If you take a closer look at the labels of the countless all-purpose cleaners on the market, you'll find unpronounceable names for the various chemical additives. What these are actually used for is usually unclear. Furthermore, virtually all cleaners come in plastic bottles. Sustainability and environmental health are nowhere to be seen.
Although there is an environmental seal on the front, there is still a certain uncertainty and of course the plastic bottles, for which refill packs are rarely available or at least made of recycled material.
This begs the question: Can you make your own all-purpose cleaner? The answer is very simple: You can!
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By the way Excessive use of antibacterial cleaning agents can promote resistance in germs and is therefore not recommended. In principle, it's not even necessary to use special agents. Furthermore, in most cases, these are very difficult to biodegrade and place unnecessary strain on the environment.
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Making your own all-purpose cleaner offers many advantages
In addition to the pleasant feeling of doing something for the environment, making your own all-purpose cleaner has many other advantages:
- The ingredients used to make it are very inexpensive, so you can also save a lot of money over the year.
- You can continue to use old plastic bottles and don't constantly bring new ones home.
- You can select all the individual ingredients yourself by hand and use only particularly natural and environmentally friendly components.
- You can give your all-purpose cleaner the scent you like best – using natural aromas and oils.
- You can even make cleaners from kitchen waste.
Check out our favorite recipes below and choose the all-purpose cleaner that appeals to you most.
CosyRoots No. 1 - Orange All-Purpose Cleaner
Let's start with our favorite cleaner, because you can actually make a wonderfully fragrant all-purpose cleaner from kitchen scraps.
To do this, take orange or tangerine peels and fill a sealable jar to the brim. Add enough plain white vinegar to completely cover all the peels. Let it sit for three to four weeks. You'll want to add a little more vinegar occasionally, as the peels absorb the water and should always be covered (otherwise, they can start to mold).
Now remove the bowls, add a few drops of dish soap to break the surface tension and achieve better cleaning performance, and pour the liquid into a spray bottle.
CosyRoots No. 2 - Effective Baking Soda Cleaner
Baking soda is a truly miracle cure and extremely versatile, including making your own all-purpose cleaner. When combined with an essential oil or natural lemon flavor, the cleaning product also takes on a lovely fragrance.
Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 1 teaspoon of grated organic soap, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 200 ml of warm water in a pot and stir everything well with a whisk so that the soap dissolves completely.
Finally, you can add a few drops of an essential oil if desired. Oils that smell good and have antibacterial, antiviral, and fungicidal properties, like tea tree oil, are particularly recommended. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and enjoy your new homemade cleaner.
CosyRoots No. 3 - Simple vinegar cleaner (very good against limescale)
While we've already introduced you to one type of vinegar cleaner with our number 1 pick, vinegar has so many uses that you can never have enough of it. Different scents also add a bit of variety. You can use one in the bathroom and another in the kitchen.
Vinegar cleaner offers a number of advantages:
- It has a very long shelf life.
- It removes a wide range of dirt and stains, from limescale to rust and from grease to streaks.
- Vinegar has a natural disinfectant effect.
- It is suitable for plastic, wood, tiles, aluminum and linoleum.
Here's how to make your vinegar cleaner:
Mix 500 ml of white vinegar, 250 ml of water, and 20 drops of an essential oil and pour everything into a spray bottle. An empty bottle from a previously purchased, conventional all-purpose cleaner works best for this.
CosyRoots No. 4 - Citric Acid Power Cleaner
Another way to tackle dirt and limescale is to use citric acid. This completely natural substance is available at any drugstore for a small fee.
To make this truly powerful cleaner, you'll need 500 ml of lukewarm water, 60 g of citric acid, 1 teaspoon of dish soap (add after shaking), and a few drops of essential oil, if desired. Pour everything into a (used) spray bottle and shake well until the citric acid powder is dissolved.
Your new power cleaner will last for about three weeks. Alternatively, you can replace some of the water with pure alcohol (also available at pharmacies) to significantly extend its shelf life.
CosyRoots No. 5 - Chestnut Superpower
It all starts with collecting chestnuts. Perhaps go into the woods with your children and collect a bag of these beautiful, shiny tree fruits. You'll need around 15 chestnuts to make the all-purpose cleaner.
Place the chestnuts in a cloth bag and hit them vigorously with a hammer until they're nicely crumbled. Transfer the crumbs to a sealable, heat-resistant jar and fill with two liters of boiling water. This allows the soap-like substance to dissolve from the chestnuts.
