How to replace toxic cleaning products with essential oils
I love using essential oils for cleaning!
As well as being incredibly effective, they also smell amazing and are not toxic unlike many commercial cleaning products. Of course, you still have to use them with safety and in the correct amounts.
Many cleaning products are very toxic and harmful to our health when in contact with skin or inhaled – things you normally do when you clean!! These toxic chemicals also end up in our oceans and waterways and can cause havoc to our marine and sea life.
If you want to read up about the harmful ingredients, check out this article by Dr David Suzuki.
I use essential oils alongside other natural things like bicarbonate of soda, castile soap and vinegar. Oils provide not only the awesome aroma (which by the way you also benefit from inhaling while cleaning) but the grunt behind the cleaning with their antibacterial and antiseptic properties.
I always use 100% pure and natural oils (like Thursday Plantation) with no synthetics or fillers, even for cleaning. Not only will they do a better job, you don’t want to be inhaling cheap, nasty oils.
My top three oils to use for cleaning are eucalyptus, tea tree and lavender. They all have antiseptic properties and eucalyptus and tea tree kill 99.9% of household germs.The bonus is that these oils have multiple purposes and you can also use them for all sorts of first aid treatments as well.
The power of mother nature!!
Here are some ways you can use essential oils around the house for cleaning.
Make sure you do a quick spot test on surfaces first!
1. Straight eucalyptus oil on a cloth is great for removing stains and scuff marks from walls and floors.
2. A few drops of eucalyptus oil with some bicarb in the toilet bowl will clean it, remove odours and keep your loo smelling fresh.
3. A very easy to make, budget friendly all-purpose spray is simply to combine 1 cup water with 1/2 cup of vinegar, 2 teaspoons castile soap and 20 drops of either tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil or lavender oil.
HOT TIP: I am not a fan of plastic, so I use glass spray bottles, sourced from the health food store. You can also easily make your own by using old glass bottles and fitting an old spray nozzle onto the top. It might take a little trial and error to find a perfect match!
4. Put a few drops of essential oil in your vacuum cleaner bag for a lovely fresh smell.
5. Pop a few drops of essential oils into your mop bucket with hot water and a good splash of vinegar. It will disinfect the floors and get them sparkling clean.
6. Eucalyptus makes a fabulous home-made stain remover. Simply mix 1 cup of water with 1/8 cup of eucalyptus essential oil in a spray bottle. Give it a good shake before you use it and spray directly onto stains.
7. Eucalyptus oil is also fabulous in killing off dust mites. Use a few drops in the rinse cycle of a hot wash when you do your bedding.
8. Put a few drops of lavender oil on the inside of your toilet roll. Every time someone uses the paper, you will freshen the smallest room in the house with a lovely scent!
9. If you have sickness in the house, dilute some tea tree oil in a small bucket of hot water and wipe all surfaces down, including door handles and phones. Diffusing a few drops of oil in a diffuser or oil burner will help purify the air as well.
10. 10 drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle with water and vinegar will deter mould. Spray it in the bathroom or kitchen on those areas where mould likes to grow.
11. Ditch those toxic air fresheners and use a spray bottle filled with water and 10-20 drops of lavender oil. The bonus is that you can also use this mix in the kid’s rooms to help them relax and fall asleep.
12. For an easy to make anti-bacterial hand wash, just mix some castile soap with a few drops of tea tree oil.
13. To make a carpet freshener, mix 20 drops of essential oil thoroughly into 1 cup of bicarbonate of soda. Sprinkle on the carpet, leave for 20 minutes or so and then vacuum up.
Want some more ideas on how to use essential oils around the home?
Head to the Thursday Plantation website to see ideas and tips that readers have submitted! You might like to submit your own tip too.
Safety First! Although essential oils are all natural, they are very potent and must be stored away from children and used with care.
*this post is sponsored by Thursday Plantation