May 6, 2016
Three Bathroom Cleaners to Stop Buying and Start Making
One trip down the cleaning aisle at your local store and you find a plethora of bathroom cleaning supplies making numerous claims. The brightly colored cleaners with flashy labels may be eye catching but their contents leave much to be desired. I am a firm believer in using cleaners that have ingredients that I can pronounce and are safe to use around children. The three cleaners that I am sharing today fit my requirements.
It is no secret that I use and love DIY cleaners. Heck, I even wrote a book all about them. Not only are the ingredients safe to use around your home and family, the cost savings can be pretty extreme. It’s easy to go through cleaners at a fairly quick pace, but you won’t have to be concerned about spending a lot of money while you do it. In addition, while I love the effectiveness of these cleaners, I also love the scent that they add while I clean. No artificial fragrances, just pure essential oils.
A couple of things to cover: if you don’t want to use vodka, you can use rubbing alcohol in it’s place. I prefer to use vodka (the cheapest you can find will do the trick) because it doesn’t have as much of an alcohol scent. If you really don’t care for a certain essential oil scent, you can sub out a different oil instead.
On to the cleaners!
Peppermint Daily Shower Cleaner Spray
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 1 cup water
- 10 drops peppermint essential oil
Mix and store in a spray bottle. Spray shower or tub daily after showering. No rinsing necessary. This cleaner won’t keep your shower or tub clean all the time but it will make it easier to clean and keep that soap scum at bay. Hooray!
Window and Mirror Cleaning Spray
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons rubbing alcohol
- 3 drops peppermint essential oil
Mix in spray bottle, spray liberally on surface and wipe clean with a window + mirror cleaning cloth. If you haven’t tried a single DIY cleaner before, start with this one – it’s absolutely wonderful and its secret is that it dries super fast and streak-free because of the rubbing alcohol.
All-Purpose Cleaning + Disinfecting Spray
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup vodka (excellent germ-killing properties)
- 15 drops of your favorite essential oils (lavender + lemon and peppermint + lemon are my favorite combos)
- 1 1/4 cups water
Combine all ingredients and put in to a glass spray bottle. Spray surface and let sit 10 minutes before wiping. Use your favorite cloth to wipe up the cleaner Here are my favorites – but I’m a little biased :). I love using microfiber in the bathroom for cleaning – it cleans effortlessly and is lint-free so you aren’t creating more of a mess than when you started. (Vinegar is not safe on natural stone – marble, granite, etc. If you have that in your bathroom(s), you’ll love my marble + granite cleaning spray.)
Try out one or all three of these cleaners in your cleaner arsenal. Not only will you save money, but you can feel good about what you are using in your own home.
If you’re looking for a super fast and efficient way to clean your bathrooms, check out this post!
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allison Says
can the all purpose cleaner be used on all types of tiles?
Becky Says
Post authornot stone tiles, but porcelain 🙂
Angela Says
Can I use rubbing alcohol instead of vodka?
Becky Says
Post authorYes!
Anne Brauner Says
Becky, love that now I have a Natural Marble+Granite Disinfecting Spray that I can use on all of our counter tops. All of my tile in my home is Travetine, everywhere in the walk-in shower enclosure and flooring both in the bathrooms, laundry room. Can you recommend a natural cleaner I can use on the Travetine and the grout?
I really am enjoying your website and blog (aqua is my favorite color) for home keeping in general.
anita roth Says
Been using your recipes for cleaning products for awhile .Love them! Also bought some of your cleaning rags from your shop. Love using them to!
Anita
Becky Says
Post authorThank you Anita!
Esther Says
Where can you purchase liquid castile?
Becky Says
Post authorAmazon, Target (in the beauty aisle), Wal-Mart, Whole Foods ….
Tandläkare Says
This is genius! I will definitely buy less and make more 🙂
Kareniesa Kohn Says
I made the disinfecting spray this past week and love it! I have used it in many places, including my dog’s room on the floor. I actually went through almost one bottle in one day! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and tips!
Becky Says
Post authorYay!
Lisa F Says
What spray bottles do you recommend?
Becky Says
Post authorMine 🙂
http://clean-mama-home.myshopify.com/collections/spray-bottles-1
Carol Ann Says
You have probably answered this question before and I just haven’t seen it. Why do you use vodka instead of regular isopropyl alcohol?
Becky Says
Post authorVodka’s scent is less strong – feel free to sub rubbing alcohol with similar results!
Becky A Says
Where can we get or make, the clear labels?
Becky Says
Post authorI sell them here:
http://clean-mama-home.myshopify.com/collections/spray-bottles-1
Lindsay Bezzant Says
Can I substitute rubbing alcohal in the all purpose disinfecting spray as well? (It’s okay to mix it with the vinegar?)
Becky Says
Post authorYes!
Kim Says
Do I have to use a glass bottle for the disinfecting spray?
