DIY All-Purpose Cleaner + The Best Essential Oils For Cleaning

This non-toxic DIY all-purpose cleaner is safe to use around children, disinfects, sanitizes, and is super easy to make!

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Making this DIY Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner was only my second time using essential oils – I’m super late to the oily mamas boat, but I am so glad to have discovered the INCREDIBLE cleaning and disinfecting qualities a natural cleaner has.

So, why did I start making my own cleaners?

My first son, Max, was an angel.

He never stuck random things in his mouth, he was quiet and respectful, and he only gave me grief when it was time to eat anything other than chicken nuggets.

My second son, Jax?

NOPE.

He sticks everything in his mouth, licks his car seat, and is a total wild thang.

I’ve always been a fan of bleach (because it’s easy and I know it kills everything it touches), but that isn’t the best option for my young family or my adventurous toddler.

I started exploring natural cleaning options, and came across some articles online outlining the disinfecting and sanitizing properties that some essential oils and vinegar have – I never realized!

I always thought oils were just oils – they smell nice, and they make for great placebos, right?

WRONG.

After doing tons of research, I learned and read research backing up the cleaning and disinfecting power of essential oils like lemon, orange, tea tree, and cinnamon.

*This post contains affiliate links, however, all opinions are my own, as always.

Essential Oils For Cleaning

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Powerful Essential Oils That Fight Against Microbes, Bacteria, And Viruses

• Sweet Orange: has been found in studies to be effective against 22 bacterial strains
• Lemon: naturally antibacterial and antiviral (fights against viruses and bacteria)
• Lavender: kills bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other sources of infections
• Cinnamon: one of the strongest anti-bacterial oils
• Rosemary: antiseptic and antibacterial
• Eucalyptus: powerful natural germicide
• Grapefruit: antimicrobial; can even fight strong bacterial strains that are responsible for food-borne illnesses, including E. Coli and salmonella (source)
• Tea Tree Oil: sanitizes surfaces, and is strong enough to fight against illness-causing bacteria and viruses (including  E. coli, S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae). (source)

All essential oils have a strength, but some can actually disinfect and sanitize surfaces, which makes them an ideal additive to natural homemade cleaners.

Does Vinegar Disinfect?

Vinegar does more than just stink! It actually has powerful antimicrobial and antibacterial properties and is a great addition to natural cleaners.

Vinegar also kills 82% of mold species – you’ll just need to give it an hour to do its magic.

Ready to make your own DIY Natural All-Purpose cleaner?

How To Make Your Own DIY All-Purpose Cleaner

Here’s what you need to make your own homemade cleaner:

• 1 cup of distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup distilled water (you can also boil water)
• 1/2 tsp Sal Suds
• 40 drops of essential oils (here are the ones I use!)

Combine water and distilled vinegar in a glass spray bottle (these are my favorite glass bottles- they have powerful sprayers, durable bottles, and a strong plastic pull handle that won’t break).

Add in Sal Suds and essential oils (I used 10 drops of grapefruit, 15 drops of lemon, and 15 drops of lemongrass oil) – rotate glass bottle a few times to combine, and spray to clean.

Use either a paper towel or microfiber cloth to wipe away messes.

*If you have a sensitive nose/stomach, or your spouse complains anytime you use vinegar to clean, adding 40-50 drops of essential oils can combat the smell while maintaining the same cleaning power. If you’re fine with the smell of vinegar while cleaning, feel free to drop the essential oil drops down to 15-20. 

For this disinfecting all-purpose cleaner, I used Sal Suds instead of castile soap because this cleaner contains vinegar.

You can read more here about why you shouldn’t mix vinegar and castile soap in natural cleaners.

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Surfaces You Should Not Use This Cleaner On

Because this cleaner contains vinegar, I would not recommend using it on surfaces such as granite or marble.

Frequent use of vinegar on these surfaces (as well as Windex or Bleach) will dull it and cause its sealant to weaken.

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PRINT THIS CLEANING RECIPE

*Post originally published April 2019, last updated December 2021.