June 8, 2020

DIY Natural Disinfecting Spray

I have a new DIY DISINFECTING SPRAY recipe for you. This is a stronger version of the All-Purpose Disinfecting Spray that I have been sharing for years. It’s still one of my favorites and yours too!  It has germ removing capabilities but I thought with the state of everything and with the availability of certain ingredients, I wanted to share a stronger, but still safe and Natural Disinfecting Spray with you. Ready?

In order to disinfect with alcohol, you need a final mixture that is made up of at least 60% alcohol – that’s why I recommend using Everclear with 95% alcohol. We don’t drink Everclear, I only use it for cleaning. It’s similar to vodka – it’s clear and is a grain alcohol so it’s ‘non-toxic’. For your reference, Vodka has a 40-60% alcohol content which is why I add vinegar and essential oil to it to up its germ-killing qualities for my original All-Purpose Disinfecting spray recipe.

Please note: If Everclear isn’t available in your state, look for vodka that is at least 60% alcohol and don’t dilute it with water.

I have 2 versions for you – if you don’t mind the smell of vinegar or are cleaning most surfaces, you might prefer this version. If you are disinfecting stone surfaces – marble, granite, quartz – you don’t want to use any vinegar on those surfaces because vinegar can etch away at the surface of your stone. The Natural Disinfecting Spray without vinegar is my favorite – I like the little bit of soap in the solution. The soap adds a surfactant to break up dirt and grease, similarly to what vinegar does but without the smell.

As always, spot check your surface in an inconspicuous spot – alcohol works best on hard surfaces like bathrooms and kitchens, not unsealed or porous wood.

NATURAL DISINFECTING SPRAY (without vinegar)

1 cup Everclear (look for one with 95% alcohol)
2/3 cup water
1 -2 drops dish soap
15 drops essential oil – I use lemon (optional)

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle, shake and spray on surfaces you wish to disinfect. Spray thoroughly to saturate surface and allow to sit for 10 minutes to disinfect surfaces.

NATURAL DISINFECTING SPRAY (with white vinegar)

1 cup Everclear (look for one with 95% alcohol)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup white vinegar
15 drops essential oil – I use lemon (optional)

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle, shake and spray on surfaces you wish to disinfect. Spray thoroughly to saturate surface and allow to sit for 10 minutes to disinfect surfaces.

Where can you use this DIY Natural Disinfecting Spray? Any hard surface that needs disinfection! You can try both or whichever now you prefer or have the ingredients for. If you use the vinegar-based recipe, just don’t use it on stone surfaces.

SOURCES:
Labels, sprayers, glass spray bottles can be found here.
Clean Mama Dish Soap can be found here.
Cleaning cloths can be found here.
Essential oils can be found here.
Cleaning favorites page is here.
Amazon favorites page is here.
Clean Mama Books are here.

Want to add this recipe to Cozi + Clean Mama? Click the button below!

Don’t have the Cozi + Clean Mama app yet?  Cozi is the #1 family organizing app. Sign up for your FREE account first. Cozi + Clean Mama adds Clean Mama Daily Tasks and Clean Mama Weekly Tasks to your shared family calendar and sends automatic reminders for all tasks! Click here to find out more and download Cozi + Clean Mama. 

Grab this 2-page Simple DIY Recipes printable here. It’s on my Free Printable page – just put in your email address one time to get access.

Want to DIY your cleaners? Check out my labels, spray bottles, and jars here. You can also see  my Favorites Page here and the Clean Mama Shop here.

If you’re looking for an in-depth cleaning guide, my brand-new PDF packet, Clean Mama’s Guide to a Clean Home: Finding Peace in Your Routine has amazing checklists, a quick-start guide, DIY cleaning recipes and more. Check it out here.

Posted Under:

DIY Homemade Cleaners