Spring is in full swing, and that means that spring cleaning will be on many people’s minds. With the recent virus situation, maintaining our personal and domestic cleanliness is seemingly more important than ever. Luckily, with the spread of online advice, many people are finding alternative cleaning methods to chemical-based detergents, air fresheners and other cleaning products. Essential oils are a great multi-purpose tool to incorporate into the routines that cleanse your home.
Cleaning the Air
A noticeable way to cleanse your home and create a more inviting environment is to clean the air. Essential oils in a diffuser are great for dispelling odors and promoting specific health or mood benefits through aromatherapy. (We have more information on which essential oils to use for particular purposes on our blog!) We recommend putting 5-10 drops of the essential oil of your choice in your diffuser for this method.
If you don’t have a diffuser, you can make your own potpourri with essential oils. A mix of dried apple and orange peels, and whole spices such as star anise, cloves or cinnamon work great as a base. Simply mix your base ingredients with about 5 drops of essential oil and place in containers around your house to fight odors for up to 2 weeks.
An extra odor-busting tip is to add a few drops of essential oils to a box of baking soda and leave the box sitting open in locations that form odors, such as in the fridge or in the bottom of the trash can.
Cleaning Surfaces
One cup distilled water, one cup white cleaning vinegar, and 15-25 drops of an essential oil of your choice make a great multi-purpose cleaner for surfaces around your home. This should be sufficient to remove most spills and grease from kitchen and bathroom surfaces.
If you are working on something that requires a stronger cleaner, try sprinkling baking soda directly on the surface before spraying your vinegar-based multi-purpose cleaner. We all remember the bubbling reaction from high school science, so creating this reaction directly on the surface is a great way to tackle tough messes. However, avoid using baking soda on easily scratchable surfaces.
If these approaches don’t work for your particular mess, you can also add about ¼ cup liquid castile soap to your multi-purpose cleaning mixture. This may make your DIY cleaner more effective for the cleanup of grease and oils.
Cleaning Laundry
Oils are actually pretty effective at lifting other oils when cleaning. For this reason, essential oils can actually be a solution for grease stains on clothing. Drop just a few drops of lemon or orange essential oils directly on the grease stain and put immediately in the wash. This method is most effective if you catch the stain right away. The process can be repeated if the stain isn’t removed after the first wash.
If you just want to fragrance your laundry with your favorite essential oil, try dropping a few drops on wool dryer balls before putting your laundry in the tumble dryer.
There are countless ways to keep your home clean and fresh with essential oils, so check out our blog for more tips and tricks.