5 Homemade Bathroom Cleaner Recipes

Are you looking for a way to simplify your cleaning routine without harsh chemicals or pricey supplies? The answer might just be DIY bathroom cleaner.

Simple, effective and made from items you likely have on hand, homemade bathroom cleaning solutions can address everything from hard water stains on your fixtures to soap scum on your shower door. Better yet, they can leave the room looking and smelling fresh.

However, there’s always one secret ingredient: better water. Softened tap water is key for any homemade bathroom cleaner recipe — and cleaner bathrooms in general — because it helps stop stains and odors at their source.

Here are a few top recipes and how to use them.

How To Make Homemade Bathroom Cleaner

The great thing about DIY homemade bathroom cleaner is that most recipes use the same ingredients in different amounts and combinations. That means you can create a whole arsenal of cleaning concoctions without leaving the house.

Here are a few ingredients to have on hand:

• Tap water: For the best results, make sure your water is both softened and filtered.
• Vinegar: The recipes below use white vinegar, but others often use apple cider vinegar, too.
• Baking soda: Don’t confuse this with baking powder, which has different properties.
• Soap: You might need castile soap and everyday dish soap.
• Essential oil: While mostly used for pleasant aromas, some essential oils — like tea tree oil — can kill some bacteria and viruses.

All-Purpose Cleaner

Combine the following ingredients:

2 tablespoons of castile soap
1 tablespoon of baking soda
2 cups of warm softened, filtered water
Between 20 and 30 drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)

This all-purpose cleaner is best in a spray bottle and can potentially last up to a month. It’s great for everyday bathroom stains on porcelain, tile, glass and grout.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Mix these ingredients right inside the bowl:

¼ cup of baking soda
1 cup of white vinegar

Leave this DIY toilet bowl cleaner for 15 or 20 minutes before scrubbing and flushing.

Glass Cleaner

Combine these ingredients in a spray bottle:

¼ cup of white vinegar
4 cups of warm softened, filtered water

This cleaner is great for glass and mirrors, especially if you’re trying to remove hard water stains. Just remember to use a soft cloth to avoid scratches.

Limescale Remover

If you’re trying to clean limescale from your fixtures, the key ingredients are vinegar and time. Soak a cloth in white vinegar and wrap it around faucets, showerheads, handles and other surfaces, then leave it overnight. You can rinse the fixtures with softened, filtered tap water or any DIY cleaner with essential oils if you’re worried about the vinegar odor.

Bubbling Cleaner

Combine the following ingredients in a spray bottle:

12 oz. of heated white vinegar
8 oz. of dish soap

You can spray this cleaner on a variety of bathroom surfaces and scrub it right off — but only spray lightly, as it can quickly create a lot of bubbles. For more stubborn hard water stains, you can also leave the cleaner overnight and scrub in the morning.

The Key Ingredient for Bathroom Cleaner

Even if water isn’t an ingredient in every homemade cleaner recipe, it plays an important role in your overall cleaning routine. That’s because your water can cause or exacerbate issues that create stains, odors and other problems throughout your home.

For example, hard water is caused by calcium and magnesium. While these minerals aren’t generally a health concern, they can build up on fixtures, leave soap spots on glass and even clog your plumbing. They also reduce the effectiveness of soap and detergents. This means that cleaning your bathroom with hard water adds to the mineral buildup and doubles the work because your cleaning supplies aren’t doing their job.

Learn more about these issues with our FREE Hard Water Solutions Handbook.

Of course, mineral buildup isn’t the only cleaning problem you’ll face. Other water issues can create odors and discolored stains. Here are just a few examples:

• Iron: Aside from making your water taste metallic, iron can create red-brown rust stains around your bathroom.
• Copper: You’ll recognize copper by the blue-green stains it leaves behind.
• Hydrogen sulfide: This gas can cause a rotten egg smell wherever you turn on the tap.

While these problems are easy to spot, others — including hard water — aren’t as obvious at first. That’s why a professional water test is one of the best ways to learn what’s happening when you turn on the tap. You’ll find out what’s in your water and how it impacts your cleaning routine — and, perhaps most importantly, which solutions you’ll need.

Softening

Water softeners attract, trap and flush out the calcium and magnesium ions that cause hard water. Once the softener is up and running, you’re free to start cleaning your bathroom and the rest of your home with softened water, eliminating mineral buildup right at the source.

Softening is good news for your cleaning routine on two fronts. First, it creates soft water that’s easier to clean with and doesn’t create new mineral buildup. Second, it prevents many of the issues that require so much cleaning in the first place, meaning you’ll have fewer issues that demand regular scrubbing and scraping.

Filtration

A water filtration system uses different filter techniques and media to address certain contaminants.* The focus is generally on eliminating impurities that you wouldn’t want in your drinking water, but because some of those same contaminants come with odors and stains that make cleaning difficult, you get the best of both worlds.

Better yet, although filtration and softening are separate processes, they complement each other for a comprehensive treatment solution. You can also choose smart features for both systems that help you get even more from your tap water, from conservation goals to quality reviews.

Tips for Faster, Easier Cleaning

Now that you know how to make a DIY bathroom cleaner (and why better water is always a key ingredient), it’s time to get to work. Here are a few tips for smarter cleaning:

Know Your Supplies

If you’re making DIY household cleaner, stick to recipes and ingredients you’re familiar with. Remember, some everyday chemicals can be completely harmless until you mix them with the wrong ingredients.

Store Safely

You might be tempted to keep your new cleaner around for weeks or months, but that’s not always possible. Read up on your ingredients to see how long they last when they’re mixed and always keep an eye out for mold or any suspicious discoloration.

Clean With Care

Even the best cleaning product can cause issues if you aren’t careful. To prevent scratches, chips and damaged finishes, use gentle ingredients for your more delicate surfaces and avoid abrasive cloths or sponges.

Keep Your Eyes Open

Cleaning is a great opportunity to keep tabs on your water quality. Any change, including unfamiliar odors or colors, can indicate problems like new contaminants, malfunctioning treatment systems, plumbing issues and more.

Better Water, Better Cleaning

Better water isn’t just for your drinking glass; it’s also a huge benefit to your cleaning routine. Add this key ingredient to any DIY bathroom cleaner for easier, more efficient scrubbing and fewer issues throughout your home.

To get started, you’ll need to learn which water problems to target. Take the first step and schedule your free, in-home water test and consultation today.

*Contaminants may not be present in your water supply.