Non-Toxic All-Purpose Cleaner Recipe

This recipe is kind of a two-for-one. I'm sharing a vinegar-based recipe for a home cleaner, and a bonus vinegar infusion recipe to take it to the next level.

I'll happily admit, I usually don't have more than one bottle of cleaning solution at any given time, so I'm all about all-purpose. This past week, I needed to clean some mirrors in my home, so my counter top go-to of soap and water wasn't going to be enough. This vinegar-based recipe is awesome in that it doubles as a phenomenal glass cleaner while also working just great on countertops and most surfaces. *Vinegar should not be used on granite or marble.*

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup white vinegar (see below for infusion)* 
• 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol or vodka
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 3/4 cup water
• A few drops of essential oils (optional)
• A clean spray bottle

Directions:

• Optional: The cornstarch will naturally sink to the bottom of the bottle. You'll need to shake up the bottle before use, but to minimize this, you can heat the water and stir cornstarch into it before blending all other ingredients together.
• Add everything together into the clean spray bottle. Give it a few shakes and get to cleaning. This will leave your mirrors streak-free!

*For Infused Vinegar:

My friend Amanda once showed me a jar she keeps in her kitchen where she throws all her citrusy scraps into vinegar to use for future cleaning. I decided to infuse my own vinegar using not just citrus peels, but various evergreens needles I collected during a walk through my neighborhood after a storm.

To infuse your own cleaning vinegar, gather whatever your preferred cleaning scents are (lemon, lavender, eucalyptus, etc.), chop them up, stuff them in a jar, and cover with white vinegar (any vinegar is good, but I use the cheap stuff for cleaning), then shake daily and strain after 2-4 weeks (longer is fine), and use in your cleaning blends.

I am eagerly awaiting the straining of my own orange-lemon-rosemary-spruce-sequoia-cedar infused vinegar!