Rest assured that once you have used an all-natural household cleaner in place of the chemical-laden version you find at the store, you’ll be hooked. Sure, there is more effort involved since you need to make them yourself, but once you smell the lingering scent of fresh essential oils and see the results, you will never go back.

If you’re like me and have a sensitive nose, then you know how challenging it can be to use harsh chemicals to clean the home. One such product I thought I couldn’t replace (although I hated it) was a particularly potent grout and tile spray that I would use on occasion to deep clean the shower.

It was so toxic smelling that even the directions state that you cannot use it unless you have ample ventilation. Aside from tearing down the walls of your bathroom, I don’t think you could enough fresh air for “safe use” even if it were used in the open outdoors.

I found out that most sprays for this purpose are just as noxious. I can’t even begin to fathom what those chemicals are doing to the body when you use products like this.

Today we’re going to learn how to make effective, safe, and wonderful smelling household cleaners that will help you turn your toxic home into a natural home!

So, without further ado, let’s get into the recipes!

Cleaning Solutions for The Natural Home

It never ceases to amaze me how much I actually enjoy cleaning my home now since I switched from conventional cleaners to more natural alternatives.

I no longer feel like cleaning has to be this “I had better take a deep breath and hold it while I spray down the shower and dive back out the door” ordeal. Now, I can actually take my time and ENJOY the scent of the cleaning products I’m using.

Once I’m finished, my home is infused with scents of lavender, lemon, and other essential oils, which I have to say, leaves me with a grin of satisfaction. People who come into your home will notice how good it smells and how clean everything looks.

How to Make My Favorite Cleaning Recipes for the Natural Home

To begin, I’ll start out by listing some of the top cleansing essential oils that kill microbes, cut through grease, and smell fresh. You can very easily swap these out with the oils listed in any of the recipes below to create your own unique blends. This is fun to do once it’s time to refill your formulations.

• Cedarwood
• Eucalyptus
• Lavender
• Lemon
• Lemongrass
• Peppermint
• Pine
• Rosemary
• Sweet orange
• Tea tree

Lavender Lemon Dish Soap Recipe

I never used to enjoy washing the dishes until I started making my own scented dish soap. It’s super easy to do and will leave your dishes sparkly clean.

The scent is bright and fresh from the lemon and has a lovely floral base from the lavender. Definitely one of my favorites!

Here’s how to make lavender lemon dish soap:

• One 16oz squeeze top bottle
• Unscented castile soap (I use Dr. Bronners)
• 15 drops lemon essential oil
• 12 drops lavender essential oil

Simply add the essential oils to the bottle, fill it to the shoulder with the castile soap, cap closed, and roll between your hands to mix.

Use as you normally would when washing the dishes either directly added to a sponge, scrub brush, or dishcloth or even added to running water (2 TB) while you fill the sink.

Multipurpose Kitchen and Bathroom Scour Powder

This super simple “recipe” is safe to use for both porcelain and stainless-steel sinks – even the faucets and garbage disposal!

Here’s what you need to make scour powder:

• A wide mouth mason jar
• Fresh baking soda (not the kind you’ve kept open in the fridge)
• 20 drops of essential oil for every 1 cup of baking soda
• A glass bowl
• A whisk
• White vinegar

Begin by adding the baking soda to the bowl. Add your essential oils (I always love to use lemon essential oil) and use a whisk to mix thoroughly.

Store the scour powder in a mason jar until needed.

To use, simply wet down the sink, stovetop, toilet bowls, or the inside of the microwave or fridge with white vinegar (I keep some in a spray bottle for cleaning purposes) and sprinkle an even layer of scour powder over the entire surface. The powder will start to bubble and fizz and release the essential oils.

Use a scouring pad or scrub brush to scrub away grease, grime, and stains from sink and faucets then rinse away with hot water. Run the garbage disposal while you do this to help freshen it.
For other surfaces, simply wipe the surface clean after scrubbing and allow it to air dry for a few minutes.

*** Make this a soft scrub by mixing equal parts unscented castile soap, baking soda, and essential oils (20 drops per 1 cup of cleaner) and store in a mason jar for future use. You don’t have to use white vinegar with this version, just hot water to rinse.

