Simply Homemade Natural Anti-bacterial Spray and Printables

6/2/2013

This blog post contains affiliate links.

    I've been telling my sister for months now that I was going to share this little DIY tutorial and printables with you (and her!) about how to make your own homemade natural anti-bacterial spray.

    Every time I make another batch for me to use around the house, I remember: "Oh, yeah. I need to write that up to share with everyone!"

    And then I forget. Because I'm too busy using the cleaner around the house to actually write about how to use it around the house.

    Oh, bother.
    ☺
    There are so many cleaning products available in the stores these days, and even natural, "green" cleaners are everywhere in our stores and online.

    Why on earth would I want to add ONE MORE THING to my "to do" list?

    If you haven't noticed, those natural cleaners aren't getting any cheaper these days. In fact, some of them are downright expensive.

    That's a shame, because this Simply Homemade DIY Natural Antibacterial Cleaning Spray - that takes literally just a few minutes to make - is dirt cheap. So much less than the regular cleaners in the stores.

    This cleaner is PH balanced, so it is safe to use on granite and marble, but you may want to test the spray in an inconspicuous area just in case you're worried that it might cause a color change. I don't have granite or marble countertops, so I haven't tried this for myself.

    I use this all over the house: sinks, counters, doorknobs, greasy spills on the stove, stains on walls, spot cleaning the linoleum floors, appliances, laundry baskets, inside the car, etc. This is my go-to all purpose cleaning spray now!

    However. . .

While you may choose to use Simply Homemade Natural Antibacterial Spray on glass, I still prefer a purchased product called Sprayway. I've tried many homemade "recipes" for glass cleaner, but none of them have worked anywhere near as well as Sprayway. I'm stickin' with Sprayway when it comes to the windows and mirrors! (The Simply Homemade Natural Anti-Bacterial Spray may leave smudges on windows or mirrors.)

My #1 most favorite use for Simply Homemade Natural Anti-Bacterial Spray is this:

Disinfecting my kitchen sink!

    We use the kitchen all the time to prepare snacks and meals, especially since we educate our children at home, don't eat out very often, and rarely eat convenience foods. That means 21 homemade meals per week, plus 14 no-sugar snacks, and generally 5 to 7 no-sugar homemade desserts. That's a lotta cookin' and dishes!

    While I don't give our kitchen sink a good, 'ol-fashioned scrubbing with Bon Ami on a daily basis, I do use my Simply Homemade Natural Antibacterial Spray to disinfect the kitchen sink at least once a day: after washing our hands from cracking raw eggs; after rinsing off raw meat or washing our hands after handling raw meat; etc.

    In other words, if you show up at my house and observe the white kitchen sink looking oh-so-not-quite white, you can be fairly certain that it is still disinfected, no matter how scratched and nasty it looks!

    Just to make certain that I'm truly getting rid of any nasty bacteria that could give us food poisoning or botulism, I use a quick, two-step process.

First, spray the sink with hydrogen peroxide. Make sure to keep the peroxide in a bottle that is not opaque. It will lose its effectiveness quickly if mixed with other ingredients, or if placed in a clear or opaque bottle.

Then, immediately spray the same area with homemade antibacterial cleaning spray.

Ready to mix up your own Simply Homemade Natural Antibacterial Spray?

It will only take a few minutes! Here's what you'll need:

You can find washing soda and Borax typically near the laundry detergent in most grocery stores.

1/2 tsp. of liquid Castile soap, Sal’s Suds, Dr. Bronner's, homemade liquid soap, or other liquid soap
1 tsp. Borax
1 tsp. of washing soda
1/2 cup vinegar (white, raw apple cider, or regular apple cider vinegar works)
2 cups hot boiled water
10-15 drops of essential oil (Lavender, Tea Tree, Grapefruit, Eucalyptus or your own favorite)
Two 24 oz. empty spray bottles (Walmart, dollar stores)
1 bottle of hydrogen peroxide
label (you can print those here, down below!)

    I bet you're wondering where I found a spray bottle of peroxide!

    Unscrew the spray nozzle from one of your empty, new spray bottles. Unscrew the cap from your hydrogen peroxide.

    Guess what? Your new spray nozzle fits the bottle of peroxide! Just tighten it onto the bottle of peroxide.

    Now you have a peroxide spray bottle that isn't clear or opaque - a requirement for keeping hydrogen peroxide at its full strength.

In a large, heat-resistant bowl (not plastic), measure and add 1 tsp. of washing soda.

I store my washing soda and Borax powder in 2-quart glass canning jars because I had a box of dishwashing detergent get wet once under my kitchen sink. Now I store boxed items in glass jars or plastic containers so if the area they are in gets slightly wet, the product isn't ruined.

Measure out 1 tsp. of Borax and add it to the washing soda in the bowl.

Add 1/2 tsp. liquid soap (castile or other) to the powders.

When those are combined in the bowl, are you ready for a fun science experiment? Call in your kiddos . . . they're going to enjoy watching this one!

Okay! Let the fun begin! Pour 1/2 cup of vinegar into the borax-washing soda-liquid soap mixture . . .

. . . and LISTEN to it sizzle! :)

When the sizzling stops, slowly pour two cups of very hot water into the heat-safe bowl.

