I had every intention of posting this two weeks ago but life happens & things get crazy. But, but never fear, your next DIY cleaning product is here! I think I mentioned in one of my recent Instagram posts that I enjoy cleaning. I can’t really explain why, but somehow it’s extremely therapeutic. I don’t think it’s the cleaning process, so much as a result of that cleaning. For example, vacuuming. I don’t like lugging the vacuum out, but boy, howdy, when I plug that baby in & watch it zoom over the carpet & suck up all the cat hair, it gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. I think it’s calming to me because when I start a cleaning project, I get so excited about how it’s going to look & feel when everything is neat, tidy, & in its place. So, if you’re like me & already like to clean, just imagine how much more satisfying it is when you make your own cleaning products too!
When concocting my toilet bow spray recipe, I began wracking my brain for types of ingredients to use. The first ingredient that came to mind was vinegar, of course. Vinegar has been a known problem solver for many cleaning, hygiene, & even health woes so it seemed obvious that it would be a base for the recipe. But, as my online cleaning product scavenger hunt unfolded, I found out that vinegar doesn’t play nicely with other common cleaning agents such as castile soap, hydrogen peroxide, or baking soda. Essentially, if you were to mix vinegar with any of these products your end results would with all of these combinations would have zero deep cleaning properties. So, what’s a girl who wants a clean toilet bowl but doesn’t want to use harsh chemicals or excess plastic to do? The answer is to experiment! I wanted to keep the scouring power of the baking soda but didn’t want to compromise on cleaning power so the recipe consists of a few additions plus some powerful essential oils too!
Keeping baking soda in the mixture was a priority because it effectively dissolves grease & dirt, neutralize odors, acts as a mild abrasive to get those tough stains out, & is non-toxic. The castile soap in the recipe is great because it is made entirely from vegetable oils, meaning the soap is biodegradable while still providing a nice lather & powerful cleaning properties. And since its organic, no gloves are necessary when using this product because it typically does not cause any sort of skin irritation.
Another important piece to the recipe was the essential oils. As always, you can play around with the types of essential oils you use, but I like to use the combination of tea tree oil, peppermint oil, & clove oil because when combined they have great antifungal, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, & antibacterial properties! There are plenty of other essential oils that have cleaning properties such as lemon, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, & many more! There is sure to be one or two scent combinations that is pleasant for any & every nose!
The Recipe
2 cups distilled water
3 tbsp baking soda
1/3 cup of castile soap
20 drops of tea tree essential oil
15 drops of peppermint essential oil
15 drops of clove essential oil (Thieves will also work if you have on hand)
Note: If you want extra disinfecting properties you can add a few splashes of hydrogen peroxide
INSTRUCTIONS & USE
Mix water & baking soda until dissolved. Then funnel your mixture into a glass spray bottle
Slowly funnel your castile soap & essential oils into the spray bottle
Shake well
To use: Spray solution generously along the inner sides of your toilet bowl as well as on the seat. Leave the solution on for at least 5 minutes, brush bowl well, then flush.
I find that making my own cleaning problems saves me a lot of money, cuts down on the amount of plastic waste I produce, & is a much healthier option. Many products that you buy in stores contain harsh chemicals that can potentially be dangerous. When I was using traditional products while cleaning my bathroom, I would often get lightheaded & have some trouble breathing by the time I was done. But, with these natural solutions, especially this amazing smelling toilet bowl spray, it just smells like Christmas in my bathroom all year round.
I think further down the road I may try to concoct a toilet bowl scrub or a thicker formula to really cling to the sides of the toilet bowl or make some additions here & there. But this spray has worked wonders so far! I’d love to hear from you if you have any tips, tricks, recipe ideas, or if you’ve tried this recipe & would like to share your thoughts!
Until next time...
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