My all-natural disinfectant spray can help protect your family from germs during cold and flu season. It can also be used to clean cutting boards and kitchen counters while cooking. Learn how to make your own lemon disinfecting cleaner for an easy, frugal cleaning solution that is also beneficial to your health.
I stopped using commercial disinfecting cleaners in my home when I learned that they can contain hazardous chemicals and indoor air pollutants. These substances can cause health problems including asthma, hormone disruption, heart disease, cancer, headaches, eye irritation, congestion, and nausea.
I am also disturbed that manufacturers of cleaning products in the United States do not have to list the ingredients on the label of cleaning products. This means that you have no idea what you are exposing your loved ones to when you reach for most commercial cleaners.
Natural Disinfecting
This DIY disinfectant spray uses two simple ingredients to naturally kill germs: ethanol and lemon oil.
- Ethanol is commonly used as an active ingredient in hand disinfectants. Healthcare workers are advised to use alcohol-based hand disinfectants for routine hand disinfection. Vodka sold in the United States has a minimum ethanol content of 40%.
- Lemon citrus peel oils have show strong antimicrobial activity. Read more in this study from the British Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology.
There is no need to run out and buy lemon oil, the lemon oil in this cleaner naturally comes from the rinds of a lemon when it is steeped in vodka. You can save the lemon fruit or juice for other recipes.
Lemon Infused Disinfectant Spray Cleaner Ingredients
- Unflavored Vodka (use a cheap variety for cleaning)
- 4-6 Fresh Lemons
Lemon Infused Disinfectant Spray Cleaner Directions
1.Wash and peel the lemons, place rinds in a glass jar. Cover the rinds with vodka and allow to steep in a cool dark place for 3-6 weeks.
2. The cleaner is ready when it becomes a deep yellow color. Remove the lemon rinds and pour into a spray bottle.
3. Download the PDF label from my free printable library and attach to the jar. (I print mine on full size labels for easy application.)
How to Use All-Natural Disinfectant Spray
- Pour the lemon cleaner into a spray bottle and spray directly on areas you want to disinfect including countertops, cutting boards, toilet seats, floors, and more!
- Allow the disinfectant at least 10 seconds of dwell time to kill germs. (Dwell time is the amount of time a cleaner must stay wet on a surface to be effective. According to the CDC, ethanol can kill Serratia marcescens, E, coliand Salmonella typhosa in 10 seconds. )
- Wipe the surface dry (if desired) there is no need to rinse.
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Can you re-use those lemon peels by adding more vodka back into the lemon rind jar?
The lemon rinds are pretty mushy/vodka logged by the time the mixture sits for 4-6 weeks so I have never reused them. I do put them down the disposal and they clean deodorize it well.
Is this safe to use on granite countertops?
Catherine, I use it on my granite and have had no problems. You should check with your manufacturer’s recommendations if you have concerns.
Do you have a preference for when or where you use your ethanol based cleanser versus vinegar based? Are they not both disinfectant so it’s up to you which to use when? I didn’t know you could add 4 cups of water to the vinegar cleanser and it would still retain antibacterial properties….that’s amazing! I have been using straight vinegar and an essential oil. Thank you for your website, feedback and great ideas!
Jess, I generally clean with the vinegar cleaner unless we have a sick person in the house. I am not particularly concerned with killing bacteria all the time. For the 4 cups of water I am not sure which cleaner you talking about, sorry! Glad you are enjoying the site!
Can you use rubbing alcohol instead of vodka?
I have never tried making this cleaner with rubbing alcohol. I do not generally use rubbing alcohol in my home as it contains synthetic fragrance ingredients which can be made with cancer causing chemicals. You can read more about rubbing alcohol’s ratings here.
what services would vodka damage? Does it make your home smell funny?
I would not want to use it on wood or fabric surfaces. It works great on linoleum, solid surface counter tops, granite, tile, porcelain, etc. If you have concerns about a surface I would test a small area. The vodka has virtually no smell which is why I love to use it in cleaners.
I am an avid quilter and Sewer and so wanted to interject about using this on Fabrics. Many of us make a pressing spray using vodka water and essential oil. There is a product on the market called best press and this replaces the expensive commercially made version. Nobody I know, and there are a lot of us, have ever had a problem using this mixture on any fabric. Since what Bren is making here is essentially the exact product, I would say there is no reason to be concerned about using it on fabric based products.
Thanks for the information, Melissa! It’s great to know what avid quilters are using. Have you seem my DIY spray starch recipe? -Bren
I didn’t see your recipe posted previously, but that’s an old one I’ve used. Unfortunately the cornstarch version doesn’t work well for Quilters as it tends to leave a white residue. The Vodka spray is the best by far!
Is this safe on quartz countertops? Thank you!
Andrea, I have never used it on quartz countertops but I have used it on granite with no problem. I would recommend checking with the manufacturer if you are concerned.
Do you need to use the entire rind or could you just peel off enough of the pith to make sure you are getting all of the yellow? I would think the left over fruit would keep longer with most of the peel intact than if you peel them completely, and isn’t the essential oil mostly in the zest (yellow part), anyway? Also, I would think you could mix it up with different citrus fruits if you wanted to.
This actually might be safer to use on some surfaces than vinegar. Vinegar is highly acidic, which can damage some protective finishes.
I like infusing vinegar with Lavender, Rosemary or Sage, sometimes all three together, for cleaning. I was inspired to start mixing herbs with antiseptic properties by the legend of the vinegar of the seven thieves, and this is my variation!
