Natural Homemade Kitchen Cleaner

There’s many benefits to using a natural homemade kitchen cleaner. It’s chemical-free, less expensive, and smells lovely.

This homemade cleaner is simple to make (it takes about 5 minutes) and goes a long way.

Our kitchen cabinets, surfaces, and appliances are some of the most important in our home: all day long they come in contact with our food and our hands. So using a nontoxic, natural cleaner in the kitchen is important.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links I may receive a small commission.

What You Need to Make Natural Homemade Kitchen Cleaner

Here’s what you need to make the cleaner:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• Optional: 10 drops of lavender, grapefruit, tea tree or lemon essential oils

Here’s a handy graphic that you can print and stick on your fridge (or pin it for later!) as a quick reference each time you want to make the spray:

How to Make Natural Homemade Kitchen Cleaner

STEP 1: Fill a glass spray bottle with 1 cup water and 1 cup vinegar.

STEP 2: Add 10 drops of your preferred essential oil (this is optional).

STEP 3: Shake well before using.

STEP 4: Spray surfaces with the spray and wipe down with a paper towel or cloth. For extra grimy areas, let the spray sit for a couple minutes before wiping down.

NOTE: You can use this spray on surfaces and appliances with the exception being marble or soft stones.

What Essential Oils to Use

You don’t have to add essential oils to this spray, but different oils can enhance the properties of the spray.

Here’s a few we recommend:

• Grapefruit essential oil: has antibacterial properties
• Tea tree essential oil: has antibacterial properties
• Lemon essential oil: smells clean & fresh
• Citrus Fresh essential oil (this is my favorite): smells clean & fresh

You can mix different essential oils in the spray as well. Aim for about 10 – 15 drops of essential oil total.

Recommended Supplies

It’s recommended to use a glass spray bottle for this spray. This is because:

• Durability: As a rule of thumb, using glass bottles is best when working with essential oils. Pure essential oils may deteriorate plastic over time.
• Sunlight protection: An amber or dark spray bottle is recommended (rather than clear) because it helps block the rays of the sun, which can decrease the longevity of your essential oils.

Here’s the exact spray bottle we use. It’s sold on Amazon and is one of the most affordable options on the market:

Click Here to See It: 16 oz Amber Spray Bottle

What Kind of Vinegar to Use in Homemade Kitchen Cleaner

White vinegar is best to use in homemade kitchen cleaner. This is because it is a natural disinfectant and contains 5% acetic acid, which has antimicrobial properties.

White vinegar is also ideal for the kitchen because it’s so effective at cutting through tough materials like grease and food grime.

Because of vinegar’s distinct smell, in this recipe it’s cut with water and essential oils.

Buy it in bulk to further cut the cost of making this solution:

Click Here to See Heinz’s All Natural White Vinegar (5%), 64 oz

Have other questions about making homemade cleaner? Leave a comment below!