9 Homemade Cleaners You Can Use While You're Pregnant

DIY All-Purpose Cleaner

Although washing soda and borax are natural minerals, they're also caustic, and borax is toxic if swallowed, so keep them out of reach of children. If you prefer not to use them, just omit, and you will still have an effective cleaner with just the soap.

How to make it

Mix ½ teaspoon of washing soda (sodium carbonate), 2 teaspoons of borax, ½ teaspoon of plant-based liquid soap, and two cups of hot water in a spray bottle. Shake well.

Lemon & Tea Tree Oil Disinfectant

Tea tree oil is a natural anti-bacterial agent and a fungicide and germicide, so you can kill the germs without using harsh chemicals.

How to make it

Combine ½ cup warm water, ½ white vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice in a spray bottle. Add 15 drops of tea tree oil. Add a few drops of lemongrass essential oil to spruce up the lemon scent. Put on the lid and shake well to combine all of the ingredients.

Vinegar & Baking Soda Oven Cleaner

How to make it

Pour ¼ cup all-natural liquid soap into a medium bowl. Add ¾ cup baking soda, 1/8 cup white vinegar, and a few drops of lemon, lavender, or jasmine essential oil (for scent). Stir the ingredients with a spoon to create a paste. Spread the paste onto the inside of the oven using a sponge or paintbrush. Let it sit for several minutes, scrub with a scrub brush, then rinse with a rag and clean water.

Homemade Bathtub Cleaner

How to make it

Mix 1 ⅝" cups baking soda, ½ cup liquid soap, and ½ cup water. Mix thoroughly, then add 2 tablespoons white vinegar. Apply immediately, scrub, and wipe. For a mildly abrasive scouring scrub, blend baking soda and plant-based liquid soap to your preferred consistency.

DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner

How to make it

Sprinkle baking soda all around the inside of the toilet bowl. Pour one cup of white vinegar into the bowl over the baking soda. Scrub the bowl with a toilet brush. Let it sit for 20 minutes before flushing the toilet to rinse.

Lemon & Olive Oil Furniture Polish

How to make it

Pour 1 cup of olive oil into a clean, empty spray bottle. Add ½ cup lemon juice, or 20-30 drops of lemon essential oil. Shake the bottle well before spraying a light coating onto wood furniture or cabinets for cleaning. Wipe gently with a soft cloth.

DIY Vinegar Glass Cleaner

How to make it

Combine a 1:1 mixture of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. To remove the waxy buildup left behind by conventional glass cleaners, add ½ teaspoon of liquid soap to 1 cup each of water and white vinegar.

Homemade Mold & Mildew Remover

Recipe 1

Fill a spray bottle with lemon juice. Spritz the lemon juice onto the mold or mildew. Sprinkle or rub salt over the top and scrub it with a sponge or scrubber to form a paste. Let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes before wiping it away with a wet rag.

Recipe 2

Mix ½ cup of white vinegar with 10 drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle. Mist onto the surface, wait about 30 minutes, then wipe with a clean, damp cloth.

DIY Floor Cleaner

How to make it

Fill a bucket with about one gallon of warm water. Add ¼ cup of white vinegar and a few drops of all-natural liquid soap. Mix well, then use the solution to mop your floors.

This solution is safe for most floors, including wood and laminate. Do not use vinegar if your floors are ceramic or a delicate stone like marble. Instead, mix a few drops of a pH-neutral soap or cleaner with water to clean the floors.