Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner With Essential Oils

QUICK SUMMARY

This Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner With Essential Oils is a simple, non-toxic cleaning powder made with baking soda, lemon essential oil, orange essential oil, and grapefruit essential oil.

Use it as a gentle scouring powder for compatible sinks, stovetops, grout, pans, toilet bowls, and other everyday messes. Baking soda provides the scrubbing and deodorizing power, while the citrus essential oils add a bright natural aroma and have shown antimicrobial activity in laboratory research.

This DIY is for everyday cleaning, not registered disinfection. Test delicate surfaces first, avoid breathing the powder, and never combine it or vinegar with bleach-containing products.

As a busy Mom, I love a cleaning product that can handle more than one job.

This simple powder is one of those DIYs I can keep near the kitchen or bathroom and reach for when a sink needs scrubbing, a stovetop needs attention, or the grout is looking dingy.

It uses just baking soda and essential oils, so the recipe is easy to make, easy to store, and easy to work into a non-toxic cleaning routine.

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner With Essential Oils

This cleaning powder recipe is excellent for cleaning sinks, pans, stovetops, grout, toilet bowls, and more! It’s one of those simple non-toxic swaps that helps you create a healthier home without adding one more complicated thing to your day.

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner With Mood-Boosting Essential Oils

Author Mama Z

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Quantity

2x4x6x

Ingredients

• ½ cup baking soda
• 5 drops lemon essential oil
• 5 drops sweet or wild orange essential oil
• 5 drops grapefruit essential oil

Supplies

• Glass jar with a shaker lid
• Microfiber cloth (white)

Instructions

 

• Combine the baking soda and essential oils in a glass jar and shake until thoroughly mixed.  The mixture will be powdery, like a conventional store-bought cleaner.
• Use as you would a typical cleaner. Sprinkle on the surface you want to clean, then use a damp cloth to make a paste and scrub. Wipe away with a clean, wet cloth.

Notes

I like cheese shakers for this because they make it easy to use, but any glass jar with a shaker lid will do!

For extra cleaning power, spray the soiled area with organic distilled white vinegar before sprinkling on the cleanser and add an additional drop of one of the essential oils to the surface.

Step One: Combine Ingredients

Place the baking soda and essential oils in a glass shaker jar or small glass jar. Replace the lid and shake to combine. Your mixture should be smooth, with little to no clumps.

If the essential oils clump in one area, break them up with a fork before replacing the lid. You want the oils distributed throughout the baking soda so every sprinkle smells fresh and works evenly.

Step Two: Clean Surfaces

Using this cleaner is simple. Sprinkle a bit on the surface you’d like to clean, then use a damp cloth to make a paste and scrub. Wipe any residue with a clean, damp cloth.

For tougher messes, spray the surface lightly with white vinegar first, sprinkle the powder over the area, let it fizz, and then scrub. Don’t store vinegar and baking soda together in a closed jar because they react and lose that fresh fizzing action you want for cleaning day.

Never combine this cleaner, vinegar, or any DIY cleaning mixture with bleach or bleach-containing products. Keep cleaning simple, one product at a time.

Where to Use This Cleaning Powder

This cleaner works best as a homemade scouring powder and deodorizer for durable surfaces. Keep it with your natural home supplies so it is ready when messes happen.

Some of my favorite uses include:

• Sink Polisher: Sprinkle a little on a damp cloth, scrub gently, and rinse well. It works especially well on stainless steel sinks.
• Dirty Dishes and Pans: Use a small amount to help loosen stuck-on food. The preserved recipe also gives you the option of using organic white distilled vinegar first for tougher messes.
• Glass Stovetops: Follow your appliance manual first. On compatible stovetops, the powder can be used as a gentle scrub. The recipe instructions also include an optional vinegar step.
• Grout: Use an old toothbrush to work the powder into grout lines, then rinse well.
• Toilet Bowls: Sprinkle around the bowl, scrub with a toilet brush, and rinse.
• Carpet Refresher: Sprinkle lightly, let it sit, then vacuum thoroughly. Always spot test first and check your vacuum manufacturer’s instructions before routinely vacuuming powders.

For delicate surfaces, test first. Baking soda is milder than many commercial scouring powders, but it is still abrasive.

Do not use vinegar on natural stone such as marble, limestone, travertine, or other acid-sensitive finishes unless the manufacturer specifically says it is safe.

This recipe is for cleaning, scrubbing, and deodorizing. It is not a registered disinfectant for raw meat contamination, illness cleanup, or medical-level sanitizing. For those jobs, clean first and then use the appropriate disinfecting method.

I also like pairing this powder with a homemade kitchen cleaner for food-prep areas and a non-toxic glass cleaner for mirrors and windows.

All-Purpose Cleaner Ingredients

This DIY has just two ingredient categories: baking soda and citrus essential oils.