It's best to stir vigorously every few hours, and after 18 to 24 hours, everything will be ready. Pour the liquid through a sieve into a new jar, and you can use your new cleaner immediately or store it for a few weeks.
The chestnut cleaner is best used in cleaning water. Pour the desired amount into the bucket and use it to clean grease and stubborn dirt. The soapy substances in the chestnuts really work excellently.
CosyRoots No. 6 - Natural All-Purpose Scouring Agent
You can also make your own scouring cleaners. Simply take four parts baking soda, one part table salt, and one part organic soap and mix well. To use, apply a small amount of the mixture to a damp sponge, and it's effective at removing even stubborn dirt. However, you should be a little careful when cleaning delicate areas.
Alternatively, you can make a scouring agent from dried citrus fruits and baking soda. To do this, take the dried citrus fruits, 20 g of potato starch, and 50 g of baking soda. Place everything in a blender and grind the mixture into a fine powder.
The best way to dry the fruit is to slice it and place it on the heater or use the residual heat from the oven after use.
CosyRoots No. 7 - Vinegar Essence Lime All-Purpose Cleaner
Similar to our No. 1, this cleaner combines vinegar and fruit—but in this case, vinegar essence and limes. The preparation is very similar to the orange all-purpose cleaner. You put lime peels (or squeezed lime halves) into a glass and fill it with vinegar essence. After two weeks, remove the limes and pour the solution into a spray bottle along with water in a 1:1 ratio.
CosyRoots No. 8 - All-purpose cleaner made from potato peels and soda
Like chestnuts, potatoes also contain soap-like substances. Here's how to turn Germany's favorite tuber into an effective cleaning agent:
- Place the peels of 8 to 10 potatoes in a large pot, add 1 teaspoon of washing soda, and pour over 750 ml of boiling water (from the kettle).
- Let the mixture continue to simmer on the stovetop for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then remove the pot from the heat and let the peels steep in the broth overnight.
- Now all you need to do is strain the mixture through a sieve and pour it into a spray bottle. Shake well before each use and spray onto the dirty area.
Since it is a purely natural product, you should store the cleaner in the refrigerator and when it starts to ferment, simply make fresh cleaner.
CozyRoots No. 9 - Lavender All Purpose Cleaner
Place a handful of dried (or fresh) lavender in a bowl and pour 250 ml of boiling water over it. After about an hour, strain out the flowers and fill with 250 ml of clear alcohol (e.g., plain spirit), then pour the mixture into a spray bottle.
All-purpose cleaners from the drugstore can make us sick
The ingredients found in all-purpose cleaners are sometimes shocking. There are numerous substances that have been proven to be harmful to health, yet they continue to be used in cleaners.
One may contain dangerous disinfectants, another fragrances that have been found to be harmful to reproduction in animal testing. Still others contain preservatives that can damage the immune system or trigger allergies. In the worst case, all of these substances are combined in a single cleaning product.
When you make your own all-purpose cleaner, you know exactly what's in it and what's not.
You need a maximum of 4 different cleaners
You're probably often completely overwhelmed by the selection at the drugstore and don't quite know what you actually need to keep your household tidy and protect your loved ones. The answer is: You only need four different products for the entire house:
- A good all-purpose cleaner for floors, windows and other surfaces
- A scouring powder for incrustations and stubborn dirt
- A vinegar cleaner for limescale and urine stones
- Dishwashing detergent for cleaning dishes
Furthermore, a basic set of good equipment is a great advantage: a scouring pad, a few brushes and microfiber cloths, as well as a window squeegee. You usually don't need much more than that.
Here are some useful tips for house cleaning in general
- Cleaning cloths should always be dried thoroughly after use.
- Each area should have its own rags. For example, you could use red ones in the kitchen, yellow ones in the bathroom, and green ones for the toilet.
- Especially surfaces that are touched frequently and by several people, such as light switches and door handles, should be wiped daily.
- Instead of using air fresheners, ventilate well on a regular basis.
- Do not use disinfectants.
- Wash all cleaning rags weekly at 60°C.
Always a great idea as a gift
No matter what you make yourself, it always has a very special value. Why not give a gift of a collection of your best homemade cleaners? Pour them into a pretty spray bottle and craft a cute label. Perhaps this will inspire the recipient to try it themselves.
Speaking of gifts – you'll also find plenty of lovely gifts in our shop that are sure to bring lots of joy.
