Looking for a DIY Cleaning Spray with the wonderful scent of Winter? This budget friendly tutorial shares how to make homemade multi-surface cleaner with ease using just five ingredients.

amber glass bottle on jute place mat with natural soap

DIY Cleaning Spray Vs. Store Bought

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As we prep our homes for the holidays, it can be tempting to go wild with the Winter scented products from the store. Afterall, there are so many household cleaners that also promise to fill your home with a flurry of festive fragrance. They fool you in to thinking one product is fulfilling two roles – cleaning your home and the air.

The truth is that these Winter scents are created using artificial fragrances, and companies don’t even need to legally disclose what chemicals are used to create them. This means they could be contaminating the air, not cleaning it. Common chemicals found in store-bought household cleaners include ammonia, sodium hypochlorite, and/or trisodium phosphate. These toxic chemicals are known to cause irritation as well as pollute our water systems and be potentially toxic to pets.

That’s why I find that when it comes to cleaning, simple is better. I avoid these 7 toxic household cleaners in favor of making my own, including this Winter scented DIY cleaning spray. That way, I can control the chemicals entering my home that I am exposing my family to.

amber glass bottle of diy cleaning spray with stripe cloth and coaster

About The Ingredients

This Winter scented DIY cleaning spray has only 5 ingredients, all of which are natural, non-toxic and budget-friendly.

Unscented liquid castile soap – Castille soap is a coconut-based soap that is non-toxic and non-irritating. It’s the natural cleaning agent in this recipe that’s mild, yet super effective. You can also use a natural dish soap like Thieves Dish Soap.
Distilled white vinegar – Distilled White vinegar is one of my favorite natural cleaning hacks as it helps to clean surfaces naturally, including removing grease, dissolving dirt and removing hard-water spots. It can also helps to disinfect surfaces making it ideal for this DIY cleaning spray. Note, there are items in the home you should never clean with vinegar including waxed furniture, as the acidity of the vinegar can strip the wax.
Orange essential oil –Orange is one of the best essential oils for cleaning as it helps to provide an all-natural fragrance without harsh chemicals. It can also be very effective in degreasing and cleaning up dirt and grime. This is because citrus fruits like orange and lemon contain d-limonene, a natural solvent that cuts through grease and dirt with ease.
Clove essential oil – The spicy aroma of clove goes hand in hand with refreshing orange for the ultimate Winter blend. Clove essential oil also offers powerful antifungal properties making it a great natural way to help fight mold. Alternatively, you could use Thieves blend essential oil as it contains clove, cinnamon, lemon, eucalyptus and rosemary essential oils so is excellent for cleaning.

amber glass bottle with green label on jute placemat with stripe cloth

How to Make Winter Scented DIY Cleaning Spray Step by Step

It takes mere minutes to make this Winter scented DIY cleaning spray. Start by adding all the castille soap to the spray bottle, followed by the water, vinegar and then the essential oils. Screw on the bottle top and then shake well to mix the ingredients

How to Use

It is best to shake this DIY cleaning spray before each use. Then, generously spray the surface and use a microfiber cloth to wipe clean. Repeat as needed until fully clean.

Where to Use

This Winter Scented DIY Cleaning Spray will save you so much money and time as it can be used all over the home replacing so many other products. It is ideal if you need to speed clean your kitchen as it can be used for spraying down counters, stove tops, kitchen cabinets and dining tables and chairs. It can also be used in the bathroom on counters and even toilets. If you really want your bathroom to glow, pair this cleaning spray with my DIY grout cleaner.

hand using blue microfiber cloth on counter top

Can I make this DIY cleaning spray without vinegar?

Avoid using vinegar solutions on stone surfaces such as granite or marble. It also shouldn’t be used to clean cast iron, aluminium, or waxed surfaces because the acid in the vinegar can etch, pit, and strip finishes or otherwise damage these surfaces. You can make skip the vinegar or alternatively, you can make this DIY Cleaner which is still tough on grime but contains no vinegar.

Does this Winter scented DIY cleaning spray disinfect surfaces?

The CDC recommends at least 70% alcohol to disinfect surfaces. The alcohol can be either ethanol (like the alcohol you drink) or isopropyl alcohol (like rubbing alcohol). As this DIY cleaning spray does not contain alcohol, technically it will not disinfect surfaces, only clean them. If you are looking for a natural disinfectant, I recommend making my DIY disinfectant spray which is super easy and only 2 ingredients.

Top Tips

Use this Winter Scented DIY cleaning spray with a microfiber cloth as Microfiber is more effective at sanitizing surfaces.
Instead of orange or clove essential oils, you could also use Thieves essential oil.
Note vinegar should not be used on certain surfaces. If you are unsure, do a spot test on an inconspicuous area or make my vinegar free DIY household cleaner instead.