Did you know that back in the day, most people would clean their house from top to bottom twice a year?
Yeah, they did! They cleaned it in the spring to clear out dust and grime that had settled in from the winter, and then they cleaned it again in the fall to get it ready for the long winter months ahead.
I don’t know about you, but come spring and fall, I’m itching to give my house a good cleaning. I’m not sure why, there’s just something about those seasons. Of course, that feeling doesn’t last long, but this fall I’m going to be ready and hopefully you will too.
So in order to help us both, I’ve gathered up 42 different natural cleaning recipes from around the web that will help you get your house spic-and-span this fall just in case you’re like me and you get the itch to clean it that way!
Don’t get overwhelmed! I’ve divided them all up so they’re easier to find. Just pick and choose what works for you. Bookmark this post so you can refer back to it when the time to make your cleaners rolls around, and be sure to check out the great natural cleaning books and ingredients at the bottom of the post!
DIY Natural Cleaners
All Purpose
Orange Infused Vinegar – Whistle Pig Hollow
All-Purpose Cleaner – Mommypotamus
“Better Than Lysol” Disinfectant Spray – Real Food RN
Homemade Cleaning Wipes – Little House Living
Kitchen
All-Natural Dishwasher Detergent – Hollywood Homestead
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent without Borax – Real Food RN
Liquid Dish Soap – Mommypotamus
Abrasive Cleaning Powder – Real Food RN
DIY Oven Cleaner – Martha Stewart
Burnt Pan DIY Cleaner – Apartment Therapy
Stove Top Grease/Gunk Remover – Frugal Tired Mom
Glass Top Stove Cleaner – So Not Betty
Homemade Granite Cleaner – 320 Sycamore Blog
Laundry
Non-Toxic Laundry Detergent – Naturally Mindful
Homemade Laundry Detergent – Mommypotamus
DIY Washing Soda – Holly the Homemaker
Natural Stain Removers – Naturally Mindful
Natural Grease Stain Remover – Creative Christian Mama
DIY Dryer Sheets – DIY Natural
DIY Wool Dryer Balls – One Good Thing by Jillee
Homemade Fabric Softener – Growing Up Herbal
DIY Washing Machine Cleaner – DIY Natural
DIY Linen Spray – DIY Natural
Bathroom
Natural Shower Cleaner – Whole Green Love
Bathtub Soft Scrub – Too Many Jars In My Kitchen
DIY Tub & Shower Cleaner – Growing Up Herbal
Non-Toxic Glass Cleaner – Real Food RN
All-Natural Homemade Draino – Thank Your Body
Tile & Grout Cleaner – Happiest Mom on the Blog
Easy Disinfecting Toilet Bowl Cleaner – Growing Up Herbal
Furniture
Lemon Oil Wood Polish – Mommypotamus
Microfiber Couch Cleaner – 551 East Design
DIY Lemon Dust Cloths – Growing Home
Natural Wooden Scuff Remover – Lily & Thistle
Floors/Carpets
Homemade Floor Cleaner – Hollywood Homestead
Carpet Spot Cleaner – Whole Green Love
DIY Carpet Deodorizer – DIY & Crafts
All-Natural Laminate Floor Cleaner – Mamatron
Deep Clean Carpet Cleaner – Apartment Therapy
Air Fresheners
DIY Air Freshener Spray – The Earthy Mama
Homemade Reed Diffusers – Apartment Therapy
Baking Soda Air Freshener – Thank Your Body
Natural Cleaning Books
The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier
DIY Non-Toxic Cleaning Recipes by Heather Dessinger
DIY Natural Cleaning Challenge by Kristen Marr
Natural Cleaning Ingredients
- borax
- baking soda
- washing soda
- white vinegar
- citric acid
- soap – bar, liquid
- essential oils – lemon, orange, lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus
- vodka
Don’t Have Time To Make Your Own Natural Cleaners?
If I don’t have time to make my own natural cleaners, two of my favorite brands to purchase is Branch Basics (you can learn more about them here) and The Clean Collection by Vitacost.
I hope this list helps you, and if you’re interested in more natural cleaning information from Growing Up Herbal, just CLICK HERE to get all my posts on the subject or sign up to my Letters To Natural Mama emails for more tips on living a natural lifestyle!
Thanks for compiling and sharing!
Tried to pin this and the picture won’t open!
I’m sorry… the plugin is having “issues”. I’m trying to work on it, but if you wanna pin it in the mean time… here it is on my page… you can repin it from here.
Thank you for compiling this list. I read a good article put out by Lisa Bronner (Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap), about why not to mix castile soap and vinegar, and wanted to share it with readers. http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=292
Yes! Someone else shared this on a different post. That was a great article… I guess that’s why you’re supposed to use a soap like Dawn. I understand the principle behind this, but then again, I don’t because Dr. Bronner’s soap isn’t a pure castile soap since it contains different types of oils… not just olive oil. So I suppose this reaction happens with any soap that is very much a base. Good to keep in mind though. Thanks for sharing!