Kitchen Surface Cleaning Spray

This spray is great to use for disinfecting kitchen surfaces and removing any buildup or spills in the fridge, microwave, and stovetop. It’s slightly sudsy which helps break up food and grease while the vinegar removes odors. The essential oils help kill off any nasty microbes that may be hanging around from handling raw meats, produce, and even cold and flu.

Here’s what you need to make kitchen surface cleaning spray:

• One 16oz spray bottle (with a trigger nozzle)
• 3 cups water
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• 1 TB castile soap
• The juice of one lemon (strained to remove all pulp)
• 2 teaspoon natural borax powder (read more about why I’m not concerned about using this natural cleaner here – you can omit this ingredient if desired)
• 12 drops grapefruit seed extract (highly antibacterial)
• 10 drops lemongrass essential oil
• 5 drops tea tree essential oil
• 5 drops lavender essential oil

Add all of the ingredients to the spray bottle and shake well to mix. Make sure to shake well before each use.

Since this spray contains water and fresh lemon juice, there is a chance that microbes will grow in this spray if you don’t use it up quickly. I tend to make a batch once a week and use the spray throughout the week to wipe down counters, sinks, the inside of the fridge, appliances, bathroom surfaces, the inside of the microwave, and the stovetop so this size bottle works really well for those purposes.

Super Simple Disinfecting Spray

I’ve tried many homemade disinfecting sprays, and none work so well as this ridiculously easy version.

Here’s all you need to make it:

• One 16oz spray bottle
• 3% Hydrogen peroxide
• 20 drops essential oil of choice for scent (sweet orange and lemon are lovely)

Shake well, and spray on faucets, countertops, sinks, toilets, showers, and any other surface where germs, mold, and bacteria like to flourish.

This is a fantastic in-between-cleanings spray to use because it will keep microbes of all kinds at bay and I find it so great to use in the shower to keep mold from growing in the grout.

This spray is also especially useful during cold and flu season since it can be used on all kinds of surfaces like light switches, the TV remote, door knobs, etc.!

Pine Infused Mop Solution

This is such a nice alternative to using chemical-y floor cleaners and has a much nicer pine-fresh aroma that lingers a bit after use.

I use this on all types of hard flooring to remove dirt, grime, and other unpleasant substances that may get tracked into the house.

Here’s what you’ll need to make pine infused mop solution:

• 1 gallon of hot water
• 2 ½ TB castile soap
• 10 drops pine essential oil
• 10 drops lemon essential oil

Double the drops of essential oil if desired.

In the bottom of the mop bucket (or in a bowl) mix the castile soap and essential oil together until well mixed.

Next, fill the mop bucket with water while adding the castile soap and essential oil mixture. Agitate the water as you do this to create a nice bubbly result.

Dip your mop in and wring out the excess water and mop the floors as you normally would.

Mold Deterrent Spray

If you don’t have hydrogen peroxide in your house, you can make this alternative instead to help prevent mold in the bathroom. This formula works best on tile and other hard surfaces and is not recommended for use on painted walls if you do not wipe it away after use as it may remove paint. You may want to test it out on a small area first to see how it works out for the walls in your home.

As for bathtubs, toilets, showers, shower curtain liners, sinks, grout, tile, and other surfaces where water tends to be, this spray works wonders!

Here’s how to make mold deterrent spray:

• One 16oz spray bottle (with a trigger nozzle)
• 3 cups white vinegar
• 1 ½ cups water
• 10 drops cinnamon bark essential oil
• 10 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 20 drops tea tree essential oil
• 20 drops lavender essential oil

Add all of the ingredients to the spray bottle and shake well before use. Spray down areas where you know mold tends to grow like the edges of the bathtub and shower doors where the grout is, behind shampoo bottles that are against the corners of the shower, the inner lip of sinks, and other suspect areas.

Do not rinse.

All-Natural Glass Cleaner

This simple recipe will clean glass to a shine without streaks and smells great once the vinegar has dispersed – which is the secret ingredient! Vinegar helps break down mineral buildup and smudge marks while keeping glass and mirrors super clean. In fact, steam won’t even collect for a few days after use!

Here’s how to make all-natural glass cleaner:

• One 8oz spray bottle
• 1 ½ cups of white vinegar
• ½ cup of water (filtered is best)
• 5 drops of sweet orange essential oil
• 3 drops of lemon essential oil

Add all of the ingredients to the spray bottle and shake well before use. Spray liberally on glass and mirrors and clean as you normally would.