Baking Soda

Baking soda gives this recipe its scrubbing power.

It helps loosen stuck-on residue, absorb odors, and polish many durable surfaces without the harsh feel of stronger scouring powders. It is inexpensive, easy to find, and useful in dozens of natural cleaning recipes.

Lemon Essential Oil

Lemon essential oil gives the powder a bright, clean aroma that works beautifully in kitchens and bathrooms.

Laboratory research has found antibacterial activity from lemon essential oil, including vapor-phase studies. (8) That makes the research interesting for cleaning applications, but it does not turn this finished homemade powder into a tested disinfectant.

Sweet or Wild Orange Essential Oil

Orange essential oil is one of my favorite uplifting cleaning aromas.

It is rich in limonene, the citrus constituent that gives orange oil much of its characteristic scent. Laboratory testing of Citrus sinensis peel oil has also found antibacterial activity. (9)

For this recipe, I primarily love orange because it makes the whole cleaning routine smell fresh and cheerful without synthetic fragrance.

Grapefruit Essential Oil

Grapefruit essential oil adds another bright citrus note. Laboratory research has identified antimicrobial activity in grapefruit essential-oil fractions. (10)

Again, that is laboratory evidence, not proof that this DIY disinfects household surfaces.

Keep the finished jar closed and out of reach of small children and pets. Avoid breathing the powder, and do not let animals lick freshly cleaned surfaces.

Why We Skip Conventional Powdered Cleaners

Conventional powdered cleansers can be effective, but some contain ingredients or create exposures we would rather avoid when a simpler DIY can do the job.

An Environmental Working Group analysis reported by CBS News found that one conventional powdered cleanser emitted numerous chemicals into indoor air, including compounds that were not listed on the product label. (1) Product formulas can change, so I do not use that old analysis to claim every modern powdered cleanser is identical. It does explain why I prefer knowing exactly what is in my own jar.

Some powdered products may also contain crystalline silica. OSHA warns that respirable crystalline silica exposure can damage the lungs and is associated with serious occupational health risks. (2)

Bleach is another example of why cleaning products need to be used with respect. Sodium hypochlorite can be an effective disinfectant, but it can irritate the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract, especially with misuse or excessive exposure. (3) More importantly, bleach should never be mixed with other cleaners. CDC and state health guidance warn that mixing bleach with certain products can release dangerous gases. (4, 5)

Synthetic fragrance is another reason many families simplify their cleaning cabinets. We have a deeper guide to synthetic fragrance and air fresheners if you want to explore that topic further. The 2025 IFRA Transparency List includes thousands of materials used across fragrance creation worldwide. (6) That does not mean every fragrance contains thousands of ingredients or that every fragrance ingredient is harmful. It simply means the word “fragrance” may represent a complex mixture.

A nationally representative U.S. survey also found that 34.7% of adults reported health problems such as headaches or respiratory symptoms when exposed to fragranced products. Because this was self-reported survey research, it does not prove that every scented cleaner causes symptoms in every person. (7)

For our family, the goal is not fear. It is stewardship. When a simple homemade cleaning powder works, I would rather use ingredients I know and keep the cleaning cabinet uncomplicated.

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner FAQs

What is a homemade all-purpose cleaner with essential oils?

This recipe is a DIY cleaning powder made with baking soda plus lemon, orange, and grapefruit essential oils. It is designed for everyday scrubbing, deodorizing, and freshening.

What surfaces can I clean with it?

Use it on compatible durable surfaces such as stainless steel sinks, pans, grout, toilet bowls, and some stovetops. Always check manufacturer instructions and spot test surfaces that may scratch or react.

Can I mix baking soda and vinegar for cleaning?

You can use them together for the short-lived fizzing action described in the protected recipe instructions, but do not premix them for storage. Once the acid-base reaction is finished, much of the baking soda and vinegar has neutralized.

Is this cleaner safe for granite, marble, or natural stone?

Use caution. Baking soda can scratch some finishes if scrubbed aggressively, and vinegar can damage acid-sensitive stone such as marble, limestone, and travertine. Follow the surface manufacturer’s directions.

Does this homemade cleaner disinfect surfaces?

No. This is an everyday cleaning powder, not a registered disinfectant. Laboratory studies on individual essential oils do not establish that the finished DIY kills specific pathogens at home.

Can kids help clean with this powder?

Older children can help with age-appropriate chores under supervision. Keep the powder away from eyes and mouths, avoid breathing dust, and supervise children around glass jars, stovetops, toilets, vinegar, and concentrated essential oils.

How should I store homemade cleaning powder?

Keep it dry in a tightly closed glass jar. Replace the batch when the citrus aroma fades significantly, the oils smell stale, or moisture causes persistent clumping.

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