I started using this all purpose cleaning spray years ago when my kids were young. They often wanted to help with cleaning but I was never comfortable letting them use the store bought products.
If I didn’t want my kids using these products, let alone be in the same room while I used them, I didn’t think they belonged in my house at all.
This led me to good old vinegar and water. So simple but why can’t it be?
Simplify Your Cleaning Cupboard
Cleaning doesn’t require a dozen products to serve a dozen household tasks.
I use only a few products for the majority of cleaning around the house, products I make myself using simple ingredients.
- All Purpose Cleaning Spray (Kitchens, Bathrooms & Windows)
- Wood Dusting Spray (Wood Fininshings)
- DIY Laundry Soap (Laundry Detergent & An Abrasive Scrub For Toilet Bowls & Bathtubs)
All Purpose Cleaning Spray – DIY Recipe
You will need a good spray bottle or two. I like to keep one for bathroom use and another for the kitchen.
- Fill bottle 1/2 full with white distilled vinegar
- Fill rest of the bottle with water, leaving an inch or so at the top
- Add essential oil of choosing, usually 10-20 drops
- Secure lid and gently mix
Spray surface and wipe clean using a cloth.
Why Use Vinegar For Cleaning?
Vinegar is made through a two step fermentation process, producing acetic acid. This acidity is the reason vinegar works so well for cleaning, breaking down grease, deodorizing and inhibiting the growth of mold. Read all about vinegar for green cleaning.
What Essential Oils Should I use?
Think of essential oils as a booster to your cleaning spray. Although vinegar does a great job cleaning, many essential oils offer further beneficial properties for cleaning.
Here’s a few essential oils I use to add a boost to my cleaning spray,
- Eucalyptus
- Lemon
- Peppermint
- Rosemary
- Tea Tree
Edens Garden, Mountain Rose Herbs, Now and Plant Therapy are a few essential oil companies that have reputable standards for their products.
Make A Cleaning Vinegar Infusion Instead
Instead of essential oils, boost your vinegar using herbs instead. In a quart sized jar, add one to two handfuls of chopped fresh or dried herbs (peppermint, lemon balm or rosemary). Add vinegar to fill the jar and let sit for a few days to infuse. Strain herbs and pour vinegar into a spray bottle to use.
Final Thoughts – Let’s Change Our Mindset On Clean
I think it’s important to address our tendency towards hospital grade sanitation in our homes. The overuse of synthetic chemicals is doing us more harm than good.
As we come to understand more about our microbiome and the role it plays in human health, our overuse of anti bacterial and anti viral products have a direct impact on the microbiome that actually keeps us healthy.
I am not advocating that we don’t need proper sanitation, but I am advocating for a more balanced approach. For example, regular soap and water for hand washing is often all that’s needed, not the anti bacterial soaps we continually see advertised.
Let’s leave the hospital grade sanitation to the hospitals where it belongs and take a more balanced, natural approach in our homes.
