BEST Homemade Bathroom Cleaner: How To Make it Natural DIY

Learn how to make a homemade natural bathroom cleaner with essential oils. It’s made with simple household ingredients that are non-toxic and you probably have them already! 

If you have these ingredients and a few spare minutes today, you should absolutely consider making up a batch of this homemade bathroom cleaner! Then you can keep your bathroom clean and beautiful without the chemical burden other cleaners carry.

To be completely honest, it’s impossible to be 100% chemical-free, but the goal is to try and reduce our toxic chemical load. I’m going to share everything you need to know to make and use your own homemade natural bathroom cleaner.

What are Homemade DIY Cleaners?

They are natural non-toxic cleaning products made from homemade recipes and simple natural ingredients. Often safe to use on all surfaces from eating surfaces to floors.

The Benefits of Making Homemade Bathroom Cleaners

6 Benefits of Homemade Non-Toxic Bathroom Cleaner

1. Health benefits for you and your family from the essential oils
2. Environmental benefits
3. Cost-effective
4. Customizable

6 Reasons Why Chemical Fragrances Can be Bad for Health

While fragrances make a product smell pleasant, there are some that could potentially be bad for our health. We should all be careful and read labels carefully. Here are some reasons why they could be bad for your health:

1. Lack of Transparency: Sometimes manufacturers keep the name of the specific ingredient hidden behind a broad term like “fragrance” or “perfume” on their labels. This secrecy makes it hard to know exactly what it really contains.
2. Allergic Reactions: fragrances can trigger allergic reactions and sensitivities in people who are susceptible to chemical sensitivities already. They can cause things like headaches, nausea, dizziness, and respiratory issues in some people, especially those who have asthma or other breathing problems.
3. Hormone Disruption: There are chemicals found in fragrances like phthalates, that have been linked to endocrine disruption. They can interfere with normal hormones in one’s body, possibly leading to developmental problems, reproductive issues, or even certain cancers.
4. Air Quality: Chemicals in fragrances can add to bad indoor air quality. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released into the air when certain household products are used like cleaners, air fresheners, and personal care and cosmetic items.
5. Environmental Impact: Fragrances don’t just affect the health of humans. They can also harm the environment and animals around us. Some fragrance chemicals have been detected in rivers, lakes, and surrounding lands. This leads to concerns about their impact on the world around us.
6. Cumulative Chemical Exposure: We are constantly being exposed to different Fragrance chemicals from a wide range of sources throughout our lives like an air freshener, a chemical toilet scrub cleaner, or a regular glass cleaner. Over time it can add to our total chemical burden. This could potentially contribute to long-term health problems.

Take Away:

While not all fragrances are necessarily bad for us, it is important that we are aware of the potential risks and choose our products carefully. Preferring fragrance-free or naturally scented products can help reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals, and help our indoor environments be cleaner.

Why This is the BEST Homemade Bathroom Cleaner:

• Simple Natural Ingredients: You probably already have these simple ingredients in your kitchen: baking soda, white vinegar, water, castile soap, and essential oils. It uses simple natural products instead of toxic chemicals producing toxic fumes.
• Shelf Life: this recipe should last quite a while, so you don’t have to purchase more anytime soon.
• Frugal: making this DIY bathroom cleaner will save you money. By using ingredients to make this inexpensive cleaner, you will save yourself the cost of buying expensive green cleaners from the store.
• Tough on Germs: this cleaner is able to clean the toughest germs, and mineral deposits, and yet is safe for eating surfaces. It can be used to clean almost any area of your home you need! We just call it bathroom cleaner because it has more ingredients than your normal homemade recipe, which is specifically targeted to kill hard-to-kill germs. See the notes at the bottom of the post.
• Great Cleaner: this homemade bathroom cleaner is perfect for maintaining the beauty of your home because it is gentle on surfaces yet powerful enough to be used as a toilet cleaner.

Effectiveness of Homemade Bathroom Cleaners

This bathroom cleaner is effective at the following:

1. Removing mildew
2. Removing mold
3. Removing soap scum
4. Removing grime
5. Removing hard water stains

Ingredients for This Homemade Bathroom Cleaner:

• 1 c distilled hot water
• 1 c room temperature water
• 2 T Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds soap
• ½ c lemon infused vinegar (or 1/2 cup of vinegar)
• 1 T Borax
• 1 tsp washing soda
• 40 drops of tea tree essential oil
• 30 drops of sweet orange essential oil
• 20 drops of clove essential oil
• 10 drops of lemon essential oil
• 10 drops of cinnamon essential oil

Ingredients 1: Lemon Infused Vinegar

• Powerful cleaner- Most people are not aware of the powerful cleaning this ingredient is capable of. Reports show that it kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80% of most viruses. This is gentle enough for daily use yet amazing to clean toilets with.
• Frugal- it is very inexpensive and found in most homes already
• Versatile- can be used on many surfaces. It is able to trap bad smells, lift stains, and remove stubborn grease. 
• Note- Don’t use vinegar on natural stone, stained wood, and unsealed grout.
• Make this homemade by covering lemon peels or orange peels in white distilled vinegar for 3 months then strain out the peels. Use this in your homemade cleaning recipes. The citrus peels are great at covering the smell of vinegar.

