I’m not big on sanitizing everything all the time, but some situations call for the big guns. This spray is like my homemade disinfecting wipes, but with a longer shelf life. It’s convenient, quick, and combines powerful essential oils with proven recommended disinfectants like hydrogen peroxide or alcohol.
I based this recipe on careful research from the CDC, EPA, Stanford University, and other sources, but of course I cannot make any claims as to its effectiveness on certain viruses or bacteria. This is just a formula that I personally feel comfortable using around my house when I need it. As with everything, I encourage you to do your own research and make sure any product you use meets your own needs and criteria right now.
Why Use Homemade Disinfectant Spray?
If you’ve read my other posts, you know that I don’t use antibacterial cleaners unless I absolutely have to (which isn’t often). I do buy certain pre-made natural soaps and detergent, but I also enjoy keeping things simple and mixing up what I need from a few simple staples in my pantry or cleaning closet.
Homemade DIY cleaning recipes also help avoid harsh chemicals because you know exactly what’s going into the formula. According to the American Lung Association, many chemical-laden disinfectant products are linked with asthma, respiratory problems, headaches, and more. Also some people can’t tolerate cleaners with fragrances and other ingredients, or simply want a more natural alternative.
Since I don’t use disinfectants very often, I came up with this disinfectant spray from ingredients and essential oils I already had on hand. It saves a trip to the store or storing another bottle in my cleaning closet.
Does It Really Work Though?
There are a thousand and one cleaning products recipes floating around on the Internet. So how can we know a homemade cleaner actually works and we’re not just getting peppermint-scented, salmonella-covered countertops?
Cleaners at the store are tested to make sure they do what they say they do and are effective. That’s definitely not the case with a homemade formula. However, we do know a lot about effective natural disinfectants from published research. Some natural ingredients are even on CDC-approved lists, with specific guidance about how much and how to use them.
Please, as always, do your own research (I’ve offered links below to mine) and seek your doctor’s advice for the best approach for your family.
Germ-Fighting Essential Oils
Essential oils are amazing little things that can pack a powerful punch. One reason why it’s so important to use them safely! It isn’t enough to say an essential oil is antibacterial or antiviral though and leave it at that.
Certain essential oils are effective against certain pathogens, but not others. For example, a 2020 article in Biomolecules reports clove essential oil works well against salmonella and E. coli bacteria. However, clove doesn’t have any effect on certain pneumonia-causing bacteria.
How Natural Disinfecting Works
Viruses work differently than bacteria because they hijack healthy cells and replicate. Some viruses also have a coating surrounding them, called a viral envelope. If we don’t use the right antiviral, it can’t break down the outside coating and inactivate the virus.
Here are some germ-fighting essential oils and how they work:
- Oregano essential oil – antiviral, antifungal, antimicrobial. Also disrupts the viral envelope according to this study.
- Clove essential oil – antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and disrupts the viral envelope
- Thyme essential oil (thymol chemotype) – kills some viruses and at the time of this post, a product containing thymol is on the list of EPA-approved disinfectants for SARs-related viruses.
- Tea tree essential oil – antiviral against flu viruses, including H1N1. Antibacterial, including MRSA and other pathogens.