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DIY Disinfecting Spray




Yum

November 20, 2015 by Andrea Fabry 23 Comments

Trying to avoid harsh chemicals? Interested in making your own household products? Try this simple DIY Disinfecting Spray!

Avoid the harsh chemicals and create your own disinfecting spray using this surprise ingredient!

What’s Wrong with Lysol?

Lysol, one of the world’s top selling disinfectant sprays, was first formulated using coal tar derivatives in 1889 to stop a cholera epidemic. By 1911, it had become the most common way to commit suicide in Australia. Lysol was used as a method for birth control method during the 1920s until women understood the hazards of douching with something so toxic. (See the Smithsonian article Lysol’s Vintage Ads Subtly Pushed Women to Use Its Disinfectant as Birth Control.) 

Did you know Lysol was once used for birth control?

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Now Lysol is formulated with such compounds as dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate, a chemical difficult to pronounce and hard on the immune system.

Natural Alternatives to Lysol

Add one or more of the following ingredients to create this chemical-free disinfecting spray!

1. Colloidal Silver

Colloidal silver is a bioactive substance that has been used for centuries for wound care. The silver ion (Ag+) is bioactive with strong antimicrobial properties. It makes an ideal addition to a purifying spray. 

Sources of colloidal silver

  • Utopia Colloidal Silver
  • Sovereign Silver

2. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil (TTO) is known for its potent disinfecting properties. TTO, or melaleuca, is also an active antifungal and antiviral agent. (See Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil: a Review of Antimicrobial and Other Medicinal Properties.)

Sources of Tea Tree Oil

  • Rocky Mountain Oils
  • RareEARTH Naturals

DIY Disinfecting Spray Recipe

Ingredients:

8 ounces filtered water

1 ounce Colloidal Silver

*1 ounce vodka (optional)

10-15 drops tea tree oil (other purifying essential oils include thyme, rosemary, lavender, and lemongrass)

*You only need a tiny bit of vodka, so if keeping alcohol in the home is a problem, be sure to buy the smallest bottle. The vodka works as an excellent preservative and allows the aroma of the oils to permeate the room.

Instructions:

Combine ingredients in glass jar. Stir. Pour into spray bottles. Enjoy!

You can repurpose an old spray bottle or invest in a new one. I love Miron violet glass for sprays. You may be more likely to do without the vodka as this glass acts as a preservative. Learn more in the post Miron Violet Glass.

Top Ten Uses for DIY Disinfecting Spray

  1. Sick room
  2. Door knob
  3. TV remote
  4. Laundry hamper
  5. Toothbrush
  6. Cell phone and other devices
  7. Cutting boards
  8. Countertops
  9. Toilet bowls and tanks
  10. Surface mold

DIY Disinfecting Spray

Created by Andrea Fabry on November 20, 2015

DIY Disinfecting Spray

  • Category: Cleaning, DIY, Natural Living

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces filtered water
  • 1 teaspoon colloidal silver
  • 1 dash tea tree oil (or other purifying essential oil)
  • 1 teaspoon vodka (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine in a glass jar or glass measuring cup. ( I use 10-15 drops of essential oil.)
  2. Stir.
  3. Pour into glass spray bottles.
  • Print

Interested in purchasing this disinfecting spray? Check out Just So’s Purifying Spray.

 

 

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Filed Under: Cleaning, DIY, House, Natural Living Tagged With: air purifier, air quality, antimicrobial, bioactive, chemical-free, colloidal, colloidal silver, disinfectant, disinfecting, glass, lysol, Miron violet glass, non-toxic, preservative, purifying, room spray, silver, spray, tea tree oil, vodka

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Comments

  1. judee@ Gluten Free A-Z Blog says

    November 24, 2015 at 6:11 am

    Excellent informative post. I’ve just started using essential oils ( like tea tree) and am glad to have some suggestions what to do with them. This post is perfect. Going to make the spray right now and am checking out the bottles too.
    Happy Thanksgiviing

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      November 24, 2015 at 8:18 am

      Great to hear from you, Judee! Miron glass is a bit expensive but it’s a great investment.

