DIY Natural All Purpose Cleaner with Lavender and Peppermint, How to Clean Butcher Block Countertops Naturally

This year, I have been on a mission to gradually switch out products in our home for natural alternatives. Today, I’m excited to share a simple DIY natural all purpose cleaner. I no longer feel the need to stockpile Clorox wipes! It’s so nice to have a simple method to clean our butcher block countertops gently and safely. Post may contain affiliate links.

Before I discovered this cleaner, I tried out a DIY vinegar/water cleaner recipe with lavender and lemon essential oil. However, I was underwhelmed with it, especially for the butcher block. Plus, that vinegar smell is intense!

We put our kitchen counters through a lot. Even though vinegar is a good natural disinfectant, I didn’t feel like it really cut through the mess in the kitchen. I was also concerned using the acidic vinegar and lemon a couple times daily might erode the tung oil sealer on our butcher block countertops more quickly.

I do love vinegar for tons of cleaning tasks. It is perfect to clean the coffee maker, microwave, and wipe down the fridge! I just wasn’t wild about it for my everyday quick kitchen cleaner.

Luckily, I learned to make a simple natural cleaner that is gentle but effective on the wood counter tops! You can mix this cleaner up in under a minute using water, castile soap, and essential oils. I made ours with a blend of lavender and peppermint. The very best part is the lavender and peppermint smell so heavenly together!

DIY Natural All Purpose Cleaner

2 cups water
1 tbs Castile Soap (I love Dr. Bronners)
10 drops each of lavender and peppermint essential oil (or your oils of choice)
16oz glass spray bottle
measuring cup

To make it easy to add the soap to the glass spray bottle, I put the lavender castile soap into the measuring cup with a cup of water, and then pour carefully into the glass spray bottle. Then, add the essential oils to the spray bottle and fill it up to the top with water.

It is so simple to make, and one bottle of concentrate is good for at least 32 bottles of cleaner, so it is a cost savings for our family. just give it a little shake before use to make sure everything is well blended. I feel like it cuts through the mess easily. The kitchen smells wonderful after I use it, and I look forward to the daily tidy up way more than I used to!

Lavender and Peppermint for Cleaning

Besides smelling wonderful, there are several properties of lavender and peppermint that make them wonderful for household cleaning.

Lavender oil has several disinfectant properties so it is perfect for including in cleaners. It is antibacterial, antimicrobial, anti fungal, and antiseptic. Lavender also makes your home smell beautiful! It is most popular for relaxation. I love the calming, pleasant scent of the lavender, and who wouldn’t want to feel relaxed and peaceful during the daily clean?

Then, there is the clean refreshing smell of peppermint! Peppermint deters pests like ants and spiders, which I can’t wait to try out when the ants come marching this summer! It is also anti bacterial, antimicrobial, anti fungal, and antiseptic.

You can make this simple castile cleaner in any scent by switching out for your favorite essential oils. For example, citrus oils are awesome degreasers. Lavender and lemon is my other favorite combination!

I love this guide from Mother Earth Living on the various essential oils that are beneficial for cleaning. The castile concentrate comes in several other scents, as well as unscented.

Now, I still use my old vinegar spray as a disinfectant when I’m doing a deep clean, but I have a new favorite daily cleaning spray for the kitchen!

If you try out this natural all purpose cleaner with castile, I would love to hear how it works for you!