Easy Essential Oil Disinfecting Spray

The ingredients of disinfectant cleaners should not sound like they come from a chemistry lab. Nor should you have to spend a bunch of money on "natural" cleaners. With a few simple ingredients, you can whip up an effective essential oil disinfectant spray.

A note about supplies:

The lavender and tea tree essential oils both have natural disinfecting properties. Tea tree oil is also antiviral and antifungal. It's often used to treat minor skin scrapes and fungal skin infections. Tea tree oil can be a bit pungent on its own, but the lavender complements the oil’s piney fragrance.

Vinegar should only be used on hard surfaces — avoid anything porous like unsealed natural stone. You can use regular white vinegar (5 percent) or cleaning vinegar (6 percent) for this project. Regular white vinegar works well for general disinfecting applications while cleaning vinegar is great for cutting through tough grime. While 1 percent may not seem like a big difference, it actually makes the solution 20 percent stronger.

If you are not a fan of vinegar, you can substitute it with rubbing alcohol or vodka. If you decide to swap out the vinegar, be sure to test a small area on your surfaces. The alcohol or vodka may not be suitable for all surfaces. Honestly, the vinegar is not really noticeable with the essential oils and dissipates quickly. Either way, vinegar and alcohol are also germ killers and will help the surface dry quickly with no streaks.

Use distilled water for all your DIY cleaning supplies. Distilled water is stripped of contaminants and any natural minerals. This is a good thing! Using distilled water in cleaning applications will not leave any mineral residue on your surfaces. You can get a gallon of it at your grocery store for less than a dollar.

Pour Vinegar

Pour 1/4 cup of white vinegar into your bottle. A funnel makes this part easy with less chance of a spill.

Add Essential Oils

Now add the essential oils, but don’t overdo it! Essential oils are strong and a little goes a long way. Pour in 3/4 cup of distilled water. Put the top on the bottle and give it a shake to distribute the oils.

You're Ready to Clean

Clean away! Gently shake the bottle before each use. Disinfect table tops, door handles, cell phones, etc. It’s safe to use around kids and pets. This is such a simple DIY cleaner, you’ll never buy the chemical-laden stuff again.