What a wonderful weekend this was! My boyfriend’s mom, who has been traveling the world for three months, finally came home. So we got to spend Easter together and it was a really lovely day. I learned that I am really terrible at Easter egg hunts. But it was fun to spend together and we had a great time.
Also- something exciting happened for me as a blogger- my homemade dishwasher detergent tabs post was featured on one of my favorite blogs: Living Well Spending Less! Thank you so much!
So- on to this week’s post! I set out to make a good all purpose cleaner. For a while now I have been using a store-bought all purpose cleaner that professes to be green and natural, but I still do not feel great about the ingredients. So it’s time to replace it!
It’s amazing how these brands charge you more for green cleaning products in stores, but when you make them at home they are usually cheaper than even the brand name products! One batch of this cleaner costs 21 cents (may vary slightly for you depending on how much your water costs- I grossly overestimated the cost of the water so it’s actually closer to 16 cents). That’s better than even the dollar store cleaner!
You only need a few simple supplies and ingredients!
For this recipe you will need a few simple ingredients:
- Baking Soda: great all purpose cleaner, naturally deodorizes, gentle scrubber, absorbent
- Borax: natural disinfectant, natural deodorizer, contributes to the strength of other basic cleaners or buffers the pH of alkaline cleaners, naturally occurring mineral that is sustainably mined (keep away from children and pets and don’t ingest)
- Castile Soap: great all purpose cleaner, cuts grease, made with all natural vegetable oils and is biodegradable
- Your favorite essential oil (optional): for scent, and depending on the oil can also add other properties like antibacterial (I like lemon for my cleaning products)
- Water
I cleaned my stove with the cleaner- here is what it looked like before and after using this cleaner
Here is the full recipe:
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 tsp borax
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp liquid castile soap
- 5-10 drops essential oil (optional)
Directions:
- Pour all ingredients into a spray bottle
- Shake well and spray the area you want to clean
- Scrub with a rag or microfiber cloth- and admire your handiwork!
Here is what my kitchen counter looked like before and after cleaning
I went to work with this cleaner in my kitchen and I am pretty happy with the results! It was able to loosen and clean even the crusty stuff on the counter without much work on my part. And it left my stovetop and counters looking nice and shiny!
I also put it to work in the bathroom- and it worked great in there too! All the ingredients in this cleaner are so versatile it is truly an all purpose cleaner- it can be used on counters, appliances, floors, plumbing fixtures, or whatever you can put your mind to.
Plus, it has the added benefit of not being harmful to your health or the environment. Could you ask for more from your all purpose cleaner? Well, I guess you could ask it to do the work itself, but I haven’t quite figured that one out yet.
This is what the label looks like on the bottle
If you want to try this cleaner, don’t forget to get your free printable label!
Janine says
How timely, I am teaching a community class today on home made cleaners and will share this one. Would you please consider linking this post on Oil me Up Wednesdays at My lamp is full?
Would love to have you join us.
Janine
Susie says
Thanks for letting me know about Oil Me Up Wednesdays! I just found out about link parties last week and they are so great!
Pure Grace Farms says
Hi Susie,
I discovered your site at Sweet Haute and I am enamored! Followed with all Social Media immediately! What a great little gem you have here. Blessings! Shari @ http://www.PureGraceFarms.com
Susie says
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it
Carrie This Home says
I’ll have to try this cleaning solution! I go through so many cleaning supplies this would really be a money saver! Congrats on getting featured at Living Well Spending Less! Isn’t it so fun getting featured?! Thanks for sharing this!
Susie says
It was such an honor for me! I can’t believe what a money saver this cleaner is… one batch of it will probably last a month. Can’t beat that price!
Elizabeth says
Wonderful! I need some Castile soap and I’ll be set. Found you at the Creativity Unleashed Link party and glad I did.
Susie says
Thank you! Castile soap is the best!
Wendy @ www.mamasblogcentral.com says
What a great tip. I love that it’s natural. I would love for you to share this at my Friday T.G.I.F. Linky Party. Have a great weekend!!
Susie says
Thanks for letting me know about the link party! I just added it.
Beth says
Can this be used on glass without leaving streaks? I’m looking for a multi surface cleaner I can use on pretty much everything. I love vinegar/water but I cannot use that on my granite. I have granite in my kitchen and bathrooms. I tried castile soap and water but it leaves terrible streaks.
Susie says
I haven’t tried it on glass. I have another recipe for a green window cleaner that is streak free: http://pinsandprocrastination.com/homemade-green-window-cleaner/ but it does have vinegar in it so I don’t know how it would do on your granite. I will try it out and get back to you.
Suzanne Mercer says
Hi! I love all your recipes and information. Piggy backing on what someone else stated, can this all purpose cleaning be used on granite? There is no vinegar and I wanted a natural cleaner for my counter. Thank you!
Susie says
I would err on the side of caution and say it might not work on granite. The borax is acidic and acid is not great for granite. Instead, you could replace the borax with a few tablespoons of rubbing alcohol, which should make it safe for granite, or just leave the borax out all together without replacing it. I don’t have any granite in my home and I don’t have personal experience with it, so I would definitely test it on a small area before cleaning the whole counter to be safe.
Chris says
i live in England, what is the uk equivalent to liquid Castile soap, would our hand gel be ok to use? Thanks
Susie says
As far as I know liquid castile soap should be available in England. I wouldn’t use a hand soap in this recipe, but you can replace the liquid castile soap with dishwashing soap.