All-Purpose Cleaner- revisited

There is a slight side effect to my AP Cleaner recipe.  The Dr. Bronner's Soap curdles.  YIK!

I'd just shake the bottle well and go on my merry way cleaning what needed to be cleaned.  The Father brought up a point I hadn't considered.  What if we aren't getting the fully benefit of the soap because the curdles might not fit through the sprayer tube?


I went to the lab, to see what was on the slab.  My kitchen once again became my chemistry lab.  A small part of me wish LBG was old enough to do mini science projects with me.  I bet he might enjoy them.  We will probably revisit this one for fun in a few years.

A small drop of Dr. B's into some vinegar and a small drop into some water revealed that the vinegar is the culprit.  I don't exactly know why, but I'll accept my finding.

My usual mixing process is water, vinegar, soap.  What if we switched it up?  Knowing that the vinegar makes the soap curdle, it probably isn't a good place to start.  So, I added my soap to the water and stirred it all around to mix it in.  Then came the vinegar.  The whole mixture turned a milk white evenly through out!

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

So here is how it goes:
Mix the Water and Soap together first, then add the vinegar.


1 cup Water
1/4 tsp Dr. Bronner's Magic Castille Soap
1 cup White Vinegar.

The Verdict is In

I hate the smell of Tea Tree Oil.
Remember when I said I'd be adding some to my All-Purpose Cleaner? Well, I did and I hate it. It makes everything smell musty. I knew this would probably be the case because I've used it before in other applications and hated the smell. I guess I'd been hoping the almond scent from my Dr. Bronner's soap would mask it. Yeah, no.

While I knew I didn't care for the smell, today cemented it when I used the cleaner to not only wipe down my counters, but also my kitchen floor. I spent the day trying to escape the smell!

It now boils down to the question: do I continue to use it regardless of the smell? TTO, just like any other essential oil has some wonderful properties. It's been show to stall MRSA activity and it doesn't cause resistance, it's great for acne, and will even help with foot fungus.

The inner battle has begun.

You call that clean?!

How can you call your counter top clean if you just sprayed chemicals all over it? Or the kitchen floor for that matter?

I'll be the first to admit, I spent a good 3 or 4 years addicted to Clorox wipes, bottles of bleach, and cans of Lysol. Even better, I'd eliminated paper towels and made my own cloths for use with such cleaning items. Yeah, still can't figure that one out!

Then one day I had an epiphany! If I'd be comfortable licking it, I consider it clean. Would I lick a freshly bleached counter? Would I let my child play on a freshly chemicaled floor? Not on your life! There has to be a better way. Luckily for me, TheNest.com created a Green Living board. This lovely board came to the rescue! Since the creation of this board, I've gained a wealth of knowledge in the clean-cleaning product department.

Did you know vinegar kills most germies?! And on top of that... you can drink it! Sounds clean to me. Dr. Bronner's Magic Castille Soap has 18-in-1 uses, there must be some household cleaning uses. Oooooo, I love kitchen chemistry!

My recipe for All Purpose Spray cleaner:
1 Cup White Vinegar
1 Cup Water
1/4 tsp Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap in the smell of your choice.

Pour into a spray bottle, give it a few shakes, and away you go! I use Almond scented soap, but that is because I have it on hand. I'll probably buy the Tea Tree Oil variety next for it's antibacterial properties!

I use this mix for my counters and my hard floors. This weekend I'm going to mix a batch with a few drops of TTO. We'll see how I like it.