Make Your Own DIY Kitchen Cleaning Spray Now! (That Actually Works)

If you’re anything like me, your kitchen can be a bit of a mess at times. Luckily for you, my decades of experience cleaning big messes have taught me all the tricks you need to know to make your kitchen sparkle again. 

Are you ready to clean your kitchen? Grab your vinegar, a bit of oil, and some baking soda because we have 8 DIY kitchen cleaning spray ideas for you.

Flickr Image by B&M Stores

8 DIY Kitchen Cleaning Sprays

Here are 8 DIY kitchen cleaning spray guides:

1. All-purpose spray
2. Disinfectant
3. Disinfectant (alternative recipe)
4. Sink stain remover
5. Silverware cleaner
6. Glass cleaner
7. Scented garbage disposal cleaner
8. Degreaser

We’ll be going over how to make each spray and what it is best suited for. You can change the quantities a bit to suit your needs. Make sure to keep the ratio the same.

If you want to make the spray stronger, decrease the amount of water or increase the quantities of the other ingredients in the spray.

1. All-purpose spray

An all-purpose spray can be used for whatever you want to clean. This includes everything from dust in little crevices to food stains on a kitchen counter.

Here’s what you need to make this all-purpose cleaning spray:

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 3 cups of filtered water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Mix everything in a spray bottle and use it where necessary.

2. Disinfectant

Flickr Image by Marco Verch Professional Photographer

Disinfectant is super important in a kitchen. It’s crucial to sanitize cooking surfaces, pots, pans, and even some ingredients before you start cooking. This has become increasingly important in COVID times.

Here’s what you need to make disinfectant:

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 cups of filtered water
• 1 tbsp lemon/lavender/eucalyptus oil

Add all the ingredients to a big bowl and mix them. Transfer the liquid to a spray bottle and use it as needed.

3. Disinfectant

Another way to make disinfectant is with dish soap. This one is ideal for surfaces, but it can also be used for pots, pans, and select ingredients.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 bar of soap (grated)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 tbsp essential oil
• 1 tbsp natural dish soap or dissolved bar soap

Combine all the ingredients and mix till the grated soap dissolves. You can use lukewarm water to speed up the process. However, this isn’t necessary since the bar soap will dissolve in a few minutes on its own anyway.

4. Sink stain remover

Sinks often have tough stains that can’t be removed with an all-purpose spray. Even if you tried to clean them with a disinfectant, you’d be going at them for hours on end. An easy way to remove these stains is by making a baking soda spray.

Here’s what you need:

• 4 tbsp baking soda
• 4 cups of water

Baking soda is pretty strong so you don’t need to use too much of this mixture.

5. Silverware cleaner

Silverware tends to get hard water stains, which are super difficult to remove. The trick to getting rid of them is baking soda. Now, this isn’t much of a spray but it is a highly effective paste.

Here’s what you need:

• 3 tbsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp hydrogen peroxide

Combining these two ingredients will give you a paste-like mixture, which can be applied to silverware using an old toothbrush or a scrub brush. You can find hydrogen peroxide at just about any department store.

6. Glass cleaner

Flickr Image by Marco Verch Professional Photographer

Kitchen windows tend to get dirtier than any of the other windows in a house. Why this happens is a complete mystery to me. But I do know how to clean them.

Here’s what you need:

• 4 drops of essential oil (any scent will do)
• ½ cup rubbing alcohol
• 1 cup vinegar
• 4 cups water

Combine all the ingredients and transfer them to a spray bottle. Then use it on your windows. They’ll be shining and streak-free in no time.

Yes, the essential oil is meant to add a nice smell to the spray, but you can add ones that are specific to cleaning and disinfecting as well. And if you want, you can leave it out... maybe you have a sensitive nose. You can also add more if you have an oil you really like.

7. Scented garbage disposal cleaner

The last DIY kitchen cleaning spray we'll talk about today is another baking soda recipe. If you haven’t figured it out by now, baking soda is your best friend if you work in the kitchen a lot.

This one is for garbage disposals. Kitchens usually have stinky garbage disposals. This will freshen it up in no time.

Here’s what you need to clean it out:

• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of baking soda
• 2 cups of vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

The exact baking soda to vinegar ratio depends on the brand of vinegar you’re using but 1:2 is a good estimate.

Mix the two and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. If the baking soda hasn’t dissolved by this point, add another cup of vinegar.

Then pour in the water and lemon juice.

Transfer to a spray bottle and spray as much of this mixture into your garbage disposal as needed. You can't be too generous.

8. Degreaser

Degreasers cut through hard grease, which is quite common in kitchens. The ones available in markets usually have a bunch of strong chemicals that can cause coughing, irritation in the eyes, shortness of breath, and so many more issues. It’s easier and safer to make them at home.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 2 tbsp baking soda
• Essential oil
• 1 tbsp liquid dish soap

Combine all the ingredients and transfer them to a spray bottle. Use the spray with an old toothbrush.

If you want to know our experience with different degreasers on the market right now, we wrote an article about the best kitchen degreasers here.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you’ve found the kind of kitchen spray you’re looking for. We’ve covered just about everything from general all-purpose sprays to specialized grease sprays.

Note that you can add essential oils like lemon and orange to any of the sprays to give them a pleasant scent. You can also take them out if you have a sensitive nose.

We will have more DIY household cleaners coming out shortly as well. Check back in coming weeks for those.