Eight No-Recipe DIY Cleaners

These homemade cleaners are so simple, I can’t even call them recipes.

I’ve wanted to share more about how I make my own cleaners for while.  But I always got hung up on the fact that I don’t really have a lot ‘recipes’.  I just sort of mix my cleaning ingredients up right on/in whatever it is I’m cleaning.

But I was talking to a friend the other day who mentioned she needed to run to the store just for some toilet cleaner.  And through our conversation I realized lots of people don’t realize how easy it is to make cleaners.  And you don’t have to make a whole big batch to store.  You can make exactly the amount you need for a one time use.

I like making my own cleaners because I can control the ingredients that go in to them.  I also really like that it saves money.  But the thing I REALLY like about making my own cleaners is that it’s super easy to do in a pinch, when I run out of my preferred store-bought cleaners.

Here are eight DIY cleaners I make that don’t require a recipe or storage.

8 No-Recipe DIY Cleaners

• Toilet Cleaner – Let the water out of the toilet bowl (read my post about the secret to cleaning your toilet with baking soda for more on this).  Sprinkle the toilet bowl with 1/2 cup baking soda and 2-4 drops of essential oils (Lemon, Lemongrass, Tea Tree, and Rosemary are good for this).  Scrub with a toilet brush.  Turn the water back on and flush.
• Tub Cleaner – Rinse the tub just to get it wet.  Sprinkle 1 cup baking soda throughout the tub.  Add 5-8 drops of essential oil (Lemon, Eucalyptus, and Tea Tree are good for this).  Scrub with a sponge or scrub brush.  Rinse with water or white vinegar.  OPTIONAL: Substitute 1/2 Tablespoon of dish soap for the essential oils if you have hard water and soap scum.
• Sink Cleaner – Rinse the sink just to get it wet.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup baking soda over the surface.  Add the juice from 1 lemon wedge or 2-4 drops essential oil (I like Lemon, Rosemary, Basil, Sage or a combination of those).  Scrub with a sponge or cloth.  Rinse with water or white vinegar.
• Garbage Disposal Deodorizer – Run the garbage disposal for 10-20 seconds with hot water just to flush out any remaining food particles and to get the interior wet.  Pour 1/2 cup baking soda into the drain, followed by 4-6 chopped lemon wedges.  Make sure the lemon wedges are chopped into smallish pieces.  Run the garbage disposal with warm water until the lemon wedges have flushed out.  OPTIONAL: Add 2-4 drops of essential oil of your choice.
• Cutting Board Cleaner – Pour 1-3 tablespoons of olive oil over the surface of your cutting board.  You want it to be oily enough that you can smear the oil around but it’s not a sloppy drippy mess.  Add 2-4 drops essential oil and 1-3 tablespoons salt, just enough to make a sludgey scrub.  You don’t want it too grainy or it gets too messy.  Scrub with a cloth. Scrape salt and excess oil into the trash.  Rinse with hot water.  Allow to air dry.  The board should absorb the oil.  If needed, the board can be washed with a mild soap to remove any remaining surface oil after a few hours.
• Cookie Sheet Cleaner – This isn’t going to bring old, stained cookie sheets back to brand-new-shine.  But it’s a good, everyday cleaner for removing grease and debris from cooking.  Sprinkle a damp cookie sheet with 1/4 cup baking soda and 1-2 drops essential oils and scrub.  Add water, a tiny bit at a time, if you need more cleaning power.  Also, if you need more degreasing power, add a few drops of dish soap.  Rinse with hot water and towel dry immediately.
• Cookie Sheet Stain Remover – This isn’t a magic solution for every cookie sheet and every type of stain.  But I have had great luck bringing some old hand-me-down cookie sheets back to life using this method!  Sprinkle 1/4 to 1/2 cup baking soda over the cookie sheet.  Add enough hydrogen peroxide to make a slurry.  Scrub it around a bit, then let it sit for a few hours.  Scrub until clean and rinse.
• Countertop Disinfectant – Pour 1/4 cup white vinegar into a small bowl.  Add 3-4 drops essential oil (Lemon, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Sage, or Eucalyptus work well).  Soak a small washing cloth or sponge in the vinegar mixture, wring out and wipe counters.  If you want, you can rinse the sponge or cloth with clean water and wipe your counters down again.  It’s not necessary though (the vinegar smell goes away as the solution evaporates).  I also make a Lemon Rosemary Disinfectant Spray that is a variation of this cleaner.