This homemade shower cleaner is natural, easy to make, and effective! Making a DIY shower cleaner saves money and eliminates chemicals.
Natural DIY Shower Cleaner
There is nothing I hate more than soap scum.
We recently remodeled our bathroom and updated our old Cinderella tub into a fully functional tub/shower combination surrounded by glass tile. While I absolutely adore how the project turned out, I’m a little daunted when it comes to cleaning.
We had rarely used that tub prior to the remodel, so I never knew how much soap scum would start to accrue once we started using the tub daily. For a while, I was buying a natural shower cleaner that worked wonderfully for the tub, but not so wonderful for our budget. Plus, it contained a very strong fragrance that lingered for quite some time. The fragrance bothered me so much that I had to open a window after using it.
To save our budget and my sense of smell, I decided that I would make a homemade shower cleaner that was able to cut through soap scum. My version is very simple and uses ingredients found in our home.
Ingredients for a Homemade Shower Cleaner
White Vinegar
I chose to use white vinegar as the base of this homemade shower cleaner because it works wonders as a natural cleaner. Check out this post on other ways to use white vinegar for cleaning. It is very effective at cleaning the shower as well and rinses away quite easily.
F.F. Dish Soap
Next, I added some fragrance-free natural dish soap. I like this one because it cuts through the grease and soap scum very easily. Plus, no fragrance! It mixes well with vinegar.
Essential Oils
Finally, I chose two great cleaning essential oils: tea tree essential oil and eucalyptus essential oil. Both oils have been used to combat fungus and bacteria. They also help this homemade shower cleaner prevent mold and mildew. Plus, these essential oils smell super fresh. I use them in many of my home cleaning products because of their effectiveness in combating germs and keeping things clean. The recipe will work just as well to combat soap scum and residue without the essential oils, but it won’t be as effective at keeping away mold, mildew, and fungus. However, if you are just looking for an everyday maintenance cleaner, you can omit essential oils.
Homemade Shower Cleaner
This homemade shower cleaner is natural, easy to make, and effective! Making a DIY shower cleaner saves money and eliminates chemicals.
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Active Time
- 7 minutes
- Total Time
- 12 minutes
- Servings
- 8 ounces
- Estimated Cost
- $1
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 4 teaspoons dish soap (preferably fragrance-free)
- 10 drops tea tree essential oil
- 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Instructions
Directions
-
In a spray bottle (8 oz or larger), combine white vinegar and dish soap. Swirl to combine.
-
Add in essential oils, cap, and shake well.
To Use
-
Shake the bottle well before using.
-
Spray generously in the tub and on the tile.
-
Allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes.
-
Wipe with a clean rag.
-
Use daily for best results.
Recipe Video
Notes
I also rinse the tub down with water after using this homemade shower cleaner, just to make sure there is no cleaner residue, before giving my little one a bath. Tea tree and eucalyptus are wonderful cleaners, but they can be irritating to the skin. Definitely an optional rinse, but that’s what works best for us.
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Bonus Content
- Natural Shower Cleaner to Remove Mold and Mildew
- Cleaning Powder: DIY Comet For Kitchens, Bathrooms, and More
That’s it! Just an easy homemade shower cleaner that will help keep your shower sparkling and soap-scum-free.
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Annie Hall says
What size spray bottle is the recipe recommended for please?. Can’t wait to try this!! X
monisha says
Now I will also prepare it at home itself.
suzanne says
I use white vinegar with a bit of dishwash liquid soap for most of my cleaning (Bon Ami for bottom and sides of metal tub – its safe on acrylic also). White vinegar sprayed on weeds (1 gal./1 t. liquid soap which helps the solution to cling to leaves) works wonderfully. Just leave on and they will turn brown. Of course, avoid doing on a rainy day. A sunny day makes it work that much faster. Back to soap scum though. I hate cleaning shower/tub stalls. Squeegeeing after is a hassle also. I now keep a hand towel just for wiping water and grout line off walls after a shower. Love this! I then hang the towel on an adhesive (Command) small towel rod on tub enclosure to dry for next time
Connie says
I would like to know if this would work on shower doors. We have hard water and the door always shows the water marks dripping down.
Stephanie says
Yay another Norwex fan!!! Please ladies and gents check out Norwex! They are super environment friendly! They offer cleaning rags that are intertwined with silver and it naturally kills gems and bacteria v with out using ANY CLEANERS!! Yes you heard me-you wet the cloth and clean and it totally disinfects! I went to a Norwex party and did not believe this could work…the lady pulled out a test strip to show the bacteria growing on the counter before cleaned. Then she wet the cloth, wiped down the counter again and tested…totally clean, no ebbie-freebies!! She also did a demonstration of their window cloth removing a smear of BUTTER off a window with no mess or streaks by just using water to wet the cloth! Seriously my natural friends check them out…oh and no I don’t work for them! I just really love their products. They are a bit pricey but you don’t have to buy any cleaners and I bought mine two years ago and they still work great!
