• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Conscious Life & Style

Conscious Life & Style

Mindful Media for Thoughtful Living

  • Fashion
    • Shopping Guides
      • Full Ethical Brand List
      • Online Secondhand
      • Marketplaces
      • Clothing
        • Basics
        • Plus Size
        • Activewear
        • Jumpsuits
        • Pajamas
        • Casual Dresses
        • Formal Dresses
        • Sweaters
        • Workwear
        • Coats & Jackets
        • UK Brands
        • Linen Clothing
      • Undergarments & Swim
        • Underwear
        • Lingerie
        • Swimwear
      • Footwear
        • Vegan Shoes
        • Flats
        • Sandals
        • Boots
        • Sneakers
        • Socks
      • Accessories
        • Cloth Masks
        • Hats
        • Jewelry
        • Bags
      • Home Goods
        • Furniture
        • Home Decor
    • Brand Spotlights
    • Founder Interviews
    • Conscious Shop
  • Lifestyle
    • Low Waste
    • Travel
    • Home
  • Beauty
  • Blogging
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
  • Subscribe

Homemade DIY All-Purpose Cleaner (2 Super Easy Recipes)

July 31, 2020
Share

Why make a homemade DIY all-purpose cleaner instead of buying one at the store? Besides avoiding all that excessive plastic packaging, the unfortunate reality is that many cleaning products contain a shocking amount of toxic chemicals and in the U.S., manufacturers are not required by law to disclose ingredients in their cleaning products.

Major YIKES.

This is why cleaning items are, in my opinion, among the best things to make yourself or buy from all-natural, trustworthy brands.

I’ll be getting to the easy DIY recipe soon but first, if you’re not a DIY-er or prefer buying your cleaning products from a brand, check out Environmental Working Group‘s (EWG) ratings. Their research and ratings are super comprehensive and they’re the best resource I know of for verifying if a product is safe and healthy to use.

EWG has a rating list for All-Purpose Cleaners and a rating list for Kitchen Cleaners, where products can score A – F. The F rating is, as you might have guessed, the worst, and the A is the second-best rating a product can get. The very best products earn the coveted EWG Verified seal. Not all brands are going to be on EWG — especially smaller ones — but definitely always check their ratings out before purchasing from a larger brand!

Okay, now to the DIY recipes! Both homemade cleaner recipes are super easy — they will literally take you less than 2 minutes — and they both use ingredients you probably already have!

DIY Cleaner Recipe 1: White Vinegar

DIY all-purpose cleaner with vinegar

Ingredients and Supplies:

  • One part white vinegar
  • One part water
  • Optional: Drops of essential oil (I like a citrus scent best! It covers up the vinegar smell well.)
  • Spray bottle
  • Measuring tool

There’s a lot of flexibility to this simple recipe, but if you’re not sure how much to use, start off with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of white vinegar. The number of drops of essential oils can be adjusted to your preference — and if you don’t mind the smell of vinegar… you could even omit the essential oils completely.

Directions:

  1. Measure out the water and white vinegar amounts. (You can start with 1 cup each for a small spray bottle.
  2. Mix the water and vinegar into a spray bottle.
  3. Put in essential oil drops slowly and keep testing to see what amount you like! I did 5 drops of a lemon and grapefruit essential oil per cup of the cleaner mix and it worked out well! As mentioned before, you can also leave out the essential oil completely if you don’t mind the smell of vinegar.

Yup, it’s THAT easy! I wasn’t kidding when I put “super easy” in the title of this post!

Note that this vinegar-based cleaner should not be used on granite or hardwood floors! Also, some people have sensitivities to vinegar, so here is a super easy recipe for a DIY all-purpose cleaner without vinegar.

DIY Cleaner Recipe 2: Liquid Castile Soap

DIY all-purpose cleaner without vinegar with castile soap

Ingredients and Supplies:

  • Liquid castile soap (I love Dr. Bronner’s Fair Trade and Organic Castile Soap! You can find this brand online and it is sold at many stores like Target, Whole Foods, or your local natural foods shop.)
  • Water
  • Spray bottle (or you could even use your existing castile soap bottle if there isn’t too much left in the bottle!)
  • Measuring tool

Directions:

  1. Measure out 1/16 parts castile soap for every 1 part water (For example: measure 1/4 cup castile soap and 4 cups water or 1/8 cup castile soap and 2 cups water).
  2. Mix the castile soap and the water into a spray bottle.

That’s it! Many castile soaps, including Dr. Bronner’s actually already come with scented options, so you’ll have a nice smelling cleaning (no toxic fumes here!) without having to add any essential oils.

Have you ever made your own cleaner? Would you try making your own?

JOIN THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

A weekly newsletter with mindfully curated reads and recommendations, plus the latest posts.

    By subscribing, you agree to receiving emails from us and accept our Terms and Privacy Policy.

    You May Also Want to Check Out:

    Sustainable and Zero Waste Kitchen Guide

    A Guide to Zero Waste Dishwashing

    Best Zero Waste Food Storage Options

    Share this post

    Blog, Eco Living, Low Waste

    Related Posts

    Creating Conscious Clothing for Children— and a Better World for Them Too: Meet Anitha of The Open Road

    10 Ethical & Sustainable Tall Clothing Brands for Women 5’8 and Taller

    Bundle Up in Style With These Cozy Eco-Friendly Winter Accessories

    How to Make Money as a Sustainable Blogger: 5 Ways
    10 Sites with Secondhand Wedding Dresses for the Sustainable Bride

