Before You Get Started: What You’ll Need

First, gather the ingredients you’ll need. You’ll find these ingredients at most grocery stores or on Amazon.

• 1/4 cup vegetable glycerin: helps to lift stains easily; however, if you don’t have any glycerin you can skip this ingredient.
• 1/4 cup water: Use distilled water if storing this product longer than a few days.
• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap: a natural, highly-concentrated soap with many uses. A natural dish detergent or Dawn dish soap may be used instead.
• 1 TB hydrogen peroxide: Regular 3% strength found in the grocery store.
• 40 drops of lemon essential oil: Since fresh lemon juice would spoil quickly, use lemon essential oil. Instead, you may use 1-2 juiced lemons if the spray is used within a couple of days. Learn more about using essential oils.

Equipment You’ll Need

• 1 dark amber spray bottle: Due to the hydrogen peroxide, which can’t be exposed to light when stored, use a dark spray bottle. If you’re making a small batch of this recipe and plan to use it immediately, it’s OK to use a clear spray bottle (or make your own glass spray bottle)

What is the Purpose?

Liquid castile soap is a highly concentrated soap that may be used in multiple ways, from cleaning to washing your face.

Since it’s concentrated, it’s designed to be diluted with water before use. I love this dilution chart from Dr. Bronner’s, a popular soap maker, for dilution ratios.

1. Face Wash

Customize your own face wash simply by diluting castile soap into water and adding a nourishing oil. Castile can be drying on its own, so I like to add almond or jojoba oil to make sure my face doesn’t dry out.

If you need something that’s hydrating and tough on dirt, add some honey! Raw honey is hydrating, naturally antibacterial, and will help scrub the day away.

5. Makeup Brush Cleaner

How often do you clean your makeup brushes? It might not be on your radar, and if not, I suggest making this Natural Makeup Brush Cleaner ASAP!

You might be surprised (and a little grossed out) at what exactly comes out of your brushes.

Combine 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons witch hazel, and a generous squirt of castile soap in a jar. Add the makeup brushes and watch the dirt and bacteria soak away. Make this recipe.

12. Toilet Bowl Cleaner 

Grab an old dish soap bottle and make up a toilet bowl cleaner with baking soda and castile soap.

Combine 1 cup distilled water, 1/2 cup baking soda, and 1/2 cup castile soap. Squirt in the toilet and scrub. This will help you scrub out any stains, lift dirt, and remove bacteria from the surface.

14. Floor Cleaner

Floor cleaner is so easy to make as needed. I love that I don’t have to keep specific products on hand for every area of the house, rather I simply add a few capfuls of castile soap to a bucket of water and it’s ready to mop! This will leave your floors feeling clean without any overpowering fake fragrances.

16. Bathroom Cleaner

My Homemade Bathroom Cleaner is slightly different than the All Purpose Spray With Castile Soap. I find the bathroom needs just a little more power in order to feel super clean and deodorized!

In a 16-ounce spray bottle, combine 2 cups warm distilled water, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 2 tablespoons castile soap, 30 drops tea tree essential oil, and 20 drops sweet orange essential oil. I add tea tree oil for its antibacterial property. Make this recipe.

18. Dish Soap

I don’t love using castile soap for washing dishing. It doesn’t have the tough grease-fighting power that I expect from a dish soap. I prefer Sal Suds for dishwashing (castile soap’s tougher big brother, which is a detergent; not a soap).

Some people love using castile soap for hand-washing dishes. To do this, fill the sink with water and add a few squirts of castile soap.

21. Hand Wash Delicate Clothes

Combine 1 capful of concentrated liquid soap with 1 gallon of cold water. Add delicate clothing, swish around, then let rest for 10 minutes. Rinse with clean water and hang to dry.

24. Baby Wipes

Make natural baby wipes by combining 1 1/2 cups warm water, 1 teaspoon liquid castile soap, and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Place 1/2 a paper towel roll in an air-tight jar, then pour the solution over the top, and remove the center cardboard roll. Pull a wipe from the center to use.

The History

Castile soap has a rich history, starting in the 11th century. It was first made in the Aleppo of the Levant region (modern day Syria).

The Crusaders learned about this soap and tried to duplicate the soap in Europe without success. Until a region in Spain (called Castile) was able to get the recipe right and successfully made.

The soap took on the name of this region, where it was made with olive oil instead of traditional laurel oil (from bay leaves). Olive oil allowed soap makers to create a mild and effective soap.

The soap became popular with Spanish royalty and eventually spread to other royal families.

By the 1500’s castile soap made its way to England and then across the world. Today, you won’t find a more natural and versatile soap product.

What is it made of?

Today, it’s made of various vegetable oils. Originally, when the soap was made in Castile, it was made with just one oil (olive oil) due to the abundance of olives in the region.

