How to Create an Essential Oil Cleaning Kit

There are many benefits to making your own household cleaning products, including significant cost savings, minimizing the amount of plastic and paper packaging you purchase, and improved health and safety that results from eliminating the use of toxic chemicals in your home. If those benefits aren't enough, you can add a variety of essential oils to your homemade cleaning products in order to enjoy the additional aromatherapy benefits provided by essential oils. This article explains how to create an essential oil cleaning kit.

Method 1 - Window Cleaner

1

→ Pour ¼ to ½ tsp. (1.23 to 2.46 ml) liquid soap or detergent, 3 tbsp. (44.36 ml) vinegar, and 2 cups (.47 l) of water into a spray bottle and shake well. Add a small amount of lemon juice.

2

→ Spray the windows and wipe clean with a paper towel.

Method 2 - General Purpose Spray Cleaner

1

→ Fill a spray bottle with water until it is nearly full. Fill the remainder of the bottle with distilled white vinegar and add a small amount of liquid soap or detergent and a small amount of lemon juice. Shake well.

2

→ Spray surfaces such as counter-tops, sinks, stoves, floors, and toilets and wipe the solution off with a sponge, rag, or paper towels.

Method 3 - Scrubbing Paste

1

→ Add 1 cup (240 ml) of baking soda and a few squeezes of liquid soap or detergent in a small bowl.

2

→ Mix the soda and soap together until they form a creamy paste, adjusting the amount of liquid soap as needed to get the desired consistency. Add 2 to 3 drops of the essential oil of your choice.

3

→ Apply the paste to the bathtub, bathroom sink, stove top or silverware. Scrub, and rinse well with water. The paste can also be used to remove burned soot from the surfaces of pots and pans, apply the paste and let it sit overnight. Scrub and rinse thoroughly.

Method 4 - Furniture Polish

1

→ Combine ½ tsp. (2.36 ml) olive oil and ¼ cup (60 ml) of vinegar or fresh lemon juice in a glass jar. Place a small amount of the mixture on a clean, soft rag and wipe it on wood surfaces.

Method 5 - Mold Killer

1

→ Combine 2 tsp. (9.86 ml) tea tree oil and 2 cups (.47 l) of water in a spray bottle. Shake well.

2

→ Spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. The tea tree scent is very intense, but it will go away within a few days.

TIPS

→ Essential oils are not interchangeable with aromatherapy oils, which are often used for making perfumes or scented candles, or for massages. Essential oils are heavily concentrated, while aromatherapy oils are essential oils that have been diluted with a carrier oil. When making home cleaning products, use 100% pure essential oils.

→ A few drops of essential oils can be added to any of these recipes. Popular scents for household cleaning products include lavender, lemon, eucalyptus, pine, juniper, and orange.

→ Essential oils enhance household cleaning products with strong, concentrated scents that add a nice aroma along with aromatherapy properties, if desired. Some essential oils, such as tea tree, have antimicrobial properties that make them good disinfectants for your home.

→ On a unit by unit basis, homemade cleaning products cost about one-tenth of the price of a similar commercial product, even when including essential oils, some of which can be costly.

Warnings

→ Wear rubber gloves when mixing your cleaning ingredients in order to prevent skin irritation should you spill any of the ingredients.

→ Keep all essential oils in a safe place where they cannot be reached by children or pets.

→ Essential oils are usually very concentrated. Use the amount specified in your recipe. Adding more oil will not make the product clean better, it will only make the scent stronger, which can be overpowering, and it may cause the product more to irritate your skin.