Santizing solution recipe.. without bleach?

mkmb129 · 10-26-2009, 07:53 AM

I haven't had much luck googling and would love any tips on a good sanitizing solution that I can keep in a spray bottle. The kids are sick and we can't seem to shake it! Looking for an easier way to sanitize their germy toys without yucky bleach or commercial sanitizers. TIA!!

anomaly13 · 10-26-2009, 01:53 PM

We use vinegar with tee tree oil as an disinfectant, mostly in the bathroom for regular cleanings. Also vinegar, tee tree oil, and real liquid soap ( like Dr. Bronner's) as a antiseptic. I also use this for general cleaning and also have a small bottle in the car with some rags to clean hands and faces as needed. I got these recipies from a book called Clean House Clean Planet.

Disinfectant:
1 gallon vinegar (white)
1/2 t tee tree oil

You counld reduce the amount, just keep the same proportion. I make up a gallon and then fill my spray bottle as needed.

Antiseptic:
Fill a 16 oz. spraybottle til almost full
Add:
3 T soap (castile like Dr. Bronner's)
20-30 drops tee tree oil

Hope this helps!

sunshynbaby · 10-26-2009, 04:42 PM

Full strength vinegar works. I put some lavendar oil in mine to make it smell nice.

Earth Momma · 10-29-2009, 01:45 PM

peroxide has the same germ killing power as bleach but is safe enough to eat!!
I use it everywhere, and whiten my teeth with it too!

RomanCarmelMom · 10-30-2009, 12:01 PM

White distilled vinegar in full strength kills germs physically like bleach (rather than chemically killing them like anti-bacterial labeled products), it's just not as strong. I also like to add tea tree oil and lavender essential oils to it. Sometimes I add lemongrass essential oil since it repels bugs.

amber913 · 10-31-2009, 09:15 PM

I recently got an email saying that if you spray with vinegar, then spray with peroxide, it disinfects. Plain peroxide may be anti-bacterial, but not disinfecting, and i don't think vinegar alone does either--going by my research.

I also feel that a clean home is more important than a sanitized one. My family is exposed to all sorts of illnesses every day, they bring them home, leave the germs all around and on each other--it's useless to even try to sanitize! I think home-sanitizing is just a marketing ploy.

JTA Mom · 11-02-2009, 12:20 AM

I use rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. It will kill anything it comes into contact with--great for using after handling raw meat, for example. Plus, it's cheap, doesn't bleach stuff like hydrogen peroxide/bleach can.

Ami