Brands like Dr. Bronner’s combine different oils to make their soap, such as: coconut, olive, and hemp. This alkaline soap may also contain avocado, almond, jojoba, or walnut oils. The oils give the soap lather along with moisturizing and cleansing properties.

Because of the many oils that may be used, the label should always be read carefully in case of allergies. The one thing you won’t find is animal products, so castile soap is safe for vegans.

Is it eco-friendly?

Castile soap, being oils that have been saponified (a fancy word for turning oil into soap) with potassium hydroxide, is 100% biodegradable. This means you don’t have to worry about the soap going down the drain or using it near kids and pets.

The Baby Unscented version of Dr. Bronner’s castile soap is given a 1 rating by the EWG’s Skin Deep database. This means there aren’t any ingredients that should cause harm in use.

Do be aware that the EWG rates various scented options as higher in their toxicity scale, and if you check those out it is generally due to the essential oils or natural fragrances. Especially when using castile soap as the base for other DIY recipes, I stick to unscented.

Dr. Bronner’s, the most popular soap maker, sets the bar high for their sourcing and production. The ingredients used are organically sourced and fair-trade and farms use regenerative practices. Other companies also have a commitment to high standards, using essential oils for scents and organic sourcing.

7 Amazing Benefits

Castile soap has surged in popularity recently as families want to go natural and ditch toxins at home. Here are the amazing benefits you’ll find when using castile soap at home.

1. Versatility

Castile soap is super versatile. You can make just about any and every household product using castile soap. It’s the ultimate multi-purpose product.

2. Affordability

A 32-ounce bottle of castile soap costs between $14-$17. Yes, this is more expensive than a bottle of all-purpose cleaner, but it will last you for months and you can make multiple products with one bottle! Castile soap is highly concentrated so a little bit goes a long way. Check out 7 money-saving ways to use castile soap.

3. Non-Toxic

Castile soap is made with easy to recognize, simple, non-toxic ingredients. This is why you can use it on your skin and the surfaces in your home. It’s 100% biodegradable so you don’t have to worry about it going down the drain.

4. Make Natural Body Products

Make different body care products with the liquid soap: body wash, face wash, shaving cream, shower gel, hand soap, makeup remover wipes, face cleansing wipes, and makeup brush cleaner.

5. Make Natural Cleaning Products

Make natural cleaning products with the liquid soap: dusting spray, laundry soap, all-purpose spray without vinegar, tub and sink scrub, floor cleaner, stain remover, and toilet bowl cleaner. Or use the bar soap to make laundry powder.

6. Easily Picks Up Dirt

The beauty of using soap for cleaning is that it easily picks up dirt and other molecules that water alone may not pick up. This is what makes castile soap such a fantastic household cleaning product and why it’s added to many homemade cleaners.

7. Naturally Remove Bacteria From Surfaces

The soap doesn’t kill bacteria; rather, it lifts and removes bacteria from surfaces. Antibacterial products, on the other hand, are designed to kill bacteria (not lift and remove the bacteria from the surface, as soap does).

Where to Buy

Today, it’s easy to find the soap in the United States. It’s sold in most grocery stores, Target, Walmart, and Amazon. It’s usually sold in both liquid and bar form in the body section or green beauty section of a store.

Best Brands

There are several brands on the market today. Here the best of the best.

What makes the brands on this list the best? Each brand makes a concentrate soap (so you can dilute it to make products) and uses the best sourcing and production practices.

Dr. Bronner’s: The most popular and easiest to find in stores. This is the brand I personally have the most experience with and recommend. Sold in both bar and liquid form with multiple scent options. Made with fair-trade, organic ingredients and uses a recyclable bottle. $4 for an 8-ounce bar, $16 for 32-ounce bottle.

Quinn’s: Some people claim this brand leaves behind less residue than Dr. Bronner’s (we’ll talk more about this in the warning section). Sold in liquid form, in either unscented or peppermint. $14 for a 32-ounce bottle.

Grove: Made with 100% organic ingredients and essential oils. Sold in liquid form and different scents: mint, lavender, and citrus. $10 for a 16-ounce bottle.

Cove: A very pure version of castile soap, made with: purified water, saponified organic coconut and olive oils, organic argan oil, organic jojoba oil, organic hemp oil, organic vegetable glycerin. Comes in a variety of scents. $18.99 for a 33.8 ounce bottle.

What’s castile soap used for?

Here are 18 ways to use this traditional soap around the house. Recently, I shared 24 Castile Soap Uses for the Home and Body. Learn about all the ways to use this soap here.

