I whipped up this simple all-purpose enzyme cleaning spray a couple months ago and it’s quickly become a household staple for me. It gently cleans and deodorizes, leaving my counter tops gleaming, and I think it’s easier to make than a cup of tea! I like to pair it with a microfiber cloth for wiping down counters, cleaning paw prints off windowsills and the back door, and deodorizing the bathroom. I highly recommend having a bottle on hand!
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There’s just a handful of ingredients; the first is white (or distilled) vinegar. White vinegar is typically a 5% dilution of acetic acid (higher concentrations are also available—check your bottle!), and is a very easy-to-make mild acid, with a pH of approximately 2.6. It’s a brilliant multi-purpose kitchen ingredient, used in everything from pickling to cleaning. In cleaning it’s a great de-greaser, window cleaner, hard-water-build-up-remover, and deodorizer, with the added benefit of making your bathroom smell briefly like potato chips (American with salt or British with fish!).
Ingredient #2 is a fantastic green liquid I picked up from Voyageur Soap & Candle—liquid enzyme concentrate. According to Voyaguer enzymes are “proteins, composed of hundreds of amino-acids, which are produced by living organisms. Enzymes catalyze the breakdown of soils and stain materials, are very effective working at low temperatures, and are a great addition to laundry detergents, spray cleaners, deodorizers etc.” It’s biodegradable, and freshens and cleans brilliantly. It’s also pretty inexpensive—a litre is just under $13 CAD!
As a new puppy owner I’ve been using lots of enzymatic cleaners for pet messes as the enzymes get straight to the source of the scent so your pup can’t still smell their previous accident and think that particular part of your floor is their new potty. I’ve been adding a glug or two of the concentrate to my washing machine after it’s filled and then leaving the enzyme-y laundry to soak for an hour or two before washing. It’s proven to be a fantastically effective way to tackle grass stains and funky smells in workout gear as the enzymes go straight to work on biological stains and stinks. The concentrate itself is perfumed (I confirmed with Voyageur; the manufacturer says the concentrate has “a unique, proprietary fragrance freshens the air and lingers”). I find the scent to be fairly mild and not terribly persistent; I notice it while I’m using it, but it doesn’t carry through to clean laundry or linger in the kitchen (to my nose, at least). If you’re very fragrance sensitive, however, you might want to give this one a miss.
The rest of the spray is simply water and a touch of preservative since washing your counters with a mouldy cleaning spray seems rather silly! If you’d like to add some essential oils you’ll need to include a solubilizer of some kind; for this spray I’d recommend using high proof clear grain or isopropyl alcohol. You can dissolve twenty or so drops of an essential oil or essential oil blend of your choice (Bandits Oil would be a great choice!) in approximately twice as much high proof (70%+) alcohol, and then add that to the spray, removing that from the water. If you let it stand for weeks before use you’ll likely need to shake before use, but given the chance of tackiness from the polysorbates (erg, sticky counters!), I’d skip those—the alcohol will boost the cleansing power of the spray, too.
I skipped adding any essential oils, so if you’re doing that, all you’ll have to do is pour everything into a spray bottle and shake to combine. Voila!
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All-Purpose Enzyme Cleaning Spray
25g | 0.88oz liquid enzyme concentrate
75g | 2.65oz white vinegar
398g | 14.04oz distilled water
2.5g | 0.088oz liquid germall plus (USA / Canada) (or other broad spectrum preservative of choice at recommended usage rate [why?])Weigh the ingredients into a 500mL (16 fl oz) trigger spray bottle, cap, and shake to combine. That’s it!
If you want to add some essential oils, follow the instructions detailed in the preamble.
The pH of this cleaning spray is approximately 4. Because it’s acidic, don’t use it on uncoated marble or other basic surfaces.
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