DIY: Natural, All-Purpose House Cleaner with Castile Soap and Essential Oils

There are many reasons to make your own All-Purpose House Cleaner. Financial reasons, wanting to green up your house,  limit your bleach usage, to protect your kids from being exposed regularly to chemicals in the house, and many others.

I want to first mention that I am not against bleach and I do clean my kitchen counters, sink and bathrooms with bleach once every 2 weeks when my kids are not at home.

But what about on a daily basis to clean those same spots? After dinner? Potty training mishaps? Spilled milk in the fridge? The list is endless, especially when you have young kids.

Is it really necessary to use another chemical-based product all week?

Taking inspiration from various, natural focused blogs such as ShalomMama and Wellnessmama, and with a lot of trial and error, I have been making my own All Purpose House Cleaner for almost 4 years.

If you are new to making natural products at home, you might need to invest a bit of small money, but in the long-term it is much, much cheaper then purchasing a variety of different cleaning products regularly.

First, this spray uses a bit of a natural, olive oil based soap called Castile Soap which you can find at any natural store in Israel, and even some pharmacies. Don’t be turned off that a bottle of Castile Soap is about 35-40 shekels ($10). One bottle usually lasts me over a year!

From Wellnessmama: “Traditionally the term Castile, in regard to soap, referred to a hard white soap made from olive oil. It was named for the Castile region of Spain where they made soap only using olive oil. Most Castile soap today is actually a blend of olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, or any other commonly used vegetable oil. Castile soap can be made as either a hard bar soap or a liquid soap. There are several good brands available. Dr. Bronner’s is the most well known.”

Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap comes in a variety of “fragrances” such as Lavender, Eucalyptus, Rose, and Tea Tree which will give additional properties and smells to your spray. I took Lavender a few times, but this time around, as you see above, I took Eucalyptus and Cherry Blossom.

 

Then you will need some essential oils, which are also available at any natural store in Israel. I use a lot of doTerra oils (picture above on left), but you can only buy them abroad or through the doTerra network in Israel. When I want to purchase oils in Israel, I have had great success with Omer HaGalil’s oils. (Picture above on right)

In this spray I always use Tea Tree essential oil, also known as Melaleuca, which is widely know for it’s natural disinfectant properties. Then I add in others such as lavender or  wild orange for a great smell and/or lemon or eucalyptus for additional disinfectant properties.

And lastly, I love Ikea’s TOMAT Spray Bottles. I highly recommended using them for various DIY sprays or even bleach (for when you do use it). They are sturdy, budget friendly, and also look nice on the kitchen counter.

Now to the recipe…

What you need for this cleaner:

1 Teaspoon Castile Soap (of whichever fragrance you prefer)

7-10 drops Tea Tree Oil

*(Optional) 5-10 Drops of additional oil(s), mostly for fragrance but also for cleansing properties. Lavender, Wild Orange, and Grapefruit are great for fragrance. Eucalyptus and Lemon are great both for fragrance and additional disinfectant properties. A great option would be 5 drops Lavender and 5 drops Eucalyptus.

Water, room temperature. (Best to use boiled water, but if you are low on time you can use water from the faucet)

Directions:

Put the Castile soap in your spray bottle and mix with water to the top. Add in the essential oils. Close and shake.

That’s it! 

I have had great success with this cleaner on a regular basis, on all surfaces. It smells great and I don’t mind when my 3.5 year old wants to clean with me:)

Feel free to contact me with any questions and suggestions.