Easy Homemade Bathroom Cleaner

just essential oils and baking soda

So, at first this felt like a silly post topic, sharing my favorite way to clean a toilet. And it’s so deceptively simple I almost overlook it. But maybe that’s the beauty of it- simple, inexpensive, natural, safer for your family and the environment. And thanks to the uplifting power of essential oils, you feel great when your done!

The cleaner has two ingredients: baking soda and essential oil. Baking soda is so wonderful and not just for armpits. As a teenager a big part of my chores was cleaning the bathrooms. I used this stuff that foamed up and advertised itself as a chemical scrubby. Well, baking soda is a naturally gritty scrubber that also whitens! I don’t like to use bleach- it is highly reactive, highly toxic, and, despite what the commercials say, one of the last things I would want around a child.

I add the essential oils not only for their wonderful, natural smell but their disinfecting properties. I like to use lemon, because the smell reminds me of “clean” and it is a disinfectant. Sometimes I use orange because it just makes me happy. Lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus, a blend of these, whatever makes you smile!

Just a note: Now not all essential oils are created the same and it is not easy to know which ones are adulterated or ineffective. Synthetic fragrance does not legally need to be listed on the essential oil bottle, and can be included by manufacturers without mention. The synthetic stuff does not give you the aromatherapy & therapeutic qualities of the real deal, so find a brand you trust. I love Mountain Rose Herbs, their quality and prices are phenomenal. Young Living also makes good quality essential oils. Also, essential oils are strong, so handle with care.

I use the homemade bathroom cleaner with an old kitchen sponge (the kind with a scrubber on one side), and sometimes some liquid castile soap, to go over the bathtub and counter tops. Then I rinse out the sponge and wipe it clean. Make sure to clean it all off or you will have a weird residue. Also, test an area first to make sure the sponge & baking soda won’t scratch it. If I have a stain I mix some of the cleaner with water to make a paste. Let it sit for a while, then clean it off. The cleaner works great with a scrub brush in the toilet- just sprinkle it in and try not to feel weird enjoying the smell!

natural home made bathroom cleaner

This should probably be called household cleaner, because I also use it in the kitchen. I’m not sure when anyone decided that white counter tops were a good idea, but our last four apartments have had them. (Yes, we move a lot!)

So here’s how to make it:

1-save old empty baking powder containers.

2- fill the baking powder containers with baking soda and then add essential oils to smell preference. I usually use about thirty drops, depending on the strength of the oil. Put the lid on and shake to combine.

Then use it to clean whatever. You will have to wipe & rinse it off most things. If you want to make your container pretty (silly, I know) you can Modge Podge some fancy paper on it and make a label!