There are a variety of ways you can use your essential oils in your household cleaning. Here are just a few you can try:
- All Purpose Cleaner
This cleaner is easy to throw together and good to use on most surfaces in your home. This is also very inexpensive to make so it makes it ideal if you have a lot of cleaning to do. You can play around with different oils to find the smell you like the most.
- Equal parts vinegar and water
- ¼ cup Thieves dish soap or castile soap
- 15 drops Orange, Lemon or Tea Tree oil
- Glass spray bottle
Combine all ingredients in spray bottle and shake well to mix. Spray on surface and wipe clean with paper towels or a lint-free cloth. For dirtier surfaces I usually let it sit for a few minutes before wiping it clean.
- Glass Cleaner
Get that glass nice and shiny…and smelling nice!
- Thieves Household Cleaner
- Glass spray bottle
Pour one capful of cleaner into a spray bottle and dilute with water. Spray onto glass and wipe clean with paper towels or a window cleaning cloth.
- Goo Remover
Remove residue on reusable jars from old labels without inhaling toxins!
- ½ cup baking soda
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 10 drops Lemon oil
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well into a paste. Apply to sticky substance and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Rub off and rinse under warm water to help remove the paste and remaining adhesive.
- Stove Top Cleaner
They tend to get pretty dirty with all the different dishes made on them. But using this cleaner could make cleanup a breeze.
- ½ cup baking soda
- 3 tbl spoons water
- 10 drops Orange oil
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well into a paste. (you can add more water to make it the consistency you like.) Wipe the paste all over the stove top with a cloth and let sit for 5 minutes. Scrub clean with a new clean cloth, rinsing your cloth in clean water as you go.
- Stainless Steel Cleaner
So annoyed by the dirt, water stains and fingerprints on your supposedly print-resistant stainless steel appliances? Lemon to the rescue again!
- ¼ cup vinegar
- ¼ alcohol
- 10 drops Lemon oil
- Amber or blue glass spray bottle
Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle and mix well. Spray on stainless steel appliances and wipe clean with a lint-free cloth or paper towels.
- Rust Remover
Oil has always been used to combat rust (remember the Tin Man?). It’s no less of a solution when trying to clean rust in your house!
- 1 cup borax
- ½ cup vinegar
- 20 drops Lemon oil
Combine borax and vinegar in a bowl and mix into a paste. Stir in lemon oil. Apply paste to rust and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Scrub well with a brush and rinse. Repeat if needed.
- Mold and Mildew Remover
Don’t let mold and mildew scare you. . .as long as you notice it and know how to attack it. And with this recipe, you do!
- 1 cup vinegar
- 20 drops Tea Tree oil
- Amber or blue glass spray bottle
Combine ingredients in a spray bottle and mix well. Saturate mold or mildew with the solution and allow to soak for 5 minutes. Scrub clean.
- Toilet Cleaner
No one’s favorite to clean, but full of mold, bacteria and odors that we all wish to get rid of. A job like that might need a few options.
#1
- ½ cup baking soda
- ½ cup vinegar
- 10 drops Eucalyptus oil
Add all ingredients to toilet bowl. Scrub the inside of the toilet thoroughly with a brush. Allow to sit for several minutes, then flush.
#2
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup vinegar
- ¼ cup castile soap
- 10 drops Tea Tree oil
- 10 drops Peppermint oil
- Amber or blue glass spray bottle
Combine all ingredients in a large spray bottle and mix well. Spray on toilet surfaces and wipe with a clean cloth. Spray inside bowl and use a brush to scrub well.
#3
- 1 cup borax
- 1 cup vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 10 drops Pine oil
- 10 drops Eucalyptus oil
Combine all ingredients in a large bucket and mix well. Pour solution into toilet and allow to sit overnight. Flush in the morning.
- Grout Cleaner
Showers with grout tend to get a lot of slime, mildew and even mold. . .and it’s very hard to get rid of. Tea Tree oil can help clean and prevent mold and mildew from forming.
- 2 cups baking soda
- ½ warm water
- 10 drops Tea Tree oil
Combine baking soda and water in a bowl and mix into a paste. Add tea tree oil. Apply to grout with a sponge or small brush and scrub well. Allow to sit for several minutes then scrub again and rinse with clean water.
- Hard Water Stains
Hard water stains are hard to get rid of, but they may have a pretty big fight on their hands with this one.
- 1 cup vinegar
- 20 drops Tea Tree oil
- Amber or blue glass spray bottle
Combine ingredients into the spray bottle and mix well. Spray onto hard water stains and allow to sit for several minutes. Scrub with a brush, rinse clean and repeat if needed.
- Daily Shower Cleaner
With all the moisture, dirt grime, and soap scum. . .sometimes our showers could do with a little more than once a week cleaning. This daily shower cleaner is easy to make and store, and could be just what you need!
- ¼ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup castile soap
- 5 drops Orange oil
- 5 drops Peppermint oil
Add vinegar, soap, and essential oils to a dish want with a scrubbing sponge on the end. After your shower, scrub down the shower with the wand. Rinse completely with warm water.
Now, keep in mind some parts of your house may need some more TLC than others. Depending on how often you use it, how dirty it gets. . .and how quickly. . .you might have to do a little more throughout the week to make sure your once a week cleaning isn’t overwhelming.
So if you find odors hard to get rid of, you may have to keep up a maintenance clean throughout the week, and do a little more than you had planned (that trash may have to be emptied more often, or you may have to add a couple drops of oil to the toilet bowl daily) to keep it at bay.
Preserving Foundations 