It’s no secret these days that we live in a toxic world. From the foods we eat, to the air we breathe, to the products we use, toxins are everywhere! Some of them are unavoidable. But there are so many areas where we CAN control the amount of toxins coming into our bodies and our homes! Your cleaning supplies cabinet is one of those areas! This easy DIY Lemon Vinegar Cleaner is a safe natural all purpose cleaner. And it’s made with only ingredients that you can feel safe having in your home and around your kids and pets!

Bottle of liquid on a bathroom sink with a half of a lemon on the counter next to it

Why Make The Switch?

We touched on this already, but why worry about making the switch? Most conventional cleaners that you would buy from the store are loaded with harmful chemicals. These chemicals can potentially disrupt your health. Most cleaners at the very least come with warning labels over concerns with accidental ingestion or chemical burns to the skin.

Pouring water into a quart jar sitting on a counter with the caption lemon vinegar all purpose cleaner

However, using these products in your home can actually have chronic long lasting impacts in addition to acute short term concerns. Many of these products contain ammonia, chlorine, bleach, and phosphates to name a few. Many contain solvents, dyes, and strong fragrances. Other common chemicals are benzene, formaldehyde, DEA, MEA, and TEA. Some of these have been labeled as carcinogens and have been linked to cancer and asthma.

Most of these ingredients are also endocrine disruptors which interrupt the endocrine system and the body’s natural hormonal balance. Needless to say, if you prioritize health, and if a chemical free lifestyle is important to you, your cleaning cabinet is a great place to start a purge!

The Benefits Of Making Your Own Cleaner

There are many ways to implement a healthier lifestyle when it comes to cleaning products. There are some great products out there today that are made with non toxic ingredients. If you aren’t the DIY type, these are a great option!

But there are so many benefits to making your own cleaners at home! First of all, you can know EXACTLY what ingredients are used in your cleaner. You can control the ingredients fully and use only ingredients that you personally feel safe having around your family.

quart jar on a countertop halfway full of a light colored liquid with a bottle of witch hazel next to it

Also, making your own cleaner at home is beneficial because it is CHEAP! I can make this cleaner for less than $1… what cleaner from the store can you buy for under one dollar?!

In addition, making your own cleaning products is better for the environment! If you are making your own products, you are likely reusing many of your own bottles and utensils so you aren’t constantly throwing away plastic bottles and buying new.

Finally, it is beneficial to make your own cleaning products because it can help you to become less wasteful in your own home. As you’ll see with this tutorial, we’ll be putting a common household ingredient that would normally end up in the trash to good use!

The Benefits Of An All Purpose Cleaner

I want to talk for just a minute about the benefit of creating an all purpose cleaner. Most all purpose cleaners, this one included, can be used on most surfaces. You can use this cleaner on metal, wood, ceramic, granite, or stainless steel, plastic and more!

If you are like mem you consider this a major plus because of the number of products you can cut down on! I love to keep my cleaning products VERY minimal. This is literally the perfect tool for that as it is my go to cleaner for almost everything!

Spray Bottle on a bathroom sink with a box of baking soda beside it with wash cloths on top and another bottle in the background

My cleaning cabinet consists of this all purpose cleaner, baking soda, castile soap, and reusable cleaning cloths! That’s it! Because this all purpose cleaner is SO effective even on tough messes, that is all I need. This cleaner even doubles as a GLASS cleaner!

How To Make The Lemon Vinegar

Making the lemon vinegar for this cleaner is honestly the simplest thing ever! All you need is some lemon rinds and white vinegar.

*You can also simply use lemon slices, but why not use up leftover lemon rinds instead of using the whole lemon!

To make the vinegar all you do is place the rinds of one lemon in a pint jar and pour in about 1.5 cups of white vinegar. If you want to make a larger batch, simply double or triple accordingly!

Jar on a counter with white liquid and lemons in it with two whole lemons in the background with the caption Lemon Vinegar All Purpose Cleaner

Let the lemon rinds set in the vinegar for AT LEAST one week to gain the cleaning power of the lemons!

I have actually left this setting for well over a month before and it is totally fine! Nothing molds because the vinegar acts as a preserving agent.

Also, if you don’t regularly use lemons, but you want to consistently make this cleaner, you can actually reuse the same lemon rinds for several batches! Simply strain off the vinegar and re-add to the jar!

Finishing Your DIY Lemon Vinegar Cleaner

To finish the DIY Lemon Vinegar Cleaner, you’ll need to remove the lemon rinds from the vinegar. It’s a good idea to strain the liquid just in case you have any seeds or bits of pulp in the vinegar.

Pouring a liquid through a piece of cheesecloth into a jar with a bowl of lemon rinds in a bowl in front

To the vinegar add in the same amount of water (about 1.5 cups) and 1/2 cup of pure witch hazel. Witch hazel is basically a distilled liquid made from the witch hazel plant. It is effective for cleaning because of its antiseptic properties.

Jar halfway full of liquid with essential oils in front and a bottle of witch hazel to the side

Finally add in your favorite smelling essential oils. I like to use a blend of lemon, cinnamon, and thyme because of their antimicrobial properties!

Give your cleaner a good shake and start cleaning!

Using Your DIY Lemon Vinegar Cleaner

I like to add this to a spray bottle for easy use. I spray the cleaner directly onto my surface and then wipe over the surface with a clean wet cloth. It leaves my home smelling so fresh!

I use this cleaner on ALL bathroom surfaces including the mirror. For a deep clean in the bathroom, I love to use this cleaner in combination with baking soda in the tub and toilet. I’ve used this to clean all of my kitchen appliances and several other surfaces as well!

spray bottle on a counter with half of a lemon in front and a jar to the side

To clean mirrors or glass, simply spray directly onto the surface. Then wile the glass or mirror with a clean wet cloth. Allow the surface to dry slightly, then finish the cleaning process by wiping down with a clean dry towel. This is so effective that I have not even purchased special window cleaner in years!

If you’re ready to cut the toxic cleaning products from your routine, try this recipe today and be sure to tag us on Instagram or Facebook @almostheavenhomesteading

Pin this tutorial to your board of ideas!

bowl of lemon rinds in a bowl with a jar of liquid behind it with the caption "DIY Homemade Lemon Vinegar Cleaner"

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