Recipe for Grout cleaner

5 Homemade Cleaners that Perform Better Than Expensive Brands

Why bother? Why go to the trouble of homemade cleaners when buying commercial products is so much easier? That was my arrogant response years ago when the idea of making my own cleaning products made no sense to me at all. I’ve come a long way!

Why Homemade?

Here are my top four reasons to make your own cleaning products:

  1. It takes as little as 30 seconds to mix up any number of homemade natural cleaning products—a lot less time than finding the right aisle in the store.
  2. Homemade cleaners give you complete control over the ingredients. Conventional cleaning products often contain toxic chemicals, harsh smells, noxious fragrance, unpleasant residues, or allergy-inducing irritants. 
  3. Making your own cleaning products is super cheap when they use simple everyday ingredients—things you may have already in your pantry.
  4. Homemade cleaners using natural ingredients often perform equally well if not better than expensive name brands cleaners. 

Come to think of it, I can’t really think of any valid reasons not to make our own household cleaning products.

Note: When you scroll way down, you will find printable recipe cards for each of the following recipes.

Kitchen Surface Degreaser

This cleaner is safe on any kitchen surface—granite, quartz, quartzite, slate, soapstone, Formica, stainless steel, procelain, ceramic tile, finished wood, concrete—did I miss anything?

Pour all ingredients into a clean, empty 16-ounce spray bottle, mix well. To use: Spray onto any greasy surface then wipe away with a damp microfiber cloth. Polish to shiny clean with a second dry microfiber cloth. 

*distilled water is advisable especially if your tap water is hard. This assures no minerals or hard water marks are left behind.

 

All-Purpose Heavy Duty Cleaner

Pour all ingredients into a 16-ounce or larger clean spray bottle. Mix well. Use to clean just about anything around the house. 

Natural Grout Cleaner

Mix ingredients in a small bowl until incorporated. This will create a very loose paste-like substance. First, clean tile and grout area and rinse well, but do not dry.

Sprinkle or apply this grout cleaner to the grout. Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes. Scrub with a heavy-duty brush and rinse well. Work on small areas at a time rather than trying to do the entire area at once.

Natural Granite Cleaner

  • ½ cup rubbing alcohol
  • 1 1/2 cups water*
  • ½ teaspoon Blue Dawn Ultra dishwashing liquid
  • 20 to 30 drops lemon essential oil, or your choice

Pour ingredients into a 16-ounce spray bottle. Mix well. To Use: Spray on the granite surface, scrub with a non-scratch sponge, then wipe away with a damp microfiber cloth. Will not harm sealant or leave behind any residue or watermarks. Note: Absolutely safe to use on quartz, too!

All-Purpose Bathroom Cleaner

Pour washing soda, borax, and hot water into a 16-ounce spray bottle. Shake well to dissolve as well as possible. Remove top and add Blue Dawn and essential oils. Add just enough additional warm water to fit within about 1 inch of top. Apply spray top and gently shake to mix. To use: spray on all bathroom surfaces including sinks, toilets, tub, shower, walls, fixtures. Wait for a few minutes before cleaning with sponge or cleaning cloth. Wipe dry with a slightly damp microfiber cloth.

A word about essential oils

I’ve been learning a lot about essential oils and their benefits around the house. There is research to indicate that essential oils provide the antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal properties to homemade cleaners. Essential oils, especially cinnamon, clove, and lime when used properly and in the right concentration, have germ-busting qualities. This explains why cleaners meant to kill germs, like the All-Purpose Natural Bathroom Cleaner above, require a greater concentration of oils.

Concentrations around 1% are effective on stronger pathogens commonly found in bathrooms, like E. coli, Staphylococcus, and salmonella. Essential oils also add a nice scent.

*distilled water is advisable especially if your tap water is hard. This assures no minerals or hard water marks are left behind.

DIY Kitchen Surface Degreaser

This cleaner is safe on any kitchen surface—granite, quartz, quartzite, slate, soapstone, Formica, stainless steel, procelain, ceramic tile, finished wood, concrete—did I miss anything?
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: DIY Household Cleaners
Cuisine: Housekeeping
Servings: 19 ounces

Ingredients

  • 2 cups warm water (See NOTES)
  • 2 tbsp baking soda
  • 2 tspn Blue Dawn Ultra dishwashing liquid
  • 20 drops lemon essential oil

Instructions

  • Pour all ingredients into a clean, empty 16-ounce spray bottle, mix well.
  • To use: Spray onto any greasy surface then wipe away with a damp microfiber cloth. Polish to shiny clean with a second dry microfiber cloth. 