Ingredient 2: Borax

• Natural- it is mined in the Utah desert. It is mostly comprised of the trace mineral boron but has other minerals mixed in like magnesium in small amounts. It is 
• Where to find Borax- you can purchase borax at most grocery stores in the cleaning aisle. It looks like it is a chemical or soap, but it is just a natural product pulled straight from the mines.
• Ph- it has a high pH of about 10 which makes it very basic. This is what creates the environment that is actually able to kill bacteria.

Ingredient 3: Dr. Bronner Sal Suds Soap

• Awesome cleaning power- is able to lift the dirt and grime off the surfaces. Typical antibacterial cleaners don’t necessarily remove the dirt, they just kill the bacteria. Castile soap doesn’t kill bacteria, but it does easily lift the dirt, grime, and bacteria and remove them.
• Natural- it is a natural dish soap made from oils found naturally in plants like spruce leaf oil. This plant-based soap has been around for a long time, some report it to be around the 11th century when it was first recorded being used.
• Multipurpose- it is safe and effective to use on many different surfaces including bathroom surfaces, the toilet bowl, glass shower door, and the bathroom floor.

Ingredients 4: Warm Water

• Dissolve Borax and Baking Soda- the Borax and Baking soda needs to be dissolved to make the spray.
• Where to find Distilled Water- you can purchase distilled water at most grocery stores 

Ingredient 5: Washing Soda

• Washing soda has a pH of 11 so it is great at removing limescale, grease, and soap scum. Also it works to clean things like bathroom sinks and shower tiles.
• A little goes a long way. If for some reason your cleaner feels too sudsy or slimy, it could be that you have hard water and it’s making the washing soda harder to rinse off. Simply reduce the washing soda to 1 tsp.

Ingredient 6: Essential Oils

• Natural Fragrance- One of the best benefits of making homemade cleaning products is using clean fragrance. They still have an amazing smell, but without paying the price in other ways.
• Lemon Essential Oil- According to this article by Dr. Axe, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found in a study that lemon essential oils protect food from pathogens like E.coli and Salmonella when added to food.
• Antibacterial Properties- Tea tree oil is a good one for killing bacteria
• Other Recommended Essential oils: Eucalyptus, lavender, and thyme are also considered to be antiseptic and antibacterial.
• Learn More: Natural Cleaning with Essential Oils 

Tools: For this Homemade Bathroom Cleaner Recipe

• 16 oz glass bottle with spray nozzle
• Small funnel
• Measuring cups and spoons

#1 Tool: 16oz Glass spray bottle

• You can use any 16-oz glass spray bottle. If it had a different cleaner in it before, make sure you clean it really well before using it. 
• I like to use an old Apple Cider Vinegar bottle. I just clean it well first. It fits most spray nozzles.
• You can easily find them on Amazon too!

#2 Tool: Small funnel

#3 Tool: Measuring Spoons and Cups

Step by Step: How to Make This Homemade Bathroom Cleaner

1. Combine warm water and borax in the empty spray bottle. Give it a good shake until it is dissolved. 
2. Add baking soda and shake until dissolved.
3. Add the remaining ingredients including the drops of essential oil. 
4. Shake to mix.
5. Use your own DIY cleaner to clean your home!

How to Use:

1. Shake a little to redistribute and dissolve the borax.
2. Spray a small amount on surfaces in the bathroom including the toilet, sink, shower drain, and floor. 
3. Apply some elbow grease and give it a good scrubbing with a scrub brush, paper towels, or microfiber cloth.
4. Rinse or wipe with a clean wet rag to remove any residue.

How to Store Homemade Bathroom Cleaner

Essential oils can break down the plastic in a plastic bottle so you will want to make sure and use a glass spray bottle for sure. This can be stored for about 2 months.

Safety Precautions

Alright, when it comes to making and using homemade cleaners we still need to be careful. First off, make sure you label those bottles nice and clear and then store them where small children can’t get to them. When you are mixing them up, follow the recipes, and don’t just start adding other ingredients without doing your own research first. Even though some things are natural antibacterial products, they can still be chemicals that have chemical reactions.

Never mix hydrogen peroxide and vinegar it makes a chemical reaction called peracetic acid.  This can be dangerous to breathe in.

Never mix bleach with ammonia, it’s dangerous and high risk to human health.

Tips and Tricks:

Never use vinegar as an all purpose cleaner. It can be used on most surfaces for bathroom cleaning like glass shower doors and as a tile cleaner. Remember not to use it on unsealed grout, natural stone, or stained wood. See this great post for more information.

Never mix vinegar and baking soda it just makes useless salt.

Test a Small Area

We always recommend testing a small area first by spraying. Then scrub the affected area and check to make sure there is no discoloration. Even if it’s natural and nontoxic you never know if the household item you have could react for some odd reason to an ingredient. The most common reaction could be discoloration. So spray in a small area and wait 15 minutes before using it on the remaining area to clean.

FAQs

I Hope You LOVE Your Natural Homemade Bathroom Cleaner!

You will build confidence as a homemaker when you not only make your own cleaners but the best part will be once you realize it is the best cleaner you have ever used! It reduces your family’s chemical toxic load and is simple to make with inexpensive ingredients from your kitchen.

Just last week I made a new batch for my family. It’s one of my favorite ways to include a little kid of mine in projects I am working on. It builds their confidence and makes them feel useful!

If you need some more scouring power, check out Katie from Wellness Mama’s Sour Power Recipe.

Or visit Live Simply for several more homemade natural cleaning recipes to find just the right match.

Have you found any other awesome homemade bathroom cleaners that you love? We would love to hear about it below!