Great ideas Kimberlee!
It defeats the object of frugal living tho as this recipie makes a cleaner which is many times more expensive than any store bought cleaner!
I make this Disinfectant spray to avoid dangerous man made chemicals,. If you’re looking for a great frugal cleaner I’d try orange infused vinegar.
I’m fairly new to these concepts, but right now I have pine needles steeping in vinegar with eucalyptus oil for my homemade pinesol. About 4-5 days. Not bad, but needs a couple more weeks, I believe.
Sounds like a great scent combo, Bonnie. I make Evergreen Scented Vinegar too. You should also check out my Herb Infused Vinegar and Orange Vinegar for Cleaning.
I’m Italian (so please excuse me for my bad English), I often prepare homemade liqueurs with food alcohol (which is composed of 95 or 96 parts of alcohol and 5 or 4 parts water), and also use the same alcohol for cleaning. To prepare “quick cleaners” I usually heat the alcohol with lemon rinds on the stove. It’s a little bit dangerous because it may catch fire, but with a little attention may prevent accidents and the detergent (or the liquor!) is immediately ready.
Thanks for the tip, Loredana! I have never tried heating vodka, I have been afraid to flambe the cleaner. I will have to give it a try.
If the vodka is heated, it will evaporate the ethanol which negates some of the cleaning properties of the vodka
Excellent point!
Regarding buying cheap alcohol to use in cleaners I buy nips when I only need a little. I’m not a big drinker and discovered this trick while making rum balls for the holidays. This way you don’t accidentally use the low end stuff in your cocktail.
Excellent idea, Karen. I forget about those tiny bottles!
In looking over your site, I didn’t find anything against using some bleach in a household cleaner. What is your opinion on that? And would it be safe to mix some lemon juice with a little bleach? Maybe cleaner-to-water ratio of say 10:90%?
I don’t actually use bleach because it rates a D on the EWG scale. I use vodka in this mix because it is a safer substitute and does not bleach surfaces/fabrics.
I wanted to use bleach to get white sheets whiter, and lemon juice to get out perspiration stains. Thought I might just put them together. Do you use something other than bleach to get whites whiter?
I use hydrogen peroxide or washing soda to get my whites whiter. I’ve tried lemon juice too. To get out perspiration stains I use this stain remover.
Where are you people buying your vinegar? It costs anywhere between 15&30 dollars for a gallon on amazon!
Heidi, I buy my vinegar at the grocery store or local big box store. It’s around $2.50-$3.30 a gallon.
gotcha! ???????? Thanks @Bren
Great article. Is there a disinfectant that would be safe to use on couches, beds… Things like that for when someone was or is sick? I know you can simply wash the bedding but something to use before hand.
You can spray this on bedding, etc. I would double check it on the fabric on your couch before spraying.
Alcohol is pretty expensive where I’m from, could you substituted the vodka with vinegar/water. If so what ratio would you use for vinegar to water? Thank you so much for your help!
You can make infused vinegar using these directions. Good Luck!
First of all I love everything you write and how much research and detail you put into your post! Unlike some other pinners and bloggers out there who don’t even take the time to present people with good information. But, I’ve tried several of your cleaning recipes and they are hands-down the best that are out there ( I used your Wonder Dressing® on my mother-in-law’s dresser and nightstand, and oh my goodness! I would have given anything if I would have taken a before picture…. because the results were astonishing. And I also use the 5 o’clock somewhere glass cleaner, and as I type this I am trying the wood floor restore! ) Okay so anyway, what do you use on your kitchen counters just on a day to day basis? The lemon vodka? The citrus vinegar? Or what do you recommend?
Thanks for the kind words, Melissa! I use water and a microfiber rag to clean my counters everyday and use the lemon vodka about once a week (or when I make something with raw chicken, etc.).
Hi Bren,
I’ve been pinning lots of homemade diy cleaners and came across your site and I’m so glad I did! It’s scary to think of all the diy cleaning recipes floating around out there that could be toxic.
I’m moving in a few weeks and I want to make 2-4 of your cleaners, just trying to figure out which is the best variety. Any recs?
For this recipe, does it expire / should it be replaced after a certain amount of time?
Thanks!
Thanks, Taylor! I move alot so I am a pro and the move in – move out cleaning! When doing a new move in cleaning I use Sal’s Suds and hot water for most of the cleaning. I use No Scrub Bathroom Cleaner for the bathrooms and Room Refresher spray for counter tops and deodorizing. I use plain white vinegar for sinks and hard water stains. For areas that need scrubbing (like glass stove tops or kitchen sinks) I use all purpose scrub. I also so a dishwasher cleaning. Hope this helps!
Absolutely! Thank you so much for your help! Also, with this disinfectant spray where you have soaked lemons in the vodka — does this work the same if I wanted to soak orange peels in the vodka? Would it still have the same effect?
And should any of these items (made with lemon or orange) be replaced after a certain time period? Thanks!
The lemon disinfectant cleaner is infused with lemon oil so it will last quite a long time.
Is there a shelf life for this cleaning solution?
Thanks!
Since it is alcohol based it last for months and months (I’ve never had a bottle go bad)!
Hi Bren, I love this cleaner & your blog! I was wondering if you have ever used this cleaner to clean walls? Or, if you have another natural cleaner you would recommend for cleaning walls? Thank you! Lauren
I generally use water with a few drops of natural detergent to clean walls. I’ve never tried the Lemon cleaner.