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About three years ago, I wrote a post on a DIY Shower and Tub Cleaner, and it worked amazingly well. For example, when my children created some “Picasso-style” art on the shower walls, the mixture of dish soap and vinegar cleaned it right up.
Pretty good results, right?!
But a few years ago, I started to incorporate essential oils into my DIY cleaning recipes to give them some added cleaning power, so I thought I’d share this updated version.
Here’s What You’ll Need:
- Ceramic Soap Dispenser with Brush (or you could use a glass soap dispenser and pump the mixture onto a dish brush)
- 2 Cup Glass Measuring Cup
- Glass Container with Lid (I use a mason jar)
- Dish Soap
- Vinegar
- Tea Tree Essential Oil– Not sure where to buy essential oils? Check out this post.
When working with essential oils, you need to be very careful with how you store them. Many (including Tea Tree) will break down plastic, so it is always best to store your DIY cleaning products (that contain essential oils) in glass, stainless steel, or ceramic. I like to make a larger batch of this shower/tub cleaner, and store it in a mason jar. Then, when I need to clean my showers and bathtubs, I pour a “single use” amount into a ceramic dish soap dispenser. You could also try a glass soap dispenser, and pump the contents onto a scrubber brush or sponge, however, you do risk the glass breaking if you store it in the shower. If you find a stainless steel dispenser, be sure the inside isn’t lined with plastic (many are), and know that it is prone to rust, so storing the dispenser in the shower isn’t ideal.
Directions:
No matter how you decide to store this mixture, the directions are the same. Pour 1/2-3/4 cup dish soap into your glass measuring cup. (This makes it easier to mix and pour later on.)
Then add an equal amount of vinegar: 1/2-3/4 cup; and stir to combine.
Once mixed, add 10-20 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil, depending on the size of your batch. (Just to note: Tea Tree is not the best smelling essential oil, but it does wonders in the cleaning department.) Once you’ve got the Tea Tree added, give it another stir.
Pour your mixture into a glass container for storage, and seal until you’re ready to use it.
When your showers and/or bath tubs need a cleaning, simply add a bit of the mixture to the ceramic soap dish, wet down the shower and tub walls, scrub on the mixture with a dish brush, and rinse. It’s that easy.
Remember to thoroughly rinse your brush when done as many contain plastic bristles… and again, Tea Tree will break that down over time.
Word of advice: if the mixture has been sitting for awhile, shake prior to using to combine all the elements.
Helpful Hint: Clean the shower while taking a shower. You’ll end up drenched either way 🙂
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Marci Cimmings says
March 2, 2019 at 10:17 AMawsome!!! I need this!
Thank you!
Micki says
May 19, 2018 at 10:47 AMHi Erin I can across your site and I already love what I have read. I need a safe cleaner for my floors for my cats and dogs. I recently stopped using the essential oils as air freshener because I found out it was dangerous for my cats livers. Do you have a diy I could use to make my house smell pretty without harming my fur babies. Again thank you for all of the cleaning tips I can’t wait to start using them. I really like the porcelain one too as I have a old house and all the sinks and tub are porcelain.
Joyce E Paustian says
May 3, 2018 at 11:29 AMI am going to try this cleaner today. I like the smell of tea tree oil. however, I have dogs and someone said tea tea oil is harmful to dogs. So I will cut back on the drops. I ask my vet and he said only if they drink it.
Erin Meyer says
May 3, 2018 at 1:29 PMI know there is concerns with Tea Tree oil and certain pets. I have a small dog myself, and just make sure I don’t store this cleaner anywhere that he can get into it, and I thoroughly rinse down the shower after cleaning.
Marcella Carroll says
November 12, 2015 at 9:27 AMThis sounds great! I am very impressed by the results that you had using this cleaner! I would love to try it in my bathroom, too! I hate cleaning the bathroom and I always postpone doing it until it is really necessary. This is the only place in the house that I always leave, so I’ll be happy to try a new cleaner and a new way to clean it! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Erin Meyer says
November 13, 2015 at 8:16 AMI’m with you on cleaning bathrooms. Never a fun job. Hopefully this makes it just a little easier.
Sandra Roberts says
November 7, 2015 at 1:05 PMI love homemade products! Does anyone know where to get cleaning vinegar? It is not edible and is several times stronger than the food grade vinegar we use at home. I saw it once in the bulk section of a grocery store in Canada. I can’t find it anymore and I’m kicking myself for not buying it…
Also in regards to comparing prices of homemade vs store bought: I never use more than 1/10th of a bottle from the store so if something cost $2.84 it would only be 28 cents per use…so a sale bottle costing $1.99 is 20 cents per use. Am I wrong? Because this is pretty cheap.
Erin Meyer says
November 7, 2015 at 2:39 PMYou are correct in what you are saying mathematically. If you use 1/10 of a bottle of cleaner that cost $2.84, it would cost 28 cents per use. The homemade version would cost about 15 cents for using the same amount. So, still saves money. I realize, per use, it’s not a huge difference, but over time it adds up, and I really like knowing what’s in my cleaners.
As for the cleaning vinegar… I did a very quick search online, and found that Home Depot carries it.
JoAnn says
October 22, 2017 at 11:05 AMWalmart.com has it in gallon containers. Don’t know if they carry it in the store. I go through a lot because I also use to make my floor cleaner.
Mindy Lindsey says
October 8, 2015 at 9:24 AMI love this cleaning idea! I don’t like cleaning the bathroom so I am always looking for good cleaners that will help me clean the bathroom easier! Thank you!
Stephanie R says
August 11, 2015 at 10:03 AMI have GOT to try this because those heavy duty cleaners kill my allergies!
Erin Meyer says
August 12, 2015 at 6:47 AMThose chemical smells are the worst, and I swear the fumes just linger in your nose. Hope this works out for you!
