Looking for a great homemade all-purpose cleaner recipe? You’ve come to right place! This post is all about one of the spray cleaners I use most frequently: my all-purpose cleaning solution! It’s an ideal cleaning product for daily tasks like cleaning countertops, scrubbing kitchen stains, and wiping down furniture and appliances.
With this all purpose cleaner, natural cleaning has never been easier. You’ll be surprised at how far this simple spray and a microfiber cloth will get you!
Here’s how to make your own all purpose cleaner – I believe it’s the best DIY cleaning product out there! (And if you end up liking it as much as I do, check out my set of spray bottle labels with cleaning recipes, which includes a label featuring this very recipe. The labels are designed to pair perfectly with amber glass spray bottles so you always have the recipes handy when it’s time to make another batch!)
How To Make The Best DIY All-Purpose Cleaner
You’ll need:
- 1 tsp borax
- 1/2 tsp washing soda
- 1 tsp Castile soap
- 20 drops Simple Clean Essential Oil Blend
- 2 cups hot water
- Glass spray bottle
Directions:
Remove the spray top from your bottle, then use a funnel to add the borax, washing soda, Castile soap, and Simple Clean to the empty bottle. Pour in the hot water, replace the spray top, then gently shake the bottle to mix.
What’s In It?
This homemade cleaner gets its cleaning power from simple ingredients like borax and washing soda. And thanks to a few drops of essential oils in the form of Simple Clean, it leaves behind a clean, fresh scent, as well as a nice shine on kitchen and bathroom fixtures. (I also use essential oils for an antibacterial boost, but if you’re looking for a dedicated disinfectant, try my DIY cleaning wipes!)
What’s Not In It?
While I’ll happily use distilled white vinegar and water as a surface cleaner, I know the vinegar smell can be challenging for some. If that includes you, you’ll be happy to know this particular all purpose cleaner recipe does not use vinegar. (While the recipe calls for some of my other “superstar” cleaning ingredients, you may notice the absence of baking soda, dish soap, rubbing alcohol, and other usual suspects.)
How To Use It
To use your finished all-purpose spray, just spray the cleaner onto the surface you want to clean and wipe! (If you’re tackling a particularly sticky or greasy mess, let the spray sit for a minute or two before wiping it up to give the cleaning agents time to work their magic.)
(Although this natural cleaner is safe to use on just about every surface in your home, I recommend using my homemade granite cleaner on marble or granite surfaces. For more effective homemade cleaners, check out the best toilet bowl cleaner and the best glass cleaners.
What’s your favorite homemade all purpose cleaner?
Does anyone else have problems getting washing soda to dissolve enough for use in a spray bottle? I can get it to dissolve, but after a few weeks, it begins to clog my sprayer. What am I doing wrong?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.hi jillee team. can this product be used on wood cabinet doors that are at least 40 years old? i’m looking for something that won’t ruin the finish but take off some greasy/grimy spots. thanks! :))
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Is this spray cleaner safe for sealed granite?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love this cleaner! It’s great for my appliances and spot- or edge- cleaning thew kitchen floor before mopping. The first time I made it, I had trouble using it, though, because the washing soda didn’t dissolve well (though I used hot tap water) and it jammed my sprayer. I heated the mixture almost to a boil, let it cool and returned it to the sprayer and that did the trick.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I went through my first bottle in no time and when I made more, I doubled the recipe and made it in a glass quart jar, heating 1 cup of water with the dry ingredients in the microwave until they dissolved thoroughly and then adding room temp water and oils, giving me a bottle plus a pre-made refill ready to go! Thanks, Jillee, for yet another wonderful cleaning assistant.
