7 Easy Homemade Natural Cleaning Products and Methods

​Whether you’re trying to switch over to using safer ingredients or you want to save some money, these 7 easy homemade natural cleaning products and methods have allowed me to do both!

​My Favorite Homemade Natural Cleaning Products

I love using cleaner products, but unfortunately, many of the store-bought options can be significantly more expensive than generic brands. Using cleaner products is not always sustainable when it makes your monthly cost of supplies skyrocket.

There are a ton of recipes out there for natural cleaning products and methods, but I have to say that I’m a bit picky! I want products that work, are safe (especially around kids), and don’t cost twice the price.

These methods and cleaning recipes fit the bill!

Switching over to better products can be overwhelming. The best method I’ve found is to go with one switch at a time. Most of these take less than 5 minutes to of hands-on time to make, so once you get in the habit of whipping up your own cleaners, it’s not hard to fit them into your daily, weekly, or monthly routine.

Here are 7 of my favorite natural cleaners that I use over and over.

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1. DIY Kitchen Surface Cleaner

Make this your daily cleaner, or just throw it together when you’re in a pinch! Made with lemon, castile soap, vinegar, water, and essential oil (optional), it mixes up in just seconds and is great for cleaning countertops, tables, sinks, and other surfaces.

It’s a natural disinfectant and an easy way to avoid spraying toxic cleaners on the surfaces that you cook on (yuck). The lemon gives is a deliciously fresh scent as well as having anti-bacterial properties and helping to remove stains.

And not only is this recipe safe (for kids, pets, and everyone!) and effective, but it costs only $1.35 per bottle, (or about $0.08 per ounce!).

Get the recipe here! -> DIY Surface cleaner recipe

2. Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

This is definitely one of our most-used cleaners on this list, and after making this recipe, I’m not sure I can ever go back to store-bought dishwasher detergent.

It cleans our dishes so well! We’ve always struggled with having a film on our dishes after they come out of the dishwasher, but this mixture leaves them glassy clean. (I have heard, however, that it may need some adjustments for other types of water. Ours is well water/hard water.)

It’s made with just four ingredients – borax, washing soda, citric acid, and sea salt. And it costs only $0.15 per load, which is less than half the price of any other “clean” dishwasher detergents I’ve found out there.

Get the recipe here! -> homemade dishwasher detergent

3. Homemade Clothes Stain Remover

I started making this homemade stain remover after we had our first baby 5 years ago. Four kids and 1000 dirty onesies, pen stains, and red sauce splashes later, I have yet to find a stain that it won’t take out.

Not only is it cheaper and more effective than commercial stain removers, but it’s made with just 3 ingredients, so it’s really easy to throw together.

All you need for this recipe is dish soap, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide.

Get the recipe here! -> homemade stain remover

4. How to Strip Kitchen Dishcloths

This one is more of a method than a recipe – all you need is baking soda and vinegar. If you’re the type of person who loves emptying a mop bucket full of dirty water or cleaning out a full vacuum, you will love this method. It’s just so satisfying!

Kitchen dishcloths and towels work so hard and get so much built up dirt, grease, and grime. If you keep washing your dishcloths and they never seem truly clean, “stripping” (or deep cleaning) is the way to go. It pulls the deep dirt and grease out and leaves your fabrics cleaner, softer, and fresher.

Read the full instructions here -> how to Strip kitchen dishcloths

5. DIY Shampoo and Conditioner

This is the easiest recipe ever for washing your hair. It costs pennies, and I think my hair has never been healthier than when I’ve used this method.

(Plus, it’s totally free of hormone-disrupting chemicals and junk that’s in most shampoos and conditioners.)

get the recipe here -> DIY Shampoo and Conditioner

6. DIY Carpet Cleaner

Did you know that you can clean your carpets with just baking soda and vinegar? Between kids, mud, and potty-training accidents, our carpet tends to get its fair share of yuck. Using baking soda and vinegar is a really safe and easy way to lift the stains and odors. (In fact, we always keep a bottle of vinegar water on hand for quick access!)

Plus, if you have pets or babies and kids rolling around on the floor, you can use this method without any worry about them ingesting or breathing in toxic cleaners.

read about how to do it here -> DIY carpet cleaner

7. DIY Baby Wipe Spray

Using cloth wipes is a great way to save money and put cleaner products on your baby’s bottom – even if you choose not to use cloth diapers. I started out with cloth diapers and ended up just not having the time to keep up with them. But cloth wipes are totally different! They’re easy to use and wash, gentle on skin, and money saving.

I did a whole cost breakdown of disposable wipes vs. cloth wipes and homemade solution in the blog post.

get the recipe here -> DIY Baby Wipe Solution

Products to Keep On Hand for Making DIY Cleaners

• 16 oz amber spray bottles. These are the spray bottles I keep on hand for making cleaning products. They’re large enough to work well for surface cleaners, and the amber keeps the sun from degrading the elements.
• 8 oz amber spray bottles. I prefer these smaller bottles for things like baby wipe spray!
• Wide mouth quart Mason jars. We use these for everything! Note: they’re significantly less expensive at Walmart or other local stores than they are on Amazon.
• Citric acid. This is my favorite brand of citric acid for making homemade dishwasher detergent.
• Castile soap. Castile soap is free of synthetic ingredients and works for making all sorts of natural cleaning supplies. It’s a great product to have around. We also use it to wash our babies!

What’s Your Favorite Homemade Cleaning Product?

Any homemade cleaning products you use regularly and can’t live without?

Any recipes you’re still looking for?

Let me know in the comments!