It’s that time of year when the new year has finally set in, and with it comes the urge to rethink and reevaluate the cleanliness of our homes. Spring cleaning can mean something different to each individual, but it’s a tradition that even if you despise cleaning, you kind of look forward to. Spring cleaning can mean deep cleaning those areas that we tend to neglect until we are moving, or the house is empty.
There is no better way to kick off this year’s spring cleaning than with natural cleaners. These natural cleaners are safer for your home, effective for cleaning away grime and grit, and will smell better than your average store cleaner.
There are lots of options out there, so on this post, we will give you an easy room-by-room checklist, some DIY cleaner recipes that can be used for those rooms, and links to older posts that cover more DIY cleaners with essential oils in more detail.
Where to start?
Spring cleaning can be overwhelming, so the biggest question is where to start? There are lots of ways to go about this, but here is a spring cleaning schedule that is easy to achieve and will give you a definite starting point. Make your DIY cleaners the day before so when you are ready to go, spring cleaning can begin without delay.
Remember, we are focusing on areas that are not always cleaned and definitely need some attention during the spring cleaning frenzy. So besides cleaning the bathroom or bedrooms the way you normally would, these are ideas to go above and beyond.
First Stop: Bathrooms
Bathroom Checklist:
- Vacuum and wipe the walls and ceilings
- Wash throw rugs
- Wash mirrors and windows
- Spray and scrub all surfaces and bathroom items
- Mop the floors
Tub & Sink Cleaner
What you’ll need:
- 1/4 cup Castile Soap
- 1/4 cup washing soda
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 20 drops Orange Sweet, Grapefruit Pink, or Lemon Essential Oil
- mold, small plastic container or other items to make a “bar” {see below for more information}
What you’ll do:
- Combine all ingredients in a medium glass bowl
- Mix well to blend together
- Press paste into the mold and allow to dry for a few hours until firm
- Once set, remove from the mold (I used an old 4 inch round butter container)
- To use the bar: wet and rub the surface of your sink or tub. The bar will gently remove dirt and soap scum. Wipe clean with a damp rag. Rinse with cool water.
- Enjoy your beautifully clean tub or sink!
- To get the mildew smell out of towels, add 1 cup of vinegar, ½ cup of baking soda, and 10 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil to your washing machine. Wash towels in hot water. You can also just simply add 10-20 drops of Tea Tree directly to your washer at the beginning of the washing cycle.
- Add 10 drops of Germ Fighter or KidSafe Germ Destroyer Synergy to 8 oz of witch hazel or purified water in a spray bottle and use as a disinfectant for surfaces and the air.
Second Stop: Bedrooms
Bedroom Checklist:
- Vacuum and wipe walls and ceilings
- Dust and clean all surfaces
- Open and clean windows
- Wash drapes, linens, sheets, and all washable items
- Wipe mirrors
- Shampoo or steam carpets/rugs
Window Spray
What you’ll need:
- 12 ounces of water
- 0.5-1.5% Optiphen Plus*
- 1 tbsp ammonia
- 1 tsp rubbing alcohol
- Essential oils of your choice
**If you choose not to use a preservative you will need to store it in the fridge. Optiphen plus is a preservative which reduces the instance of bacterial growth in water-based products. We recommend that a preservative is used in any water-based products that you make at home. This is a great choice since it contains no parabens, no formaldehyde, and are not formaldehyde contributors.
What you’ll do:
- Combine everything in a 32-ounce spray bottle
- Spritz windows, wipe with a soft cloth
- Ta-da! Sparkling clean glass!!
- To deodorize your carpet, add a few drops of Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint, or your favorite essential oil to a box of baking soda. Then sprinkle onto the carpet. Let sit for about an hour and vacuum.
- Add a few drops of Lavender Essential Oil to purified water in a spray bottle to use an air freshener. For Bathroom purposes, add Lemon or Plant Therapy’s Citrus Burst Synergy.
