A typical all purpose cleaner is full of toxic chemicals, including artificial fragrances. These things are said to be unsafe for everyone, pets and babies included. Finding a non-toxic all purpose spray can be expensive when it’s so easy to make at home and much less expensive!
This cleaner can be used for everything, it is truly an all-purpose cleaner. I use it on my glass stovetop, vinyl floors, countertops, cabinets, literally everything!
Note: This recipe uses white vinegar, there is controversy about whether vinegar is safe on real hardwood floors. I have vinyl flooring in my home so this is not a concern for me. My mom has real hardwood floors and has been using this cleaner for many years and never had an issue. It is really up to you whether it’s something you want to try or not!
Vinegar for Cleaning
You might feel unsure about using vinegar due to the smell, however, when vinegar dries it is scentless. Adding in the lemon essential oil allows the fresh citrus scent to stick around once the cleaner has dried on the surface and the vinegar smell should be completely gone!
Essential Oils for Cleaning
Any essential oil is fine to clean with, however, there are a few in particular that are great for cleaning.
Essential Oils for Fighting Germs:
If there is a cold going around your house and you want to disinfect your surfaces, this Germ Fighter oil blend is great.
Wanting to avoid an illness that is going around? Try this Immunity Blend oil in your all-purpose cleaning spray!
This Respiratory support oil blend is great for those nasty viruses that hit your household!
You can buy a bundle with all of these oils right HERE, I suggest keeping them on hand for many things, including to use in the all-purpose cleaning spray. You can even use all three oils in your spray at once!
Tea Tree Oil is also great for fighting germs, this study found that using tea tree oil can kill the influenza virus up to two hours after exposure. Talk about powerful!
Essential Oils for Pests:
If you’ve read some of my other posts, you might remember that I live in the south, Tennessee to be exact. This means, BUGS! RODENTS! PESTS! it is a serious problem here. I use these essential oils for pests all the time, many times I sprinkle them outside around the back patio to deter pests as well.
Peppermint essential oil for pests is truly one of the best. Every winter we get mice in our garage since it is warmer in there than outside. This year, I sprinkled peppermint essential oil all over the garage and the mice left after a few days. I also love to use peppermint essential oil in an all-purpose cleaning spray when I notice more insects around, usually during spring and summer.
Eucalyptus essential oil for pests is also a great option. If you haven’t checked out my bug repellent candle recipe, you should! In the bug repellent candle, I always combine peppermint, eucalyptus, and citronella. Eucalyptus in particular is known for repelling rats.
Citronella essential oil for mosquitos is another option you can add to the all-purpose cleaning spray. Before we put up a back door screen to keep mosquitos out, you can get one here, mosquitos were a big problem inside our house. If you have this problem too, simply add citronella essential oil to your spray and clean as usual. The smell should help deter more mosquitos from coming inside.
Do you have a problem with ants? Cinnamon essential oil is the answer to your problem. Cinnamon is commonly used to kill and deter ants. Replace the lemon essential oil in this natural all-purpose cleaning spray recipe with cinnamon essential oil to help with your ant problem.
How to Make the Best All Purpose Cleaner
What you will need:
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups warm water
- 10-15 drops of lemon essential oil, I like the Plant Therapy brand
How to make it:
- Mix everything together in a spray bottle and use!
Note:
The oil might separate from the mixture and rise to the top, simply shake the spray before using.
You can always add more essential oil if you feel the smell is not strong enough, this is just based on personal preference.
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