Making a Castile soap spray for general house cleaning couldn’t be easier. Please remember to label your spray bottles, so you don’t get them mixed up! Once you get fully established with homemade cleaners, you’ll have several spray bottle solutions in your cupboard.
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This may be a silly question but is it ok to use a lemon essential oil? I know tea tree is mentioned. I was wanting to use the lemon oil with the unscented baby soap. Thanks!
Hi Cheryl – Yes! Lemon essential oil would be great!
I am wanting to make this but am looking to get in the habit of not using certain scents that could be harmful to cats. Despite how much I love the smell of peppermint, tea tree oil, and lavender, I have to steer clear for the most part. Is it okay to use the unscented and not add oil?
Hi April – Yes, the unscented Baby Mild will work great without any essential oil. The concern for cats is ingesting certain essential oils. So on any surface they are prone to lick (including themselves), you should avoid essential oils. Sounds like you know all that!
How much water to 1/4 cup Dr. Bronner?
Hi Rhonda – To fill a 1 qt. spray bottle, it ends up being 3 3/4 c. water and 1/4 c. soap, but you can increase or decrease the concentration as you like.
Hi
I’m looking forward to making this but as April mentioned, I will be avoiding essential oils as I’m also a cat owner. I am going to make the unscented version. Can you tell me if there is any particular shelf life on this? Does it keep well if I make up a large batch?
Thanks
Hi Deborah – Leaving out the essential oils is perfectly fine. While I’ve never had this tested professionally, by experience I can say that this solution is good for a couple months at least.
Hello,
I just read an article from a small pet veterinarian and she claims that the internet is loaded with scary articles regarding this issue with essential oils around pets. She says they are ridiculous. She’s never ever seen a pet get sick or even worse, die from essential oils. Never apply directly to a pet (same as our skin) and just be careful letting it become airborne as it will fall onto there fur and they will lick it off while they are cleaning themselves. Be sure that kitty has the ability to roam to another room in case they don’t like the smell. I use a diffuser with patchouli oil daily and my kitties are extremely healthy and happy. Hope this brings comfort to you and your kitty or kitties.
Hello! Can I use this solution ratio as a hardwood floor cleaner with my spray-dispensing mop?
Hi Sota – I would definitely give it a try. You probably don’t need this much soap though. Maybe start with just 2 Tbsp. in a quart of water. Increase it if you need to, but what you don’t want to end up with is bubbles on your floor.
Do you have to rinse from counters?
Hi Dianna – If you wipe with a damp cloth, then no. The water and fibers of the cloth will pick it up.
Hi Lisa,
We have a wooden kitchen bench top.
Can I still use your all purpose spray receipe from your cheating sheet for this? That is ¼ c. soap in a quart of water in a spray bottle.
Or do you have other receipes for this ?
Thank you for your help!
Hi Yoshiko – Yes, the All Purpose Spray would clean that well.
Can I use the Citrus or Tea Tree for an all purpose cleaner and mix that with water? or can I only use the Sal Suds for an All purpose cleaner?
Hi Sandy – The Castile makes a great All Purpose Cleaner as well. You need a little more than for the Sal Suds: 1/4 c. of soap to 1 qt. of water.
If I wanted to make a fruit and vegetable wash in a spray bottle what ratio should I use? Should it just be soap and water only?
Hi Jenna – For a fruit and veggie spray, you can use a less concentrated solution than the housecleaning spray. Try 1 or 2 Tbsp. per quart of water. You don’t need to add anything else.
I’ve read that if water is used you need to either use a perservative(Optiphen Plus) or keep the cleaner in the refrigerator, what are your thoughts?
Hi Tammy – Any time you are diluting the soap, you are shortening the shelf life. Considering that the shelf life is at least three years, you have a lot of leeway here, but it’s not indefinite. If you don’t use this spray up in a month, you might need to remake it. If it smells off, then dump it, and make a smaller batch next time, or ramp up your cleaning.
Can this be used on granite?
Hi Tracey – Yes, it is safe for granite. With stone, the concern is not to use acidic solutions. This is alkaline.
Will the 1/4 cup to quart be okay for cleaning painted walls? I’m using the hemp tea tree
Hi Jo Ann – Yes, it will work great on walls.
I thought that essential oils would un-saponify the Dr Bronner’s and you would be left with a cheesy, gloppy like consistency. Is that ONLY if there is too much oil and soap ? Does the 20-30 drop plus quarter cup soap plus all the water not have that result? I am guessing not but wanted to see where that tipping point is. I use the Dr Bronner liquid tea tree and eucalyptus for everything even washing my hair and showering. Dishes, laundry, etc…..
Hi Dani – I’m glad you’re enjoying the soaps! Tea Tree and Eucalyptus are awesome. It’s vinegar – or other acids – that unsaponifies the soap. Essential oils do not react with the soap.
Lisa, Can this combination be used for other purposes? I used 16 oz water, 1/4 cup your peppermint soap, and 8 drops of lemon essential oil. I would love it if it also doubled as a surface cleaner or something else.
Hi Christine – Yes, this could be used all over the house. Your blend has twice the amount of soap that I usually put in mine, but go with what works for your situation. I’d use this on counters, tables, walls, cooktops, sinks, tubs…
Hi Lisa, wondering if I can spray this solution on a clean, cotton washcloth, then let it dry, and then place it in between linens in my linen closet to repel bugs. I live in a hot, dry climate, so bugs aren’t a huge issue. But I sometimes find moths and carpet beetles…both very destructive! All the winter linens just got washed and put away, and I want to make sure they’re not eaten by the time I retrieve them for winter use. I was thinking both peppermint and lavender. Thank you, and use so many of your tips!
Hi Jenny – There wouldn’t be much if any benefit for the soap to be on the cloth. Because Peppermint and Lavender do have some deterring ability, use pure essential oils instead. Let me know how it goes! Those little bugs can get expensive!
I’m just about to buy my first bottle of Dr Bronners Liquid Castile soap was planning on buying unscented & adding my own essential oils depending on the use. I see warnings about cats in the comments – I shouldn’t add essential oils into ‘mixtures’ used where the cats might walk. Should I presume the scented varieties of Dr Bronners should also not be used around the cats? (I have 2 and they go all over the place despite my best efforts to train them to stay on the floor!). I’d not thought of this. I plan on getting a big bottle and using for multiple purposes.
Hi Sharon – You can go ahead and get that big bottle. As long as you’re diluting the Castile soap with water in a spray bottle – and your cats are keeping their tongues to themselves and not licking things – the risk is very minimal. The essential oils in our products are only 2% and you’ll be heavily diluting it and then wiping it off. Also, if you’re adding your own essential oils, we recommend no more than 15-20 drops per 32 ounces.
Lisa, in the 1970 s, we washed our cats in your peppermint soap. Per label directions and it was safe. Did it for years. But the ingredients have changed a little and it no longer says ok to wash cats and dogs. Why has this happened?
Hi Joyce – Wow! Thanks for being a long-time Dr. Bronner’s user. The ingredients in our Castile soap haven’t changed tremendously. The change in recommendation for cats is due to our greater understanding of the impact of essential oils on them. Newer research has indicated they can be unsafe for their systems. We do recommend the Unscented Castile Soap for cats. The Castile with essential oils is still fine for dogs.
Lisa, something is wrong with this page. The directions above it’s just an empty box. What’s the recipe for the household cleaner please?
Hi Paula – Add 1/4 cup to 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. For more cleaning dilutions, see the Castile soap “cheat sheet” at http://www.lisabronner.com/dilutions-cheat-sheet-for-dr-bronners-castile-soap/.