This natural disinfectant spray is easy to make and effective. It can help keep our family safe without the use of harsh chemicals.
We have been made to think we need harsh chemicals to disinfect our homes. And we’ve started making everything antibacterial and it turns out that is causing its own problems. One problem is that the overuse of these antibacterial cleaners has contributed to the rise of superbugs.
Conventional disinfectants can also have serious potential health impacts. They have been linked with everything from irritating skin, eyes, and respiratory systems to being endocrine disruptors, causing asthma and impacting the immune system.
That doesn’t mean we don’t want to disinfect our homes. We do however want to pick the safest options for our families.
How to Disinfect Naturally
A good first step is to wash your hands often. The CDC recommends washing your hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. Teach your kids to sing happy birthday twice to make sure they are washing their hands long enough.
Washing surfaces with hot soapy water is also a good way to clean away a lot of microbes. We keep making new cleaners but really this is one of the most effective ways to clean. It’s also very cheap so it’s my favorite. I use dish soap or Dr. Bronner’s castile soap.
If you feel like you need a bit of extra disinfecting there are some natural things that have been shown to kill germs without the harmful effects of some disinfectants.
Many essential oils have also been found to have antibacterial qualities. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine tested 21 essential oils and 18 showed antibacterial activity against one or more strains. Of the oils, they tested cinnamon oil, lime oil, geranium oil, rosemary oil, orange oil, lemon oil, and clove oil showed the most promise.
Combining some of these things can make a great DIY natural disinfectant. It smells pretty good as well!
How to Make an All-Natural Disinfectant Spray
You can use any combination of the essential oils found to be effective at killing bacteria. Cinnamon oil, lime oil, geranium oil, rosemary oil, orange oil, lemon oil, and clove oil are all great options.
I personally like to use cinnamon oil, clove oil, orange oil, and lemon oil. These are oils I keep around anyway and I think they smell nice together. It’s a great fall/winter scent, which is perfect for cold and flu season.
(There is no current evidence that this would kill Covid-19. When disinfecting for Covid-19 be sure to use an approved disinfectant or make sure you make this with more than 60% alcohol.)
Natural Disinfectant Spray
A great natural way to disinfectant without harsh chemicals.
Materials
- 1 cup Everclear
- 15 drops of essential oils of your choice
Instructions
- Pour the ingredients into a dark colored glass spray bottle.
- The dark glass will help protect the essential oils.
- Shake well before each use.
- Allow spray to sit on surface for at least 30 seconds to allow it to work.
- Wipe with a clean cloth.
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Sandi says
Wow I never thought to use vodka in a cleaning solution but why not, it’s alcohol…LOL!!!
Btw, Lisa I sent you an email yeterday, did you get it? Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks, Sandi
Lisa Sharp says
It’s a really great ingredient for many DIY household products. I got your email and replied. 🙂
Alicia DeVey says
what brand vodka do you use? Can it be the cheapest?
Lisa Sharp says
It doesn’t matter. I just get something cheap.
Brad Patterson says
The only Problem I can see using Vodka, is that now a days either 1 or both adults are Recovering Alcoholics. And Alcohol is not allowed in the Home.
Lisa Sharp says
You could use rubbing alcohol.
Madi says
Does this work on carpet?
Lisa Sharp says
I’d test it in a small area that isn’t well seen.