Multi-Purpose Soap Spray

GREEN CLEANING RECIPE

This recipe makes one spray you can use all over the house, from wiping down your bedside table to cleaning your kitchen bench, bathroom vanity and the muddy footprints by the back door.

One spray for most everyday jobs means fewer products to buy, less time deciding which bottle to grab, and no plastic bottles to throw out. Mix it in a glass spray bottle and simply refill it each time it runs out.

You can use it for:

  • Kitchen benches and cupboards
  • Bathroom vanities, sinks and tiles
  • Walls, doors and skirting boards
  • Light switches and door handles
  • Spot cleaning carpets and rugs
  • Muddy footprints and everyday marks

An everyday surface cleaner needs to be gentle enough for regular use but strong enough to cut through grease and grime. Pure soap is one of the simplest low-tox options there is. As a surfactant, it surrounds and lifts grease and dirt so they can be wiped away.

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The Recipe

Ingredient(s)

  • Castile Soap
    1 tablespoon (15-20ml) is my everyday mix. Drop to 1/2 tablespoon (10ml) for light wipe-downs, or go up to 1 1/2 tablespoons for greasy jobs (30ml)
  • Water
    Top with water to make 500ml. If your kettle grows a white crust, you've got hard water. Use distilled or demineralised water to stop soap scum streaks.
  • Essential Oils (optional)
    5-10 drops

What to do

  1. Add the water to a 500ml spray bottle leaving enough room for the Castile soap. 
  2. Add the essential oils if using, followed by the Castile soap. Adding the soap last helps reduce bubbles.
  3. Replace the spray trigger and gently tip the bottle a few times to combine.

Good to know

Surfaces

This soap-and-water spray is suitable for most washable household surfaces and can be used anywhere there is a need to clean everyday dirt, grease or residue. The main thing to watch is the essential oil content. If using essential oils on delicate, porous or unfamiliar surfaces, test first or leave them out.

It's also happy on sealed stone benchtops, since it's acids that etch stone, not soap. For light switches, spray the cloth, not the switch. On carpet, blot with a little plain water afterwards, because soap left in the fibres attracts dirt.

Shelf life

Undiluted Castile soap can keep for up to two years when stored correctly, depending on the supplier’s guidance. Once you add water, the storage life changes. This homemade spray has no added preservative and hasn’t been tested for shelf life, so there isn’t a confirmed expiry period.

I’ve personally used sprays that were six months old without noticing any issues, but that experience doesn’t establish how long every batch will keep. Make small batches for regular use.

Discard the mixture if it develops an unusual smell, visible mould or an unexpected change in appearance. Keep in mind that contamination isn’t always visible or detectable by smell.

Don't mix with acids

Never mix Castile soap with vinegar or citric acid in the same bottle. Acid turns soap back towards its original fatty acids, leaving a greasy, cloudy mess that won't clean. Using them one after the other on a surface is fine. That's exactly how the three-step order works: soap first to lift the dirt, acid after to shine.

Why this works

Liquid Castile soap
Your surfactant, the ingredient that does the actual lifting. Surfactants work by dropping the surface tension of water so it can get in underneath oil and dirt instead of beading over the top of it, then hold that grime in suspension so it rinses away instead of settling back onto the surface. Essential oils (optional): mainly there for scent. Choose the oil you love, or leave it out for a fragrance-free spray.

What it costs to make

One 1 litre bottle of Castile soap makes 40 to 100 bottles of this spray, depending on how strong you mix it. We've costed the strongest mix (25ml soap and 10 drops of lemon essential oil) using our largest refill sizes, so your batch could cost even less.

Make it yourself $1.10 per 500ml batch
Store-bought $3–$7per 500ml bottle

Worked out using our largest refill sizes. Water not included. Store-bought prices are an average of similar supermarket products.

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