Have you ever thought about the ingredients you’re cleaning your home with? While we are spoiled for choice with an abundance of cleaning products available to us, they often come with a list of numbers and hard-to-pronounce names that aren’t necessarily great for our health or the health of our families. Some of us are even allergic to certain chemicals which can limit our purchase options.
This is where creating your own cleaning products can be helpful. Whether you’d like to switch over to more natural ingredients, you’d like to save some money or just use up spare ingredients you’ve got lying around at home, consider giving these D.I.Y recipes a go!
Hand Sanitiser
According to the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand sanitisers need to contain at least 60% alcohol content to be able to effectively kill germs off our hands. This recipe contains roughly 60% alcohol, however you can tweak it to include a little more if you prefer.
Ingredients:
- A clean and small, empty pump or squeeze bottle
- Aloe vera gel, unscented
- Rubbing alcohol*
- 15 drops of ‘Breathe Easy’ essential oil (or other of your choice)
Method:
- Pour the alcohol into the bottle to reach two thirds full (or a little more if you want a stronger alcohol content)
- Add in the aloe vera gel until you’ve almost reached the top of the bottle
- Then top with the 15 drops of essential oil
- Attach the lid, give the bottle a good shake and you’re good to go!
*Rubbing alcohol is available in most chemists. If you can’t get your hands on any, you can use high-strength vodka – just make sure it’s unflavoured!
Hand and Body Wipes
These home-made wipes contain moisturising ingredients to keep your skin hydrated as you clean. They don’t contain any alcohol, so keep this in mind if you want to use them for the purpose of disinfecting/killing germs. This recipe is gentle enough for the whole family to use!
Ingredients:
- A clean and empty cylindrical container, preferably an old wipes container
- 1 roll of thick, absorbent paper towel
- 1 tbsp. liquid castile soap
- 1 tbsp. witch hazel
- ½ cup water that has been boiled and cooled
- ½ cup pure aloe vera juice
- 10 drops of ‘Calm & Relax’ essential oil (or other of your choice)
Method:
- Insert the roll of paper towel in your chosen container. You may need to adjust the length of the roll by cutting it with a sharp knife to fit the size of your container
- Pour in all of the other ingredients into a jug and mix until combined
- Pour the mixture over the paper towel, put the lid on the container and let the paper towel soak for at least 20 minutes, flipping the container upside down after 10 minutes to ensure the liquid is fully absorbed by all of the paper towel
- Open the lid of the container and carefully pull out the cardboard core of the paper towel roll. This should also pull out the innermost wipe and start dispensing for you. If you have a lid with a dispenser, pull the first wipe through the dispenser and they’ll continue to dispense from there on
All-Purpose Spray
A simple, alternative to chemical-laden sprays that you can use on the kitchen benches, the dining room table, kids highchairs and more!
Ingredients:
- A clean, empty spray bottle
- Water that has been boiled and cooled
- Rubbing alcohol
- White vinegar
- 30 drops of ‘Australian Flora’ essential oil (or other of your choosing)
Method:
- Fill your empty spray bottle 2/3 of the way with water
- Top with equal amounts of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol until you almost reach the top of the spray bottle
- Add in 30 drops of essential oil, attach the spray top and mix well before each use
Floor Cleaner
Just 4 ingredients to make a fresh floor cleaner straight in the bucket you’ll be using to mop – it doesn’t get much easier than that (unless you find someone else to mop for you!)
Ingredients:
- Hot water
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup rubbing alcohol
- 20 drops of ‘Focus & Clarity’ essential oil (or other of your choice)
Method:
- Fill your mop bucket with hot water, followed by the white vinegar, alcohol and essential oil
- Give the water a good swirl with your mop and you’re ready to go!
When using the hand sanitiser or wipes, patch test in a small area before use. If redness or irritation occurs, discontinue use immediately. Similarly, patch test a small area of furniture with all-purpose cleaner and floor spray before use. Do not use if discolouration of furniture occurs.
REFERENCES
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), Show Me the Science – When & How to Use Hand Sanitiser in Community Settings, CDC, cited on 19.3.2020, accessed <https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html>
