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Cleaning with essential oils for a safer, fresher home!
Store-bought cleaning products are filled with harsh chemicals and impossible to pronounce mystery ingredients. The good news? You can make your own natural, plant-based cleaners at home using essential oils!
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Cleaning With Essential Oils Benefits:
● Kill bacteria, viruses and other germs.
● Citrus based essential oils can easily break down grease and grime.
● Homemade cleaners are cheap.
● You know exactly what’s in them.
● Your home smells amazing for longer.
Instead of buying expensive store brand items or costly stores like Home Depot (we’ve all been there), try these frugal recipes instead:
There are lots of essential oils that work well for cleaning.
Here are a few I use.
Effective Essential Oils for Cleaning
Lemon is the obvious one, it’s in nearly all store-bought cleaners!
Lemon is naturally antibacterial and antiviral, lemon
essential oil is also an excellent degreaser and makes your house
smell freaky fresh.
It works best for kitchens and bathrooms, avoid using on natural wood surfaces because it will stain and fade them.
Orange
Due to its citrus elements, orange oil works really well for
dissolving grease.
Use it on cooker’s, microwaves, stoves and cooker hoods.
Eucalyptus
I use Eucalyptus to prevent flies and other bugs from coming into my house. It’s fab for mold and mildew too.
Tea Tree
Tea Tree oil works a lot like Eucalyptus and you can combine the two for an even more powerful bug deterrent.
Lavender
Lavender is a natural antibacterial, which means it can be used to clean dishes and linens without worry about most fragrances being too harsh or causing any discomfort.
And the obvious benefit to most people is the soothing scent that helps you drift off to sleep at night.
Grapefruit
With its fresh citrusy scent, grapefruit oil is an excellent way to disinfect surfaces and linens in your home. Not only does it offer natural cleanliness but also provides the perfect accent scent to any space!
Peppermint
The refreshing scent of peppermint oil can be used as an excellent home deodorizer. It also has antibacterial properties, and prevents bugs from gathering in your house!
Pine
With its refreshing, pine-scented aroma and ability to kill mould, mildew and other household bacteria it’s no wonder that this natural ingredient has been used for centuries in cleaning products.
How To Use Essential Oils for Cleaning
The beauty of making your own natural cleaning products with just the right combination
of essential oils and water, vinegar or dish soap is that you can create many different types of DIY cleaners. You’ll never buy a store-bought chemical again!
Cleaners you can make with essential oils:
● All-purpose spray
● Window cleaner
● Linen spray
● Carpet refresher
● Stain remover
● Dusting spray
Cleaning With Essential Oils Safety Tips.
Firstly, there are just a few tricks you need to know when making natural essential oil cleaning solutions at home. Here they are:
1. Always use distilled water when possible because it will remove any chemicals or hard minerals from your tap.
2. And, I was always taught that you should add the essential oil last. It’s because it interacts with other ingredients in different ways and can change how they work if mixed beforehand!
3. Give it a good shake to combine all the ingredients thoroughly.
4. Get some dark bottles for storing your homemade natural cleaners. This ensures the potency lasts longer.
5. Essential oils can break down plastic, so get some good quality glass bottles, like the ones below.
6. Add as many drops as you like, I go mad because I like my scents strong, I generally add around 20 drops. And if you like a less in your face scent, add a couple of drops at a time until you reach your desired scent strength.
Essential Oils Safety:
● So when it comes to cleaning with essential oils, always dilute them first. They’re very strong in their concentrated form and can do damage if not diluted properly and don’t just use the oil without also adding water or other carriers!
● Essential oils aren’t for consumption. I mean you weren’t going to drink them were you? All jokes aside, as with any cleaner, keep out of reach of children and pets!
● If you are pregnant or have health conditions, check with your doctor before using essential oils.
● Some essential oils like Citronella are not safe for pets. Please check with your vet or check out this helpful article for guidance. Because I learned this the hard way, Citronella was my go-to until we brought home Belle, my Dalmatian puppy.
Essential Oil Cleaning Recipes
Homemade Essential Oil All Purpose Cleaner Spray
● 2 cups of water
● 2 cups of vinegar
● 1 tsp dish soap
● 20 drops essential oils
Window & Mirror Cleaner
● 3 cups distilled water
● ¼ cup of vinegar
● ¼ cup of rubbing alcohol because it prevents streaks.
● 20 drops essential oil
Homemade Kitchen Degreaser
● 3 cups warm water (hot in my case, I’m a rebel)
● 1 cup vinegar
● 1 tbs baking soda
● 1 tsp dish soap
● 20 drops lemon or orange essential oil
Natural Fabric Softener
● Jug of white vinegar
● 10-20 drops essential oil
Dusting Spray (Not For Wood Furniture)
● 2 cups water
● 1 tbs castile soap
● 15 drops lemon essential oil
Ideas for essential oil combinations:
● lemon and tea tree
● orange and grapefruit
● tea tree and pine
● peppermint, orange and eucalyptus
Ready to try cleaning with essential oils?
Learning about the many benefits of essential oils is a great decision.
It has been my experience that using them in your home can make life calmer for you and those around you, too!
Essential Oils Tool Kit
Brown Glass Bottles
Essential Oils Starter Set
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
This post contains affiliate links.
