The Homestead Cleaning Cabinet: What We Use (and Why We Ditched the Rest!)

When most people picture an urban homestead, they imagine overflowing garden beds, shelves of preserved food, and a cozy, well-used kitchen. 

Although that can be true, what often gets left out of the picture is the everyday mess; muddy boots, sticky fingerprints (literally everywhere), garden grit, kitchen spills, and a whole lot of real life.

I realized pretty early on that keeping our home clean didn’t need to involve a dozen chemical-filled bottles under the sink. 

I overhauled our routine, and now our homestead cleaning cabinet is stocked with just a handful of low-waste, safe, and seriously effective essentials. Plus, we make a lot of them ourselves which saves us a ton of money, too! 

Here’s exactly what we use and what we ditched for good.

Why We Simplified Our Cleaning Routine

Like many families, we used to have a separate cleaner for just about everything: glass, stainless steel, toilets, tubs, countertops, floors… 

They all came in single-use plastic, smelled way too strong, and didn’t seem to work that well anyway.

I wanted products that were:

• Simple

• Affordable

• Safe for our kids and pets

• Better for the planet

So we got rid of almost everything and went back to basics.

What We Use Now (and Why We Love It)

1. All-Purpose Vinegar Spray

DIY citrus vinegar cleaner: orange peels infusing in white vinegar.The layers on top are SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) that formed! These can be used for making our own fruit vinegars - delicious in salad dressings! 

This is our everyday go-to for cleaning kitchen counters, the bathroom sink, window smudges, and even sticky fingerprints on doors and walls. If you’re worried about the vinegar smell, letting citrus peels infuse in the bottle for a few days works wonders. Orange peels are especially beneficial when dealing with oil & grease messes. 

Ingredients: White vinegar & citrus peels (like lemon or orange peels) or 10–15 drops of essential oil (like tea tree, citrus or lavender)

Why we love it: Cheap, safe, works on almost everything, and leaves no residue.

2. Baking Soda

Natural cleaning in progress: baking soda, a powerhouse ingredient for scrubbing sinks, tubs, and more.

A great gentle scrub for sinks, tubs, stovetops, and anything that needs a little grit. We keep a box under the kitchen sink and another in the bathroom.

Why we love it: Zero waste, non-toxic, and super effective without scratching surfaces.

3. Our Homemade Liquid Castile Soap

This was a total game changer. Instead of buying expensive natural soaps, we started making our own Castile liquid soap at home, and it's surprisingly simple!

Here’s how we make it:

Homemade Castile soap made simple. This visual guide walks you through the process, start to finish.

We use this as hand soap, dish soap, and sometimes even dilute it further into our vinegar spray for deeper cleaning.

Why we love it: It’s budget-friendly, gentle, and safe on plants (bye-bye aphids!)

If interested in the chart for finished amounts or our homemade laundry soap recipe as mentioned above, be sure to follow & send us a message on Instagram (@thesunnyhillhomestead) or Facebook (@sunnyhillhomestead)! 

4. Citrus & Salt Scrub

Lemon and salt: a powerful duo for scrubbing sinks, cutting boards, and kitchen surfaces naturally.

We use this old-school combo on cutting boards and grimy spots that need deodorizing and scrubbing. Slice a lemon or any other favourite citrus variety, dip it in salt, and scrub away.

Why we love it: It smells amazing, it’s completely natural, and we usually already have both on hand.

5. Washing Soda

Washing soda for the win! A simple, effective way to clean dishes without harsh chemicals.

We use this every day along with our Castile soap within our dishwasher, as well as for our laundry! It is also excellent for items that need the occasional deep-clean like caked on dishes or even garden tools!

Why we love it: Inexpensive and effective for heavy-duty grime.

6. Reusable Cloths & Rags

Sustainable switch: trading paper towels for reusable cloths is better for your wallet and the planet.

We haven’t bought paper towels in years. Instead, we use cloths and cut-up old clothing and linen items.

Why we love them: No waste, easy to wash, and always ready to go.

7. Steam

From floors to backsplashes, our steam cleaner gets it done. No sprays, no residue!

One of our secret weapons for deep cleaning without chemicals is our trusty NEAT steam cleaner. We use it for everything from floors and grout lines to kitchen backsplashes, bathroom tiles, and even windows. It’s especially great during garden season when we run in and out, sometimes forgetting to remove our shoes.

Why we love it: It uses only water, kills germs, lifts grime, and leaves things sparkling; all without a single chemical! It also feels wildly satisfying to use, like power-washing your way through our home (and trust me when I say, having 4 young boys who always seem to bring dirt and mess with them everywhere they go, the ability to power wash the inside of my home is a dream come true!)

What We Ditched (and Don’t Miss)

• Store-bought “specialty” cleaners: Bathroom, kitchen, floor, glass? We clean them all with the same few basics.

• Bleach & harsh chemicals: We just don’t need them anymore, and we definitely don’t miss the strong fumes either. In an upcoming post, I’ll share the old-fashioned secret we use to keep our whites bright! No bleach, just a little trick borrowed from grandma’s wisdom.

• Scented sprays & air fresheners: We now use essential oils or just crack open a window, even in the middle of winter!

• Paper towels & disposable wipes: Cloths do the job just as well, and they don’t end up in the trash.

• Disinfectant overload: Vinegar, lemon, hot water, and soap handle majority of what life throws at us.

Why It Works for Our Family

We’re a busy household; kids, work, gardens, projects, and a whole lot of movement. Even though it may not seem this way, our pared-down, homemade cleaners & supplies have made things simpler, cheaper, and way more in line with the way we want to live.

Benefits we’ve seen:

• Less clutter (seriously, who wants 12 bottles under the sink?)

• Way less plastic waste

• Peace of mind knowing exactly what’s in our cleaners

• More self-reliance—we can make almost everything we need

Final Thoughts

Keeping a home clean doesn’t need to be expensive, overwhelming, or harmful to your health or the planet. With a few basic ingredients (many of which you probably already have), you can clean your entire home naturally!

If you’ve been feeling the pull to simplify or reduce your reliance on store-bought cleaners, let this be your sign: start small, experiment, and make it work for your home. You might be surprised how little you need!

Have you tried making your own cleaning products? 

I’d love to hear what’s worked for you or what you’ve ditched! Leave a comment below or tag us on Instagram @SunnyhillHomestead. 🌿

Until next time, 

Sarah & The Sunnyhill Homestead Family