Cleaning with Essential Oils

Hi ladies!  Today I am sharing a few safe, non toxic and effective household cleaner recipes using essential oils.  As I started selling NYR Organics a few years ago, I began to learn more and more about all the wonderful properties and uses for essential oils.  On the other hand,  I have also discovered how synthetic our world really has become!   Everything from our soil to our cleaning products and our cosmetics to our water, have been tainted with harsh chemicals.  These chemicals can interrupt our endocrine systems, nervous systems and leave us with headaches, hormonal imbalance and illness.  Once I started having kids, I really began to discover that vinegar is just as powerful as bleach!  I started to use it often, but would sometimes go back to a household cleaner just because I didn't like the smell of vinegar and  a part of me would still want some chemical germ killing Clorox wipes when cleaning up after the kids had been sick or had an accident.
Once I started reading about the anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-mold and anti-viral benefits of essential oils, I was hooked.  Adding these oils to my vinegar mixture, smells great and has given me piece of mind that my homemade cleaners actually work!!  Not to mention, you also receive the added benefits of aromatherapy while you are cleaning!  Who doesn't want to be relaxed or focused while cleaning?



All-Purpose Cleaner.  I have been using this for over a year now and works great for everything.  Countertops, tile floors, bathtubs, sinks, kids toys (if I ever get around to that), stove tops etc.
If my kids have been exposed to germs, this cleaner is so gentle I will even spray it in their bath!

3 cups water
1 cup white distilled vinegar (I was out of white vinegar when I made this batch so I used apple cider           vinegar- that is why the color is brown)
1 tsp baking soda
5-10 drops lavender
5-10 drops tea tree oil

Carpet Deodorizer.  This one is so easy and just refreshes your carpets.  It isn't really a carpet cleaner though, just helps to purify and combat odors.

5 drops essential oil of your choice.  (I picked mandarin because it's safe for littles, uplifts your mood and relaxes your nerves.  I am excited to use NYR's new Defence blend for this too.)

1 cup baking soda

Mix together, using a knife.  Sprinkle on carpets, let sit for at least 10 minutes then vacuum.  So easy!
You can use an old salt shaker, with a top with wider holes, to make it easier to "sprinkle".

Bleach Alternative.  I just discovered this one last week and I am so excited about it!  It is what inspired me to write this post.  Although my all purpose spray works great, every couple of months I feel our bathtubs and especially our kitchen sink need a good deep clean.  I found this recipe here and it works amazing!  She also adds citric acid, but I did not have any and it still worked great!  This cleaner made my stainless steel kitchen sink so shiny!  I wish I would have taken a before and after pick because it worked just as good as bleach if not better and we had been having issues keeping our sink fresh and clean.

1 1/2 cups 3% Hydrogen peroxide
1/2 cup lemon juice
distilled water to fill gallon jar
10-15 drops lemongrass essential oil 

Some other tips:
- Put a drop of an essential oil on your toilet paper roll so every time someone pulls on the roll, you receive an automatic air freshener!
- Put a drop or two of a purifying essential oil on a cotton ball and put it the bottom of the garbage can, winter boots (when they are packed away), storage containers, musty closets etc.
- Diffuse or burn oils to purify air.  I read that they will begin to lose their benefits after an hour or so, so use intermittently so as not to waste your oils!

*Also, I am so excited to try NYR's newest blend Defence.  This blend provides natural protection against common viruses and bacterias.  There are a lot of similar blends on the market that offer immunity protection, however, they contain Rosemary and Eucalyptus which, there is some evidence, can be harmful to children under 10.  I love that this is a safer alternative and will be making a hand sanitizer spray and room freshener spray.