--- description: These effective natural cleaners can be made at reasonable costs title: 6 All-Natural Cleaning Products You Can Make at Home image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Living](/tag/time-section-living/) ## Living Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 6 All-Natural Cleaning Products You Can Make at Home by [Sarah Engler / Food52](/author/food52/) ## Sarah Engler / Food52 Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 31, 2015 7:09 PM CUT by [Sarah Engler / Food52](/author/food52/) ## Sarah Engler / Food52 Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 31, 2015 7:09 PM CUT Recently, I had to clear out all our kitchen cabinets to prep for a renovation. This taught me a few things: 1. _There is no way I’m going to use up all my ground coriander before I die._ 2. _I have one of those cornbread pans that makes little loaves that look like ears of corn! Who knew?_ 3. _I buy way, WAY too many cleaning products._ Once I started trying to avoid chemical cleaners, I think my stash doubled. Suddenly I have natural wood furniture cleaner AND wood floor cleaner, eco glass cleaner AND regular window cleaner, all-natural shower spray AND scrubby bubbles tile spray. There was no way I was going to cram all of those bottles and powders back into my pretty new cabinets. (Or buy a new set of cleaning products now that I was kitchen-poor.) Annie B. Bond’s [Eco-Clean Deck: 50 Recipes for Non-Toxic House Cleaners](http://www.amazon.com/Eco-Clean-Deck-Non-Toxic-Household-Cleaners/dp/0307591611?tag=food52-20 "undefined"), a box of laminated cards featuring DIY homemade cleaning products, had been sitting on my bookshelf and mocking my laziness for years. I guess I’d always assumed it would be too much work to actually try them out. (It wasn’t.) Or that DIY recipes don’t clean as well as store-bought stuff. (Some of them actually do.) After a little experimentation, I decided on a set of six effective solutions from her deck that would tackle every single surface in my apartment, and, all in all, I spent just $18 in supplies (including spray bottles and sponges). I’m kicking myself for not trying this sooner! Here’s how to make them: ### 1\. Basic Wood Cleaner  Mark Weinberg/Food52 _1/2 cup lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)_ _1/4 cup water_ _1/2 teaspoon natural liquid soap or detergent (I used_ [_Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castille Soap_](https://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/category/PEPPERMINT.html "undefined")_.)_ _A few drops olive oil_ _Combine the ingredients in a bowl. Saturate a sponge with the mixture, squeeze out excess, and wash surfaces._  Mark Weinberg/Food52 You can use either vinegar or lemon juice in this recipe. A vinegar solution will keep between uses in an airtight jar, but if you use lemon, like I did, you’ll want to make only as much as you need for one cleaning. The original recipe also recommends 3 to 5 drops of essential oil for fragrance, but the fresh lemon scent was good enough for me. ### 2\. Super-Duper Dirty-Window Cleaner  Mark Weinberg/Food52  Mark Weinberg/Food52 _1/4 teaspoon washing soda_ _1/2 cup hot water_ _1/4 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent_ _2 cups club soda_ _Dissolve the washing soda in the hot water, then pour into spray bottle. Add the liquid soap and club soda. Shake to combine, then spray and wipe clean._  Mark Weinberg/Food52  Mark Weinberg/Food52 I’d never heard of [washing soda](http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-washing-soda.htm "undefined") and was convinced I wouldn’t be able to find it at the store—but it was right next to the borax in the cleaning aisle! (Arm & Hammer makes a [popular version](http://www.armandhammer.com/fabric-care/laundry-boosters/Products/arm-and-hammer-super-washing-soda-detergent-booster.aspx "undefined").) Just a quarter teaspoon of it in this magic spray cleaned all my glass surfaces with no streaks. ### 3\. Toilet Bowl Sizzler _1/2 cup baking soda_ _1/2 cup white distilled vinegar_ _Pour the ingredients into the toilet. Let sizzle, then scrub. Flush._ First of all, how do you not love that