Stephanie says
Ok I hate auto spell!! I’m so sorry for the typos, but I think you can figure out what I was trying to say. If you have any questions just ask…again sorry.
LH says
Not to turn this into a Norwex dialogue, but I don’t think the consultant would have said that Norwex microfiber kills germs and bacteria. The BacLock (microsilver woven into the cloths) is for self-purification purposes only; it does not disinfect surfaces. The cloths CAN REMOVE up to 99% of bacteria from surfaces when following the directions properly, which is still awesome, but I just wanted to make sure the info here was correct :). When you rinse your cloths then in hot water and allow to dry for 24 hours, the BacLock will inhibit bacterial odor, mold and/or mildew growth IN the cloth.
Norwex is still totally awesome and saves me from mixing up a bunch of natural cleaners, but I wanted to make sure to share this corrected info :).
Patricia says
Does this cleaner work on acrylic tubs?
Betsy Jabs says
Yes, Patricia! We have been using this on our acrylic tub and it works great!
Dee says
Vinegar and soap mixed unsaponifies the soap and you’re left with just oils. Correct?
Bennette S says
I am gong to try this as I battle mold and mildew daily, so,, with a husb1 and that has congestive heart failure, keeping showing clean is a must! Thank you.
Debra Hughes says
http://www.seventhgeneration.com/Dish-Soap?vx24scG34=1390631&variation=free-clear
Here is the ingredient list from the above link. These products have so many ingredients that other “bad” products have I don’t believe people pay extra for it.ngredients:
Water, sodium lauryl sulfate (plant-derived cleaning agent), glycerin (plant-derived foam stabilizer), lauramine oxide (plant-based cleaning agent), caprylyl/myristyl glucoside (plant-derived cleaning agent), magnesium chloride (mineral-based viscosity modifier), citric acid (plant-derived pH adjuster), and benzisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone (synthetic preservatives).
Fragranced with plant-based essential oils and botanical extracts*
Lavender Floral & Mint: Cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil, citrus aurantifolia (lime) oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) oil, lavandula hybrida (lavandin) oil, mentha piperita (peppermint) oil, and mentha viridis (spearmint) leaf oil.
Lemongrass & Clementine Zest: Canarium luzonicum (elemi) gum nonvolatiles, citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) fruit oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) oil, citrus nobilis (mandarin orange) peel oil, cymbopogon schoenanthus (lemongrass) oil, and tangelo oil.
Fresh Citrus & Ginger: Canarium luzonicum (elemi) gum nonvolatiles, cedrol, cinnamomum zeylanicum (cinnamon) bark extract, citrus aurantifolia (lime) oil, citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) oil, citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) fruit oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) oil, citrus limon (lemon) peel oil, coriandrum sativum (coriander) fruit oil, elettaria cardamomum (cardamom) seed oil, eugenia caryophyllus (clove) leaf oil, myristica fragrans (nutmeg) kernel oil, pelargonium graveolens (geranium) flower oil, and zingiber officinale (ginger) root oil.
*d-Limonene is a component of these fragrance ingredients
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Betsy Jabs says
Thanks, Debra. The dish soap listed above is just one suggestion, and that’s why it also says to use “any brand you’re comfortable with.” We’re all comfortable with different things. đŸ™‚
Shari says
Does it have to be dish soap or could it be castile soap? Thank you for your posts! love them
Katie Vance says
Thanks so much, Shari! Actually, dish soap works best because it helps loosen up the soap scum. Castile soap may work, but I am thinking it will not work as well as dish soap.
Shari says
Thank you Katie, I just wondered since my dish soap from scratch has castile soap in it. Blessings!
Jenn says
Castile soap and vingegar don’t mix!
Katie Vance says
Thank you Jenn! That helps answer the question. I think its best to stick with dish soap then.
DyanaSue says
Why use the liquid soap with no scent? I use a Lavender dish soap that is natural, could I use that??
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Katie Vance says
I always purchase unscented soap, but yes a natural lavender dish soap would work just as well!
Salima says
Thank you! I’ve stayed away from using eucalyptus around the kids because I’ve heard it’s no good for children under 5. Do you have an alternative oil, or can the spray work without it?
Katie Vance says
Salima – Eucalyptus in this recipe is totally safe for use around children because it is wiped away (and you can rinse your tub out like I do before bathtime). Eucalyptus essential oil not recommended around the face of children due to its chemical makeup affecting breathing/CNS, but it is safe to use in the home. Just don’t spray directly on a child and you’ll be fine.
deb says
I definitely am going to try this! With 3 bathrooms, that’s a lot of cleaning, and I need all of the NATURAL help I can get. I gave up the noxious cleaners long ago, but haven’t found an acceptable replacement. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
deb says
I tried this recipe, and it cleaned my grimiest shower really well. Just one problem-the fumes were quite powerful. It was probably due to the fact that I used a bargain brand, scented dish soap instead of the recommended one. I would caution people to be careful and not do what I did. I am making liquid soap (from this site) and will use that the next time, as it makes a great dish soap.