This lemony scented cream cleaner comes together in a flash, and is fantastic for cleaning sinks and bathtubs, but it’s also done great things to grime on my stove top. It’s basically a lotion, but instead of a carrier oil, I’ve used d-limonene (aka citrus terpenes) for the oil part. D-limonene is a biodegradeable solvent and disinfectant, and since it’s derived from lemons, the citrus scent is built in.
A bit of baking soda (USA / Canada) gives the cleaner a bit of abrasion—it shouldn’t scratch anything (my acrylic tub & porcelain sink were fine), but it really helps blast away bathtub rings.
Like all lotions made with an emulsifying wax, this comes together in a flash. It’s a bit thin at first, but as soon as you add the baking soda (USA / Canada) it perks up to a thick, creamy texture.
The final product is really useful. It’s disinfecting and helps break down grease, and thanks to the baking soda (USA / Canada), it’s got a bit of an abrasive kick with its citrussy punch.
Lemon Cream Cleaner
7g | 0.25oz emusimulse (or other complete emulsifying wax—not beeswax!)
18g | 0.63oz d-limonene75g | 2.6oz just-boiled water
1 tsp baking soda (USA / Canada)
Broad spectrum preservative of choice (why?)
Weigh the Emulsimulse/Ritamulse and d-limonene into a saucepan and melt over medium low heat. Add the water and heat through. Remove from the heat.
Whisk to combine as the mixture cools. Once it is mostly cool, whisk in the baking soda (USA / Canada) and preservative.
Decant to a plastic or glass jar. Use as you would any mildly abrasive household cleaner. Be sure to wipe/scrub it off, and not just rinse, as its creamy nature can be a bit hazardous on a tub, especially if left on in large quantities for unsuspecting bathers.
What is and where do you get emusimulse, pkease abd thank you
It’s a complete emulsifying wax, and I get it from Saffire Blue. It is also sold under the name vegemulse, which you might have seen elsewhere.
I always look forward to your wonderful recipes. I have a gallon of d-limolene that I had purchased to make a orange spray cleaner but because the recipe contained vinegar and castile soap the chemistry of these ingredients just didn’t work out so I was left with a very expensive ingredient sitting on my shelf waiting for the perfect recipe to use it .This recipe is perfect exactly what I was looking for as it can
clean much more surfaces than the
original spray I had made I am so happy to find a great multipurpose product I can make and the scent will be amazing .Thank you so much .
Hi Blanca! I’m happy to have helped you find a use for your d-limonene 🙂 I, too, bought a good sized bottle, so I’m always looking for new uses for it!
This sounds interesting! Need to check, if I can find d-limonene anywhere here in Finland. If I do find it, I must try this too!
Good luck with your search 🙂
Hi Marie
I love making my own household cleaners too. Lately the most complicated I’ve gotten is infusing oranges in vinegar. Maybe it’s time I try something new. Where does a person buy d-limolene?
Thank you,
Mary
Both NDA & Saffire Blue sell it—links in the big box above 🙂 Have fun with it & thanks for reading!
I am not sure what I did wrong, but mine won’t thicken, even after adding the bicarb. Its a thin milky coloured liquid. =\
Hmm. What kind of emulsifying wax are you using?
It was just called Emulsifying Wax [Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth 20] and I’ve used it successfully in moisturisers and nappy creams.
It did thicken slightly after 2 days! But still was mostly a thick liquid [a thin cream consistency maybe]. I popped it in a pump bottle to use it as I didnt want to waste it. Works well despite not thickening.
Hmmm… I suppose you could add in a touch of stearic in the future if you want a thicker lotion next time?
How long will this stay good?
You should have at least 2–3 weeks with it, but shelf life is part of the reason this recipe yields a reasonably small amount 🙂
This recipe sounds wonderful! I have a couple of questions. Do you think this cleaner would be safe to use on a glass-top cooking surface? Would adding a preservative extend the shelf life of the cream? I love the lemon cream cleaning spray using d-limonene. It is the only thing I use to clean my bathrooms. I’m trying to come up with a one-step cleaner for my glass-top stove, and this would be so nice. Thank you for sharing all of your concoctions!
Hi Rebecca! I’ve never owned a glass top cook surface, but I can’t imagine the baking soda would scratch glass, and that would be the only thing I could think of :/ You could leave out the baking soda if you’re concerned. And yes, a preservative will definitely extend the shelf life 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Great recipe! Is there anyway to make this last longer with a preservative of some sort?
Of course! Read this for more info 🙂
I’m making this as soon as I’m done making your sticky label recipe.
I love this d-limolene I bought a few weeks ago. The spray cleaner of yours washed off all the dirty dog paw and nose prints off my cream painted doors, floor boards and door trims. Nothing else has worked and it’s driven me crazy.
Cream paint and a houseful of beloved dogs Do Not Mix.
I’m keeping the dogs. And thanks to your recipes, I’m keeping the cream trims too!
Woohoo! I’m so glad 🙂 I love how the d-limonene smells all lovely and fresh, too—and not at all chemically!
Can I use lemon essential oil in place of the d-limolene?
I wouldn’t recommend it—lemon essential oil is only about 70% d-limonene, so you’d need to use more lemon essential oil to get the same d-limonene content, and that would be an awful lot (and much pricier than just using d-limonene).
Hi, it is an interesting recipe. However, I just wanted to know if Germall Plus and Emulisfying wax can be used to make a cream with lemon essential oil?
Well, yes, but that’s sort of like asking if you can make a sandwich with salt, mayo, and hot sauce. You can, but those ingredients will comprise a very small amount of the product. 0.5% for the Liquid Germall Plus, perhaps 5% for the emulsifying wax, and perhaps 1% for the lemon EO; you’ll need a lot more to make a lotion. Also, keep in mind that cold pressed lemon essential oil is quite phototoxic, so be careful with it!
Hey Marie! Question for ya – won’t heating the d-limonene break down the chemical components? I didn’t heat mine due to this and added it afterwards which seriously thinned it down but I can’t see heating it because these oils are heat sensitive. What do you think?