Please do NOT recommend Dawn dishwashing detergent or any other Proctor & Gamble products, for the horrible testing they do on animals. There are plenty of anti-greasers available without resorting to them. If you’re going to recommend Dawn then why not Clorox bleach or any of the other terrible products this site was supposed to steer us away from. Thanx…
I’m not quite sure bleach and Dawn are in the same category, but if you have any recommendations for dishwashing detergents that can be used to replace Dawn in cleaning products Ruth I’d be happy to mention them in the post. Thanks!
This is a great compilation of DIY, healthy cleaning solutions! Thanks!
– Simple tip, when working with glass or when cleaning windows, in your homemade solution try to use distilled or water from your reverse osmosis drinking water filter if you have one. Tap water contains impurities, but distilled or RO water for will let your glass surfaces dry spotless after you have cleaned.
JRWC – Window Washing Keller
Great tip… thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the advice 😀 Just wanted to mention that I found a surprising number of professional companies actually use natural and/or non-harsh chemicals as part of their service. As a disabled person I find this a great middle ground. I can personally recommend carpet cleaning birmingham but there are plenty on Google if you’re not in the area.
Thanks Venus. I think that’s a great point to make. Even if you want to have someone else come in and clean your home you can find companies that use all natural cleaning methods which is great! Thanks for pointing that out!
Do you have a recipe for cleaning my dishwasher itself of grease, clogged foods or whatever it need?
The Finish people sell something like this in big grocery stores.
I actually don’t know of one right off hand Cynthia except using white vinegar and running the dishwasher empty every 2 weeks or so. That might help cut down on the grease build up. I know people do that to clean their washing machines. I used to have to just open the trap and clean it out every couple of months when I noticed the dishes not getting as clean as they should. Maybe try that and a plain ole’ de-greasing soap or something. That may help. Let me know if you come up with something… I’d love to know!
Great info!
I love DIY projects and all natural cleaning products are my favorites. I share the homemade wipes with my daughter’s class all the time. I am an Independant Product Consultant for DoTERRA Essential Oils and incorporate oils like lavender, orange, lemon, peppermint, Purity and On Guard in my DIY projects.
I love using essential oils for household cleaning, among other things. Thanks for sharing!!
Lot of the links on this page to DIY Natural Cleaners are broken. Please update to the correct URLs. Thanks
Thanks for letting me know… I’ll look into them and get them updated.
This is the reason why I love reading. Thanks for sharing this wonderful DIY information.
You’re very welcome!
Incredibly good recipes! I also like to clean in detail my house before the winter and before the summer. I don’t know why but I do it. Thanks for the useful article!It is amazing!Regards!
You’re welcome Angela!
I do clean my house in the beginning of the spring and in the beginning of the autumn but I also clean it regularly during the whole year. Thanks for sharing the recipe for the natural cleaner!
You’re welcome Sam!
Not to sound like a noob but I specifically clicked on the article because it showed car seats before and afters. My question is which one of the recipes would work best or at all for car seat stains? All of the recipes listed are awesome and thank you for sharing them.
I’m not sure how you saw before and after car seats, but I think this stain remover would work well for that. Best of luck, and sorry for the confusion.
I came here from the same FB post, looking to clean my car. I clicked a FB post, which went to this link (http://diycozyhome.com/hard-to-clean-items/) which then linked here. I went back, and it was the OTHER link in that post which takes you to the car cleaning idea (but, to save you the trip, was a cup each of original Dawn, club soda, and white vinegar – let sit 3 minutes, scrub, then clean with steam cleaner & plain water)
Anyhoo – this post will be saved in my ‘favorites’ so I can come back later for cleaning solutions 🙂
Thanks for sharing it Barbara. Sometimes the linking thing can get so mixed up, but I’m glad you’ve found some good DIYs here though. Thanks for your comment!
This is a great list. And it’s awesome that it’s broken down by room. One more tip for those of you who live in cold climates: Wipe or spray a solution of three parts white vinegar and one part water to the outside of your windows. This will help them from frosting up. It doesn’t last forever, but something easy you can do.
Great to know! Thanks for sharing!
I clean my bathroom with home made detergent. I mix one part baking soda and two parts white vinegar and this mixture works well for limescale elimination. I will try your way with the lemon too. 🙂
Thanks for sharing Della!
Fantastic list! I use homemade cleaners because I care for my and my kids health. It is amazing how many chemicals we let in our homes. I am trying to reduce them as much as it possible. Best regards!
Thanks for sharing Paulette.
Hi Meagan,
I’ve been using vinegar and water for some time now but miss the clean smell! I was gonna make one of the all purpose cleaners listed and add orange EO and am wondering if it is safe for kiddo’s. I have an 18 mos old. I read a list of EO’s safe for kids on Mommypotamus when I followed your link but Orange was not listed as one.
Thanks
I just checked her list, Janice, and it is there for diffusing and occasional topical use for kids under two. It’s listed as “orange, sweet.” Hope that helps!
4