DIY All-Purpose Cleaner: The Recipe and What It Won't Clean

I mixed my first batch of homemade cleaner in a Mason jar in 2021, the week I stopped working and started actually looking at where our money went. I'd been buying a different spray for the counters, the bathroom, the glass, the stove, and the stainless fridge we don't even have anymore. The cleaning shelf under the sink looked like a store display. Most of them were doing the same job.

Four years later, one spray bottle does most of the daily cleaning in this house. But I've also learned, sometimes the hard way, that it isn't magic. So here's the recipe along with the list of what it won't do.

The Recipe

Compare that to $3 to $5 for a bottle of store-bought all-purpose spray, and you can see why I stuck with it. We go through about two bottles a month.

Steps

1. Optional, but nice: Stuff orange or lemon peels into a jar, cover with vinegar, and let it sit for one to two weeks. Strain. This takes the edge off the pickle smell.
2. Pour 1 cup of vinegar (plain or citrus) into a clean spray bottle. A funnel helps. So does not doing this while a preschooler "helps."
3. Add 1 cup of water.
4. Add just 2 or 3 drops of dish soap. More than that and it streaks and suds up.
5. Label the bottle with a permanent marker. Please don't skip this.
6. Shake gently before each use.

Notes

• The vinegar smell fades within a few minutes once it dries.
• If you have hard water like we do, distilled water keeps spots off glass and faucets.
• Use a separate bottle that has never held other chemicals. Rinse any reused bottle very well.

Where It Works Great

• Laminate countertops and the kitchen table after dinner
• Sealed vinyl and linoleum floors (in a bucket, about a half cup per gallon of warm water)
• Bathroom sinks, faucets, and the outside of the toilet
• Glass, mirrors, and the minivan windows after a road trip full of sticky fingers
• Soap scum on the tub, if you let it sit for ten minutes first
• Hard water spots on the faucets and shower head
• Highchair trays, plastic toys, and the refrigerator shelves

What It Won't Clean (Or Shouldn't)

This is the part I wish someone had told me before I learned it by trial and error.

Natural stone

Vinegar is acidic, and it can etch granite, marble, and other natural stone, leaving dull spots. My sister has granite counters, and I dulled a patch near her sink before I knew. She was nice about it. I bought her a bottle of stone cleaner. Use plain warm water with a drop of dish soap on stone, or a cleaner made for it.

Hardwood and waxed floors

Our house has original 1970s hardwood in the bedrooms. From what I've read, repeated vinegar can wear down some finishes over time, so I stick to a damp mop and a cleaner made for wood there.

Heavy grease

The stovetop after bacon or the range hood filter laughs at vinegar spray. For grease, hot water and dish soap work better, or a baking soda paste.

Disinfecting

This is the big one. Vinegar cleans, but it's not a registered disinfectant. When someone has a stomach bug, or I'm cleaning up after raw chicken, I use a store-bought disinfectant and follow the directions on the label. I keep one bottle for exactly that.

Electronics and screens

Phone screens, tablets, and the TV have coatings that can be damaged by vinegar. A dry microfiber cloth is fine for those.

And never mix it with bleach

Mixing vinegar with bleach can release dangerous chlorine gas. I keep the bleach on a totally separate shelf in the laundry room so nobody grabs the wrong bottle.

What It's Saved Us

I used to spend around $15 to $20 a month on cleaners. Now it's closer to $5, counting a big jug of vinegar, dish soap, and that one disinfectant I still buy. That's roughly $150 to $180 a year, which paid for Ella's back-to-school shoes this month with a little left over. Next on my list is a homemade soft scrub for the tub, if I can find one that doesn't leave grit behind.