1. Dusting spray
2. Liquid Laundry Soap
3. Powder Laundry Soap
4. All-Purpose Spray Without Vinegar
5. Tub and Sink Scrub
6. Floor Cleaner
7. Stain Remover
8. Toilet Bowl Cleaner
9. Body Wash
10. Face Wash
11. Shaving Cream
12. Shower Gel
13. Hand Soap
14. Foaming Hand Soap
15. Makeup Remover Wipes
16. Face Cleansing Wipes
17. Makeup Brush Cleaner
18. Dog Shampoo
19. Produce Rinse: Add a few squirts to a gallon of water, soak produce, then rinse veggies and fruit and dry.

How to Dilute

Liquid castile soap is highly concentrated and should always be diluted for use. A little bit goes a long way. I use this dilution chart from Dr. Bronner’s as a guide for diluting and making different household products.

For body use, Dr. Bronner’s recommends mixing a few drops of castile soap with wet hands for the face or a wet washcloth for the body. You can do the same to make a shampoo for humans or dogs.

When you’re using this soap around the house in DIY cleaning recipes, you will be diluting the soap with water in your “recipe” so it is ready to be used.

For example, you might use ¼ cup in a full load in your HE washing machine (for a full load of laundry) or 2 tablespoons of castile soap in a bucket of warm water for mopping.

Warning: Mistakes to Avoid

Castile soap is an amazing product, but there are a few things to know before use, mainly when using this product for cleaning.

1. Never Mix Castile Soap and Vinegar

There are ton of recipes online that tell people to combine vinegar and castile soap for cleaning. This goes against basic chemistry.

When combined, vinegar or lemon juice (an acid) and castile soap (a base) cancel each other and create unsaponified soap.

This reaction reduces the soap back to its original oils. If you try mixing the two ingredients you’ll immediately notice the soap curdles and feels very oily. Learn about natural cleaning ingredients to avoid mixing.

2. Avoid White Residue on Surfaces

Some folks find that castile soap leaves behind a cloudy film on surfaces, like a white residue.

This can be caused by the soap interacting with hard water and the surface may simply need to be wiped down a few times with a damp wash cloth. You may also need to go back over the surface with an acid like a vinegar spray.

Chemicals are not bad (everything from air to baking soda has a chemical composition). The goal isn’t to go chemical-free. The goal is to use safe chemicals for cleaning.

I’m going to share everything you need to know to confidently clean your bathroom the natural way: the safe and essential ingredients to stock and how to clean every surface.

What You Need to Clean The Bathroom Without Toxic Chemicals

With a few natural ingredients, you’ll make your own bathroom cleaners. The top ingredients you’ll need:

• Baking Soda
• Vinegar
• Liquid Castile Soap
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Essential Oils

Baking Soda

Baking soda is cheap and has many cleaning uses. When used in the bathroom, baking soda acts as a deodorizer, to lift stains and smells trapped on surfaces.

Keep a box of baking soda in your cleaning caddy for sprinkling on surfaces or to make cleaning products (just never mix baking soda with vinegar).

Vinegar

Most household vinegars contain 4-6% acetic acid. White vinegar is considered to be the most acidic vinegar and the strongest option for making a household cleaner. Vinegar has antimicrobial properties, making it a natural antibacterial ingredient.

If you don’t love the smell of vinegar, make orange vinegar with orange peels and use in place of white vinegar.

Liquid Castile Soap

Castile soap is a plant-based soap made from vegetable oils (olive, coconut, palm) and plant oils. It was first created in the 11th Century, in modern day Syria.

The beauty of castile soap and why it works so well for cleaning is because it easily picks up dirt, bacteria, and grime from surfaces. It’s also safe to use on the body (all body recipes using castile soap)!

The soap doesn’t kill bacteria, but it does easily lift and remove bacteria from surfaces. Antibacterial products, on the other hand, are designed to kill bacteria (not lift and remove the bacteria from the surface, as soap does).

Hydrogen Peroxide

Use 3% hydrogen peroxide (a wound care ingredient that’s easy to find) for its disinfecting and whitening properties. Use hydrogen peroxide as a bleach alternative to whiten bath towels and polish sinks and tubs. As a disinfectant, use undiluted hydrogen peroxide in the toilet bowl.

Essential Oils

Essential oils can be added to natural cleaning products for their antibacterial properties, like Tea Tree Oil, or used as a natural air freshener. To learn about cleaning with essential oils, check out this article: Natural Cleaning with Essential Oils 101.

How to Clean a Bathroom Naturally

Here’s how to clean every bathroom surface, without toxic chemicals, using homemade products. I’ll also share store-bought options that work, because you don’t have to make your own cleaners to go all natural.

