Essential oils are the power behind natural cleaning products.
Fortunately, you can now find non toxic cleaning supplies at your local health food store. Your local grocery store may carry them too.
Plant based cleaning agents do cost more. Compared to chemical concoctions.
But you don’t have to worry about exposure to harsh chemicals and artificial fragrances.
You can also make your own cleaning supplies with essential oils.
A general rule of thumb is that it will cost less to make your own cleaning agents. So you’ll probably save a lot of money if you don’t mind doing a little mixing.
If you’re into non toxic living, essential oils are, well, essential. You will need them to add muscle to your natural cleaning agents.
On social media you will find lots of essential oil cleaning recipes. Oftentimes, these posts are generated by independent distributors from multilevel marketing firms.
But I’ve found there’s absolutely no need to buy top-dollar essential oils for household cleaning projects. Especially for household cleaning projects.
Non MLM essential oils from reputable brands do the job just fine. I personally like to use Now brand essential oils for cleaning, because they come in a big bottle.
Big bottles are important, because you can use a lot of essential oils if you make your own cleaning supplies.
A lot of people seem to be getting sick of chemicals. (If I asked for a show of hands, that would include me.)
So essential oil cleaning recipes abound. I’ve included a number of links to them in this post so you can pick and choose.
Cleaning Essential Oil Recipes
(This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything, I receive a referral fee, at no extra cost to you.)
There are dozens of different kinds of essential oils. But only a few are generally used for cleaning projects.
These include:
- Lemon Essential Oil
- Sweet Orange Essential Oil
- Peppermint Essential Oil (You can find it here)
- Lavender Essential Oil (You can find it here)
- Tea Tree Essential Oil (You can get it here)
Peppermint and lavender oils are two of my favorites for cleaning.
That’s because lavender essential oil has such a clean fresh smell, and apparently, a long history for cleaning. The root word of lavender means “to clean.”
Peppermint Oil for Cleaning
Peppermint essential oil has a strong but very pleasant smell. But not to insects and rodents.
Most humans find peppermint refreshing and uplifting.
Rats, mice and bugs want to get away from it.
That’s why peppermint essential oil is often used for natural mice control.
I don’t think peppermint oil alone would root out a big infestation. Instead, think if it as another weapon in the ongoing battle against rodent control. (Apparently, every building has rodents, according to a pest control site I visited.)
So when you use peppermint essential oil for cleaning, remember that it has built-in pest control.
There are seemingly endless ways to use peppermint essential oil around the house. Here is an earlier blog post I wrote on how to use Peppermint Essential Oil for Cleaning.
Homemade Essential Oil Cleaning Recipes
There’s a distinct trend toward using essential oils in DIY cleaning recipes. At least judging by the number of blog posts on how to make your own cleaning solutions with essential oils.
Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, I reached out to other bloggers who’ve already published DIY cleaning recipes with essential oils.
The links below should give you plenty of ideas on how to use highly concentrated plant extracts for cleaning.
You’ll find a range of recipes, from DIY cleaning wipes to fabric softeners.
If you’re not already using essential oils around the house, the links below can help you get started.
Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner Tablets
DIY Tea Tree Oil Cleaner Recipes
Homemade Cleaners With Essential Oils
Homemade Glass Cleaner Without Vinegar
Natural Hardwood Floor Cleaner
DIY Lavender Linen Spray Recipe
DIY Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Tabs
Disclaimer
Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional.
