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Homemade Bathroom Cleaner with Tea Tree Oil & Sweet Orange
February 15, 2018
Most of us grew up using common off-the-shelf bathroom cleaners, but the problem is that they are often loaded with toxins. These toxins may be endocrine disruptors and can cause serious damage, possibly leading to illness. In fact, many of these household cleaners contain toxic chemicals that have been linked to women’s health problems, such as breast cancer, affecting the reproductive system by causing infertility and birth defects, asthma, and numerous other serious illnesses. (1)
And, according to the 2016 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ (AAPCC) National Poison Data System (NPDS), household cleaning products as a substance class were the second-most-frequent cause of human exposure (to poisons), and they were also the second most common cause of exposure for children under age 5. (2)
You may be asking, what is the best natural bathroom cleaner? While there are some natural products on the market, the best way to know what ingredients are in your cleaning products is to make your own. Let’s delve into making your very own homemade bathroom cleaner that works beautifully at everything from cleaning countertops and floors, to cleaning the toilet bowl and soap scum from the tub.
Homemade Bathroom Cleaner Ingredients
- 3/4 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup liquid castile soap
- ⅛ cup sea salt
- 25 drops tea tree essential oil
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
- 10 drops orange essential oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the baking soda and castile soap until it’s like a thick paste. Baking soda is 100 percent sodium bicarbonate, which is why a little fizz may appear when blended with certain ingredients. It’s an amazing household product. It can clean just about anything from silverware to pots and pans, and it can help leave your bathroom clean too.
Castile soap is a great addition with its natural, chemical-free characteristics.
Now, add the sea salt and vinegar. Sea salt is great because it adds texture giving the cleaner the perfect scrubbing benefits the help remove stubborn dirt and grime such as soap scum. Vinegar helps by providing antibacterial properties, which are effective for killing germs. There will be a little fizz when the vinegar contacts the baking soda. Don’t worry — this is normal and it will stop after a few seconds.
Lastly, combine the essential oils and mix thoroughly. Tea tree oil is amazing! I use it for so many things, but adding it to your homemade bathroom cleaner can do wonders for helping to keep your bathroom bacteria free. According to a study conducted by the North American Contact Dermatitis Group, tea tree oil has had positive results for users, being used in everything from cosmetics to household products. (3)
Lemon essential oil is another great ingredient in this homemade bathroom cleaner. Lemon is known for cleansing the body of toxins. It’s natural disinfectant properties make it a great choice for cleaning the bathroom. Orange essential oil is yet another perfect ingredient that not only provides that delightful citrus scent to your bathroom, but it is great at killing germs too. (I also have a recipe for a homemade oven cleaner using sweet orange oil that you may love. It’s one of my must-haves when it comes to cleaning.)
Now that you have blended all of these ingredients together, pour the mixture into a clean container with a tight-fitting lid (make sure it is BPA free). Apply a dab or two onto a sponge or cloth and wipe surfaces clean. For hard-to-clean surfaces, apply a thin coat and allow it to sit for a few minutes before wiping clean.
Homemade Bathroom Cleaner with Tea Tree Oil & Sweet Orange
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup liquid castile soap
- ⅛ cup sea salt
- 20 drops tea tree essential oil
- 12 drops lemon essential oil
- 12 drops orange essential oil
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Directions:
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the baking soda and castile soap until it forms a thick paste.
- Add the sea salt and blend again.
- Now, add the remaining ingredients and blend well.
- Apply to bathroom surfaces using a damp cloth or sponge. Wipe clean. Wipe again with a damp sponge to remove any residue. For harder-to-clean surfaces, apply liberally and allow it to sit for up to 20 minutes. Wipe clean and rinse.
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Baking soda clog the pipe.
Is there a commercial grade disinfectant that can be used in toilets that you consider to be safe, effective and non-allergic? (I am allergic to citrus and all sorts of other smells.) I work for a large fitness facility and have had their recently installed automatic chemical dispensers removed-but only in one bathroom so far, after staff complained. i am working to find a better product. Thank you!
Hi Shelley … I’d recommend Biokleen Bac-Out Bathroom Cleaner.
Does the home made bathroom cleaner have any other liquid ingredients than what is listed? It says it makes 16 oz but with those ingredients listed I can’t see how that would be possible. Thank you.
Dont we need a preservative when water is added to the formula?
Do you have to make this up every time you want to clean the bathroom? Or can you make up a batch, put it in the bottle, and store it in the cabinet, using each time you clean until it’s gone before making it again?
Dr Axe or team, I’m very interested in your response to the comments below. Can someone please respond?
How ironic mentioning endrocrine disruptors, then WTF suggesting Tea Tree Oil as an alternative, when it is a suspected endrocrine disruptor for males, like Lavender, so should not be used at all around/by males… I found stinky Tea Tree Oil useless as an antiseptic, so I stopped using it, and mounting evidence, like below, mean I reject all stuff containing it.
re: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180318144856.htm
“A new study lends further evidence to a suspected link between abnormal breast growth in young boys — called prepubertal gynecomastia — and regular exposure to lavender or tea tree oil, by finding that key chemicals in these common plant-derived oils act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals. “
Well. It is for growing boys, still in puberty, however, they imply Chemicals in such oils, thus, What are those chemicals? Not once did the article specify actual lavender or tree tea oil. Are they suggesting there is a chemical reaction with specific products, and if so, what are they? I find the article broad and grey. Good read, however grey. Lavender is comprised of over 100 constituents, including linalool, perillyl alcohol, linalyl acetate, camphor, limonene, tannins, triterpenes, coumarins3,4,5, cineole, and flavonoids. Analgesic effects: Based on human study, lavender oil may have analgesic effects for pain reduction. Lu Hui
1, 2,
Li He
2
, Lu Huan
1
, Li XiaoLan
3
and Zhou AiGuo
I find it hard to read into that article with very little elaborated information.
Where can I buy the containers to keep cleaning products? I live out in the country. Thank you.
Baking soda and vinegar together? Don’t they neutralize each other?
That’s what I thought too. I also thought you can’t mix castile soap (base) with vinegar (acid).
What is the difference between your other recipe Homemade Melaleuca Lemon Household Cleaner and this one? I would like to use the one that has less ingredients. Actually a multi purpose cleaning recipe would be amazing! And a list of specifics to use the cleaner on, such and counter tops, stove tops, bathrooms, tile floors. Thanks any information is appreciated. You have so much to cipher through i keep get lost in all your pages and distracted lol.
I agree. One cleaner would be exceptional!