These Garden-Fresh DIY Cleaners Make Chores a Delight

Your pantry may be stocked with locally sourced, farm-fresh ingredients, but what about the products in your cleaning closet? Ditch the toxin-filled cleansers and polishes and use seasonal ingredients plucked from the garden to make eco-friendly cleaning supplies. “I like to know what I’m putting in my living spaces,” says Stefani Bittner, owner of San Francisco Bay Area’sHomestead Design Collective and co-author of Harvest: Unexpected Projects Using 47 Extraordinary Garden Plants (Ten Speed Press; $22). “I don’t want to put a layer of chemicals on all the surfaces in my home, and I hate waste.” When Bittner needs cleaning supplies there’s no trip to the store. She just walks to her garden, snips herbs or flowers, and mixes them with a few all-natural ingredients that are stored in reusable glass jars and metal tins.

“So many people are into essential oils. But they can be costly. I look to my garden to support me,” says Bittner. With just a few plants she makes cleaners, infused oils, wood-restoration salves, scented sprays, and toners. An all-purpose cleaner is made with rosemary. Add a little infused lavender oil to the cleaner for a granite and stainless steel wash. Infuse filtered water using rose petals for a fabric spray. Mix the rose spray with witch hazel to create a facial toner. Or create an organic wood polish using fresh lemons.

“You’ll save money buying plants instead of store-bought cleaners, sprays, or essential oils,” she says. Plants produce for years and can be grown in a single garden bed. Bittner notes that once someone makes a home-grown cleaner, they’re hooked. “It’s a gateway to having a no-waste, garden-fresh home,” she says. Follow these four recipes to make your own cleaning products.

Did you know? All it takes is the magical combo of these two ingredients to get surfaces sparkling clean. More: How to Make a 2-Ingredient All-Purpose Cleaner

This infused oil using lavender harvested from the garden is so easy to make and can be added to our all-purpose cleaner for a floral scent. More: How to Make Lavender Oil

Beeswax and lemons combine in this all-natural polish that will help preserve any wood surface. More: How to Make a Citrus Wood Polish

Freshen up a room with a DIY spray that harnesses the quintessential scent of spring. The rose fragrance adds an elegant element to a musty closet, your pillow, or any space. More: How to Make a Rose-Scented Room Freshener