Becky Says
Post authorNo, but it will last longer in glass 🙂
Kristin Says
Are the essential oils necessary for cleaning power or are they an optional ingredient added for smell? I know nothing about oils but have all the other ingredients on hand ????
Tara J. Brady Says
They are for scent AND help with the cleaning power. She may have more info on her site but I just went on Pinterest and typed in “Essential Oils for Cleaning” and found lots of info. For example citrus oils help with decreasing. Tea tree has a LOT of antimicrobial and antifungal (I believe) properties and so on. If you don’t have them right now it’s ok you can still make the cleaner. 🙂 but I definitely recommend one of the brands she does called “Now essential oils” they have great little starter kits with a range of a few scents. They come in small bottles so if you see 10mL don’t be alarmed at the tiny amount that actually lasts a LONG time. Just try to stick with that brand for now bc you will start to see others that are amazing deals and it’s bc they aren’t 100% pure so don’t be tricked. Stick with Clean Mama’s recommendation. Do a little digging into the benefit of them for cleaning and think of what scents you used to like in regular cleaning products before going natural. If you leaned toward the yellow Lysol for example you may love citrus essential oils (my fave.) I am new to using them for cleaning products but not in general and my current favorite combination is lemon, sweet orange and grapefruit in the kitchen. It is heavenly. Now also makes somw great combos to save you some $$ for ex. they make one called umm I want to say Citrus Burst or Good morning Sunshine, sorry I can’t remember currently but it is a mix of all 3 of those. So instead of buying 3 seperate oils which is pricey you can buy one. 🙂 It takes time to learn for sure. I’m a nerd and making notes of the best ones for cleaning currently lol. Good luck!!
Liliana Moir Says
I just found this site and love it. I stopped using paper towels years ago and use only microfiber cloths to clean everything, from bathrooms to kitchen (use different colors for each room). I was using Melaleuca products but found them a bit too expensive and were not doing too good of a job. Found some natural cleaning recipes but also didn’t like the results. I’m going to try the granite and bathroom cleaners right away. Thank you so much! 😀
Rea Says
Is a plastic spray bottle okay?
b r Says
Post authorYes – I find that the cleaners last longer in glass, but plastic is totally fine!
Tara J. Brady Says
When I first started out I thought I had to have everything all at once lol. Like a million glass bottles for example. But looking back now I realize it’s ok to start with plastic and slowly acquire a kit overtime of nice supplies that will last you for years. Better plastic then not try this recipe at all! It’s UH-MAZING!! Eventually, and slowly over time I do recommend you grow a selection of glass spray bottles for various cleaning solutions also. You wont have to worry about any possible bad plastic chemicals and they’re just so durable. Plus they’re so pretty with her labels. ❤
Michael Says
I came across Clean Mama through a DIY website. Every once and a while, after reading some of her tips and printing out a free monthly cleaning calendar, I got HOOKED! I have all of her books and recently became a member of her Cleaning Society. Her print outs, tips….Everything is amazing! I’m a single guy who lives in a apartment and now everyone who visits are convinced I hired a house cleaner. I have to laugh , only because I don’t reply. They would never believe I can get and keep this place as clean and organized as it is. I owe a lot to Clean Mama. She truly knows what she’s talking about.
b r Says
Post authorThank you!
Charise Cole Says
Okay..the labels on your bottles. How did you make those? and are those glass spray bottles? Where did you find that type of nozzle for the glass bottle?
Awesome recipes. I can’t wait to try them out!!
b r Says
Post authorI sell them here 🙂
https://clean-mama-home.myshopify.com/collections/spray-bottles-1
Julia Says
Hello! Why glass bottles? Can I use the plastic spray bottles I repurposed?
Julia Says
found my answer above! never mind! thanks!
LeighAnne Wilson Says
I have a question about microfiber cleaning cloths ~ I like the idea, but the feel of them on my hands makes my skin crawl! I guess because my hands are often dry, but the cloths feel “grabby” or clingy on my hands. Is this normal and has anybody dealt with this?
b r Says
Post authorTry barely wetting them – this seems to get rid of that feeling.
Holly D Says
Does the quality of the vodka matter? I wanted to just get the cheapest bottle and my hubby said I needed to get one that was more expensive and “better”. Does it make a difference?
b r Says
Post authorCheap is great!
Anette Says
Hi
Regarding the daily shower cleaner, do you just spray it on and leave it? Or do you wipe the glass?
I normally rinse the glass with water and then wipe it with a towel so that it is dry. But I hate that part ????
Clean Mama Says
Post authorIt will work either way!
Yvonne Says
For the vinegar called for in your recipes I am using your DIY scented vinegar
works for me as i love the citrusy scents! thank you for helping me keep a clean and fresh smelling home!
yvonne
Kathy Barnett Says
I do not have any essential oil. Can I leave it out? Is it just for the scent? Thank you.
Clean Mama Says
Post authorFeel free to omit!