Do you need to rinse when using this cleaner? I was thinking of using this with microfiber clothes to wash the walls down in my kitchen. Thoughts?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have very sensitive skin and being well into my 80s I really do not have the energy to shop for three or four ingredients, mix them and use them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thus, while shopping at my local Price Chopper/Market 32 I found that Tide has Pods that have no scent or any irritating products. I pop one of those Pods into my washer with some hydrogen peroxide bleach (which will not damage colors, it brightens them,) turn on the washer and our white clothes and colored clothes are “clean as a whistle.” It is so much easier for those of us who are older than dirt as well as those, like my daughters and granddaughters who are in the work force.
Another inexpensive shower cleaner is called “Clean Shower” which I spray on the shower when I leave the shower and it does the work. I can wipe it down but that is unnecessary. A refill bottle is available, too, so when the spray bottle is empty, refill it from the refill bottle. This shower spray has nothing irritating and it is safe to use if you have a septic system.
I love your recipes, which I modify for my G. F. husband. Since you have a son who cannot tolerate gluten could you include those with your great recipes? Thank you.
Is this recipe OK to use on sealed granite? I wonder if these recipes for cleaning things will break down the ‘sealed’ top of granite counter tops over time.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Where did the tote you used in this post come from?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillee, You mention using essential oils often, but I’m surprised you never mention that many essential oils are not safe around cats. Not everyone knows that, and should be a reminder when talking essential oils. In my opinion.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the reminder, Sandra. Yes, you need to use caution when using essential oils in your home if you have pets. When you are using a recipe like this cleaner, the essential oil is diluted with the other ingredients, so it is safe to use. I just would be careful on surfaces that your cat might go on.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is also my favorite cleaner! I love how it cleans the streaks from my stainless steel appliances. I also think it works better than any other chemically laden products I used to use. Thanks Jillee!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So glad you love this cleaner, Karen! I can’t imagine using anything else. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love your blogs and look forward to checking my emails to see what great invention you have come up with. Love the natural ingredients you use, especially the laundry and stain removers. I love doing laundry!! Thank you. Keep sending your great ideas!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What great tips… This is what we were missing in our cleaning .. nice tips to save our time. Thank you so much for valuable information.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Also wondering if it has to be a glass bottle?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You should store it in glass, but you can use plastic for short-term use :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wow, don’t know how you come up with these home remedies, but they work, and I want to thank you.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I wonder if this would work on greasy spots on clothes…. Thoughts?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would use this instead: http://jillee.co/2awRhEC
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sal Suds works great in this recipe. I made a similar one and it works well
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Is it safe for animals?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It is safe to use in a home with animals in it, however I wouldn’t bathe your animals in the cleaner.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What if all I have is a plastic spray bottle? Is that okay?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We used a glass bottle for two reasons. First, you need to add hot water to dissolve the powdered cleaners. Glass is much better at handling temperature changes. Second, citrus essential oils can eat plastic over time. So a plastic bottle will work for a short time, but isn’t great for storage. You could leave them out, though! Or you could store the cleaner in a jar, just using the spray bottle when you need it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You use a glass bottle because of the essential oils. The oils will deteriorate a plastic bottle.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Where can I buy washing soda? It’s not in my grocery store on the laundry detergent isle.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks Jillee for all of your great tips!
Walmart and Target carry both items. In a push so does CVS, but more $$$$
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I make my own out of baking soda. All you do is place a shallow layer of baking soda on a baking sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 50 minutes. I tested my homemade against the Arm & Hammer and there was no difference.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do I understand you correctly- that washing soda is merely BAKED baking soda???
I know this is answering an old question, but yes. Washing soda is the ash created from baking soda. Old timers used to call it pot ash. Essentially baking the baking soda drives off the water and carbon dioxide. That leaves you with sodium carbonate, or washing soda.
For anyone having a hard time finding it, look right beside the baking soda on the laundry row. It’s usually on the bottom shelf here. Baking soda is the orange box. Washing soda is the yellow box.
Wow, talk about perfect timing…thanks Jillee! Was just thinking about searching your site for a recipe :) Thank you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You pour boiling water into the bottle.
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