The Simple Cleaning Supplies System I Love

There are so many cleaning supplies. Think about it, there's basically a different formula for every single thing in your house. Conventional cleaners are some of the most toxic products we regularly bring into our homes, and worse, most of them aren't even necessary.

For a long time, I bought the clean versions of everything. Surface spray, degreaser, glass cleaner, shower spray, tub & tile, cleaning wipes, and on and on. They felt like a step in the right direction, but they were expensive, took up a lot of space, and didn't work for me partially because I had to get a new one out for every job.

At some point, once I used something up, I stopped replacing it and made do with the others. What we use now is simple, inexpensive, and even more convenient in my opinion than going to the store and buying something.

Making Citrus Vinegar

My main complaint with making my own cleaner was the vinegar smell. It evaporates quickly, but it made cleaning less enjoyable. But then my sister told me a way to take the edge off. Make your own citrus vinegar. Now whenever I use lemons or limes, I toss the squeezed halves into a quart mason jar in the fridge. Once the jar is mostly full, I cover them with plain white vinegar and put on a plastic or wooden lid (the vinegar corrodes metal ones). I let it steep for about a month, then strain it and use it in my cleaning supplies. This step is technically optional. It works the same as white vinegar, but it smells so much better which makes cleaning more pleasant. Plus, it's free to infuse the vinegar since you're making use of the citrus that would've been thrown away.

Here are my basic cleaning sprays. Best practice is to use distilled or boiled water in all of them, but I’ll be honest, I don’t always bother. I haven't had a problem yet. I go through my bottles pretty quickly though.

My most favorite trick? Send a toddler out with a spray bottle of water and follow him/her around with a cloth. Your house will sparkle!! And your plants might even get watered! That is, if he doesn't get distracted trying to spray the couch cushions... but hey at least it's just water.

My Formulas

Cleaner #1: Vinegar-Based All-Purpose

This is my go-to for greasy messes and general kitchen cleanup.

I mix half citrus vinegar and half water in a spray bottle. That's it. I use it for highchairs, kitchen counters, stove, microwave, and basically my whole kitchen. I love that it's food grade and just couldn't be safer.

I don’t use this on my natural stone tile and I don't think it's ideal for wood. For those surfaces, I stick to my other cleaner.

Cleaner #2: Soap and Water All-Purpose

This is what I use in my bathroom and is good for basically everywhere.

I add about a teaspoon of castile soap to a spray bottle and fill the rest with water. Don't use too much soap. If you do, you’ll be wiping lots of suds.

Glass, Fabric, and Air Refresh Spray

This one does triple duty and might be the most satisfying.

I mix a couple tablespoons of my citrus vinegar, a couple tablespoons of alcohol, and fill the rest of the bottle with water. Rubbing alcohol, vodka, or Everclear all work. I prefer not to use rubbing alcohol, so everything stays food grade, but use what's on hand.

This works beautifully on mirrors and windows, but it’s also my favorite trick for fabric and air. I use it to spray down thrifted baskets and items that can’t go in the washing machine or dishwasher. I spray generously and let them dry. It works like magic at removing any unpleasant mystery smells thrifted items brought in with them.

The alcohol helps it evaporate which is what makes it an excellent air and fabric freshener as well as glass cleaner.

Foaming Hand Soap

This one might be my favorite just because of how easy it is.

I fill a foaming soap dispenser with water and add a couple tablespoons of castile soap. When it runs low, I don’t measure anything and if the foam is watery, I add a bit more soap. I just bring the castile soap bottle with me in my cleaning caddy and top it off while I’m cleaning the bathrooms. So easy! I used to add essential oils and fractionated coconut oil (don't use any oil that is solid at room tempature as it can build up in your pipes). It does makes the hand soap a bit nicer, but it's not strictly necessary.

I actually also use this unscented foaming soap for dishes. Sometimes people think it's weird, but I love that I don't waste dish soap this way when I'm cleaning just a couple dishes and it comes out pre-lathered. For a sink full of dishes, just add a squirt of your plain castile soap.

A Note on Essential Oils

I usually like to keep it simple, but you can absolutely add a few drops of essential oils to any of these if you want more scent or extra cleaning power.

Edge Cases

For my floors, I simply add a few drops of castile soap to my mop bucket. Again, do not add too much or you'll get filmy floors... or a slip n slide. Which might be fun, but probably not.

Toilet bowl cleaner? Call me crazy, but I use my soap and water all-purpose cleaner and a toilet brush. If there's a ring, grab a pumice stone and your gloves.

Alcohol gets out ink. Although it can take out dyes too so proceed with caution on leather and textiles. A higher concentration is best. Hello, everclear if you can get it at a reasonable price in your state. Otherwise rubbing alcohol.

For showers, the regular soap and water bathroom spray works fine, but if you struggle with that icky pink stuff (apparently it's bacteria), I do recommend Mrs. Meyer's Probiotic Spray. I don't prefer the scent, but it can't be beat. It looks like it also comes in a concentrate. It truly works wonders disrupting the bad microbes and keeps pink stuff away for months. Ahem which I know because I tested it for science and not because I don't clean my shower regularly.

Baking soda can do everything Bon-Ami, Comet, and the like can. I buy aluminum-free baking soda, but cleaning is a great way to use up your Arm&Hammer or whatever you have on hand.

For everything else, my not-so-crunchy backup plan is a magic eraser (avoid the ones with Dawn or other suspect additives). when kids draw on the walls with the not-so-washable markers or the bathtub didn't get wiped for 3 months (maybe I shouldn't admit this one) and now there is a caked on dirt ring. Yeah, in those cases I grab the magic eraser.

Let me know in the comments if you have an awesome solution for leather... I'm still working that one out.

My most favorite trick? Send a toddler out with a spray bottle of water and follow him/her around with a cloth. Your house will sparkle!! And your plants might even get watered! That is, if he doesn't get distracted trying to spray the couch cushions... but hey at least it's just water.

The Convenient Option I Still Love

For seasons when I need to fill and go, or for those who aren't up for making cleaning supplies as their new project, I really appreciate Branch Basics. It’s about as low effort as it gets while still being clean, safe, and effective. One concentrate that works for everything.

For me, this system works because it’s flexible. I can make it from scratch when I want to, simplify when life is full, and not have to add 8 different products to my shopping list. I also love their spray bottle set as a starting point because the labels (all-purpose, bathroom, and streak-free) apply to my 3 formulas.

So, go and enjoy all that new found under-the-sink space!