Blessings: Spring Cleaning with Essential Oils (Day 21)
Verse to ponder: Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. John 12:3
Spring is on the way – hallelujah! – and that means it’s time for Spring Cleaning! But many of the products we could use are filled with toxic chemicals. (Sadly, the labels aren’t required to include all of the ingredients. It’s frightening when you realize how many chemicals are really in those items. Even fragrance can be problematic because “fragrance” can mean hundreds of different chemicals – yikes!)
Making your own cleaners is very easy. Check out these ideas using the oils I’ve tried to make inexpensive cleaners that you don’t have to be afraid of!
Essential oils often boast antiseptic qualities. Wild Orange, Peel, Walk the Lime, and Lemon are citrus oils and blends that can clean the air or rid a surface of germs. At the end of the day, I’ll often drop 1 or 2 drops of Lemon or Wild Orange in my disposal and turn it on. It fills my kitchen with a clean scent, and I know the oil is working its magic in my drain.
Shield is another blend that can be used to make bathroom cleaners. Mixed with vinegar, Shield can be just as strong as the on-the-shelf products you may buy at your local store. I like the smell of Shield (think Christmas!), and I appreciate that not only is it cleaning my house but it’s boosting my immunity.
Air Freshener
Making air freshener with oils is ridiculously cheap! My favorite is one I just recently made and shared using Simply Aroma’s Restore blend. The nice thing about Restore is that it cleans the air (think Febreze but non-toxic!), and the sale of the product benefits RestoreOne, a foundation that works to end human trafficking.
The recipe only takes witch hazel, distilled water, and drops of Restore. You can find the recipe and instructions for DIY Non-Toxic Air Freshener here.
Counter and Surface Cleaner
I’ve always been worried about cleaning around my children with sprays because I haven’t wanted them to breathe anything that could hurt them. With essential oils and the counter cleaner I’ve made, I don’t have to worry. I wouldn’t want them to drink the concoction, but it’s less frightening than bleach or something with bleach in it.
The oils included in this recipe for cleaner have antiseptic qualities. Tea tree is great for killing germs as are lemon, lavender, and eucalyptus. I love how the oils are so diverse.
Other Ideas
There are so many other options for using essential oils when cleaning. Need a carpet, car, or shoe freshener? Use baking soda with a few drops of essential oils (think Restore, tea tree, lavender) like you would a regular carpet powder. Then, either vacuum or wipe out.
What are some of your favorite ways to clean the house that include essential oils?
In the spirit of Spring, visit some of my blogging friends who have also posted on the topic of Spring — but in various other arenas.
Baking in a Tornado has made us a White Brownie Parfait!
Someone Else’s Genius is showing off some Faux Terrarium Earrings.
Stacy Sews and Schools is getting us ready for the rain with a Splish Splash Rain Cape.
Eileen’s Perpetually Busy has crafted a precious Easy Spring Baby Blanket.
Home on Deranged offers us some Apps to Help Your Garden Grow.
Uplifting Families provides 12 Non-Candy Easter Basket ideas.
You can link up your Spring-theme post, too! Enter the linky below:
Great ideas! Most store bought cleaners give me a headache, so this is something I need to try.
I love the idea of being able to clean with nontoxic chemicals but still be able to get that fresh cleaned smell. There’s nothing like a house that smells as clean as it is.
I love the idea of making a DIY air fresher. There are so many harmful chemicals in the commercial ones.
I think lemon, spearamint, or citrus would smell awesome.