DIY All Purpose Cleaner {Natural Multipurpose Cleaner Without Vinegar}

Find out how to make a DIY all purpose cleaner with essential oils! The homemade multi surface cleaning spray packs a lot of eco-friendly cleaning power but is gentle on the skin. This non-toxic, natural cleaner recipe is made without vinegar and safely cleans a variety of surfaces, including marble, granite and other stone countertops.

Natural DIY All Purpose Cleaner Recipe with Essential Oils

How do I make a natural all purpose cleaner? This DIY all-purpose cleaner with essential oils is a cleaning cupboard staple in my house.

The cleanser recipe is mild and made with eco-friendly, biodegradable ingredients. It’s the best natural surfaces cleaner spray, and I’m sure it will be part of your homemade cleaning kit, too.

By the way, if you want to clean and disinfect your home effectively, use the homemade all purpose cleaner in conjunction with my DIY disinfecting spray.

Okay, let’s learn all about this natural all purpose cleaner recipe!

What is a DIY all purpose cleaner?

My homemade all purpose cleaner is a DIY natural household cleaner, designed to be used on a variety of surfaces and for different cleaning jobs around the house. This natural cleaning spray acts as a detergent, degreaser, solvent and mild disinfectant.

Why a DIY all purpose cleaner without vinegar?

Looking at the ingredients list, you’ll notice that this a homemade all purpose cleaner without vinegar. But why? You probably know that homemade cleaners with vinegar are wonderful to clean your home naturally.

The downside is that vinegar – and other acidic ingredients (e.g. lemons) – can etch and damage calcium-based stones. A homemade vinegar cleaner simply isn’t suitable for expensive marble countertops or travertine tiles.

Since my goal was to create a safe multi surface cleaner, this DIY all purpose cleaner with alcohol came about. And in case your wondering, this is also a homemade all purpose cleaner without borax.

Homemade multi purpose cleaner ingredients – How to make DIY cleaners that work

What is the best homemade all purpose cleaner? I wanted to create the best DIY all-purpose cleaner recipe and added two ingredients with lots of cleaning power: super washing soda and Sal Suds. Here’s all you need to know about the ingredients in my all purpose cleaner formula:

• washing soda – The high alkalinity of washing soda makes it a potent solvent. The product removes grease build-up and a wide range of stains, even those pesky coffee or tee stains. Washing soda can be irritating on the skin in large quantities, so wear gloves when cleaning.
• Sal Suds – Sal Suds is a natural all purpose cleaner concentrate that gives this all purpose cleaner recipe serious cleaning power. The versatile detergent cuts through sticky grease and stubborn dirt, but is mild on the skin. Castile soap can be substituted for Sal Suds, but the homemade multi purpose cleaner will less strong.
• vodka* – Vodka leaves surfaces squeaky clean, removes smells, and helps to shine chrome and glass. The alcohol makes this DIY all purpose cleaner recipe mildly disinfectant and prolongs the shelf life of the natural cleanser.
• water – Distilled water is preferred. Since the water is boiled, regular tap water is fine, too.
• essential oils – Essential oils are excellent for aromatherapy cleaning products. They are naturally disinfecting, antimicrobial, eliminate bad odours, and fight mould and mildew. Learn more about essential oils for cleaning below!
• spray bottle – I love these 16-oz spray bottles for mixing, storing and using my DIY all purpose spray.

* DIY all purpose cleaner with alcohol: A mild DIY all purpose disinfectant cleaner

I used 80-proof vodka, which has a 40% alcohol content and will kill some germs and microbes. However, a disinfectant must contain at least 60% alcohol content to be effective and safe according to the CDC. If you need a strong sanitizer, try my homemade disinfectant spray, which meets the CDC’s recommendations.

Essential oil all purpose cleaner – What essential oils are used for cleaning?

Does cleaning with essential oils work? I added essential oils to my natural multi surface cleaner. For one, essential oils provide a natural scent (no harmful synthetic fragrances found in this non-toxic DIY cleaning spray.)

Many essential oils also have antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties, which can potentially enhance the effectiveness of eco-friendly cleaning recipes.

