The internet is abounding with DIY recipes for making your own cleaning products. There are hundreds of ways you can combine various non-toxic ingredients to create effective cleaners for everything in your home. It is not difficult, time-consuming, or expensive to do-it-yourself, and when you do make your own green cleaners, you no longer have to worry about whether you are bringing harmful substances into contact with your family.
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When you begin to delve into the world of cleaning DIY, you will quickly realize two things:
- There are a bazillion different recipes out there, and
- The same ingredients show up over and over again in many of those recipes.
I certainly have my favorite concoctions for the cleaners I make and use in my home. But first, let’s look at the DIY green cleaning ingredients that are used in all those recipes. Here are the items to have on hand and some details about each one.
DIY Green Cleaning Ingredients
Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Pure Castile Liquid Soap
Ingredients in Baby Unscented: Water, Organic Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Organic Palm Kernel Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol
This stuff is amazing. It is a concentrated natural soap made out of organic, fair-trade ingredients. It is biodegradable. The Environmental Working Group rates it an “A” for “Few/no known or suspected hazards to health or the environment.” [1] It comes in different scents including baby unscented, lavender (my favorite), peppermint, tea tree, citrus, almond, rose, and eucalyptus.
The scented varieties contain extracts or natural substances as the fragrance in addition to the above ingredients.
White Vinegar
Ingredients: Water, acetic acid. Most white vinegar is a 5% concentration of acetic acid.
Like Dr. Bronner’s, vinegar is rated an “A” for “Few/no known or suspected hazards to health or the environment” by EWG.[1] A mild acid, vinegar has the ability to kill germs, including those that cause food-borne illness such as E. coli. [2]
While the odor of vinegar is off-putting to some people, it does dissipate and then completely goes away once the vinegar is dry.
Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda
Ingredients: sodium bicarbonate
Arm & Hammer Pure Baking soda is also rated an “A” with EWG. [1]
Baking soda is a powder that has gentle abrasive qualities, making it a good substitute for toxic scouring products. It is mildly abrasive so there is minimal risk of damage to surfaces. It is also a natural deodorizer and can help absorb unpleasant odors.
Rubbing Alcohol
Ingredient: Isopropyl alcohol, 70%-99%
Rubbing alcohol is rated a “B” by EWG for “Low Concern: Limited potential for hazards to health or the environment.” It is an effective disinfectant, capable of killing flu virus and other germs on surfaces. It is also the magic ingredient in products that remove ink from surfaces and fabric.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Ingredient: Hydrogen peroxide, 3%
Like rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide is rated a “B” by EWG for “Low Concern: Limited potential for hazards to health or the environment.” Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer, capable of lightening fabric and killing germs. When used on a “bodily fluid” stain on clothing, it will fizz as it reacts with the stain’s enzymes, removing the stain altogether. It is chemically unstable and is best kept in its dark bottle to prevent it from breaking down into water and oxygen.
Olive Oil
Ingredient: Olive oil
Olive oil used for cleaning is rated an “A” by EWG. It has powerful moisturizing properties, making it ideal for nourishing wood surfaces around the home.
Essential Oils: Tea Tree, On Guard, & Lemon
Essential oils do much more than add a nice smell to your DIY cleaners. These 3 oils, in particular, are the best ones to have around to add power to your cleaners. Tea tree essential oil is known for its deodorizing, cleansing, and antiseptic qualities. DōTERRA’s On Guard, also known as their protective blend, can be used for cleansing and supporting immunity. It is a blend of Wild Orange Peel, Clove Bud, Cinnamon Leaf, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus Leaf, and Rosemary Leaf/Flower essential oils. Finally, lemon essential oil can be used for cleaning, degreasing, and deodorizing.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.
Other Supplies For Green Cleaning DIY
Other than the ingredients discussed above, there are just a few other items that will help you get started.
- Empty spray bottles-You can reuse plastic ones or switch to glass ones
- Natural fiber cloths-These can be old t-shirts, old towels cut up, or repurposed cloth diapers
- A funnel-This will make it a lot easier to get your ingredients into your spray bottles without making a giant mess!
- Glass jars-You’ll need these for cleaners that you don’t spray, like scouring scrub or adhesive remover
That was a pretty short list of some really basic items, wasn’t it? That is the beauty of DIY green cleaning. It is simple, cheap, effective, and healthy for your family and for the environment. If you are like me and want to do what you can to keep toxins to a limit in your home, making your own DIY green cleaners is a GREAT place to start!!
[1] Environmental Working Group|Green Cleaner Database
[2]PubMed.gov|U.S. National Library of Medicine|National Institutes of Health|https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9713753
Elaine Clifton says
Thank you for sharing, I prefer this way of life and it brings memories of times gone by. A sensible way of living.
Natalie Clausen says
Thank you for your comment, Elaine. I agree with you. Everything has become unnecessarily overcomplicated over time, but I’m hoping we can get back to that way of living that you remember.