This DIY homemade bathroom cleaner is made from just two ingredients and yet super effective! It will save you money and help you avoid using chemical laden alternatives.
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After our first child was born 6 years ago, I became pretty determined to try to find ways that I could avoid chemicals in our house, especially in our cleaning products. I never was crazy about the strong noxious smell of so many of them, but now that I had a baby that was often nearby when I was getting our house spic and span, I really wasn’t impressed!
I found a homemade cleaner recipe that was basically water and vinegar and it worked okay but was nothing great. So when I came across a recipe for homemade bathroom cleaner that people were raving over, I was pretty excited. I made it last week, used it immediately and well, let’s just say that there was a reason that people were raving!
Not only is this homemade cleaner inexpensive and easy to make, but it also did an amazing job of getting things clean. What impressed me the most is that the buildup that I could never get off of the caulking in our bathtub/shower wiped clean without any real effort when I used this homemade cleaner. It officially has me sold!
And if you aren’t a fan of the smell of vinegar, try this tip that uses lemon or orange peels to help improve the smell!
Here’s the recipe so that you can make your own and enjoy the amazing results yourself!
DIY Homemade Bathroom Cleaner
INGREDIENTS:
- 12 ounces white vinegar
- 12 ounces Dawn dish soap (I used the blue)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat vinegar until hot and pour into spray bottle.
2. Add the Dawn dish soap. Put the lid on and gently shake to incorporate.
3. Use and be amazed at how well your bathroom gets cleaned! For tough soap scum build-up, spray the mixture on and allow it to sit as long as overnight. Then, scrub and rinse.
Update: I’ve learned that with this cleaner unless your surface has bad scum build-up, you only need to lightly spray your surface. Then usually wiping twice with a damp cloth will wipe it clean. Because of the soap, if you get spray happy you will have a sudsy mess to try to wipe up and while your surface should be good and clean, you might get frustrated at the effort it takes to wipe it all up!
Update #2: A friend told me that she decreases the amount of the Dawn dish soap to about 8 oz. and this takes care of the suds problem while still being a very effective cleaner. I tried it with my last batch and liked the results!
Dealing with rust spots in your tub? Check out this post full of Bar Keepers Friend uses! Looks like an easy fix!
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Mila says
February 16, 2015 at 11:01 AMI have switched to cleaning with vinegar a couple years ago. I mostly use just diluted vinegar, but for bathrooms and showers add baking soda to the spray bottle with the vinegar. It seems to be doing a good job on the buildup. I have heard about Dawn/vinegar combo. It’s nice to read a first-hand experience, I will try this method!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
February 16, 2015 at 11:32 AMI like the baking soda vinegar idea, too! Does the baking soda dissolve? Or how does that work with a spray bottle. If you try the Dawn/vinegar version, just be aware that it doesn’t take a lot to get things clean. If you use too much it makes an awful sudsy mess!
Helene says
May 6, 2015 at 7:56 AMI use the vinegar/water combo. I can’t wait to try this!
Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says
May 6, 2015 at 10:27 PMThanks so much for sharing this! Pinning! (Visiting from Women w/ Intention)
Jenny @ Women With Intention says
May 12, 2015 at 9:21 PMPinned! Thanks for sharing at Women With Intention Wednesdays! I look forward to what you’ll be sharing this week!
Kelli {A Deeper Joy} says
May 14, 2015 at 9:56 AMYes! The Dawn and vinegar combo are magic! My friend told me about it a while back and every time I’ve done it, I’m AMAZED!
Stopping by from the SHINE blog hop! Have a great Thursday! 🙂
ThriftyFrugalMom says
May 14, 2015 at 7:52 PMIt definitely is a powerful combo!
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom says
May 14, 2015 at 10:54 AMI’ve used this formula before too! Isn’t it amazing?! Seriously, the BEST cleaning combination ever.
Thanks for sharing and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop.
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
ThriftyFrugalMom says
May 14, 2015 at 7:51 PMTotally agree, Jennifer! 🙂
Cheryl says
January 7, 2016 at 10:28 AMQuick question….why do you have to heat the vinegar?
ThriftyFrugalMom says
January 9, 2016 at 2:49 PMCheryl, heating the vinegar helps the dish soap dissolve more and makes it easier for the two to mix. I’ve never tried not doing it, so maybe it’s not totally necessary?
Kaci says
February 18, 2016 at 10:49 PMI never heat the vinegar. I have my own cleaning business, and this is all I use on all of my clients showers/tubs. I use 1 cup of dawn to 1 cup of vinegar. Shake and spray. Ready to go. Best cleaner ever! So glad I found it. I will never use another cleaner for tubs.
ThriftyFrugalMom says
February 22, 2016 at 2:35 PMGood to know, Kaci! And I love that you are using this for your cleaning business.
Allison says
February 23, 2017 at 7:35 AMDo you use this cleaner in other rooms, too? Would it be okay to use in the kitchen?
ThriftyFrugalMom says
February 23, 2017 at 3:01 PMI do actually! It really works well for most cleaning and should be fine to use in the kitchen. Hope that helps!
Eileen Whitacre says
August 8, 2018 at 7:08 PMThanks so much for this! I will definitely be trying this out here soon!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
August 14, 2018 at 11:38 AMGlad it was helpful!