Countertops

Spray countertops and the vanity with all-purpose cleaning spray. After spraying, use a damp sponge or cloth to wipe the surface clean, rinsing the cloth and repeating as needed. A few favorites:

• Vinegar All-Purpose Cleaner Spray: Combine 1 cup white vinegar and 1 cup water in a spray bottle. Never use vinegar on marble, granite, unsealed surfaces, or stone surfaces. Add a squirt of Sal Suds (a tough non-toxic soap) for soap scum buildup removal.
• Castile Soap All-Purpose Spray: Combine 1 cup water and 2 tablespoons castile soap in a spray bottle.
• All-in-One Bathroom Cleaner: Combine 1 tablespoon baking soda with 2 cups warm water in a spray bottle. Shake to combine. Add 2 tablespoons castile soap.
• Branch Basics: A store-bought option. Use coupon code livesimply for extra savings.
• Force of Nature: Another store-bought option that works as a cleaner and disinfectant. Use coupon code livesimply for extra savings.

Toilets

For the outside of the toilet, use All-Purpose Surface Cleaner Spray, All-in-One Bathroom Cleaner, Branch Basics, or Force of Nature.

For the toilet bowl, use a baking soda cleaner (see 2 recipes below), then undiluted vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to disinfect.

• DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Combine water, baking soda, castile soap, and lavender essential oil (optional) in a squirt bottle. Squirt in the toilet bowl and scrub with a brush. After flushing, spray the toilet bowl with undiluted vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to disinfect.
• Toilet Bowl Powder: Combine baking soda, borax, and coarse salt in a jar. Shake into the toilet bowl, scrub, then flush. Spray the toilet bowl with 100% vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to disinfect.

Mirrors and Glass Shower Doors

Tile & Grout

There are various cleaning solutions, from sprays to a scrub, that work for cleaning wall tile and grout in the bathroom. A few favorites:

• Scrub Cleaner: Combine baking soda, castile soap, hydrogen peroxide, and a cleaning essential oil (optional) in a jar. Use a scrub brush to apply the paste to the tile and grout, scrub, and rinse with a damp sponge.
• Vinegar All-Purpose Cleaner Spray: Combine 1 cup white vinegar and 1 cup water in a spray bottle. Never use vinegar on marble, granite, unsealed surfaces, or stone surfaces.
• All-in-One Bathroom Cleaner: Combine 1 tablespoon baking soda with 2 cups warm water in a spray bottle. Shake to combine. Add 2 tablespoons castile soap.
• Branch Basics: A store-bought option. Use coupon code livesimply for extra savings.
• Force of Nature: Another store-bought option that works as a cleaner and disinfectant. Use coupon code livesimply for extra savings.
• For tile floors, I recommend using the floor cleaner recipes in the next section.

Floor

Use a mop and floor cleaner on tile floors or make your own Swiffer-like wipes. For a small bathroom, your favorite all-purpose spray will work well for cleaning floors. A few favorites:

• Vinegar Floor Cleaner: Combine 1 cup vinegar with 2 gallons warm water in a bucket. Add a fragrance with a few drops of essential oil, if desired. Use a mop to clean the floor.
• Castile Soap Floor Cleaner: Combine 2 gallons warm water with 2 tablespoons castile soap (or a squirt of Sal Suds) in a bucket. Add a fragrance with a few drops of essential oil. Use a mop to clean the floor.
• DIY Floor Wipes: Combine vinegar and water in a jar, add small towels to the mixture. Attach a towel to a Swiffer base to clean the floor.

Shower Spray for Mold and Mildew

If you have mildew buildup in the shower, here’s a homemade shower cleaner to use directly on the problem spots.

• Easy DIY Mildew Spray: Combine rubbing alcohol, tea tree essential oil, and vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray directly on the surface, let rest for a few minutes, then wipe with a sponge or towel. Repeat as needed.

Air Freshener

Proactively defend your bathroom from unwanted odors with natural air fresheners using essential oils. Learn more about using essential oils for cleaning.

• Fragrance Spray: Add a few drops of essential oil to high-proof vodka and water. Spray in the air (or in the toilet) as needed.
• Toilet Paper Air Freshener: Add a few drops of an essential to the inside of a fresh toilet paper roll. The scent will subtly fill the bathroom.
• Diffuser: Keep an essential oil diffuser in the bathroom. Add a few drops of essential oil. Be careful when using essential oils around animals. See safety precautions for cats and dogs.

Key Takeaways

• All-Purpose Cleaner – This cleaning spray is an all-in-one product, because it literally does it all! It’s one of the best homemade bathroom cleaners for this reason.
• Simple Ingredients – All you need is a few natural ingredients: castile soap, baking soda, water, and (optional) essential oils.
• Shelf Life – If you use distilled water (found in any grocery store), this recipe will last for up to 1 month.

Before You Get Started: Ingredients & Tools

• 2 tablespoons Liquid Castile Soap
• 1 tablespoon Baking Soda
• 2 cups Warm Water – Distilled water is the best option for safety reasons, which you’ll find at any grocery store.
• 30 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil (Optional for extra cleaning power)
• 20 drops Sweet Orange Essential Oil (Optional, or use your favorite essential oil for scent)
• 16-ounce Spray Bottle