Antibacterial Spray Alternative

A fresh smelling, homemade alternative to commercial antibacterial sprays.

Easy to make, and using the natural antibacterial and antifungal properties of essential oils this will save you money, be kinder to the environment and you will reduce the amount of plastic you use by making your own.

I also think it smells much nicer, and it doesn't get to the back of my throat when I spray it!

I first started making this nearly twenty years ago and recently recovered my recipe in a box of old things, so thought I would record it on my blog for future use (so that way I can't use it again!). It's very easy to make, you just tip a few bits into your bottle, give it a shake, and off you go!

N.B. If you want a quick look at the science, you can find the abstract from an article on the NBCI website here which looked at the antibacterial and antifungal properties of certain essential oils. And of course there is lots more evidence all over the interwebs readily available.

Ingredients

• 15 drops tea tree essential oil
• 10 drops of any of the following essential oils: lemongrass, eucalyptus, peppermint, orange
• 1 tsp soda crystals
• 1 tsp pure castile soap (I like to use this brand which is also good in other recipes for homemade toiletries / household products*)
• 1 tbsp eco-friendly washing up liquid

You will also need

• One 500ml spray bottle (you can either re-use old bottles once they're empty, or if you want to invest in some glass bottles, there are some nice ones here which I rather like!*)

Method

1. Boil the kettle (make yourself a cup of tea or coffee) and leave to cool down to a 'hot' temperature.

2. Add all of the ingredients to a 500ml empty spray bottle, top up with the hot water, screw on the trigger, and shake! You're ready to go.

*Please note these are Amazon Affiliate links, which will make no difference at all to the price you pay for the items on Amazon that you link to, but means that a few pennies from the sale come to me, which helps to fund my blog, as I don't have any adverts on it or ask for donations.