Simple Toilet Bowl Cleaner

This is a simple toilet bowl cleaner that fizzes up nicely and exudes the fresh scent of essential oils! It successfully cleans and whitens the toilet bowl leaving it sparkling. I highly recommend using lemon essential oil in this recipe for its cleansing effect.

Here’s what you need to make simple toilet bowl cleaner:

• ½ cup of white vinegar (can use more if desired)
• ½ cup baking soda
• 20 drops lemon essential oil

Mix the essential oil with the baking soda. Next, add the white vinegar to the toilet bowl making sure to focus on any areas of the bowl that need some extra attention. Get your toilet brush ready and sprinkle in the baking soda and essential oil mixture. Scrub away as it fizzes!

Sweet Orange Dusting Oil

No more do I need to buy those yellow cans of dusting spray; this sweet orange infused dusting oil does just the trick. It conditions wood, removes dust, and leaves wood looking clean, glossy, and brand new. The orange essential oil adds a lovely scent to the wood as well that lingers after use.

To make sweet orange dusting oil, you will need:

• One 2oz dropper bottle
• Carrier oil like sweet almond or refined coconut oil (something without too much scent)
• 3-5 drops sweet orange essential oil

Add the ingredients to the dropper bottle, cap closed, and roll between your palms to mix.

For dusting, simply add a dropperful to a soft dusting cloth and use it to wipe away dust and condition wood furniture. Wipe away any oil residue with a clean cloth.

Be sure to check out my other dusting spray recipe here.

Tarnished Silver Cleaner

This was such a surprise find that I almost didn’t believe it would work – but work it does! Instead of polishing silver by hand, you can simply lay them out on aluminum foil with salt and hot water and voila! Clean silverware and jewelry in almost no time at all.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Depending on the size of the silver you’re trying to polish, you will either need a baking tray completely lined with foil or a deep glass heat-safe bowl with a few pieces of foil.

2. For the baking tray method, line the tray completely with foil, then cover the bottom with an even layer of sea salt.

3. Next, lay out your silver and then pour hot water into the foil-lined tray. The silver will be clean in just a few moments, even faster! Once clean, carefully remove the silver wipe dry with a soft cloth. You can shine it if desired.

4. For the glass Bowl method, you will need 1 TB of sea salt for every cup of water you need to submerge the silver. Add a few strips of aluminum foil and the amount of salt needed to the bowl and then pour hot water over the top.

Carpet Freshening Powder

This is a great recipe to use especially if you have dogs. It sucks up undesirable odor and infuses rugs, carpets, and even mattresses with the delicious scent of essential oils.

Be sure to make a batch ahead of time so that you can sprinkle it over carpets and let it sit for a good hour before vacuuming. I like to use the freshening powder while I putter around the house doing other cleaning chores to give it a chance to do its magic.

Here’s what you need to make carpet freshening powder:

• 2 cups baking soda
• ½ cup cornstarch or kaolin clay (for absorbing moisture - optional)
• 5 drops geranium essential oil
• 5 drops lavender essential oil
• 5 drops lemon essential oil

I like to put this in a container with a sprinkle top to make it easy to sprinkle evenly over carpets. Let it sit for at least an hour, then suck it up with a vacuum.

Be sure to check out my four thieves version here.

Air Freshening Spray (for linens too!)

This is the perfect spray to use the freshen the air in your home. I like to use it after cleaning or just when I feel like the house is too stuffy.

This spray is also an excellent linen spray, so you can really get creative with the essential oils to suit your needs. I’ve also used this spray to freshen up shoes and my gym bag, so it’s definitely a keeper as far as odor control goes.

Here’s what you need to make air freshening spray:

• One 4 oz spritzer bottle
• 3 oz water
• 1 oz witch hazel (optional – just use more water if you omit it)
• 15 drops lavender essential oil
• 5 drops FCF bergamot essential oil

Add the ingredients to the spritzer bottle and shake well before use. Spray liberally into the air, on bed sheets, and on pillows to freshen your home and uplift emotions.

What have been your favorite cleaning recipes for a natural home? Please share in the comment below!

You may also enjoy reading:

The Amazing Health Benefits of Using an Air Purifier
Four Thieves Foaming Hand Soap Recipe
The Top 6 Nontoxic Cleansers Every Home Should Have
How to Make Four Thieves Spray