Third Stop: Kitchen
Kitchen Checklist:
- Clean the refrigerator and freezer
- Degrease appliances
- Clean the oven
- Clean window treatments
- Wash all surfaces, cabinets, appliances, and utensils
- Sweep, vacuum, and mop floors
Multi-Purpose Spray
What you’ll need:
- 4 ounces water*
- 2 grams Castile Soap
- 15 drops essential oil (I use Germ Destroyer or Germ Fighter in most batches )
- Spray Bottle
To use:
Spray and wipe. I use this on my floors and counters. I have little ones so I only use Germ Fighter if the room is well ventilated and my kids are gone for several hours. This recipe also works great for mirrors and windows!
Soft Scrub
What you’ll need:
- 12 ounces baking soda
- 4 ounces Castile Soap
- 0.5 ounces water*
- 0.5 ounces white vinegar
- 30 drops of essential oil (I used half Tea Tree and half Germ Fighter)
To use:
Spread the paste, let sit for 5-10 minutes, and scrub away!
Steel Appliance Polish
What you’ll need:
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup olive oil or other vegetable oil
- 2-3 drops of Orange Sweet or Lemon Essential Oil
- Soft cloth
What you’ll do:
- In glass jar or container, combine the vegetable oil with the 2-3 drops of your chosen essential oil
- Dab a small amount onto your soft cloth
- Use a small circular motion, polish stainless steel
- Continue to buff until fingerprints, grime and smudges are removed
Fourth Stop: Living Room
Living Room Checklist:
- Dust ceiling fans, bookcases, and shelves
- Vacuum and wipe walls and ceiling
- Clean sofa/furniture upholstery
- Wipe light fixtures and light bulbs
- Clean window treatments
- Clean and dust electronics
- Sweep out fireplace
- Clean carpets
Furniture Polish
What you’ll need:
- 1 ounce unrefined (solid) Coconut Oil
- 12 drops Jojoba Carrier Oil
- 7 drops essential oil (4 Orange Sweet and 3 Lavender)
To use:
Use a very small amount and buff furniture with it until you are left with an even shine. I really love microfiber cloths. If you have streaks, continue to spread and buff until shiny. This is probably my favorite recipe, it left my furniture looking so fresh and vibrant, it also left a gentle and uplifting aroma behind that lasted all afternoon.
If you made it this far, you now have one incredibly clean house, that smells amazing, and was cleaned without using harsh chemicals. Sit back, enjoy your extremely clean house (for at least a few moments), and order in your favorite meal because you definitely deserve it. Plus it will keep your kitchen clean a little longer than usual because there won’t be any dishes to clean!
For more cleaning ideas check out these posts:
There are wonderful diy recipes in this blog! I am new to plant therapy and I’m anxious to try all of the products!
“Add 10 drops of Germ Fighter or KidSafe Germ Destroyer Synergy to 8 oz of witch hazel or purified water in a spray bottle and use as a disinfectant for surfaces and the air.”
Would adding rubbing alcohol act as a preservative if making the spray? If so, what proportion of rubbing alcohol to witch hazel should I use? Thanks in advance!
I have been interested in research and facts about how effective essential oils are in killing bacteria, bacteria, etc. I have been using them for a while and am now just starting to question this as I have never seen any research. Can anyone direct me to a credible source?? Thanks!
Abigail, reach out to our awesome Customer Service Team at [email protected]. I believe they may have access to tons of different credible resources to help you with your questions 🙂
Pollen season has started, so I’m super excited to get my whole house clean using these ideas!
I can’t wait to try some of these ideas. I think the Lucky and Luckier blends would be lovely for cleaning as well.
I LOVE the cleaning lists, which are practical and some ideas might have been overlooked. I also love the recipes! Thanks!
Im thinking that the LUCKY blend would work good for a lot of cleaning…. any thoughts anyone? I have babies and preschoolers. I think its kidsafe. Is it? Thanks…
Rebecca, Lucky is KidSafe, which means it is safe for children 2 through 10 🙂
This is a fantastic post! I cannot WAIT to get to cleaning (and for me to say that…whew…).
