I have been using this DIY all-purpose cleaner recipe for years. It is so simple and yet effective. I moved away from toxic household cleaners many years ago after I found out many contained cancer-causing and unsafe ingredients in general. Also, many of the cleaners that were not non-toxic the smell drove me insane and after using then more often than not I had a headache.
The base of my DIY all-purpose cleaner is vinegar. I know the smell really bothers a lot of people, but honestly you can hide the smell a bit and generally if there is a faint smell present it will eventually dissipate after a little bit of time.
Let’s get to the DIY All-Purpose Cleaner recipe:
Distilled white vinegar
Herbs (rosemary, basil, sage, cilantro, or anything you have)
Citrus peels (try to only get the peel and no pith, the pith will turn your cleaner cloudy)
Essential Oils (optional)
Distilled water
Mason jar
Spray bottles
Directions:Any glass jar will work. Fill your jar with your citrus peels and herbs then cover with distilled white vinegar. Then you will want this to sit for about 2-3 weeks. This will infuse the vinegar with the herbs and peel.
After your vinegar has been infused with the herbs and peel it is time to strain it. Strain it into a container. This will be your concentrated cleaner. You can either make several bottles of cleaner or you can save the left-over concentrate for when you are finished with your diluted version. The herbs and peels will help make this more powerful at killing household germs and bacteria!
I mix about a 1/4 of a cup of the vinegar concentrate and fill the rest of the bottle up with distilled water. You can also use your choice of favorite essential oils.
Now your DIY All-Purpose cleaner is ready to go. It is great on counter tops, floors, windows, and mirrors. It is simple, effective, and gets rid of the nasty germs!
Have you ever made your own DIY all purpose cleaner?