxic so it can be used on your face and body but will also work well when it comes to cleaning your home. It’s not quite as inexpensive as baking soda or vinegar, but a large 32 oz container is just $8.99 at Trader Joe’s.

Here are some of the all-natural homemade cleaning formulas:

Surface Spray:

• 16 oz spray bottle
• 2 tsp. borax
• ¼ tsp. liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)
• hot water

All Purpose Liquid Cleaner:

• 1 gal. hot water
• 1 tbsp. baking soda
• 2 tbsp. liquid soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)

All Purpose Abrasive Cleaner:

• liquid soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)
• 2 tbsp. baking soda

Mix to make a foamy paste.

Refrigerator Cleaner:

• 2 tbs. baking soda in 1 qt warm water

Wipe down inside and out and rinse with a clean wet cloth.

Oven Cleaner:

• Dampen with water
• Sprinkle liberally with baking soda

Leave 20 minutes, then scrub until clean.

Microwave Cleaner:

• ½ c. vinegar
• 2 c. water

Combine in microwave safe bowl, heat on high for 3-4 minutes, remove bowl and wipe down inside of microwave.

Dishwasher Detergent:

• 2 c. borax
• 2 c. baking soda
• 4 little packages of unsweetened lemon Kool-Aid (or generic)

Mix together and store. You can substitute ½ c. of citric acid for the Kool-Aid but it’s harder to find.

Gorgeously Green All-Purpose Spray:

• 32-ounce plastic spray bottle
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure castile soap (peppermint)
• 3/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
• 20 drops tea tree oil
• 20 drops of lavender essential oil

Fruit and Vegetable Wash:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 tbsp. baking soda
• 20 drops grapefruit seed extract

Spray on produce, rinse after 5 minutes.

Fruit and Vegetable Wash #2:

• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. baking soda

Spray on produce, wipe after 5 minutes.

Drain Cleaner:

• 1 c. baking soda first
• 1 c. white vinegar second
• 1 gallon boiling water

Allow to foam for 5 minutes before adding water.

Window, Glass and Chrome Cleaner:

• 5 parts water to 1 part white vinegar, OR
• 1 c. water, 1 c. vinegar, ½ tsp. castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)

Toilet Bowl Cleaners:

• Liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)
• Baking soda or borax

Scrub with a toilet brush.

Tub And Tile Cleaner:

• Apply vinegar full-strength to a sponge and wipe
• Scour with baking soda

Soft Scrub for Fixtures:

• ½ c. baking soda
• Castile soap
• 10 drops of antibacterial essential oil (optional)

Add enough castile soap until you have a frosting like consistency. Scrub, then rinse with water.

Mildew/Germ Killer:

• 2 c. water
• 25 drops of tea tree oil
• 25 drops of lavender oil

Spray on tile and do not wipe off.

Mildew/Germ Killer 2:

• 16 oz spray bottle
• 1 part hydrogen peroxide
• 2 parts water

Spray, let sit. Rinse after 1 hour.

Wood Floor Cleaner:

• ¼ c. vinegar
• 1 gal. warm water

Mop or rag should be slightly damp for cleaning.

Linoleum Floor Cleaner:

• 1 c. vinegar
• 2 gal. warm water

Mop or rag can be fully wet for cleaning.

Carpet Stain Remover:

• 1 part borax
• 10 parts warm water

Combine in spray bottle. Spray on stain, wait 5 minutes, blot with clean rag.

Carpet Stain Remover:

• vinegar
• baking soda

Mix vinegar and baking soda into a paste. Gently work into stain with a toothbrush. Let dry then vacuum completely.

Carpet Deodorizer:

• Baking soda
• 10 drops of essential oil (optional)

Mix together then sprinkle generously on carpet, wait 15 minutes and vacuum.

All-Purpose Carpet Cleaner:

After vacuuming first,

• 1 c. white vinegar
• 3 c. boiling water

Blot mixture onto nap of rug with a wet rag, Dry and air thoroughly. Vacuum.

Air Freshener:

• 2 parts water
• 1 part rubbing alcohol
• Essential oil

Mix in spray bottle, don’t spray on silks or delicates. Experiment with how much oil to add, but start with 5 drops.

Air Freshener 2:

• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice
• 2 c. hot water

Mix in spray bottle, don’t spray on silks or delicates.

Dusting:

• Slightly dampened microfiber cloth

Furniture Polish:

• ½ tsp. olive oil
• ¼ c. vinegar or lemon juice

Mix in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces.

Scratches:

• 1 part lemon juice
• 1  part vegetable oil

Rub into the scratches and polish.

Rust Remover:

• Sprinkle area with salt
• Squeeze lime onto salt

Leave sit for 2-3 hours, then scrub w/ lime rind 

Metal Polish (copper and brass):

• 2 tbsp. salt

Add vinegar until you make a paste. Rub on metal with a clean rag. Wipe clean.

Powdered Laundry Detergent:

• 1 c. grated Fels Naptha soap
• ½ c. washing soda
• ½ c. borax

For light load, use 1 tablespoon. For heavy or soiled load, use 2 tablespoons.

Liquid Laundry Detergent:

• 3 pints water
• 1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated
• ½ c. washing soda
• ½ c. borax
• 2 gallon bucket
• 1 quart hot water

Mix soap in saucepan with 3 pints of water. Heat on low until dissolved. Stir in soda and borax until thickened. Remove from heat. Add 1 quart hot water to bucket, then soap mixture, mix well. Fill rest of bucket with hot water, mix and let sit for 24 hours. Use ½ c. per laundry load.

Laundry Pre-treatment:

• ½ c. ammonia
• ½ c. white vinegar
• ¼ c. baking soda
• 2 tbsp. liquid soap or laundry detergent
• 2 quarts water

Mix in spray bottle. Spray spot.

Laundry Pre-treatment 2:

• 1 tsp. liquid laundry detergent
• 2 tbsp. ammonia
• 1 pt. warm water

Mix in spray bottle. Spray spot, let sit for 20 minutes.

Fabric Softener:

Add ½ – 1 c. vinegar to your softener dispenser

Bleach Alternative (Laundry):

• ¼ c. hydrogen peroxide