DIY Non Toxic All Purpose Cleaner

I don’t know about you, but I was one of those girls who thought you needed to buy every different cleaner on the market in order to achieve a clean home. I needed one cleaner for the bathroom sink and counter, another one for the shower, another one for the kitchen, and another one for dusting. The list went on and on and on! Imagine my surprise one day when I had the realization…

All these products literally did the same thing, they just came in different bottles! And I fell victim to the clever marketing that convinced us that we can’t clean everything with the same spray, you have to buy 12 different cleaning bottles for 12 different cleaning surfaces… My cleaning cupboard was full and I realized, it didn’t have to be!

How bad is that cleaner for you?

Not only is it completely ridiculous that I was using tons of different products to clean everyday surfaces in my house, but I was also sick of having to open all my windows and turn on all my fans for maximum airflow when I was cleaning because the fumes were just so strong using these products! Which really didn’t seem right to me. Why should I be cleaning all these surfaces in my home with something so strong that you need a respirator to use it! That’s when I started looking at ingredients in my cleaners, and if you’ve ever turned over a bottle of that popular tub and tile cleaner like me, you probably were instantly overwhelmed by all the stuff in that spray bottle. Did you know that most of your cleaning products are jam-packed with toxic ingredients, endocrine disruptors, and carcinogens? Because I didn’t until I started looking into that!

• Phthalates
• Parabens
• Triclosan
• Butoexyethanol
• Perchloroethylene

All of these products and so many more are found in our daily cleaning products and they all have been shown to cause cancer, reproductive damage, infertility, disrupt our hormones and damage to our kidneys, liver, and respiratory systems. Talk about scary! These are not the things I want to be exposing my family to, yet I still want to be able to effectively clean my home.

How can I have a clean home without these nasty toxic products?

At this point, obviously the next step was trying to figure out how the heck I can clean my home without exposing myself or my family to these harmful products. Standing in Target looking at the cleaning products, I saw the pretty bottles of “green” cleaners that made me think they would be my perfect solution! Wrong…. That is when I found out about Greenwashing. Greenwashing is a popular marketing technique used by many companies now. They are becoming aware that we as consumers are wanting cleaner and safer products, so by putting plants on their labels or stating vaguely that their products are “good for the planet” they trick us into thinking their products are safe for use to use. While some of these products are safer or better for us and the environment, they can still contain many of these harmful ingredients. All while also being way more expensive! Talk about a bummer!

This is where I felt all hope was lost and maybe you do too. No need to worry though! There is hope! We can clean our homes without harming our bodies or breaking the bank! Woohoo!! This is when I came across the simple, nontoxic, affordable, and yes, effective multipurpose cleaner! And… This one spray can be used to clean ANY surface!! Cheers all around!!! Here are some things you will want to have on hand before we get started:

Glass Spray Bottles

I like to use glass spray bottles for a few different reasons. Using glass over plastic spray bottles has tons of benefits, not only for us but for the environment. When we use plastic bottles, the plastic can leach into our product and we definitely don’t want that. And its already pretty well known that plastic is not very good for the planet, so I like to think by choosing my glass spray bottle that I can make a difference with my one less plastic bottle!

Dr. Bronners Pure Castile Soap

I prefer to use Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Castile soap. This soap is so gentle that it is even safe for sensitive skin, yet it is tough enough to clean the biggest messes. As it is unscented, it doesn’t have any fragrances that can come with toxins in tow! Plus, you can choose to add in your own fragrance with essential oils! This way you know your fragrance is clean fragrance.

Essential Oils – optional

Personally, I love to put essential oils in this mix. Many essential oils such as tea tree, lemon, and lavender are antimicrobial killing many bacteria and making for a great natural disinfectant! Not to mention it will leave your home smelling great!

*Note! Tea tree and lemon essential oil is NOT recommended for pets!

Now, let’s get to it!

All-Purpose Cleaner Recipe:

Here is what you will need:

• Glass spray bottle
• Water
• Unscented Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap
• Essential Oils (optional)
• Measuring cup/spoons

Directions:

1. Add 1 cup of water to your spray bottle.
2. Add 1 Tbsp Pure Castile Soap
3. Add 2-3 drops of essential oil (optional)
4. Gently shake the bottle to mix

*Note: it is best to add the water first and then the soap, otherwise your soap will bubble up if you add the water to the soap.

And there you have it! Super easy, effective, affordable, nontoxic multipurpose cleaner to tackle any and all messes! Depending on how big your spray bottle is, you can make this recipe bigger/smaller. Just be sure it is equal 1 Tbsp soap for 1 Cup water. I normally use a 16 oz spray bottle, so I normally use 1 1/2 Tbsp soap and 1 1/2 Cups of water so there is extra room to mix together in the bottle.

Let me know what you think of this recipe or if you have any questions! Can’t wait to hear from you!!