I’ve recently gotten into making my own cleaning and personal care products! I was concerned at first that because they only have a handful of very simple ingredients, and while they might be “better” for you, they might not actually work that great. I couldn’t have been more wrong about that! The few products that I’ve tried out so far have smelled great, worked amazingly, and you just feel so good about using them. Also, once you have the ingredients, you won’t have to buy them again for months, even years!

My first project was to make an all-purpose counter cleaner. Having clean kitchen counters makes the whole rest of the kitchen seem cleaner, and since you use your counters for food prep it’s one of the best places to start using less chemicals. After trying a few different methods, I’ve found that this recipe is my favorite. It really couldn’t be much easier than this!

Homemade Counter Cleaner

• 2 Tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 Teaspoon borax
• a few drops of scented castille soap, OR a few drops dish soap and a few drops essential oils (I used tea tree scented castille soap).
• 1 cup very warm water
• 1 32oz spray bottle

Heat water until hot, but not boiling. Using a funnel, add first the borax, and then the hot water to your spray bottle. Swirl until all of the borax is dissolved, and then add the vinegar and castille soap and swirl again to combine. Finish by topping off the spray bottle with water and replacing spray head. To use, simply spray on surfaces and wipe with a soft cloth, no rinsing required! Now get to cleaning!