8 DIY Cleaning Recipes for Every Room of Your House
Mother Nature offers powerful, safer cleaners in the form of germ-killing essential oils
By Leah Zerbe, Rodalenews.com
Here's a dirty little secret: The standard way of cleaning your home has a pretty murky health record. The majority of cleaners on store shelves contain hazardous materials you won't always find on the label, which is probably why more and more people are opting for DIY cleaning recipes.
The ironic twist of modern-day cleaning is that when we use most store-bought cleaners, we're unknowingly polluting our indoor air--oftentimes creating indoor air quality worse than that around a polluted highway! It's not just our lungs at risk, either. Using the antibacterial chemicals found in soaps and sprays can actually encourage pathogens to colonize in our noses, according to a recent study published in the journal mBio.
RELATED: 8 Must-Haves For Your Nontoxic Cleaning Kit
Forget all of the bleach, ammonia, triclosan, and harsh solvents. For most households, Mother Nature is powerful enough to handle the scum and germs that plague our tubs, countertops, and floors.
So we turned to the good folks at Mountain Rose Herbs, an herb and pure essential oils provider recommended by Rodale herbal experts, to share some of their herbal wisdom and favorite DIY cleaning recipes for every room.
PLUS: While you're at it, tackle your biggest spring cleaning dilemma. Read the 4 Biggest Clutter Culprits to learn what you can do about it.
1. Super Surface Spray
Use this aromatic and disinfecting solution for cleaning kitchen counters, cabinets, refrigerator shelves, blinds, painted wood surfaces, painted walls, molding, fan blades, and more.
Ingredients:
7 ounces distilled white vinegar
7 ounces water
7 drops tea tree essential oil
7 drops lavender essential oil
7 drops lemon essential oil
Directions: Mix all of the ingredients together in a 16-ounce spray bottle.
2. Herby Soft Scrub
Ingredients:
½ cup baking soda
½ cup castille soap
15 drops antimicrobial essential oil, such as rosemary or sage
Directions: Mix ingredients into a 12-ounce glass jar until you have a nice consistency like cake frosting. If you have leftovers, add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to keep the blend nice and moist. Be sure to put a lid on the glass jar between uses.
PLUS: 12 Household Toxins You Should Banish From Your Home
3. Antibacterial Soap Spray
Use this cleaning spray to disinfect your bathroom surfaces. You can use the Super Surface Spray (mentioned above) to rinse away any residue left behind by the castile soap.
Ingredients:
14 ounces water or rosemary hydrosol
3 Tablespoons castile soap
15 drops tea tree essential
15 drops oregano essential oil
Directions: Mix all of the ingredients together in a 16-ounce spray bottle.
RELATED: Is washing with water and soap really enough? Find out once and for all, in the truth about antibacterial chemicals.
4. Refreshing Linen Spray
Spray to refresh your mattress, pillows, bed linens, couches, and fabric-covered chairs, or spritz clean winter blankets before storing them for the year. It also makes a wonderful ironing spray!
Ingredients:
3 ounces unflavored vodka
12 drops lavender, ylang ylang, peppermint, orange, or another favorite-smelling essential oil
12 ounces organic hydrosol of your choice
Directions: Mix all of the ingredients together in a 16-ounce spray bottle.
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5. Natural Lemon Furniture Polish
Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
25 drops pure lemon essential oil
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
Purified water
Directions: Mix the oil, essential oil, and white vinegar together in a 16-ounce spray bottle and fill the remainder of the bottle with purified water. Shake well before each use. Spray onto your rag or directly onto furniture. Buff surfaces dry immediately.
6. Tropical Carpet Deodorizer
This handy carpet powder will freshen things up in 30 minutes flat! Works wonderfully as a mattress deodorizer, too!
Ingredients:
1 cup baking soda
10 drops lemongrass essential oil
10 drops mandarin essential oil
10 drops ginger essential oil
Directions: Mix together and sprinkle the aromatic blend onto your carpet, let sit for 30 minutes, and vacuum as normal.
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7. Lemony Wood-Floor Mop Formula
Spray, mop as usual, and quickly buff dry to protect your floors. They will be glossy and clean with a lovely lemon scent!
Ingredients:
½ cup distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
20 drops lemon essential oil
Water
Directions: Mix all the ingredients together in a 20-ounce spray bottle and clean away!
8. Mop-It-Up Formula!
This is the perfect liquid cleaner for tile floors, vinyl, or linoleum.
Ingredients:
¼ cup castile soap
½ cup distilled white vinegar
20 drops tea tree essential oil
20 drops sweet orange essential oil
Directions: Mix the solution with 2 gallons of hot water and mop away the dirt and grime!
QUIZ: How Toxic Is Your Life? Find out if you need to detox your environment!
