DIY Shower Cleaner

1. vinegar
2. Sal Suds or Dawn Ultra dishwashing soap
3. essential oil (I use combo of lavender, lemon, eucalyptus, and tea tree)
4. 16 oz spray bottle

Homemade Shower Cleaner Recipe (magically cuts through soap scum on tubs, tile, and showers)

step 1:  add 1/2 cup Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds OR Dawn Ultra or other dishwashing soap to 16 oz spray bottle

note: Sal Suds is made by Dr. Bronner’s, the same company that makes liquid Castile soap.  Like Castile soap, Sal Suds is made from plants.   But Sal Suds is a much more powerful cleaner than Castile soap.  It cuts through soap scum, dirt, and grime with ease.  Do not substitute Castile soap in this recipe; it won’t work as well.

step 2:  add 1.5 cups vinegar

tip: don’t fill the bottle completely full.  You’ll want to leave a little space for the essential oils and the sprayer.  If you fill the bottle too full, then it will overflow when you put the sprayer on.

step 3:  add 25-30 drops essential oil

These essential oils not only smell great, they also help disinfect surfaces and help kill mold.

Here’s what I use:

• 7 drops lavender essential oil
• 7 drops lemon essential oil
• 7 drops eucalyptus essential oil
• 7 drops tea tree essential oil

step 4:  put the spray top on and gently mix to mix well

How to Use

• shake bottle to mix ingredients
• spray on shower, tub, tile, faucet, and glass shower doors
• let it sit for at least 30 minutes  (and as long as overnight, if needed)
• scrub, if needed
• rinse with hot water

Non-Toxic Daily Shower Cleaner {with essential oils}

I love a clean shower, but like pretty much everyone else in world, I don’t like to spend time scrubbing and cleaning my shower.

That’s why I created my homemade shower cleaner and soap scum remover.  It’s magic!!  It uses essential oils and other natural ingredients to get my shower super clean, glass shower doors sparkling, and faucets shiny.

But what can I use in between deep cleaning my tub and shower to keep it looking amazing?  In the old days before I discovered essential oils and natural DIY, I used to use Scrubbing Bubbles Daily Soap Scum & Mildew Stain Remover.  It worked great at keeping my shower clean, but the EWG has rated it an F, and that absolutely does not work for me anymore.

Now I know better, and I insist on natural, non-toxic cleaners in my home.

So I researched, read, and experimented to come up with a homemade non-toxic daily shower cleaner that would work as well as Scrubbing Bubbles Daily spray but not have any of its toxic chemicals.  This is what I came came up with.  It’s a daily shower cleaning spray that’s both natural and actually works!  After showering, just spritz it on the tub, shower doors and walls after your shower each day and it will keep your shower sparkling clean for a week (or more). 

What’s in homemade daily shower cleaner

This website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link. 

• hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide disinfects, sanitizes, and deodorizes.  It also boosts the cleaning power of other ingredients, like soap. I use hydrogen peroxide in my toilet cleaning fizzies, homemade bleach alternative, and to whiten grout. It’s a powerful, but mild natural cleaner.

• rubbing alcohol

Alcohol is a solvent.  It dissolves any dirt, oil, soap scum, and grime in the shower. It also disinfects. And alcohol even helps leave a super shiny finish on glass, porcelain, stainless steel, chrome, and tile.  Thanks to the rubbing alcohol, your glass shower doors will sparkle, your shower tile will gleam, and your faucets and fixtures will shine.

• distilled water

Distilled water is used to dilute and thin the mixture so that it sprays more easily and will cover a larger area. Use distilled water (or substitute boiled and cooled filtered water) so that the shower cleaner stays fresh longer.

• Sal Suds

Sal Suds is a gentle soap that cleans with exceptional power. It’s equally effective against hard or soft water.  And it rinses cleanly and easily. Sal Suds is the amazing ingredient in this homemade shower spray that eliminates the soap scum and soap buildup on shower doors, walls, and floors.

• white vinegar

Vinegar is a fantastic natural cleaner.  It disinfects, deodorizes, and easily cuts through dirt, grease and grime. Most importantly, we use vinegar in this daily shower cleaner because it’s a natural acid that kills most mold spores.

• tea tree essential oil

Tea tree essential oil is a powerful antifungal that can kill mold and mildew and help prevent future regrowth.

How to make non-toxic daily shower cleaning spray

step 1:  add 1 cup distilled water to a 12 ounce or larger spray bottle

• tip:  Choose a spray bottle made from material safe to use with essential oils.  Glass, stainless steel, and certain types of plastic (such as, PET plastic #1 or HDPE plastic #2) are all good choices.
• tip:  If you don’t have distilled water, you can substitute with boiled and cooled filtered water.
• tip: use a funnel to make it easier to pour the water in the bottle without making a mess

step 2:  add 1/8 cup hydrogen peroxide

step 3:  add 1/8 cup rubbing alcohol

• tip:  rubbing alcohol is also known as 99.9% isopropyl alcohol
• tip:  If you don’t have rubbing alcohol, you can substitute vodka or everclear.

step 4:  add 1/2 teaspoon Sal Suds or dish soap

step 5:  add 1 teaspoon white vinegar

step 6:  add 20 drops tea tree essential oil

tip:  Tea tree essential oil is also known as melaleuca essential oil.

step 7 (optional):  add a label –  click here for a free printable label

• cut it out
• I use packing tape to apply the label to bottle.  It’s cheap, sticks well, and keeps the label from getting wet and dirty.

How to use

• I know it sounds funny, but daily shower cleaners work best if you start with a clean shower.  Yes, to get the best results, you need to clean your shower before you use this spray to keep your shower clean.  So, clean your shower first with my homemade shower cleaner (recipe here).  It’s just 3 ingredients and super easy to make.  Use it to deep clean your shower about once a week or a couple times a month.  Then use the daily shower cleaner to keep tub and shower clean in-between deep cleaning.
• Shake well before each use
• Spray down shower doors and walls after every shower
• There’s no need to scrub, wipe, or rinse.  This daily cleaner does all the work.  A daily spritz of this homemade shower spray after your shower will keep soap buildup and mildew at bay.