Practice healthy and germ-free living in your home by trying these DIY disinfectant spray recipes at an economical cost without chemicals!
The various objects and surfaces in the house can be breeding grounds for germs and bacteria and can cause regular health issues. These might look clean but can cause infections and that’s where disinfectant sprays become important. It helps get rid of the microorganisms living on these objects and prevent any transmission of diseases or illness. While they are useful to maintain a clean surrounding, the commercially available disinfectants are usually full of chemicals that can be even more harmful especially if you have children in the house. To avoid having too many chemicals at home, here are some DIY disinfectant spray recipes that you can try at home. Remember even though they are made at home, keep them away from the reach of children.
All these DIY disinfectant spray recipes consist of ingredients that are not known allergens and will not be harsh on the surface or your skin. However, it’s better to wear gloves while cleaning surfaces with these disinfectant sprays to keep things simple and quick.
DIY Disinfectant Spray Recipes
Recipe 1
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup rubbing alcohol or vodka
- Essential oils
Recipe
Add water, vinegar, and rubbing alcohol to a spray bottle and shake it well. Now, add about 15 drops of essential oil of your choice, such as lemon, peppermint, or lavender. This will give it more of a natural fragrance and adds to its anti-bacterial properties. Once you add all the ingredients, shake the bottle well. Whenever you wish to use the disinfectant, spray it over the surfaces you want to clean and leave it for 10 minutes. Wipe it off with a microfiber cloth. Do not use it on marble or granite surfaces as it can cause damage to the surface.
Recipe 2
Ingredients
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 3 cups of water
- Essential oil
Recipe
Mix all the ingredients in a spray bottle. You can use about 15 drops of essential oil of your choice. Choose essential oils like tea tree or lavender, as it has antiviral and antifungal properties. Use it for cleaning and wipe it off with a microfiber cloth.
Recipe 3
Ingredients
- ½ cup bleach
- 5 cups water
Recipe
This is a quick disinfectant recipe for cleaning bathroom surfaces, kitchen countertops, etc. Mix water and bleach in a spray bottle and mix well. Use it for disinfecting the surfaces but make sure not to mix it with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide as it can cause toxic flames. Any bleach-related disinfectant should be made daily as the bleach can easily run off.
Recipe 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup vinegar
- ½ cup Ethanol alcohol
- 15-20 drops of eucalyptus oil
Recipe
Mix all the ingredients in a reusable spray bottle and shake it all well. Eucalyptus oil has antimicrobial properties that make it a great addition to the disinfectant spray. You can even use tea tree or cinnamon oil for this purpose.
Recipe 5 (Sanitizer)
Ingredients
- 2/3 cups of isopropyl alcohol
- 1/3 cup of aloe vera gel
Recipe
Apart from disinfecting objects and surfaces, keeping your hands sanitized and clean is important too. To make a home sanitizer, mix alcohol and aloe vera gel. The aloe vera gel will help keep your hands soft and acts as a great anti-bacterial agent. Mix 2/3 cups of isoprobyl alcohol and 1/3 cup of aloe vera gel in a bowl and transfer it to a small bottle of your choice.
Recipe 6
Ingredients
- ¼ cup 3% hydrogen peroxide
- 1 cup water
- Spray bottle
Recipe
Combine hydrogen peroxide with water in a spray bottle and give it a good shake. Spray it on the surface you want to clean and leave it for at least a minute before you wipe it off. You can use this for cleaning mirrors, tiles, cutting boards doorknobs, bathroom sinks, etc.
Recipe 7 (Floor cleaner)
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- ¼ cup rubbing alcohol
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 4-5 drops of dish soap
- 5-10 drops of essential oils
Recipe
Instead of using commercial floor cleaners, you can DIY this easy floor cleaner at home. Add the mentioned ingredients in a bucket with enough water. Use this cleaner to clean your floors with a mop. This will help in making the floor clean and free of any germs or bacteria.
Recipe 8
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Borax
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 10 -15 drops of lavender essential oil
- 5-10 drops of lemon essential oil
Recipe
In a bottle, add all these ingredients and mix it well. You can use this as a cleaner and let it sit for at least 10 minutes before you wipe it. This disinfectant works great as a toilet bowl cleaner as well.
Note: Borax is considered toxic if ingested and hence, you must use it cautiously.
Recipe 9
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup witch hazel
- Few drops of tea tree or cinnamon essential oil
Recipe
A light disinfectant is perfect for cleaning mats, shoes, toys, etc, as a natural disinfectant. Mix it well and spray on the object you want to disinfect. Wipe with a microfiber cloth.
Recipe 10
Ingredients
- 1 cup hydrogen peroxide
- ½ cup rubbing alcohol
- Essential oil
Recipe
Take all the ingredients and combine them in a spray bottle or any other bottle for storage. Use essential oil of your choice which has antibacterial properties such as eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, or lemon essential oil. Leave it for about 10 minutes before wiping it off gently.
Precautions While Using the Disinfectant Spray
The recipes mentioned above use different kinds of ingredients to disinfect the surfaces or objects but can cause marks or stains which can damage the surface. Here are a few surfaces over which you should not use the spray if you are using any of the following ingredients in the recipe. Although, it is still recommended to do a patch test on a corner or invisible side as different surfaces react differently.
1. Vinegar
You shouldn’t use a disinfectant with vinegar on granite, marble, or any stone surfaces. Besides, avoid using it over hardwood as it can cause pitting or discoloration.
2. Bleach
Bleach is effective for cleaning bathrooms and kitchen countertops but you should not use it on wood, tiles, or metallic objects such as copper or stainless steel items.
3. Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is an important ingredient for many DIY disinfectant spray recipes. However, you should not use it on any painted, or varnished surfaces such as polished wood. This can cause the paint to scrape off and the surface can lose its shine.
4. Hydrogen Peroxide
Similar to vinegar, hydrogen peroxide should be avoided to clean surfaces such as marbles, granites, or stones. Moreover, make sure not to mix it with vinegar as it can release toxic fumes.
Use these DIY disinfectant spray recipes to save some penny on commercial disinfectants and clean the house as well. Share it with your friends and family to give them an easy escape from commercial sprays.
