How to Make Essential Oil Cleaners

If you are looking to ditch your toxic household cleaners, then you arrived at the right place. We are going to take a deep dive into WHY you want to do that and how to make essential oil cleaners that easily replace the harsh chemicals.

Caution – Pregnant women should do some research before using essential oils. There are some essential oils that are not advisable to be used by pregnant women.

The smell, look, and feel of a clean house often gives us a sense of comfort; real or imagined, you feel confident that you have removed germs and bacteria from your home. But the cleanliness of your home may come at the price of exposing your family to harsh chemicals if you are using commercial cleaning products.

I want to show you a natural, safe, and easy way to replace your toxic household cleaners with essential oils. With their powerful cleaning capabilities and wonderful aroma, essential oils are an excellent alternative to your chemically-based cleaners.

Essential Oils – A Safe and Natural Way to Clean Surfaces

There is a safer way to clean the surfaces of your home than with harsh chemicals. You’ve probably heard about using household items like baking soda and white vinegar for cleaning. Add some herbal essential oils to them and you can make your own aromatic, effective cleaner.

Not only will your home feel and look cleaner with essential oil cleaners, but it will smell cleaner with a more soothing, natural scent. Essential oils are incredibly effective for cleaning, smell amazing, and contain none of the toxic ingredients of commercial products. However, as with any cleaning agent, they must be used safely and in recommended amounts to avoid any possible harmful side effects. It is your due diligence as a consumer to always make sure you stay safe.

The Dangers of Commercial Cleaning Products

Consumers spend millions of dollars on household cleaning products. They buy all sorts of products to fight germs and bacteria, to clean streaks and stains and to minimize odors in the hopes of a brilliantly clean house. But many don’t realize the harm lurking in these products.

When cleaning, it is inevitable for you to be in contact with the cleaning product. It may be on your skin or you may inhale it. If you are using commercial cleaning products, this could pose a problem with your health because that exposure can be toxic.

Cleaning is supposed to be about keeping a healthy home, yet many commercial cleaning products contain unhealthy, toxic chemicals. Moreover, these chemicals often make their way to waterways and oceans, causing damage to sea and marine life. This is simply unacceptable. Hopefully, learning about the effects of these harmful cleaning products will have you thinking twice about using them.

Hazard symbols on a cleaning product mean that it could be corrosive, poisonous, or an irritant. It means that the product has acute health hazards when you are exposed to it, whether a single time or in the short term. This is important to know to ensure the safety of your loved ones.

We all are exposed to low levels of cleaning products and their residues every day. Whenever these chemicals are used to clean our homes, residue lingers in the air and can be inhaled by anyone.  There are about a hundred volatile organic compounds emitted from just a small amount of commercial cleaning product.

To reduce or even avoid the harmful effects of these commercial cleaning products, you can opt for a safe, more natural way of cleaning your home with essential oils.

Using Essential Oil Cleaners to Replace Your Toxic Cleaning Products

Your kitchen is full of natural cleaning ingredients. The most common ingredients are baking soda and white vinegar. While baking soda is unscented, vinegar has a rather pungent smell.

But, when combined with essential oils, they become a more pleasant cleaning product with no harmful effects to your health or the environment. Essential oils not only smell great, but they also feature effective antiseptic and antibacterial properties.

However, before using essential oils for household cleaning, there are a few things to keep in mind. For example, essentials oils are plant-based, and even a small bottle requires several plants to make. This makes every bottle of essential oils very potent; you only need a few drops.

In general, a bottle of essential oils can remain effective for quite a long time. Many essential oils contain high antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. This makes them excellent ingredients to replace your toxic commercial cleaner. But with so many to choose from, here is a quick guide to the best oils for specific purposes.

Best Essential Oils for Cleaning Products

• LEMON ESSENTIAL OIL

Lemon has long been used for natural cleaning around the house. It is definitely a good choice because not only does it contain antimicrobial, antiseptic, and antibacterial properties, but the citric scent of lemon is said to help improve a person’s mood.

• SWEET ORANGE ESSENTIAL OILS

Recent studies have demonstrated that sweet orange essential oils can prevent the growth of the bacteria that cause E.coli. and the Salmonella[1], making this essential oil perfect for cleaning the kitchen. Sweet orange is also another great antifungal, antiseptic, and antibacterial ingredient that will boost your mood.

