It’s no secret that cleaning is not my favorite thing in the world, but just like many adult household responsibilities, it has to be done. When I first got married, I used blue toilet bowl cleaners, bleach, blue glass cleaner, and chemical all purpose sprays. When I became pregnant with our first child, I changed my ways. The idea of her breathing in toxic ingredients made me cringe and think twice about what products I was using in our home.
For several years now I have been making my own cleaners or purchasing non-toxic ready made products. Truthfully, you can do most of your cleaning with white vinegar, baking soda, and Castile soap. It’s simple, cheap, and effective. A couple of years ago though, I was introduced to essential oils and loved the idea of adding scent to my cleaning products. The smell of vinegar can take some getting used to when you are used to that lemony fresh artificial scent in commercial cleaners.
I began using mainly lemon essential oil just for scent. After self experimentation and research, I found out that essential oils are really great for more than just scent. They contain powerful benefits all on their own including being helpful in fighting against bacteria, viruses, mold and mildew, as well as being great for cutting grease, removing sticky messes and stains.
Now essential oils are a staple in my home and are added to just about all of my homemade cleaners for an extra boost. I personally use Plant Therapy essential oils in my home because of their quality and price. If you are looking for a great Spring Cleaning starter set, Plant Therapy has a great set that will last you a long while.
Pictured below are the oils that I typically use the most in my cleaning routine: Lemon, Orange, Tea tree, Lavender, Peppermint, and Germ Destroyer or Germ Fighter.
If you are new to essential oils or homemade cleaners, here are seven recipes to get you started and make cleaning with essential oils easy. All recipes are very simple to make and contain common inexpensive ingredients.
7 DIY Cleaning Recipes with Essential Oils
All Purpose Spray
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 20-30 drops of lemon, orange or Germ Destroyer Essential Oil
Instructions can be found here.
Mop Solution
- 1 gallon hot water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 15-20 drops lemon, orange or Germ Destroyer Essential Oil
Instructions can be found here.
Carpet Deodorizer
- 1 box baking soda
- 3-5 drops of essential oil of choice such as lavender or peppermint
Sprinkle on carpet. Let sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Vacuum carpet.
Fabric Softener
- 1/2 cup Vinegar
- 2-3 drops essential oils such as lavender
Put in the rinse cycle of each load.
Window cleaner
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
- 1 T. corn starch
Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle.
Shake and spray onto windows, mirrors, or glass.
Wipe clean with a lint free cloth.
Dusting Spray
- olive oil
- vinegar
- lemon or orange essential oil
Find recipe and instructions here.
Grout cleaner/Soft Scrub
- 1 cup baking soda
- 3 T. Castile soap
- 10 drops tea tree oil or orange oil
- water if needed
Add all ingredients in a small container and mix to form a paste.
Add a small amount of water if needed to create desired consistency.
Using a scrubbing sponge or brush, dip a small amount of paste and scrub area until clean.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Plant Therapy. All opinions and pictures are my own. I only endorse companies that I use in my own home and trust.
Fireplace: Put any conifer essential oil onto each log in your fireplace. As the logs burn, a wonderful fragrance will fill the roomGoddington Carpet Cleaners Ltd.
So useful blogpost! Thanks for sharing!
I just recently got some jojoba oil and decided to make a few roller bottles of jojoba and essential oils. it is so much easier to apply thieves to my spine and bottom of my feet to help protect me during the cold and flu season.
Thanks for all of these cleaning mixes! I’ll definitely have to try the carpet deodorizer. Ever since I bought a dog, regardless of how often I bathe him, my house always smells like dog! I think it has something to do with the fact that his hair gets caught in the carpet. I bet if I vacuumed more often, and used baking soda and lavender, the problem would go away. Essential oils are so awesome!
Brook | http://www.freedomcarpetcleaning.com.au/services
I use lavender and lemon oils regularly for cleaning. Lemon oil is wonderful to add to furniture polish. Lavender banishes odors and bacteria. I will have to try orange and peppermint now.
I love Lavender so I love every recipes related to lavender
You know many people love to have a clean house and I think they will be very happy when they know that your 7 diy cleaning receipts can do that. Many thanks!
getting that odd damp smell out of my carpet has always been a headache, and I got the solution now, that is so easy to get rid of, other processes are also useful ,but I got mostly helped by this tip, thanks so much!
There’s nothing more comforting or invigorating than a home scented with essential oils. And now I know it can be used to clean the house too. Thanks for great idea and recipes Tara. Can’t wait to try this out.
I will try the Windows Cleaner recipe, coz my home have too many windows and i hope when i open it in the morning, they can bring me a wonderful aroma that help me start a great day!
Thank you!
All the recipes seem so easy and cheap! I feel that it is time for me to explore the world of non-chemical cleaning methods. Many of my friends are cleaning with vinegar and baking soda and they are really happy with the results! I really like essential oils. They smell lovely and I think that there is no possible way that the home made cleaners will not be great with them! Thanks for sharing!
Ah…. you’re totally right! Cleaning is aweful! That is the last thing I wish to do in my life…. but I need to do it every weekend. I’ve tried the essential oil as the deodorizer, and it works really well! I may try the other uses this weekend and see how it works. Thanks so much for sharing!
i need some information or recommend about using essential oil with shower. Thanks you
Thanks for this post Tara. I particularly liked the mop sauce recipe. Hadn’t thought of that lol.
thanks for the information and instructions, really helpful !
I find it very helpful! I think I found a solution to deal with some problems with cleaning my flat.
I Love Diy stuff especially essential oi! I will the Windows Cleaner recipe. Thanks for sharing the tips!