DIY Chicken Coop All Purpose Cleaner

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 When you have a homestead there are certain things that need to be done each month throughout the entire year. Cleaning out the chicken coop is one of those things and if you live where it snows, something that you should do in the fall.

I have found a great DIY chicken coop all-purpose cleaner that is natural and works amazingly well in our coop. The biggest benefits of backyard chickens are eggs, so keep them coming all year long!

diy chicken coop all purpose cleaner (3)

This spray not only includes the ingredients needed to deter all those pests that like to show up when it’s cold outside but also has a natural deodorizer that can freshen things up a bit for you, the owner, as well.

diy all natural chicken coop spray

If you are brand new to raising chickens and you are not quite sure what needs to be done when you are cleaning out your chicken coop, you can read my article HERE. There you will get the steps that will walk you through all that needs to be done when cleaning out your coop.

When I first started raising chickens I did not realize that pro-health in animals is crucial to a healthy flock. Not only that, encouraging health in your chickens is so much easier and more important than waiting for illness to arrive and scrambling around to treat it.

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Since then I have learned (the hard way) that providing a clean and healthy environment is the easiest and cheapest way to raise any animal….especially chickens. Chickens have this tendency to mask their symptoms until they are really ill or injured. This is why it is so important to stay on top of things. 

A few tips to keep in mind when raising chickens. 

#1. Hold your hens. Be sure to put your hands on your chickens whenever you are near them. This will help you to become more accustomed to their body condition allowing you to more easily see when things feel off. 

#2. Train your chickens. Every time you feed your hens use the same words and voice. This will teach them to know that sound means food and to come when they hear it. This is useful for not only calling your chickens at night but getting them away from danger if it should arise. 

a gold rooster standing outside of a chicken coop

#3. Give fresh water. Water is crucial to healthy animals to be sure everyone is drinking you will want to change out the water every day. Many times animals will ignore water that is dirty or stale so take the time to freshen it up whenever you feed your flock. 

How to Clean Out a Chicken Coop

1. Clean it out. Before we can talk about the cleaner you first will need to clean out your coop. Using a heavy-duty lightweight shovel remove all the bedding and put it into your compost bin or wheelbarrow. This part usually takes the longest so if you can, enlist some help.

the inside of a chicken coop that is being cleaned out

2. Wash and dry. Remove what you can so you can better clean it. Nesting boxes, dishes, bowls, feeders. Whatever is not connected to the coop, bring it out and wash it with soap and water allowing it to dry in the sunshine. The sun is a natural disinfectant and works quite well. 

3. Sterilize. Use the DIY cleaner below to ensure you are cleaning and sterilizing each part of your chicken coop without the risk of toxic chemicals. 

DIY Chicken Coop All-Purpose Cleaner

If you are getting ready to clean out your chicken coop don’t just go in with water and bleach. I have used it before myself and I have learned that it doesn’t always work as well as we would like. Not only is it abrasive on your hands but to your nose as well. And if it bothers us, it will most likely bother your chickens as well.  

You can instead use a natural spray that will clean, disinfect and help your hens fight those pests naturally and more effectively.

In this day and age, eating clean foods with as few chemicals as possible is one of the main reasons many of us have a homestead. This is an even better reason why you may want to keep the chemicals out when you are able and help to ensure you always have organic foods from egg to table.

outside view of a chicken coop being cleaned out

Supplies needed for your DIY coop cleaner: 

Diy Chicken Coop All-Purpose Cleaner

Step #1. In a quart-sized mason jar, combine water and vinegar.

Diy chicken coop all purpose cleaner

Step #2. Add the drops of essential oils and mix gently. Remember to mix before every use since water and oil separate naturally.

diy chicken coop all purpose cleaner

Step #3. Label your mason jar with DIY all-purpose chicken coop cleaner and seal until needed.

I simply pour the amount I need into my spray bottle as I need it. Glass is needed when using essential oils in order to keep the integrity of the oil intact while being stored.

If you plan to use the entire bottle in one go, then a plastic spray bottle should be fine. However, you will want to keep any extra in a glass mason jar until you need it again. In my case, since I prefer to spot clean weekly I store mine in a glass spray bottle and a glass mason jar.

diy chicken coop all purpose cleaner

This DIY all-purpose chicken coop cleaner is great to use on any surface.

You can spray the nesting boxes, the walls of the chicken coop, entryways, and even the chicken roost. A light mist each week will ensure you are keeping up with maintenance without putting forth too much effort. Remember to gently rotate the bottle to mix BEFORE each spray as the oils tend to separate while sitting. 


Make a schedule of your weekly and monthly chores to help ensure you do everything on your maintenance list. Keep that list in your home and on the coop door as a visual reminder of what needs to be done and when. This extra step will help you to deter disease before it hits, which is, after all our number one goal as homesteaders.

a chicken walking in a clean chicken coop

Remember our animals depend on us for their care, so it is important to give them the best and most natural home and coop we can. Finally, I know oils are the new buzzword, so do not jump into them lightly. Do your research and commit to making a change for your homestead, your animals, and your family.

Have you tried this DIY chicken coop all-purpose cleaner yet? If so, what did you think?

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Setting Up a Chicken Coop Resources:

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14 Comments

  1. Christine Mantwill says:

    Great article! I am new to chickens …. getting my baby girls this week!! I’ve been doing a lot of research on their care and came across this cleaning solution. Where do you buy your essential oils? Is there a specific brand or type, or is that not important?

  2. You say lavender in the directions but the picture is peppermint! Which is it?

  3. Can this also be used for a household cleaner?

  4. I used 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 distilled white vinegar and mixed it on a mixing measuring cup. My glass bottle could only hold 2 out of the 3 cups of the mixture. Once in the glass spray bottle I added 20 drops of lemongrass essential oil, 10 drops of lavender essential oil and 10 drops of peppermint essential oil. Swirled it around and used it all in my chicken coop. It smelled delicious and I could see bugs running to get out of the chicken coop lol. It was really strong, but in a good way. It may have been stronger than usual because I didn’t have all 3 cups of the liquid mixture. It was still amazing and I will be using it again!

  5. Hello! Do you use this cleaner in place of something like diatomaceous earth or lime powder? Thanks!

  6. We have 4 cops and the smell drives me nuts. We change the sawdust shavings often. I wondered if there was a natural cleaner we could use. So I will get the ingredients and try this out.
    Thank you!

  7. Linda Carney says:

    I used apple cider vinegar. I hope that’s okay. That’s all I had. Can’t wait to try it.

    1. Hello, Linda!

      Yes, apple cider vinegar will kill bacteria like white vinegar, I would just watch for flies and ants being attracted to the scent and sweetness.

      Something to keep in mind,
      Tracy Lynn

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