When was the last time you looked at the ingredients of a conventional all-purpose cleaner and knew exactly what they were, let alone how to pronounce them!? Well, did you know that you can make your own all-purpose cleaner using simple, natural ingredients, many of which you will already have in your pantry?
By infusing herbs known for their cleansing properties in vinegar, adding some equally cleansing, deodorising and detoxifying essential oils, you will have an incredibly useful, powerful every day cleaner you can use all over the house.
In this recipe we use vinegar, dried herbs, corn starch and essential oils. Here's why:
Vinegar: Vinegar naturally contains a small percentage of acetic acid, which is known to kill fungus and microbes, and is great for general disinfecting and combating mould and mildew.
Herbs: Herbs add a natural fragrance and further beneficial cleansing properties. The best herbs to use for cleaning are mint, lavender, rosemary, thyme and sage, all of which we have used in our recipe.
Corn starch: A natural, very fine, gentle abrasive, that makes cleaning easier and surprisingly, leaves a streak free finish!
Eucalyptus essential oil: Antiviral, antiseptic, and antibacterial properties.
Thyme essential oil: Antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic properties, naturally purifying and detoxifying.
Lavender essential oil: Antibiotic, antiseptic, antiviral, and antibacterial properties, and a natural deodoriser.
Rosemary essential oil: Antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, and antiviral properties, with a refreshing and uplifting clean scent.
Lemon essential oil: Packed with limonene and citric acid, it is antibacterial, degreasing, deodorising, and disinfecting.
Peppermint essential oil: Antibacterial and prevents mould from developing on windows.
Clove essential oil: Antimicrobial and antifungal, which kills mould spores
Sage essential oil: Disinfects, deodorizes, purifies, and detotoxifies. Making your own all-purpose cleaner using simple, everyday ingredients is incredibly easy to do.
Find our recipe below and the ingredients in our stores, online here, and in your pantry or veggie patch.
Herb-Infused All Purpose Cleaner Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of dried rosemary
- 1/4 cup dried thyme
- 1/4 cup dried lavender
- 1/4 cup dried mint
- 1/4 cup dried sage
- 4 cups unrefined pure apple cider vinegar, plus extra to top up if needed
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 6 drops clove essential oil
- 8 drops sage essential oil
- 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 12 drops thyme essential oil
- 12 drops lavender essential oil
- 12 drops rosemary essential oil
- 8 drops peppermint essential oil
Method
- Place the dried herbs into a large glass jar, at least 1L in capacity. Pour the vinegar over the herbs. If the lid of your jar is metallic, place some baking paper in between the jar and the lid to avoid the lid from corroding. Let the mixture infuse for a week minimum, shaking the jar every couple of days. For a strong infusion, we recommend leaving for 2 weeks.
- Once the infusion is complete and you're happy with the strength, strain the vinegar mixture through a fine sieve or nut milk bag until all the herbs are separated. Squeeze the herbs out to obtain any valuable hidden liquid!
- Add the essential oils and cornstarch to the vinegar mixture and shake well.
- Pour the vinegar mixture into a spray bottle and top up with some fresh apple cider vinegar if required.
How to Use
This recipe makes enough to fill approximately 1 x 500ml trigger spray bottle.
To use, spray surfaces and wipe clean with a soft, damp cloth.
It is very effective on tiles, stainless steel, laminate and glass.
We recommend you avoid using this spray on granite, stone and marble surfaces, as well as polished timber.
Keep from direct sunlight and use within 6 months.
Shake well before each use.
