Quick Recipe (full recipe below!)
Fill a spray bottle with distilled water, top it up with a spoonful of castile soap. Done.
Can I be totally honest with you?
I can be pretty lazy when it comes to homemade cleaning products.
Don’t get me wrong; I actually like to clean, and I love experimenting with new recipes and products! But when it comes to the number of cleaners I have in my cleaning caddy, I like to keep it to the bare bones minimum.
Case in point: I’ve been using the same homemade cleaner for nearly every surface in my home for well over six years now. And the funny part? It actually started out as a floor cleaner!
You see? I literally took my floor cleaner and thought, “hmmm, I wonder what else I can clean with this stuff…” and BAM – it officially became an all purpose cleaner.
But here’s the thing…
Sometimes we can get so stuck in our ways that we don’t realize how much we might be over-complicating things for ourselves.
And that’s exactly what happened with my first homemade all-purpose cleaner (i.e.: my famous Homemade Floor Cleaner). That recipe uses water, alcohol, vinegar, dish soap, and essential oils.
It’s a great recipe, and one that has served me well (and 1+ million people on Pinterest!) for a very long time! One that started out as a floor cleaner, but eventually took on a whole new “purpose” (see what I did there?).
But it does have its limitations:
- It can’t be used on granite or other stone surfaces (because of the vinegar).
- It uses essential oils, which some people can’t find locally, or they don’t fit in their budget, or there’s safety issues involved with kids and pets, etc.
- The vinegar. It stinks. There, I said it.
- It could use a bit more power for those really dirty, grimy jobs.
So I got to thinking…
What if I could strip down this cleaner to the bare minimum, and still increase the cleaning power for the toughest jobs?
What can I remove? What can I add more of? How could I truly simplify this recipe to make it the easiest, simplest, quickest natural homemade all-purpose cleaner of life??
And after a little experimenting, I finally got it!
I’m so excited to share with you today my updated, totally simplified all natural all-purpose cleaner recipe. This is the formula my family uses daily in our home.
Easy Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner
Ready to be amazed? All you need is 2 ingredients, and one of them is freely available at your kitchen sink! We’re just mixing water with some good old castile soap, and we’re calling it a day.
That’s it! Quick, easy, and doesn’t require a million different ingredients. Can I get an Amen!
Easy Natural All-Purpose Cleaner
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups distilled water distilled is best, but filtered tap water is fine for short term storage
- 1 tablespoon liquid castile soap
Instructions
- Fill your spray bottle with the water.
- Add in the castile soap.
- Cover the bottle and shake well.
- Use on pretty much any surface in your home.
Notes
For tougher jobs or cleaning granite—disinfecting after raw-meat prep, or when you want a streak-free shine—try my granite cleaner. It adds rubbing alcohol to this same gentle base, so it cuts grease and dries fast without etching the sealer.
How Each Ingredient Works
See? I told you it was easy! I’ve been using this homemade all-purpose cleaner all over the kitchen and bathroom, and haven’t looked back since.
Prefer to buy instead of DIY?
Sometimes it’s nice to skip the prep work! Here are some quality options we love and recommend.
TrulyFree Everyday Cleaner
This fragrance-free all-purpose cleaner is truly all-natural, non-toxic, and safe for families and pets. A low-waste option, your first order includes a reusable spray bottle which you refill with their refill pouches.
Meliora All-Purpose Home Cleaner
Meliora makes refillable, low-waste cleaning products that are safe and sustainable. Their all-purpose cleaner comes in a tablet which you drop into the bottle, top off with warm water, and shake. And the tablets are narrow enough to fit into any bottle you already have at home.
I love how you prioritize simplicity in your cleaning routine—it makes me think about streamlining my own products without losing effectiveness.
We have very hard water. Would you recommend adding vinegar to your castile blend?
Not to this recipe, but I do have another one that includes vinegar that you could try instead here.
Thanks for the article. Going with natural product is always the best.
Great idea but…. I try not to use Dr Bronner’s Castile Soap since it is made with Palm oil. I have purchased this one at Walmart and it is great. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dr-Jacobs-Naturals-Pure-Castile-Liquid-Soap-Face-and-Body-Wash-Coconut-32-Fl-Oz/117350269
Thanks Diana for the alternative, and I understand your concern. I still feel comfortable using Dr. Bronner’s as they make an effort to source sustainable, organic, fair trade palm oil.
https://www.drbronner.com/media-center/press-release/simple-swap-towards-sustainable-palm-oil/
It is now made in the with hemp sourced in the USA
This is so easy and I love the idea of not using smelly vinegar! The smell is just too much for me. Also, thanks for the tip about adding baking soda when you really need to scrub. I’m excited to try this recipe.
Yay, hope it works great for you!
Thanks for sharing, the recipe is great, I tried making it last weekend, and it’s really efficient. I usually use castile soap for preparing my own laundry detergent for the baby clothes, but I guess it can be used for a wide variety of natural cleaning products.
Yay! Glad you liked it. And yes, castile soap is so versatile!
Love it ! Thank you so much , now I’m off to clean .
Awesome, happy cleaning!
Can I use the all-purpose cleaner on my stainless steel refrigerator?
Yes absolutely! I would spray it on the towel/rag first (as opposed to spraying directly on the fridge), and then just wipe along with grain of the surface.
Thank you for sharing these great natural cleaning tips and product education. Very helpful!
You’re very welcome, Lori! I’m glad they’re helpful. 🙂
I don’t know if I’ve thanked you before but thanks a million! I’ve been using your all purpose cleaner for over 2 years. I’ve been using vinegar and water as a spray cleaner for about the same time.I learned that one from “How Jen Does It” on YouTube and found your site at about the same time. Also loved your article on Fall cleaning. It brought back memories of my Syrian grandmother who used to do that as well as Spring. Fall made so much sense since we lived in Ohio and the house was closed up all winter. Keep up the great work. You’re truly a blessing.
Sandra, you’ve blessed me with your lovely message! Thank YOU for taking the time to share your journey and the beautiful memories of your grandmother. <3
Does this new cleaner kill germs like the “old” one? I imagine the old one does because it has alcohol and vinegar?
Good catch! You’re right, this new one is just a cleaner, and not a disinfectant. If you need the extra germ killing power, just use the old recipe. But for everyday cleaning jobs, this one’s a keeper. 😉
This simple two-ingredient recipe is a game-changer—thank you! I’ve always wanted a natural cleaner without that overpowering vinegar smell, and castile soap with water is so easy and effective.