When you have allergies and asthma like I do, you’re very sensitive to strong scents. I decided that once I used up the bathroom cleaners we had, I’d start making my own using more natural supplies. It’s a part in my quest to reduce our carbon footprint.

I saw people pinning homemade antibacterial wipes, so I started there. They’re super convenient, but I don’t like the harsh smell and feeling on my hands of the standard Clorox Wipes. The pins made it look so easy! All you had to do was saw a roll of paper towels in half, put it in a container (I had a Clorox Wipes container I would be reusing), pour the liquid in, and there you have it – homemade wipes.

Yeah. It’s not quite that easy. First off, do not use the choose your own size paper towels. They make the wipes really small. Secondly, don’t use the fat rolls of paper towels. They won’t fit in the container. Know how I know these things? Yep. I did both, much to Todd’s amusement.

After sawing the roll of paper towels in half, taking the cardboard core out, removing half the roll, and stuffing it into the container, I mixed together, and then poured this solution over the paper towels:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup white vinegar

15 drops tea tree oil

I also tried out a couple of shower cleaners. The first is a deep cleaner. The directions said to mix the solution in a spray bottle, spray your shower and tub thoroughly, let sit for 1-2 hours, wipe off, and rinse with water. The smell became too strong for me after a half hour, so I wiped and rinsed then. Maybe my shower and tub weren’t as dirty as other pinners, because that was plenty of time to work. My shower and tub look great, and I didn’t have to get on my hands and knees to scrub and use Soft Scrub. Here’s the recipe:

In a spray bottle mix one part white vinegar to one part original blue Dawn dish washing soap (not the concentrated kind). Be sure to turn your exhaust fan on while it’s working.

I also mixed up a daily shower spray to use after a shower or bath to keep the soap scum and hard water spots at bay. Here’s that recipe:

In a spray bottle mix 1 cup white vinegar, 2 cups water, 2 teaspoons of original blue Dawn dish washing soap. Spray on the shower walls, and tub after a shower or bath.

The last cleaner I mixed up is an All Purpose Antibacterial spray. You can use this in place of harsh cleaners like Fantastik (This is so strong that my throat closes up if I’m in the same room where it’s been sprayed!). Here’s the recipe:

In a spray bottle mix 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 15 drops of tea tree oil.

I never realized how pleasant the scent of tea tree oil is! I’m going to continue to be on the lookout for more recipes for natural cleaning.

Here’s my board on Pinterest where I pin Natural Cleaning

Do you have a tried and true natural cleaning recipe?