name? Remember those volcanoes you used to make in elementary school? Imagine that chemical reaction plus extreme cleaning power! I’ve never had so much fun cleaning my toilet. (Correction: I’ve never had any fun cleaning my toilet.) ### 4\. Mildew-Removing Soft Scrubber  Mark Weinberg/Food52  Mark Weinberg/Food52 _Borax_ _Enough liquid soap or detergent to make a paste with a frosting-like consistency_ _A few drops tea tree oil_ _Place the borax in a bowl; slowly pour in the liquid soap, stirring all the while, until the consistency reaches that of a frosting. Add the oil and stir to combine. Scoop the creamy mixture onto a sponge, scrub the surface, and rinse._  Mark Weinberg/Food52 Bond has a recipe for a basic soft scrubber, too, but I need extra power in the bathroom if I’m not using bleach. [Borax](http://www.amazon.com/Borax-Laundry-Booster-76-Box/dp/B000R4LONQ?tag=food52-20 "undefined"), which you can find in the cleaning aisle of your grocery store, is surprisingly mighty for a natural ingredient. ### 5\. All-Purpose Alkaline Cleaner _1/2 teaspoon washing soda (or baking soda if you want something gentler)_ _2 teaspoon borax_ _1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent_ _2 cups hot water_ _Combine the washing soda, borax, and soap in a spray bottle. Pour in the hot water (it will dissolve the minerals), screw on the lid, and shake to completely blend and dissolve. Spritz every 6 inches of the surface once or twice, wiping off the cleanser with a rag as you go. For stains, leave the cleanser on for a few minutes before wiping it off. Shake the bottle before each use._ Bond has many variations of all-purpose cleaner recipes, but I found that this one best cleaned my shower tiles, bathroom sink, quartz countertops, and laminate furniture surfaces. ### 6\. Stainless Steel Cleaner  Mark Weinberg/Food52  Mark Weinberg/Food52 _Vinegar_ _Olive Oil_ _Spray the surface liberally with vinegar. Using a soft cloth, rub in the direction of the grain to clean. Polish by dipping the cloth in olive oil and rubbing again in the direction of the grain._ Bond didn’t have a recipe for this, but my kit wouldn’t be complete without something to wipe away the smudges on our appliances. I’ve heard that [vinegar will help](http://food52.com/blog/8713-9-pantry-items-that-double-as-cleaning-tools "undefined"), but for extra luster, [The Kitchn](http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-clean-stainless-steel-appliances-with-vinegar-and-oil-cleaning-lessons-from-the-kitchn-205232 "undefined") had the answer. _This_ [_article_](http://food52.com/blog/13568-the-6-all-natural-cleaning-products-you-should-be-making-at-home?utm%5Fsource=time.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=f52-time "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Food52_](http://food52.com "undefined") _More from Food52:_ * [20 Essential Kitchen Hacks](http://food52.com/blog/10532-20-essential-kitchen-hacks?utm%5Fsource=time.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=f52-time "undefined") * [How to Spend Less Money on Your Favorite Ingredients](http://food52.com/blog/12031-how-to-spend-less-money-on-your-favorite-ingredients?utm%5Fsource=time.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=f52-time "undefined") * [5 Money-Saving Kitchen Hacks](http://food52.com/blog/8093-5-money-saving-kitchen-hacks?utm%5Fsource=time.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=f52-time "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4017713/diy-cleaning-products/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4017713/diy-cleaning-products/"},"headline":"6 All-Natural Cleaning Products You Can Make at Home","datePublished":"2015-08-31T19:09:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:42:23.503Z","description":"These effective natural cleaners can be made at reasonable costs","url":"https://time.com/4017713/diy-cleaning-products/","keywords":["Living","advice","Cleaning","life hacks"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Engler / Food52"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4017713/diy-cleaning-products/","name":"6 All-Natural Cleaning Products You Can Make at Home"}}]}] ```