Jelli says
August 10, 2015 at 8:43 PMDoes this take the soap scum buildup and hard water off shower doors well? It sounds like a winner of a recipe to me.
Erin Meyer says
August 10, 2015 at 10:08 PMWe only have one shower door in our house (the rest are curtains). I have used this on the door in our Master shower, but never really stopped to look at the results. What I am going to try for one of my “Cleaning Tip Tuesdays” is using straight vinegar on the shower door because it does a GREAT job on hard water stains (here’s a post I did on that: http://www.the-organized-life.com/cleaning-tip-tuesday-removing-hard-water-stains/ if you’re interested). I’m going to be trying it soon, so we’ll see how it works on soap scum. I feel like soap scum is SO hard to get rid of. Fingers crossed that vinegar is the answer! Thanks for the question!
Jenn @ EngineerMommy says
July 23, 2015 at 12:40 PMWhat an easy solution to a common problem! Thanks for sharing!
Erin Meyer says
July 24, 2015 at 2:21 PMYou are so welcome! Have a beautiful day Jenn!
letsha roberts says
July 15, 2015 at 10:49 AMI will surely try it
Erin Meyer says
July 16, 2015 at 6:45 AMGreat! It’s so simple to make and works so well! Hope you have a great day Letsha!
Terri Webster Schrandt says
June 23, 2015 at 2:06 PMLooks like a great idea and inexpensive too! thanks for sharing. #AnythingGoes
Erin Meyer says
June 23, 2015 at 4:02 PMYou’re so welcome! Thanks for stopping over Terri! Have a wonderful evening!
Alexis @ Chemistry Cachet says
June 15, 2015 at 6:52 AMIsn’t dawn the best! I also mix it with vinegar & baking soda, it cleans so great! I’m a chemist so I love experimenting with non toxic cleaning solutions 🙂 Thanks for sharing, reminds me I need to mix up some more! Visiting from MeetUp Monday, hope you have a great week!
Erin Meyer says
June 15, 2015 at 7:28 AMThanks for visiting! What’s your favorite cleaning mix? I’m always looking for ideas. Funny- I thought I wanted to be a Chemistry major because I loved it in high school. After my first Chemistry college course, I was done- way too much for me! Have an amazing day!
Alexis @ Chemistry Cachet says
June 15, 2015 at 8:18 AMThat’s so funny! I’ve worked with people before that have told me that too…It was definitely a long difficult degree! My favorite mix is equal parts hot water& vinegar, a few tablespoons of blue dawn mix it up, then I add in a few tablespoons of baking soda and lemon. I always do it in a bowl so it doesn’t blow up 🙂 Then add to spray container. I love using that one as a kitchen cleaner! Have a great day!
Sue says
June 14, 2015 at 9:13 PMOh wow! Can you come and clean my bathroom now please? Great tips and thanks for sharing with us at #AnythingGoes link up
Erin Meyer says
June 15, 2015 at 7:26 AMAren’t you in Australia? I’ll make a deal- we’ll split the cost of the ticket from the States to Australia, and I will clean your bathroom :). Have a wonderful day!
theartinpartyplanning says
June 14, 2015 at 7:36 PMLOL – I can relate! This is a great tip! I might have to bring the paints out of hiding 🙂
Erin Meyer says
June 14, 2015 at 9:07 PMI kinda hated the paints for the longest time, and would try to steer my kids away from using them. Luckily, this little concoction works really well, and Crayola really does make products that wash up easily (thank goodness). I do find the tub crayons a little harder to get off than the markers and fingerpaints though.
Sandy Sandmeyer says
June 14, 2015 at 6:56 PMI love this cleaning recipe and use it in my kitchen quite a bit. Thank you for sharing it at the #AnythingGoes Link Party.
Erin Meyer says
June 14, 2015 at 9:05 PMDo you use it on counters? Mine is always kinda sudsy, so just wondering how you use it. Thanks for always stopping over and commenting! I so appreciate it!
Sandy Sandmeyer says
June 15, 2015 at 7:11 AMI do use it on counters and on my stove. A little goes a long way though and I try not to over do it.
Erin Meyer says
June 15, 2015 at 7:23 AMI tend to be an “over-sprayer”- need to work on that. I can see this being great for the stove top!
Melissa French, The More With Less Mom says
June 8, 2015 at 10:33 PMWe’ve been using this for a long time. I spray it when I get out of the shower. It does buy you more time between scrubbings. Thanks for posting. Hello from Project Inspired.
Erin Meyer says
June 9, 2015 at 11:28 AMNever thought to use it as a spray to just maintain the cleanings between scrubbings. Great idea! Thanks for the idea!
Rebecca says
June 5, 2015 at 9:44 AMGreat idea to really make your tub sparkle. Thanks for sharing. Visiting from Pretty Pinastic.
Erin Meyer says
June 5, 2015 at 2:41 PMThanks for stopping over Rebecca! Such a simple mixture with great results! Have a great day!
Zan says
June 2, 2015 at 12:48 AMI love homemade cleaners – so much better for us. Thanks for sharing with us a the Home Matters linky party. We hope you join us again!
Erin Meyer says
June 2, 2015 at 6:01 AMI agree that the DIY versions are so much easier to breathe, and it they work, I’m all for it! Thanks for stopping over and commenting. And thanks for hosting the Home Matter party. Have an amazing day!
Alex says
June 1, 2015 at 11:01 PMI’ll absolutely have to try this. My magic sponge isn’t even getting the ring off my tub after guinea pig baths with my kiddo.
Erin Meyer says
June 2, 2015 at 6:00 AMI didn’t even know guinea pigs took baths. I hope this helps. Have a lovely day Alex!