• TEA TREE OIL ESSENTIAL OIL

When it comes to essential oils, tea tree oil is a household name. Just like the first two, tea tree oil is antiseptic, antimicrobial, and antibacterial, but with the bonus of being an effective insecticide. This makes it ideal for cleaning high traffic areas like the bathroom and kitchen. Since the scent of tea tree oil is quite potent, it is best to dilute it with another essential oil like lemon to create a more pleasant smell.

• PEPPERMINT ESSENTIAL OIL

Peppermint essential oil comes from the peppermint plant and has strong astringent and antiseptic properties. Because its scent helps improve work performance, alertness, and mental clarity, it is the perfect cleaning ingredient for work areas.

• LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL

Lavender essential oil is highly touted as a polyvalent, an agent powerful against many toxins. It, too, has antiviral, antiseptic, and antibacterial properties that make the oil strong and effective for cleaning. In addition to that, lavender has relaxing effects on the body and mind that make it an especially great choice for cleaning places like the bedroom, which can benefit from an overall feeling of calmness.

There are many other essential oils you can use for your household cleaning products; these are just among the most commonly used. Essential oils give natural cleaning products an extra appeal, making it easier to choose the safer, more natural choice.  In addition to improving your health, making your own cleaning products can also improve your wallet!

How to Make Essential Oil Cleaners

All the essential oils mentioned above are great, effective, all-purpose cleaning ingredients. Use any of them to create the perfect, natural, essential oil cleaners for your home. If you are unsure of how to use them, here are some of the most common essential oil cleaning recipes.

Disinfecting Spray

This disinfecting spray uses vodka, water, and essential oils. The most recommended essential oils for this spray are those of lemon, lavender, or peppermint. Mix together ½ cup of vodka, ½ cup of water, and 50-75 drops of your preferred essential oil.

Dishwashing Blend

In love with your citrusy dishwashing soap? To create your own, you will need liquid castile soap, sweet orange essential oil, lime essential oil, and citrus seed extract. Fill a squirt bottle with diluted castile soap. Add 20 drops of lime essential oil, 10 drops of sweet orange essential oil, and 5 drops of citrus seed extract. Shake well before using.

Sink Scrubber

Having problems with stubborn stains on your sink? You will need ¼ cup of baking soda, ¼ cup of washing soda, ¾ cup of vinegar for rinsing, and 8 drops of tea tree oil.

First, combine the baking soda, washing soda, and essential oil. Make sure it is mixed in an airtight container so you can shake it well. Sprinkle some of the mixture in the sink and let it sit on the stains for a few seconds, then begin scrubbing using a damp sponge. Rinse with vinegar followed by hot water.

If you aren’t sure what washing soda is, be sure to check out this helpful article!

Window Cleaner

Either lemon or lavender essential oils work well in this formula. Combine 2 ounces of water with 10 drops of your preferred essential oil. Mix well, apply to the window, and wipe down.

Oven Cleaning Formula

If your oven has been neglected and is now badly in need of a cleaning, this is your go-to for food splatters and baked on grease. Use with fine steel wool.

To make the formula, simply mix ½ cup of salt, ¼ cup of washing soda, ¾ cup of white vinegar, 1 box of baking soda, ¼ cup of water, and 10 drops each of lemon and thyme essential oils. Apply and scrub with the steel wool.

Toilet Cleaner

Fear not—you really can make your own antibacterial toilet cleaner that will easily and effectively clean the general surface as well as behind and under the seat. In a spray bottle, mix 2 cups of water, ¼ cup of liquid castile soap, 10 drops of peppermint essential oil, and a tablespoon of tea tree oil. Make sure to shake well before applying to toilet surfaces. Wipe surfaces clean using a sponge or damp cloth.

Conclusion

It is easy to fall victim to the paranoia and obsessions surrounding commercial cleaning products. Many ads instill a sense of fear that your house is not as clean as you think it is and you must use harmful, toxic chemicals to make it safe for your family. But homemade cleaning products using essential oils are just as effective, significantly cheaper, and infinitely healthier than their toxic counterparts!

References

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6073409/

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Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The contents of this article, made available via The Mind Body Design (Holistic Fit LLC), are for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. The Content presented here is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information provided by The Mind Body Design (Holistic Fit LLC). Reliance on any information provided by this article is solely at your own risk. And, of course, never use an herb or essential oil without first reading the label, doing your research, or checking with a local expert.