The majority of the cleaners you can purchase in the supermarket are packed full of chemicals. Not only are you paying through the roof for them, but you’re likely buying multiple cleaners for different tasks. Those chemicals can be harmful to your family, your pets, and the environment, and they are unnecessary to clean your home thoroughly.
If you look in your pantry, you might just see a bunch of cooking or baking ingredients, but it’s time to change your perception. You can use many items that you have on hand to mix up your own natural, DIY cleaners. They’re cost-effective, have no harmful chemicals, and only take a few minutes to make.
Here are three household cleaners you can make at home with only a few ingredients.
All-Purpose Cleaner
This general all-purpose cleaner is perfect for cleaning just about everything in your home. Countertops, kitchen appliances, bathrooms, and more will be clean and disinfected after a quick wipe with this easy cleaner.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of water
- 1/2 cup of white vinegar
- 20 drops of lemon or tea tree essential oil
To make this cleaner, simply mix all the ingredients together in a spray bottle, and you’re good to go. The essential oil you use is totally up to you, but lemon or tea tree will leave your home smelling fresh and clean. If you’re after some more heavy-duty cleaning, such as for blocked drains, you might want to enlist the help of professionals who know the best ways to unclog your sink or toilet.
Glass Cleaner
For streak-free windows, mirrors, and any other glass surfaces, you need to whip up this handy glass cleaner. It’s made from all-natural ingredients you can find in your pantry and medicine cabinet. This recipe does include rubbing alcohol, so be careful not to inhale too many fumes when you’re making it. Once it’s diluted into the mixture, it will be fine.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of white vinegar
- 1 cup of rubbing alcohol
- 20 drops of peppermint essential oil
Again, this cleaner is super easy to make. Just funnel them all into your spray bottle, and you can use it right away. The peppermint oil isn’t essential but gives it an extra cleaning boost and smells great too.
Wood Cleaner
This final cleaner is excellent for bringing your wooden surfaces back to life and making them shine. You can use it to polish up coffee tables, handrails, shelves or anything else in your home that’s wood. It contains vinegar, like all the recipes for its cleaning and antibacterial properties, with the balance of oil to protect your surfaces.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups of water
- 1 cup of white vinegar
- 8 Tbsp of olive oil
- 20 drops of orange essential oil
To make this wood cleaner, just mix all the ingredients in your bottle and give it a good shake. Spray onto your wooden surface and massage the solution into the wood. The orange oil will smell amazing, and the olive oil will leave your surface looking wonderfully shiny.