    Primary Sidebar

    Let’s connect

    Instagram

    *sigh* another week, another fast fashion greenwas *sigh* another week, another fast fashion greenwashing campaign.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
📧 Dear @hm, nothing about your clothes is conscious if they're made by people who aren't earning fair wages. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Your collections will never be conscious no matter what percentage of your clothes are made from recycled or "sustainably sourced" (whatever that means...) materials at these insane production levels.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Your very business model is reliant on a model of growth and excessive production that is incompatible with planetary limits.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Not to mention, the success of fast fashion is reliant on disposability. Fast fashion can only succeed by shoppers consistently buying, wearing (maybe), and discarding their clothes.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
#fastfashionsucks #payupfashion #payyourworkers⁠⁠
    🧵🌿 WHAT IS COLLABORATIVE DESIGN?. // We talk 🧵🌿 WHAT IS COLLABORATIVE DESIGN?. // We talk a lot about the disconnection we have with the makers behind what we buy...
.
But industrialization and mass production has also resulted in a disconnect between designer and maker. 
.
For truly ethical production, there must be an equal knowledge exchange between makers & designers in the design process, especially when artisans are using traditional techniques & generations-old crafts. 
.
But what does collaborative design look like in practice? And how does this type of collaboration support more sustainable and ethical production?
.
I’m interviewed Tatiana of @zuahaza to discuss these questions and much more! Tune in and let us know your thoughts. 💗
    🛏🪑🏡 As promised, the guide to non-toxic f 🛏🪑🏡 As promised, the guide to non-toxic furniture is here!⁠⁠
⁠⁠
For a big list of eco-friendly and non-toxic furniture brands, check out the link in bio!⁠⁠
    🛋 Is your furniture off-gassing toxic chemicals 🛋 Is your furniture off-gassing toxic chemicals? Here's what to know about volatile organic compounds in furniture and how to reduce your exposure in your home.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Top tip: Buying used furniture is a great way to reduce your exposure since the highest concentration of VOCs are off-gassed with newly manufactured furniture just out of the factory. (If you are looking for new furniture that’s safe though, stay tuned for a list of non-toxic furniture brands coming soon!)⁠⁠ 💚
    🏡 Are you familiar with sustainable interior de 🏡 Are you familiar with sustainable interior design?⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Unsurprisingly, the home goods & furniture industry has much of the same problems as fashion: labor exploitation, unsustainable production, and massive amounts of waste.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
But, there are ways to style our homes with intention, in a way that goes beyond aesthetics and considers the impact on people, planet, and our health.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Swipe through for five tips from Kelly of @gratify_home and check out the link in bio for the full guide to sustainable interior design! 🛋 ⁠⁠
    🌿 Carbon offsets are much more complicated than 🌿 Carbon offsets are much more complicated than they might first appear.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
So, I've partnered up with @simplizero to talk about what carbon offsetting can (and cannot!) do, what the risks are of offsetting schemes, and how to find reputable offsetting projects. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
For much more on this topic, read the full article. Link in bio!⁠⁠
⁠⁠
[sponsored] ⁠⁠
    We talk about the importance of living wages a lot We talk about the importance of living wages a lot in the ethical fashion space, but what does this actually mean?⁠⁠
⁠⁠
This question — and the question of "will increasing wages increase clothing prices?" — came up during last week's IG Live with Ayesha of @remakeourworld.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
These are both really common questions, so I wanted to dedicate an entire post to address them.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
For more on the topic of living wages in fashion, follow @asia_floorwage, @cleanclothescampaign, and @remakeourworld + check out the article linked in bio for a much bigger deep dive I wrote on consciouslifeandstyle.com.
⁠⁠
#LivingWagesNow #PayUpFashion⁠⁠
    Standing in solidarity with the Asian American com Standing in solidarity with the Asian American community and amplifying/re-sharing some resources for ways to take action to #stopasianhate.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Yesterday's horrific shooting in Atlanta was the most recent anti-Asian hate crime — crimes which have increased nearly 150% in 2020 and surged even higher in cities like New York, which saw an increase of 833%. [Source: Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism]⁠⁠
⁠⁠
The hate must end. Visit anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co for a list of resources (updates, educational content, petitions, places to donate, mental health resources, etc.) Link in bio.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Tags for resources listed: @apen4ej @stopaapihate @smithsonianapa @versian.co @unapologeticallyasian_ @goldhouseco @asianamericangirlclub @theycantburnusall @weareaanow @hateisavirus @nextshark @aapiwomenlead @asianaaf @stopaapihatenyc @asians4antiracism @asianamericancollective @advancing_justice_atl @aaajalc @napawf_atl⁠⁠ | posts are from @jezzchung @sophfei @kimsaira + @annie_wu_22 | cover image is from @nhiii
.
#StopAAPIHate #hateisavirus #racismkills #dismantleracism
    ➡ IG Live with @remakeourworld's Ayesha Barenbla ➡ IG Live with @remakeourworld's Ayesha Barenblat is happening in just a couple hours (9am PST / 12pm EST)!⁠⁠
⁠⁠
We'll be discussing:⁠⁠
⁠⁠
👗 Why garment worker representation is so crucial to creating a more ethical and sustainable fashion industry⁠⁠
⁠⁠
👚 What centering garment workers would look like in practice⁠⁠
⁠⁠
👗 Whether or not brand-led initiatives and industry commitments have really led to any tangible improvements in the lives of garment workers (and why that's the case)⁠⁠
⁠⁠
👚 What sorts of reforms will be necessary to truly improve the industry⁠⁠
⁠⁠
👗 How we can all get involved in creating a more equitable future for fashion⁠⁠
⁠⁠
See you soon!⁠⁠
    Load More... Follow on Instagram

    Join The Conscious Edit

    Footer

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • About
    • Contact
    Copyright © 2021 Conscious Life & Style LLC, Made by Underline DesignsBack to Top
    This website uses cookies to improve your user experience. We'll assume you're fine with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Got it! Reject Read More
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled

    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

    Non-necessary

    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

    SAVE & ACCEPT