      Reply
  2. Monique says

    December 25, 2015 at 5:30 am

    I, too, am interested in a non-chemical approach to cleaning but according to the study below colloidal silver does not have antimicrobial properties.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15114827

    Did you find any studies to substantiate the antimicrobial claim?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      December 26, 2015 at 10:09 am

      You can double up on the tea tree oil if desired, or try any number of other essential oils like thyme or cilantro. There are other studies that indicate a strong antimicrobial effect like this one: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23017226. It’s so tough because there are often conflicting studies. I love what Dr. Robert Becker says about colloidal silver in his book The Body Electric. He found it to be one of the most healing substances post surgery partially due to its conducting properties. (He was an orthopedic surgeon.)

      Reply
  3. Kari says

    March 19, 2016 at 5:11 am

    I do not have any of the silver –is it necessary? I went and bought some vodka after listening to “toxic Tuesday” and my husband had the stomach bug yesterday so I want to disinfect the house — is oils, water, and vodka efficient?

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      March 19, 2016 at 7:55 am

      Yes, vodka is a potent disinfectant on its own!

      Reply
      • Kari says

        March 19, 2016 at 12:22 pm

        Thank you! So would I do 8 ounces water and just 1 teaspoon vodka along with oils then? Doesn’t seem like much vodka!!??

        Reply
        • Andrea Fabry says

          March 21, 2016 at 8:17 am

          You don’t need much vodka, I promise. Especially with the essential oils.

          Reply
  4. Keara says

    March 13, 2017 at 3:40 pm

    Are you aware that there are tiny bottles of alcohol called shooters. The only have a couple of onces in them and are just a few dollars to buy. That is what I use when I need vodka for cleaning. We have a toddler so we keep it in the freezer until needed out of reach of little hands.

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      March 18, 2017 at 4:34 pm

      Thank you for this tip, Keara!!

      Reply
  5. Nicole says

    July 17, 2018 at 9:36 am

    Hi so excited to finally find a disinfectant using silver. Are these 2 different recipes? The amounts are different and I want to make sure I’m using the right one. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      July 18, 2018 at 9:58 am

      Same recipe! Hope it works well for you.

      Reply
      • Ashley says

        March 18, 2019 at 8:16 am

        When you spray down surfaces do you have to wipe it afterwards? Or do you allow it to air dry?

        Reply
        • Andrea Fabry says

          March 18, 2019 at 9:11 am

          Good question! I leave it to air dry but either way would be fine depending on the surface.

          Reply
  6. Karen Caldwell says

    March 10, 2020 at 10:16 am

    How many ppm is the silver that you are using? Thanks in advance for your reply.

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      March 10, 2020 at 11:44 am

      I’ve started using this brand which offers a variety of PPM. I use 500 PPM.
      https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001N1K7LW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

      Reply
      • Kirsten says

        March 19, 2020 at 10:40 pm

        With the Covid-19 crisis doctors and nurses at the hospital my sister-in-law works at are having to share protective gear unless they can buy their own. I gave her my goggles from my college biology labs and a family friend recommended using a colloidal silver disinfecting spray to clean them between patients. Mili asked that I make her some and I’m curious as to what brand you would recommend that I use.

        Reply
        • Andrea Fabry says

          March 20, 2020 at 12:06 pm

          This is the brand I most recently bought:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001N1K7LW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

          Reply
  7. Susan says

    April 18, 2020 at 10:06 am

    Do I have to use essential oils ? Can I just use silver in water?

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      April 18, 2020 at 11:22 am

      I would want to research how effective it is by itself.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Green Moms Network Week in Review says:
    November 27, 2015 at 4:49 am

    […] the harsh chemicals with this DIY disinfecting spray from It Takes […]

    Reply
  2. 50 Homemade Cleaner Recipes | Homemaking Tips says:
    January 4, 2016 at 11:08 pm

    […] 30) Disinfectant Spray: Not only is this a great recipe, she explains a little about the history of Lysol which blew my mind! […]

    Reply
  3. Andrea Fabry on “DIY Disinfecting Spray” | Living Clean in a Dirty World says:
    November 7, 2018 at 5:12 pm

    […] Andrea Fabry – whose whole family became very sick from a toxic mold exposure – wrote an article called “DIY Disinfecting Spray” for her natural-living blog It Takes Time. […]

    Reply

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MEET ANDREA

I am a certified Building Biology Advocate, a former journalist, mother of nine, and avid CrossFitter who likes to think outside the box. After our family's health crisis in 2008, I learned to ask questions about what's in our food, our water, and our air. I hope to empower you as you seek to live safely in a complex world. Thankfully, small steps lead to big changes. Let's travel this road together, one step at a time.

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