Notes

Distilled water is advisable especially if your tap water is hard. This assures no minerals or hard water marks are left behind.

DIY All-Purpose Heavy Duty Cleaner

Cheaper, better, faster than anything commercial options in the supermarket!
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: DIY Household Cleaners
Cuisine: Housekeeping
Servings: 17 ounces

Ingredients

  • 1 tspn borax
  • ½ tspn washing soda
  • 1 tspn Blue Dawn Ultra dishwashing liquid
  • 20 drops essential oil your choice fragrance
  • 2 cups warm water See Notes

Instructions

  • Pour all ingredients into a 16-ounce or larger clean spray bottle. Mix well. Use to clean just about anything around the house.

Notes

Distilled water is advisable especially if your tap water is hard. This assures no minerals or hard water marks are left behind.
Recipe multiplies well.

 

Recipe for Grout cleaner
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
No ratings yet

DIY Natural Grout Cleaner

Not fumes, nothing toxic here!
Prep Time5 minutes
Course: DIY
Cuisine: Cleaning
Servings: 8 ounces

Ingredients

  • ½ cup baking soda
  • 2 tbsp washing soda
  • 2 tbsp borax
  • 3 tbsp Blue Dawn Ultra dishwashing liquid

Instructions

  • First, clean tile and grout area and rinse well. Do not dry.
  • Mix ingredients in a small bowl until incorporated. This will create a very loose paste-like substance.
  • Sprinkle or apply this grout cleaner to the grout. Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes.
  • Scrub with a heavy-duty brush and rinse well.
  • Work on small areas at a time rather than trying to do the entire area at once.
Recipe for Grout cleaner
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
No ratings yet

DIY Natural Granite Cleaner

This cleaner is superb to get that counter top clean and shiny, and without damaging the sealant!
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Housekeeping
Cuisine: Cleaning
Servings: 8 oz

Ingredients

  • ½ cup rubbing alcohol
  • 1 ½ cup water
  • 20 to 30 drops lemon essential oil or your choice

Instructions

  • Pour ingredients into a 16-ounce spray bottle. Mix well.
  • To Use: Spray liberally all over the granite surface, scrub with a non-scratch sponge, then wipe away with a slightly damp microfiber cloth.

Notes

Will not harm sealant or leave behind any residue or watermarks. Note: Absolutely safe to use on quartz, too!
Recipe for Grout cleaner
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
No ratings yet

DIY All-Purpose Bathroom Cleaner

Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: DIY Household Cleaners
Cuisine: Cleaning
Servings: 16 oz

Ingredients

  • 2 tspn borax
  • 1 tspn washing soda
  • 8 oz very hot water
  • 1 tspn Blue Dawn Ultra dishwashing liquid
  • 8 oz warm water
  • ¼ tspn lemon essential oil
  • ½ tspn orange essential oil
  • ¼ drops cinnamon essential oil
  • ¼ tspn clove essential oil

Instructions

  • Pour washing soda, borax, and hot water into a 16-ounce spray bottle. Shake well to dissolve as well as possible.
  • Remove spray top and add Blue Dawn and essential oils.
  • Add just enough additional warm water to fit within about 1 inch of top
  • Apply spray top and gently shake to mix.
  • To use: spray on all bathroom surfaces including sinks, toilets, tub, shower, walls, fixtures. Wait for a few minutes before cleaning with sponge or cleaning cloth. Wipe dry with a slightly damp microfiber cloth.

Everyday Cheapskate™ participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

More from Everyday Cheapskate

DIY muffin liner homemade tulip baking lavender cutting board shadows
spa day at home mother daughter manicure hot rollers on couch
spring cleaning creative bright concept. tools, bottles, flowers, chalkboard with words hello spring
Unrecognizable woman cleaning with vinegar
wood floor with area rug
BKF cleaning a Stainless surface
A house with trees in the background


Please keep your comments positive, encouraging, helpful, brief,
and on-topic in keeping with EC Commenting Guidelines



Caught yourself reading all the way 'til the end? Why not share with a friend.

2 replies
  1. Bobbi Kiser says:

    Hi Mary,
    Are these cleaners still effective if not all used in the day they are made? I’d love to try them but don’t want to waste ingredients.

    Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      Yes. The only ingredient you would need to use judiciously is hydrogen peroxide (which is not in any of these recipes). Hydroen peroxide is generally effective for up to 6 mos of opening the bottle, provided it is stored in a dark place (it dissapates quickly in the presence of sunlight).

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How was it?