With local stores closed, where will you get your all-purpose cleaner? You don’t have to look far for an effective one! Homesteading presents a simple yet effective cleaner you can make with normal household items.
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Simple DIY All-Purpose Cleaner for All Kinds of Grease, Dirt, and Stains
What You’ll Need
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup baking soda
- 20 drops essential oil (lavender, orange, peppermint, or lemon)
- 1 cup of filtered water
- Glass spray bottle
What makes this cleaner so effective is the fact that every ingredient has a purpose. The acidity of vinegar combined with the abrasive properties of baking soda can clean just about anything from stained tiles to rusted gardening tools.
Next, the lemon juice acts as an acid to neutralize and soften tough stains and buildups. This works well on food stains, grime buildup, and grease marks, among others.
Plus, the essential oils make the cleaner smell nice and fragrant. Nobody really likes the pungent odor that bleach and other commercial cleaners leave.
Step 1: Heat the Water
- Heat one cup of water.
- Set aside until it turns lukewarm.
Step 2: Mix the Ingredients
Pour all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and then stir with a clean spoon.
Step 3: Pour into Glass Spray Bottle
- Pour the all-purpose cleanser into a clean, dry glass spray bottle.
- It is important to use a glass bottle because the essential oils and acid in the mixture can damage plastic and rubber ones.
Other Household Items You Can Use As Cleaners
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Looking for DIY cleaners that work? Check out these common household ingredients that act as effective cleaning agents:
1. Borax
Borax is a sodium-based product that interacts with the minerals in water to make it softer. This is often used when doing laundry.
However, borax is also a great all-purpose cleaner. It removes mold buildups, gets rid of food stains, and deodorizes foul smells.
How to use:
Dilute the borax in lemon juice, vinegar, or water. Then, spray it on the surface you need to clean while scrubbing with a clean cloth or brush.
Note: Borax is a natural mineral that can cause skin irritation. So be careful when using it around those with sensitive skin such as your kids or pets.
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2. Cornstarch
Need to get rid of grease marks? Try adding cornstarch to your all-purpose cleaner recipe. It’s a great compound that absorbs oil from all kinds of surfaces such as countertops, tables, refrigerators, and stoves.
How to use:
Mix two parts of cornstarch with one part warm water. When cleaning oily surfaces, be careful not to pour too much of the cleaner on the surface. Otherwise, you’ll make a sticky mess.
3. Castile Soap
Similar to cornstarch, castile soap is a great degreaser. What sets it apart, however, is its wonderful smell. Not only will it get rid of oil and grease marks, but it’ll also leave the area smelling clean and fresh.
How to use:
Mix castile soap with warm water, pour into a clean spray bottle, and then spray directly on the surface you want to clean. You can try adding essential oils that complement its mild, fresh smell like peppermint and orange.
4. Salt
Similar to baking soda, salt is a great base you can use to scrub out various stains with. The only difference is its abrasive properties are a bit bigger, so you can only use salt cleaners on sturdy items that don’t get easily scratched.
Salt works best when removing mold and mildew buildups and rusted panels. You can also use it for daily maintenance on items made of silver, copper, and steel.
How to use:
Dilute the solution in vinegar, lemon juice, or warm water. Make sure not to use too much liquid so the salt retains its abrasiveness.
5. Hydrogen Peroxide
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Homesteaders who butcher livestock know how difficult it is to scrub out bloodstains. Whether they’re on your clothes or on the chopping board, it usually takes an insane amount of bleach just to scrub them out.
Not only is this wasteful, but it’s also very time-consuming. In most cases, you might end up having to submerge your blood-stained items in bleach and water overnight.
If you don’t want to go through all that, then use hydrogen peroxide. It’s a powerful disinfectant that can easily dissolve blood stains and marks.
How to use:
Dab a bit of it onto the item you need to clean and then scrub out with a brush or cloth. For best results, use the solution as is. Diluting it will only decrease its efficacy.
This is just a sample all-purpose cleaner spray recipe for homesteaders to try. Feel free to add the other ingredients listed that might improve its efficacy such as salt, borax, and various essential oils.
In line with the COVID-19 pandemic, we advise homeowners to do regular maintenance and disinfection at least once every other day. Daily cleaning is really the best way to ensure your living space is germ-free.
What homemade all-purpose cleaner do you use? Share your recipe with us in the comments section below!
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