I don’t se lavender and lemon essential oils mixed in cheap vodka and water in a spray bottle. This cleans everything from granite counter tops to toilets! Love it!
Great suggestion! Vodka seems easier to find than some of these other items.
Does the vodka work to disperse the EO’s properly? Or does it work like a preservative to make the recipe last longer?
I’m new to EO’s if you can’t tell
HI! Love Plant Therapy! Question, I am wanting to make a bathroom cleaner that is liquid. Any suggestions? Also, for the kitchen cleaner can I use lemon and lavender (15 drops total per 4oz of water) and it still be a disinfectant? Thanks!
Faith, check out our blog titled “Plant Therapy Essentials: All Purpose Cleaner DIY” for a liquid cleaner that would work great in the bathroom. Also, lemon and lavender are FANTASTIC choices for a cleaner that can disinfect! And they smell so amazing together 🙂
Quick question, the witch hazel and the germ fighter as a disinfectant, spraying the air and surfaces, would it be for bathroom spray, and door knob spray, like Lysol, if i just spray it like that, will it dry quick? like the lysol? or can i use it for countertops clean like normal and wipe? thanks
Trista, the witch hazel will not evaporate quickly like the Lysol and should be wiped away. You could replace the witch hazel with a high alcohol content liquid, like everclear, if you like, and that evaporates much faster than witch hazel. I haven’t personally compared it side by side with a Lysol spray product though; you may have to do some experimenting and tell us what you found out 🙂
Love the variety of options here!
I love the cleaning lists and all the cleaning recipes!
Spring cleaning is about to start over here and I am so excited to find this post. I am definitely going to be using some of these recipes and tips as I work through our house.
That’s great to hear, Lindsie! Thank you for sharing!
I love that this is all nicely in one spot! It seems like I’m always wasting my time looking for different recipes or I try something and then forget where to find the recipe again. I’ll definitely be printing and trying these out!
This is perfect. I have been looking for a better way to clean my house without using chemicals.
I hope you love these recipes Chrystal!
Oh my gosh! I so needed this list! I can’t wait to mix some of these and start cleaning!
Hopefully you enjoy them and they work well for you!
Aaaand my list for items to buy keeps growing. Thank you for sharing these! I’ve been struggling to find good household cleaners that actually do the job
Isn’t that how it normally works, haha? I hope you enjoy them!
I have been looking for a disinfecting spray to use in my classroom on Friday afternoons when the kids are gone. I cannot wait to try out the multi-purpose spray!
does the castile soap leave a film after the multi purpose spray dries?
this is such a refreshing post because i struggle so much with trying to figure out the perfect blends with household cleaning products!!!
I’m so glad you found it to be helpful Val!
I LOVE the furniture polish…
It works great doesn’t it? One of my favorite cleaning DIYs.
Great I need some recipes for some diy cleaning items. I have most of the ingredients and can’t wait to try some of the recipes. I love the smell of germ fighter and I am sure my house will too!
We love these recipes and hope you do too!
i love this spring cleaning season blog! and it can be used at any time of the year. I do have a question, though … is there anything we can use naturally that would be an equivalent to murphy’s oil soap? thanks! 🙂
Wood surfaces can be difficult but if you can send us an email at [email protected] we may be able to help you come up with an alternative.
For the multi-purpose spray, do you need to rinse with water after using it to get rid of the Castile soap on the surface? Also, what does the asterisk mean for the water component in the multi-purpose spray and the soft scrub? Thanks!
I have no issues just wiping it off. 🙂 If making large batches, or storing for long periods of time, because of the water content, a preservative would be recommended.
What preservative do you recommend that’s easy to find and budget friendly?
Jess, a quick search on Amazon will show a wide range of preservatives at varying prices that will hopefully fit your needs 🙂