How to Make Effective Cleaning Sprays with Herbs
I keep a jar of vinegar filled with citrus peels under my kitchen counter. I use it to make an at-home cleaning spray that I taught you how to whip up two summers ago (recipe for that here). It's a popular recipe and I love using the spray to wipe down my kitchen and bathrooms, but did you know that you can use other herbs to make cleaning sprays too? I started experimenting with some recipe variations last year and found that there are a few things I really like to use.
Most of the herbs that I usually include in cleaning spray recipes are culinary herbs that are easy to grow or find at your local grocery or farmer’s market. The properties you want to look for in the herbs you choose include:
antimicrobial
antibacterial
antiviral
antifungal
disinfectant
Working with herbs that have these antimicrobial effects will help make your cleaning products more effective at disinfecting surfaces, which is our ultimate goal with products like this.
Some of my favorite herbs to include are:
rosemary
thyme
oregano
lemon balm
lavender (leaf and/or flower)
bee balm
To make your cleaning spray, you will want to start with freshly harvested herbs (if you can - if not, use purchased or even dried herbs). Fill your jar with your selections, then pour distilled vinegar over the herbs until they are completely submerged in the vinegar. Use a chopstick to work out any air bubbles, then cap the jar and leave it to infuse for 2-6 weeks. Once it reaches the strength you would like, you can strain the plant material out of the vinegar and bottle the infused vinegar in a spray bottle. Use it like any other all purpose cleaning spray. It's wonderful on counters and I even use it on my mirrors sometimes!
Have you ever tried making your own cleaning products? I would love to hear about your favorite ingredients. Feel free to leave a comment at the end of this page to tell me about what has worked best for you.
Much love,
Erin
About the Author
Hi there, I’m Erin! I am the main instructor here at Floranella. I am a clinical herbalist, aromatherapist, artisan distiller and organic gardener based in the Pacific Northwest. Here at Floranella, I teach people how to work with plants safely and effectively from the garden to the apothecary. Thanks for being here! I’m glad you stopped by.
