Spring feels like it is in the air, and what better time to get stuck into a bit of spring cleaning? Today’s post is how to make your own DIY cleaning products; which are eco-friendly and relatively zero-waste.

I have been intrigued with making my own cleaning products; one to reduce the number of chemicals and two to be a bit more eco friendly. Also, what’s better than having a go at making something yourself? Now there is no doubt that you do need to use chemicals sometimes with cleaning, but wouldn’t it be nice to reduce these a bit? Well, today’s post is doing just that and having a go at making DIY cleaning products four ways. We have an all-purpose cleaner, a glass cleaner, scouring powder and toilet fizzies.

In my last post, I had a go at using Castile soap for the first time to make DIY Handwash. Be sure to check that post out too, if you fancy a few more DIY products to make!

DIY Cleaning Products – Essential Oils

Before we get on with the various products I just wanted to add a little bit about essential oils. All of the recipes in this post use essential oils to ‘fragrance’ the cleaning products. Some of the essential oils may give the cleaning product an extra kick in working, such as lemon essential oil, but the use of essential oils is not that essential. Please do your own research on the appropriate use of essential oils especially if you have young children and pets. Certain oils cannot be used around children and I think essential oils shouldn’t be used if you have pets because it can cause damage to them. I don’t have any pets or young children so I am using essential oils and haven’t fully researched the effects on young children and pets. So, before you add any please have a little google of what you can/can’t use!

Since there are 4 different DIY cleaning products in this post, I will get straight on with the first one!
Head to the bottom of the post if you would like to see the Video version of this post.

Also, some items included in this post are affiliate links and will be marked with *. This means that if you decide to purchase the item through the link, I may earn a small amount of commission at no extra cost to you. This all helps in keeping Aimsy’s Antics running!

DIY Cleaning Product: All-Purpose Cleaner:

So, the all-purpose cleaner is easy and simple to make, needing only a few ingredients. It is in a spray bottle to make it easier to use and can be used on most surfaces to give you home a really good clean.

What you need:

• 1/4 Cup Castile Soap*
• Distilled or cooled boiled water
• 20 – 30 drops of Essential oil – I am using Orange essential oil
• Amber Glass Spray Bottle*

Step 1 – Add Water and Castile Soap

Before you start, make sure you have cleaned your spray bottle. I am using amber glass bottles because the all-purpose cleaner contains essential oil. You could use any spray bottle if not using the essential oils, but amber glass is better if you are.
Add into the spray bottle the distilled or cooled boiled water. Fill this up to approximately 3/4 full.
Then, you want to add in the Castile soap to the water. You may find that it doesn’t fill the bottle much, so at this point, you could add in more water to completely fill the bottle.

We are adding the water before the Castile soap because adding the soap part first can cause it to foam up when adding the water. You really don’t want your spray bottle full of soapy suds as you want to be able to add the amount of water you need. It will also create a right mess!

Step 2 – Add Essential Oil

If you aren’t adding essential oil to your all-purpose cleaner, then your cleaner is ready to go. If you are adding essential oils, then now is the time to do it. You could use any essential oil in this cleaner; however, I decided on orange essential oil because I prefer the scent of this over lemon. Apparently, the orange essential is great for adding a de-greasing element to the cleaner too.

Add in 20-30 drops of your chosen essential oil.

Step 3 – Place on spray and shake

Once your essential oil is added, place on the spray nozzle and ensure it is securely attached. Give the all-purpose cleaner a shake to combine the water, Castile soap and essential oils together. You may find that you have to shake the cleaner as you are using it to make sure you are getting all bits of the cleaner spraying.

Then your first DIY cleaning product is ready! Keep this handy for another of the DIY cleaners later on in the post.

DIY Cleaning Product: Glass Cleaner:

To go with your newly made all-purpose cleaner is a DIY glass cleaner. Again this is a really easy DIY to make and is very similar to that of the all-purpose cleaner.

What you need:

• 1/4 cup White Vinegar*
• Distilled or cooled boiled Water
• 20-25 drops of essential oil(s) – I used Lemon and Lime essential oils
• Amber Glass Spray Bottle*

Step 1 – Add Vinegar and Essential Oils

Firstly, you want to add in the white vinegar to your chosen spray bottle. Ideally use a funnel to do so, as it is highly likely that you will get vinegar everywhere (and you don’t want that!)

Again, if you are not adding essential oils, move onto the next step. If you are adding in essential oil or oils, then now is the time to do this. I chose lemon and lime essential oils to add to this. This will hopefully give the glass cleaner a bit of a citrus kick; as well as add to the shining effects to the vinegar on the glass. Split the number of essential oil drops needed to what suits you. I went roughly half and half, but you could do different quantities depending on which essential oil you would like to come through more.

The essential oils will hopefully take away the smell of vinegar a bit; however, you will still be able to smell it. Don’t worry as the smell of vinegar won’t linger too long after you have cleaned.

