Cleaning the furniture in the house is one of those household activities that we do almost daily both to remove dust and always have them clean, but also to take advantage of it and bring a good smell into the house. Usually, we resort to commercial products, ignoring, however, that you can safely make use of some ingredients that you already have in your pantry or, in any case, easy to find. Therefore, today we will see together how to perfume the house by cleaning the furniture with this DIY detergent!

With bar soap

Preparing this natural scented detergent with bar soap is really a breeze, as all you will need is:

  • ½ lb of bar soap
  • ¼ lb of baking soda
  • 1 quart of demineralized water

Start, then, by scraping the bar soap until you obtain flakes and pour them, then, into a steel saucepan on the stove containing the already slightly heated demineralized water. Using a wooden spoon, then, stir everything to melt the soap completely and to obtain a homogeneous mixture. At this point, all you have to do is add the baking soda a little at a time and let the mixture sit overnight. It should have a very hard consistency, you can add ½ cup of demineralized water or use a blender to make it more fluid. Finally, decant it into a spray bottle and your scented detergent is ready to use! Thanks to the gentle cleaning properties of both ingredients, you can use it to clean furniture as well as a wide variety of surfaces without doing any damage. In fact, it is no coincidence that they are used as a base for making various DIY detergents!  Spray, then, some of this solution on the furniture, leave it for a while, and wipe, then, a damp cloth. Finally, rinse and voila: not only will your furniture be clean, but a nice scent will invest your home!

N.B Please remember to shake the bottle and always shake well before use.

With vinegar and olive oil

In addition to the detergent with bar soap and baking soda, there is a second variant, suitable for wooden furniture, which uses the following ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
  • 4 drops of essential oil
  • 2 cups of water

Mix, then, apple cider vinegar and olive oil in a small bowl and add, then, a few drops of essential oil from the fragrance you prefer. We recommend lemon or lavender essential oil, which are the most popular scents in commercial detergents as well. After that, pour the mixture into a spray bottle and add water. Finally, shake the spray bottle to mix everything together, and your detergent is ready! If you want to make it more fragrant, you can also add more drops of essential oil.

 

To use, always shake the bottle a bit because the oils tend to separate, after which you spray the solution on the furniture and gently wipe with a soft cloth. Then make even, circular motions over the entire surface and let the wood absorb the mixture and become shinier. In fact, the presence of vinegar and olive oil will not only help absorb and prevent dust on the furniture, but also brighten its color, as both ingredients are a godsend for polishing wooden furniture!

With lemon vinegar

Finally, let’s see how to make lemon vinegar, which combines two ingredients with degreasing and cleaning properties. Therefore, equip yourself with:

  • 2 lemons
  • 1 lb white vinegar

Start by peeling the lemons, avoiding taking the white calloused part, then, make the juice and pour both the zest and the juice into an airtight glass container. After that, heat the white vinegar in a small saucepan without boiling it and add it, then, to the container where you put the zest and lemon juice. At this point, close the container and let it macerate for at least 24 hours in a dry place. In case you want to further scent your detergent, you can also let it sit for about 2 weeks, taking care to shake it every other day. Finally, all you have to do is strain the lemon-flavored vinegar using a strainer and decant it into a spray bottle. To use, add about 15 drops of lemon vinegar to a spray bottle filled with water and spray some of this product directly on your furniture: it will be clean and shinier than ever thanks to the natural polishing power of both lemon and vinegar, both of which are used to make even steel surfaces shine. Not only will this product clean thoroughly, it will bring a burst of natural fragrance throughout your home!

N.B Remember never to use this product on marble and natural stone surfaces.

Warnings

Try these cleaners first in hidden corners so you can make sure you don’t damage or stain furniture. Vinegar is not recommended for shiny furniture or delicate surfaces.