How to Make Homemade Cleaner With Simple Ingredients

Updated: Feb. 01, 2024

Not only will natural cleaners make your life better, they will virtually eliminate that bad smell in the house and they're surprisingly inexpensive to create.

Make your own homemade cleaner natural home cleanersfocal point/Shutterstock
If you're wanting to pitch those toxic, commercial household cleaners and switch to natural, homemade cleaner, these simple recipes will have you cleaning green in no time. Not only will natural cleaners make your life better, they will virtually eliminate that bad smell in the house and they're surprisingly inexpensive to create.

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 Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner homemade cleaning solutionM. Show/shutterstock
Try using this homemade all-purpose cleaner on counter tops and surfaces to disinfect and freshen your home. This homemade cleaning solution recipe includes vinegar, which removes stains and odors, and anti-microbial essential oils to keep your home germ free.

Ingredients for homemade cleaning solution:

  • Spray bottle
  • Small funnel
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons baking soda
  • Tea tree essential oil
  • Eucalyptus essential oil

Instructions:

  1. Take the top off of an empty spray bottle, place a small funnel into the opening and pour in 1/2 cup of white vinegar.
  2. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda, and wait for the foaming to subside.
  3. Add in 10 drops each of tea tree and eucalyptus essential oil.
  4. Fill the rest of the bottle with water.
  5. Screw the spray top onto the bottle, and shake well before use.

Simple Cleaner Soft Scrub 

Simple Soft Scrub clean white sink simple cleanerPaul Biryukov/Shutterstock
Industrial soft scrub cleaners can contain strong chemical ingredients, but you can get your tub and shower just as clean with homemade cleaner. This simple soft scrub recipe will clean a bathroom faster and better and uses a mixture of baking soda and vinegar, which will dissolve hard mineral deposits and easily cut through soap scum.

 Simple Cleaner Ingredients:

  • Empty dish soap bottle
  • Small funnel
  • 1 1/2 cups baking soda
  • 1/2 cup liquid Castile soap
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • Tea tree essential oil

Instructions:

  1. Take the cap off of an empty dish soap bottle. Make sure that you wash out the empty dish soap bottle well before using it to make soft scrub cleaner.
  2. Place a small funnel into the opening of the bottle, and pour 1 and 1/2 cups of baking soda, 1/2 cup of liquid castile soap, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water into the bottle. Wait for the foaming to subside.
  3. Screw the cap onto the bottle, and shake it vigorously for around 2 minutes.
  4. To use, squeeze the simple soft scrub cleaner onto the surface, and scrub using a wet washcloth or cleaning brush.

Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Natural Toilet Bowl CleanerDmitry Kalinovsky/Shutterstock

Many commercial toilet bowl cleaners use chlorine bleach, but not this natural toilet bowl cleaner. Instead, castile soap and baking soda get the job done. Plus, you won’t have to worry about accidentally exposing your pets or children to toxic toilet water.

Ingredients:

  • Large squirt bottle
  • Small funnel
  • 1/3 cup liquid Castile soap
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons baking soda
  • Lemon essential oil
  • Eucalyptus essential oil
  • Lavender essential oil

Instructions:

  1. Take the top off of a large squirt bottle, which you can find at most home improvement stores.
  2. Place a funnel into the opening of the bottle, and pour in 1/3 cup of liquid castile soap, 2cups of water and 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Wait for the foaming to subside.
  3. Add in 5 drops each of lemon, eucalyptus and lavender essential oils, which both freshen and disinfect.
  4. Screw the cap into the squirt bottle, shake well and squirt into the toilet bowl.
  5. Allow the homemade cleaner to sit for a few minutes, then use a toilet brush to scrub the bowl clean. Looking for greener options? Check out these eco-friendly cleaning products.

Homemade Window Cleaner

Homemade Window CleanerAfrica Studio/shutterstock
Forget using chemical cleaners to wash windows. They’ll look clean as a whistle with this all-natural homemade window cleaner, which uses vinegar and cornstarch to buff those fingerprints away.

Ingredients:

  • Empty spray bottle
  • Small funnel
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 cups water
  • Lemon essential oil
  • Grapefruit essential oil

Instructions:

  1. Take the top off of an empty spray bottle, place a small funnel into the opening and pour in 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 cups of water.
  2. Add in 5 drops each of lemon and grapefruit essential oils.
  3. Screw the spray top back onto the bottle, and shake well before use.

Looking for a green way to clean your wood floors? Find out how to clean hardwood floors with natural products.