Essential oils for cleaning and disinfecting naturally

Here’s a useful list of EOs you can use in your DIY all purpose cleaner with essential oils:

• clove bud essential oil (antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, insecticide)
• eucalyptus essential oil (deodorant, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-infective)
• grapefruit essential oil (disinfectant, antiseptic)
• lavender essential oil (antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal)
• lemon essential oil (antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal)
• oregano essential oil (antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal)
• orange essential oil (deodorant, antibacterial, degreasing)
• peppermint essential oil (antibacterial)
• pine essential oil (antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal)
• rosemary essential oil (antibacterial, antifungal)
• tea tree essential oil (antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal)
• thyme essential oil (antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal)

I added lemon, rosemary and tea tree EO to my essential oil cleaning spray without vinegar because I love lemon essential oil cleaning recipes. But feel free to come up with your own cleansing essential oil blend.

How to make a homemade all purpose cleaner

So, how do you make homemade spray cleaner? It couldn’t be easier! This DIY cleaning spray with essential oils comes together in 5 minutes! Here’s how we make it:

1. Bring water to a rolling boil.
2. Add the super washing soda into a heat-resistant glass bowl.
3. Slowly stir in the boiling water from step 1 until the washing soda is completely dissolved.
4. Let the liquid cool to room temperature. If the liquid is too hot, the vodka will partly evaporate.
5. Using a funnel, pour the soda mixture and vodka into a spray bottle.
6. Add the essential oils.
7. Screw on the top and shake the bottle vigorously until everything is well combined.
8. Add the Sal Suds (or castile soap) and swirl the bottle gently until the cleaner mixture is blended. The detergent might foam, but the suds will dissolve after a while.
9. Top off with additional distilled water until the bottle is full.

How to use the DIY all purpose cleaner to clean your home

This DIY multipurpose cleaner is incredibly versatile and easy to use. To be honest, it’s one of my favourite natural cleaning products and on top of my household cleaning products list.

Let me show you how you can use this essential oil all purpose cleaner to clean your home:

• Spray the area you want to clean generously with cleaner.
• Let the solution sit for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Wipe down with a wet cleaning cloth or sponge. Remove any solids.
• Wipe with clean water and dry with a towel.

What can I clean with this homemade all purpose cleaner?

This natural all-purpose cleaner is intended for hard surfaces, such as glass, steel, laminate, stone and ceramics. The all purpose spray is not suitable for fabric and carpets.

Kitchen and bathrooms

I use this homemade natural cleaner frequently in my kitchen and bathroom. It’s great to remove dirt, grime and grease on all hard surfaces, including countertops, tiles, cabinets, knobs, sinks, the stove and the tub or shower. I also use the natural cleaner inside my fridge and to wipe down food preparation areas.

Tiles and flooring

To mop down tiles or linoleum flooring, dilute the homemade multipurpose cleaning solution in a large bucket full of hot water.

Glass and windows

The all purpose cleaner recipe is also great to clean and buff up glass, mirrors and windows. Spray on, wipe off and dry with a cloth. Be sure to rub windows thoroughly after cleaning to avoid streaks and smear marks.

Painted walls

You can also use the cleaner to remove marks and smears from painted walls. Since the cleaner can be abrasive and take off some paints, do a patch-test before tackling large areas.

Wooden surfaces and floors

The cleaner is safe to clean wooden tables and countertops. However, I advise against using the homemade cleaner recipe on antique furniture, wood floors or items with a speciality paint/varnish.

Of course, this natural DIY multi-purpose cleaner recipe has its limits. Severe grease, oil, grime, wax stains, grease burns or charred food might be difficult to remove with this DIY all-purpose cleaner.

Additional cleaning supplies

Here is a quick list of useful and eco-friendly cleaning supplies that can help to tackle most cleaning jobs around the house:

• gloves
• cleaning cloths
• cleaner brushes
• water bucket
• mop

Shelf life and storage

The DIY all purpose surface cleaner can be stored for 1 month. The cleaner contains no preservatives aside from alcohol, so use the product quickly and store it in the refrigerator.

Over to you!

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Irena xx