Getting into the cleaning and germ-fighting benefits of essential oils, but you need more ideas on how, when, and where to use them? Here’s a list of natural cleaning products and applications for a variety of essential oil blends and other non-toxic ingredients.
All Natural Lunch Box Disinfectant
Disinfect and deodorize lunch boxes.
Those soft fabric lunch boxes are great, aren’t they? Trouble is, if your child often comes home with remains of strong smelling lunches and snacks, they can get a little stinky.
To kill germs and remove odors, spray the inside of your child’s lunch box with the Thieves oil blend, which includes about 10 drops each of rosemary, cinnamon, lemon, eucalyptus and clove oils (learn where to buy my favorite essential oils at a discount).
To make your own spray, add 10 drops of oil to a spray bottle (make sure you invest in glass spray bottles when using essential oils so the oils don’t erode or leach into plastic bottles). Then fill the bottle with water and add a splash of witch hazel.
After spraying the lunch box, let it set for 15 minutes to a half hour. Wipe it clean and dry the lunch box with a paper towel, then leave open to air-dry for a day.
Odor eliminated, germs gone!
Disinfect and deodorize garbage pails
The kitchen garbage is notoriously stinky, and the bathroom garbage can probably use disinfecting on a pretty regular basis.
Instead of using antibacterial spray, why not opt for nature’s disinfectant in the form of powerful essential oils?
Tea tree oil is a great one for killing germs and removing funky smells.
Add five drops of tea tree oil to a glass spray bottle plus 10 drops each of lemon and peppermint. Add about 1/4 teaspoon of witch hazel with the rest of the bottle filled 3/4 of the way with water.
Spray the cans, let them set for about ten minutes, then wipe clean and dry.
You’ll get a delightfully fresh smelling deodorant and disinfectant spray for all the trash cans in the house.
Make a natural floor cleaning solution
I often use a plain vinegar and water solution to clean my floors, but it leaves my house smelling like a salad!
To clean your floors with a fresher smelling but still natural cleaning product, make your own solution.
Start with a chemical-free soap such as Dr. Bronner’s. Add to a bucket of hot water, along with about 20 drops of your favorite essential oils.
Lemon and peppermint oils make a refreshing, germ-fighting combo. Pine is reminiscent of Pine Sol, and goes nicely with tea tree oil for added sanitizing power.
If your floor is extra dirty or porous, as is the case with linoleum, you may need to scrub it with a natural abrasive cleaner, such as Bon Ami. Follow with the natural soap solution, then mop the floor if any residue remains.
Clean glass windows, mirrors, and picture frames
A few drops of your favorite essential oil such as lemon, peppermint, geranium or a combo of these go a long way in your homemade glass cleaner.
Just fill a spray bottle with 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water, then add five drops of the oil.
This mixture makes glass sparkle while adding a clean and fresh scent to your home.
Make a homemade, essential oil furniture polish
Buff and shine your wood furniture with this blend you can mix up at home.
Add 10 drops of citrus essential oil such as orange, lemon, or citronella to a bottle filled with 3/4 olive or coconut oil and 1/4 vinegar.
Before use, shake well and apply to a clean, lint-free cloth before rubbing into your wood furniture for a beautiful, citrus-scented buff and shine. Use sparingly – a little oil goes a long way on wood!
Clean wood floors with this DIY nontoxic mix
Wood is best cleaned with oil.
Mix up a blend of 3/4 olive oil with 1/4 white vinegar in a dark colored spray bottle.
Add a few drops of lemon or orange oil.
Shake well before applying sparingly over a small spot, and then buffing into your wood floor using a clean cloth.
When finished, get a second, clean cloth or mop and dry-wipe the second layer to allow the oil to penetrate the wood and avoid leaving a slippery film.
Go light on your oil application, as things can get slippery!
Clear the air with a fresh, daytime diffuser blend
Add a few drops of geranium oil, lemon oil, rose oil and lavender to your essential oils diffuser (this diffuser from Amazon is the perfect size – and price – to use in throughout your home) and then fill with water up to the safety line.
This mix is both soothing and cleansing to the mind as well as the atmosphere in your home.
Mix up an all-purpose room freshening spray
Lemon and peppermint invigorate the senses while clearing the mind for better focus and an instant mood lift.
Fill a spray bottle 3/4 of the way with water. Add 1/4 teaspoon witch hazel or vodka. Add 20 drops each of peppermint and lemon oils.
You can also substitute cinnamon for the peppermint if you feel like it’s a little too much pep for your current state of mind. Cinnamon oil is potent, so you’ll only need maybe 5 drops of it compared to the 15 or 20 of lemon.
The mix is a slice of heaven, and has the same effect as Mom’s apple pie, but without the calories!
Sanitize the dog using a natural, essential oil spray
Does your dog come in from outside smelling like… well… dog?
Get the dust off him and chase away any lingering little buggers like fleas, mites or ticks, with a homemade spray that he probably won’t like much but will smell great to you AND save you the trouble of hauling him off to the bathtub.
Fill a spray bottle 3/4 of the way with water, then add 10 drops of citronella, 10 drops of peppermint and 5 drops of clove oil.
Shake the bottle well, spritz your dog from head to tail, let sit for as long as he’ll let you (which probably isn’t very long), then paper towel him off.
Don’t forget to give him a treat for his troubles!
Clean sinks, tubs, grout and tile using a homemade natural abrasive cleanser
In a mixing bowl, combine baking soda, several squirts of natural soap like Dr. Bronner’s, and vodka or witch hazel to make a paste.
Add 5-7 drops of peppermint and tea tree essential oils.
Add this mixture to a squeeze bottle like this, or even an empty one that held dishwashing detergent, and label ABRASIVE CLEANER.
DIY HOMEMADE fruit & Veggie rinse
To remove pesticides from fruits and vegetables, try this all-natural produce wash.
Fill a squirt bottle 3/4 of the way with half water and half vinegar. Add in 10 drops of grapefruit oil.
Before eating, add fruits and vegetables to a bowl, cover with homemade rinse, and add water to bowl. Let the food soak for 15 minutes before rinsing and serving.