Stir gently until powders have dissolved completely, a minute or so.

Allow mixture to cool.

Use a funnel to pour the all-purpose cleaner into your empty spray bottle.

Add 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oil or combination of several essential oils.

Add your favorite label to your new bottle of Simply Homemade Natural All-Purpose Cleaner!

When using this as an anti-bacterial spray, go ahead and spray the peroxide first; then, immediately spray the same area with the all purpose cleaner. Wait 10 minutes for the area to disinfect.

Now for your free printable labels to print for your own spray bottle:

Click on the page, below, to print off your own labels! You'll notice that directions on how to make another recipe of the all purpose cleaner are right there on the label!

How's that for a quick and easy alternative to using some of the strange and bizarre chemicals found in regular anti-bacterial household sprays?

Do you make any other cleaning chemicals for home cleaning purposes?

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive a small affiliate commission, although your cost stays at the regular price. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support.

10 Comments

Linda Middlekauff

6/3/2013 05:19:58 am

Hi Julieanne! I was wondering if you purchase the castile soap or make your own. If you purchase it, where do you get it? My son, Josh, makes his. It was interesting to use it (again) for the first time at his house. As soon as I saw it, I thought it was liquid castile soap, but when I smelled it, I KNEW! It brought back lots of memories. Growing up, that was always the soap at school, church, & other common areas!

BTW, have you heard about using vinegar & newspapers to wash windows?

One more thing, Did you know that soap by itself washes germs away & kills bacteria, viruses simply by breaking down the surface area of the organism? Multiple studies have shown that thorough hand washing with soap & warm water is more effective in sanitizing hands than using antibacterial agents.

Hydrogen peroxide works by itself as a surface disinfectant, but gloves should be worn to protect the skin. It works because it oxidizes the microorganisms & other living tissues. This simple agent is effective, inexpensive, & does not cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics. Using soap or baking soda w it helps by breaking down the surface area of the organisms.

Another point is that there is too much use today of antibacterial soaps, etc. This overuse contributes to the bacterial resistance occurring w the use of antibiotics for very serious illnesses, etc. It IS important to get rid of bacteria after using poultry, eggs, etc., but a hot soapy solution for hands, utensils, & surfaces, keeping cutting boards for the use of raw meats, fish separate from those used for cutting fruits, veggies, bread, and hand washing does this at home. Institutional kitchens require actual disinfecting.

The marketing or antibacterials has now made them commercially ubiquitous, unfortunately, so your recipe is a great alternative

Julieanne link

9/21/2013 04:27:50 am

Hi, Linda! I've both purchased castile soap and made it with a friend. It's a lot less expensive to make it myself or with a friend, so that's what I prefer to do.

You're right - when we were growing up, that castile soap smell was everywhere. :) I had forgotten about that.

Yes, I've used vinegar and newspapers to wash windows, and while it works well, it doesn't seem to work as well as the SprayWay window cleaner I prefer to use. We have very old (60+ years) windows that are floor to ceiling in our living room and dining room, and SprayWay seems to do the best job on them so far. If we had newer windows, or maybe smaller windows, I'd consider trying the vinegar and newspaper again.

I've always used soap and hot water to wash away germs, so I'm very comfortable with that. :)

However, with germs from raw chicken and other meats, I feel safer using some kind of spray - which is why I figured out how to make a kitchen spray that is safe around food, kills germs and bacteria, and is based around soap. :)

I strongly agree with you, Linda, that commercial antibacterial soaps and sprays are not healthy to use; that's why I figured out this new method! :)

Katie

1/6/2016 09:55:37 pm

I just wanted to point out that, while you're correct about the overuse of antibacterial products can be very detrimental, some people/families unfortunately need to use them regularly. My son was diagnosed with Lemierre's Syndrome, and because his immune system is very weak it's extremely important that we do everything possible to limit his exposure to bacteria or viruses. After spending time in the hospital and seeing children who really had no immune system whatsoever, I really saw that some cannot live without these products. Again, I agree with you that they are way overused in the common household, I just wanted to remind everyone that some households truly need them.

Bethany

9/30/2013 04:09:49 am

I have a question about the essential oils. The only ones I cam find are the ones at Wal-Mart. Are those ok to use?

Julieanne link

10/1/2013 01:03:45 am

Hi, Bethany! Essential oils can really vary from company to company as far as the purity, strength, and methods of extraction, but for making this type of natural antibacterial spray, feel free to use what you can afford. Even the Walmart esssential oils should be fine!

I don't know if my local Walmart carries essential oils. In what department do you find these, and near what other types of products? Thanks!

Christie

8/31/2016 07:58:27 pm

Clear and opaque are two opposite, absolutely different things. In the beginning of your informative article you say to not use "clear or opaque " bottlea. Which do you mean? "Clear" = see through. "Opaque" = not see through, solid, light blocking. If you are writing an informative directional article and would like to be considered something other than a moron, learn the definitions of the words you are using. Otherwise, why should anyone listen to a single thing you say? Lets all stop being lazy here

Christie

8/31/2016 08:00:28 pm

May the god of hope fill you with Websters English Dictionary

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Hi! I'm Julieanne!
You'll find me in the kitchen
trying new Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters.

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