An Organic Household Cleaner
Creating your own natural cleaning products is one of the easiest and most satisfying things there is. We’ve all walked down that aisle at the grocery store where there’s a cleaning product for absolutely everything; windows, floor, countertops, stovetops and so on. Most of these products are filled with endocrine disrupting chemicals, take up a lot of room, smell toxic and quick frankly are a waste of money. I mean how many different ways are there to clean a surface. Now there’s always exceptions. Ceramic stove tops for example often require specific cleaning products, and well sometimes there’s no way around it. When it comes to your everyday wiping needs (countertops, cupboards, fridge, bathroom sink, toilet, floor) I like to keep it simple and natural.
Enter essential oils, baking soda and vinegar. I’ve been sticking to the motto that you have everything you need. Use what you already have at home. Most of us have vinegar or apple cider vinegar, baking soda, and essential oils.
When you need a bit of a boost, combining baking soda and vinegar creates a foaming action which helps fight tougher grime.
Essential oils are great for cleaning for many reasons. All essential oils are antifungal, antimicrobial, help eliminate odors, cut through grease and kill germs. They will also help boost your immunity.
Tea Tree
Antimicrobial, anti-fungal
Great for cleaning soap scum, mold, mildew
Rosemary
Anti-fungal, antiseptic, antiviral
Air freshener
Peppermint
Antiviral, anti-fungal
Lemon
Great degreaser
Pine
Helps eliminate odors
Baking Soda
Helps eliminate odors
Great for scrubbing and cleaning tough surfaces. Great for sinks and tubs.
My surface cleaner consists of filtered water, baking soda, peppermint, tea tree, bergamot and rosemary essential oil.
Use a glass bottle if you can as a essential oils can degrade plastic. I’m still using a plastic one while a find a suitable glass bottle. No need to overhaul your whole life in one day. Removing the toxic chemicals is a great first step.
Play around with different essential oil combinations and see what resonates with you. I love the combination of peppermint and rosemary, but maybe you’ll prefer eucalyptus and bergamot or simply tea tree. I used to always look up recipes, but now I play with my own combination and like to switch things up. It depends how big of a bottle you’re using and your personal smell preference. Rosemary and peppermint are an incredible combination. I start with 10 drops each of rosemary and peppermint and play around with the other oils. Some oils, like tea tree are quite strong and a little will go a long way.
To learn more about essential oils, head over to this post.