Step 2 – Add water

Now, it is time to fill up the cleaner with water. Fill it up as close to the top as you like, leaving a little gap so that you can place the spray nozzle on without it overspilling out of the bottle.
Place on the spray nozzle, securing tightly and give the mixture a little shake to combine. Again, you will have to shake this as you clean to make sure you are getting all of the properties of the cleaner being sprayed.

Then your second DIY cleaning product is ready to go! How easy and simple was that?

DIY Cleaning Products: Scouring Powder

This has to be the simplest out of all of the DIY cleaning products in this list. It can be used in a few different ways; sprinkling down the plug, sprinkling over stains or mixing with Castile soap for more of a lather. It is very versatile!

What you need:

There are very little items needed to make this scouring powder, and I guess it feels like a bit of a cheat because of this.

• Bicarbonate of Soda
• 20 drops of Essential Oil – I chose Lime essential oil
• Glass jar

Now, if you aren’t using essential oils then you can skip this recipe as you can sprinkle bicarbonate of soda on anything to have a bit of a scrub and stain reducing property. Bicarbonate of soda is great for cleaning with, as it is fairly gentle and absorbs odours. If it is good enough for Mrs Hinch then count me in!

Step 1 – Add Bicarbonate of Soda

Start by cleaning our a glass jar, making sure it is thoroughly clean and dry. If there is still an odour of what was in the jar then the bicarbonate of soda will soak this up and change how the scouring powder smells. I just used an old jam jar or pickle jar for this. Perfect for recycling your glass jars!

When you are happy that your jar is clean and dry, fill it up with bicarbonate of soda.

Step 2 – Add essential oil

Then it is time to add in your essential oil. Add in your 20 drops of chosen oil. I went for the lime essential oil because I love the smell of lime and it sort of reminded me of the green ‘Skittles’ sweets. When you have added all of your drops, use a spoon to mix this up, trying to push the essential oil all around the jar, and especially to the bottom.

Place on the lid and give the mixture a shake as well for good measure. Then your third DIY cleaning product is done and ready to use. Can you see why I thought this was a bit of a cheat at a recipe? It is so easy!

DIY Cleaning Products: Toilet Fizzies:

Ever heard of toilet fizzies? Well, they are basically a cleaning Bath Bomb with fewer ingredients. Designed to help freshen up your toilet and remove any stains in the bowl of the toilet. Not that glamorous, but definitely fun to make and watch fizz away!

What you need:

To make these toilet cleaning fizzies, you are going to need the following:

• 1 cup of Bicarbonate of Soda
• 1/2 cup of Citric Acid*
• DIY All-Purpose Spray (made earlier)
• 30 drops essential oil – I opted for Tea Tree and Lime essential oils

Step 1 – Add Bicarbonate of Soda and Citric Acid

In a large bowl add in the bicarbonate of soda and citric acid. Give them a thorough mix up with a whisk or spoon to make sure they have fully mixed together. This will also help remove any lumps and bumps that may be in either ingredient.

Step 2 – Add in essential oil

Now is the time to add in your chosen essential oil(s). Again if you are not using essential oils in your recipe, leave this step out. The toilet fizzies will still work their magic, you just won’t get the fragrance of the essential oils.
Again, if using more than one essential oil, divide the drop amounts to suit which oil you want to come through the most. I did a half and half ratio.

Mix these in thoroughly. If you notice that the mixture begins fizzing when adding in the oils, mix this quickly to reduce the reaction. You want your fizzies to fizz when they hit the water in the toilet!

Step 3 – Make into toilet fizzies

Remember I said to keep your newly made DIY all-purpose cleaner to hand, well this is where it comes in. Begin spritzing your toilet fizzies’ mixture with the spray cleaner, a few sprays at a time. Make sure you are mixing during this time to reduce the reaction of the bicarbonate of soda and citric acid. Keep spritzing and mixing until the mixture begins to hold together when squeezed. Very similar to how you would when making a bath bomb. You don’t want it too wet or too dry.

When you are happy that the mixture is ready, grab a small bath bomb mould and fill each half. Make sure you add a little extra to each mound so that the two halves stick together. Carefully line the two moulds up and press together evenly. Remove any excess and tap the bath bomb mould on each side to remove any air pressure. Then, remove one half of the mould followed by the other. If your mixture is right, then you will have a fully formed toilet fizzy. Keep going until all the mixture is used up.

Place the made fizzies onto a lined tray and allow them to sit overnight. Store in an airtight container when fully dried out.

If you don’t have a bath bomb mould, you could use an ice-cream scoop or even form them by hand in a ball. Ideally, though, a bath bomb mould should be used.

Then your fourth DIY cleaning product is ready to go! Easy right?

So there you have four DIY cleaning products, that are easy to make, made with natural ingredients and are sort of eco-friendly. Which one did you like best and would have a go at making? Let me know in the comments below!

DIY Cleaning Products Video:

Follow along making these four DIY cleaning products via a video tutorial:

https://youtu.be/jWhd9YhNRpohttps://youtu.be/jWhd9YhNRpo

DIY Cleaning Products Pin it!

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If you enjoyed this post and would like a few more eco-friendly makes, check out my DIY Cotton Pads post.