It only takes a few ingredients and a spray bottle to make your own DIY thieves cleaner from scratch. This all natural all purpose cleaner works so well, it replaces many of your store bought chemical filled cleaners.

an amber glass spray bottle with a label that says "thieves cleaner" on it and some amber essential oil bottles on a counter

Having kids makes you do things you never would have thought you’d be doing when you were a teenager, like reading the ingredients on just about everything. I mean how many hazardous ingredients can they put in the cleaners we use everyday?

Its kind of scary. As if there weren’t enough things on your mind, you have to make sure you locked the cleaning supplies away when you go out without the kids!

A few years ago when I had my twins, I got serious about simplifying my life and eliminating anything that was causing me unnecessary stress. One of the stressful things I wanted to eliminate was the worry that my kids would ingest some of those toxic cleaning supplies while I wasn’t looking. And since I couldn’t just say bye bye to my cleaners without replacing them, I needed to find an alternative.

I started looking into all natural ways to clean and one by one ditching store bought cleaners for homemade DIY ones. It was surprisingly easy to do and so much more affordable than buying premade natural cleaners at the store.

check out my homemade laundry stain remover and homemade toilet cleaner bombs

Three years ago, I jumped into using essential oils and never looked back. The cleaning power of thieves oil sold me right off the bat! After I used up my second bottle of thieves cleaner concentrate, I decided to try and make my own from scratch. Its so much more affordable and works just as well!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Get my full disclosure here.

Why Should You Make Your Own DIY Thieves Cleaner?

Thieves cleaner really is a multi purpose spray that takes the place of so many store-bought cleaners you might have been buying up until now. It cleans, disinfects and has antiviral properties that make it a great option for cleaning places where bacteria and germs build up.

Thieves cleaner is 100% natural so a great toxin free choice, especially if you have little ones or pets. No worries if they get ahold of the bottle!

Making your own DIY thieves cleaner from scratch is very affordable and will save you a lot of money through the years! So what are you waiting for?

What Ingredients are In DIY Thieves Cleaner?

Eucalyptus Essential Oil – eucalyptus oil is a natural disinfectant. It works well against fungi, viruses and bacteria.
Rosemary Essential Oil – rosemary oil is a good choice for cleaning because it is naturally antiseptic and antibacterial. It also leaves behind a fresh smell.
Clove Essential Oil – clove oil is a great addition to a multipurpose cleaner since it has anti-fungal properties that can actually kill mold.
Orange Essential Oil – As well as being a natural degreaser, orange oil is also antiseptic.
Cinnamon Essential Oil – cinnamon oil doesn’t just smell delicious, its actually effective against Staphylococcus, E. coli and several other antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria! Read more on the cleaning benefits of cinnamon oil here.
Castile Soap – castile soap cleans by lifting dirt and grime off of the surfaces its used on. I like to use orange castile soap since it pairs well with all of the other scents from the essential oils in this DIY thieves cleaner.
Distilled Water – using distilled water will make your thieves cleaner last longer than using regular tap water.

I use castile soap in my homemade face wash, baby wash and hardwood floor cleaner.

What Supplies You Will Need To Make DIY Thieves Cleaner From Scratch:

Amber Spray Bottle – you want to use amber (dark colored) spray bottles so that your essential oils stay nice and strong. Essential oils stay more potent when they’re kept out of the light. I prefer glass bottles since plastic contains chemicals that we don’t want in our all natural cleaner.
Amber Dropper Bottle – a little dropper bottle for mixing the essential oils in for the homemade thieves oil. Having the dropper makes measuring it into your spray bottle nice and easy.
Homemade Cleaning Supply Labels – optional but very fun! I got the one in this post from Etsy, but there are great ones available on Amazon as well.

budget friendly glass amber spray bottle hack at the end of this post

Does Thieves Oil Really Disinfect?

Thieves oil contains rosemary, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and clove oil. Eucalyptus, rosemary and cinnamon oil are natural disinfectants making thieves oil a powerful component in a multipurpose cleaner.

Is Thieves Oil Antiviral?

Thieves oil contains cinnamon and eucalyptus oils, both of which are naturally effective against viruses and bacteria.

How Do You Make Thieves Essential Oil?

60 drops clove essential oil
30 drops cinnamon bark essential oil
15 drops rosemary essential oil
20 drops eucalyptus essential oil
50 drops orange or lemon oil

How Do You Make Thieves All Purpose Cleaner From Scratch?

To Make Your Own Thieves Oil

In a small dropper bottle, mix clove, eucalyptus, rosemary, orange and cinnamon essential oils together to make thieves oil from scratch.

To Make Thieves Cleaner

Combine 20-30 drops of premade or homemade thieves oil and castile soap in a 16 ounce spray bottle. Fill the rest of the way with distilled water. Shake well to combine.

an amber glass spray bottle with a label that says "thieves cleaner" on it

How Long Does Thieves Cleaner Last?

Even though essential oils don’t mold or expire, they do change and break down over time making them less effective. For maximum strength, store your thieves cleaner in a dark and preferably cool place for up to a year.

One 16 ounce bottle of diluted thieves cleaner used to replace our store-bought multi purpose cleaner usually lasts our family 2-3 months.

What Surfaces Can You Use DIY Thieves Cleaner On?

countertops
tile floors
toilets
kitchen cabinets
stovetop
kitchen sink
toys
clothes
refrigerator
light fixtures
mirrors
windows
bathroom vanities
walls
inside the car
stainless steel

More All Natural Cleaning:

If you liked this recipe, I think you’ll really enjoy these other natural cleaning tutorials on the blog!

I hope you love this recipe for homemade DIY thieves cleaner! If you make it, I’d love for you to come back and leave a comment and rating so that I know how you like using it!