Essential Oils and Their Uses

Essential Oils Can Heal Your Home!

Some of my favorite essential oils are

• Lavender
• Lemon
• Eucalyptus
• Lemongrass
• Grapefruit
• Lime
• Tea Tree Oil

These make me feel calm, they renew my spirit, and create an
aromatic ambiance that makes my house feel like home to me. At first, I just used them in my diffuser but as I kept reading about essential oils I realized I could do so much more than just smell them and use them topically on my skin.

I was so excited the day I learned that these same essential oils can also have powerful “HEALING” powers for my home. I went right out that afternoon, bought some glass spray cleaning bottles and made up a few batches of Natural Cleaners. It was quite easy and fun and I enjoyed going through and cleaning with my new-found discoveries.

You don’t necessarily need to use glass cleaning bottles if you want to make up smaller batches and use them up right away. I just like glass containers best. If I know I am making a cleaner that I want to keep for a month or so I make sure I use glass containers to mix and store the product in. I will also use distilled water unless I am just making a small batch.

I felt great using the natural cleaning power of essential oils to freshen my home, I actually ditched all the old cleaners I owned that had toxic chemicals that could potentially harm my daughter, husband, and pets.

Here is what I use to clean my home. I hope you enjoy reading and please feel free to comment or ask questions by clicking on the comment link at the end of this post.

Home Made Olive Oil Furniture Polish Recipe

Oil moisturizes wood furniture – just like certain oils moisturize your skin. Made sense to me so I tried it and I Love it. I think you will too.

• 1 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup White Vinegar Heinz 6% is Best
• 4 drops of Lemon Essential Oil

I only make a little of this at a time so that the Olive Oil does not get rancid. You can store it in a cool dark place and it will last quite a while. A couple months.

I spray this right on my wood furniture and buff it into the wood grain. I love how it looks when I am done and I know I am not putting a waxy build up on my furniture. The waxy build up from other wood polishes will need to be removed – if it is already present – before you will see the beauty this recipe will give.

Essential Oils To Clean a Wood Floor – Use This

This is what I use on my wood floors – as the recipe above is for furniture and it would be too slippery for floors.

You can adjust the amounts per scale should you want a smaller amount – instead of putting in a bucket you can put this in a spray bottle and spray on your floor and mop so in that case you would want to divide these amounts probably by 8. 2 cups of water, 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar, 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol and 1/8 tsp of dish soap.

In a bucket mix together:

1 gallon warm water
4 cups white vinegar (distilled) Heinz 6% is Best
2 cups rubbing alcohol
***1 tsp liquid dish soap – The Original Dawn Works Great
(optional) Pure essential oil, not blends – The amount is up to you – depends how much scent you prefer.

*** It is best to use a plain detergent such as Dawn, the original. Dish soaps with added ingredients such as anti-bacterial or scents or something to moisturize your skin will have ingredients that will streak and change the outcome of the cleaner. Some folks will think to swap Castile Soap or Borax or other natural soaps for the dish detergent – this could leave streaks so it is NOT recommended.

Always use Distilled White Vinegar as using Apple Cider Vinegar will attract pests and leave streaks.

If your floors already have a build up of a film this recipe MIGHT take it off – depends on what the reason for the build up is. You could try this recipe without the detergent for the first few moppings to see if it breaks up the film. If there is no film build up at the moment then mix up this formula and mop away.

Enjoy
Connie

P.S.  I like this formula as it is streak free when mixed correctly and is not slippery on the floor – again when mixed correctly.  A site I recommend reading for more Safety At Home tips and concerns is Safety At Home – Helpful Information on Making Your Home Safe.    

Kitchen Sink Cleaning Tips – Power Scour Your Sink

Here’s an easy DIY tip to create an all-natural kitchen sink scrub that smells divine. All you need is

• ½ cup of baking soda,
• ⅓ cup of vinegar, and
• five drops each of Bergamot and Lime essential oils.

Mix ingredients in a glass bowl, dip in your sponge, and get busy scrubbing the sink. Rinse well with warm water, and you will have a clean shiny sink, without toxins. Bergamot has a light citrus scent and mixed with the lime really cuts the vinegar scent that often lingers after cleaning with straight vinegar.

How To Clean Pots and Pans

You’re probably cooking at home more than usual these days, which means you’ve got more pots and pans to wash. But don’t despair! We’re here to share the secret ingredient for all you master chefs who haven’t mastered the art of pan scouring yet.

It’s lemon oil.

All you have to do is clean out the pan as much as you can.

Then boil water in the dirty pot or pan, and add a five or six drops of lemon essential oil to the mix. The heated lemon oil will gently remove yucky stuck food clinging to your cookware. I remember when I was a kid my mom used to heat up water in the pans after we were done eating and then she would clean the stuck on food. Back then she didn’t know to add lemon – now we have lemon oil so easily available. Sorry Mom.

(You can also add a few drops of lemon oil to your dishwasher soap compartment to leave your dishes spot-free and citrus fresh.)

Want a Clean Shower Curtain Liner?

Don’t just clean yourself while you shower, keep your shower curtain liner clean every day too!

Fill a 4 oz. spray bottle with warm water and mix four to 6 drops of antibacterial eucalyptus essential oil and four to five drops of anti fungal tea tree oil into the bottle.

When you get into your shower – Spray your shower curtain.

I  went ahead and purchased a new shower liner because I did not want to clean the old one any longer. After a while you just have to get another one. I looked up how to keep the new liner clean and this is what I found. The heat from your shower will help dispense the oils and keep your shower curtain fresh and mildew-free.

Essential Oil and Mold

Mold and mildew are the nasty home invaders none of us want and we can’t wait to get rid of.

I run an essential oil diffuser in my bathroom for a couple hours each day. Sometimes I fill it with tea tree essential oil to kill fungus or I fill it with cinnamon leaf essential oil which is an antimicrobial.

I change it out depending on the season and my mood. I shut the door and run the diffuser for a couple hours to keep the microbes out of the air. For me it works great and hopefully you will find the same is true in your home should you try this.

Also, I mix

• 5 drops of tea tree oil
• five drops of grapefruit oil
• 1 cup of white vinegar

to a spray bottle.

I spray problem areas I have identified previously with this mixture and it seems to really have taken care of the problem. I have not had a recurrence of mold or mildew since I started doing this. I owned a real problem under my sink because of a leaky pipe under the floor. No problem now. Got the pipe fixed also – Which was great!

I owned learned that grapefruit oil has a high citric acid content and helps to naturally neutralize mildew and mold spores. Spray problem areas in your bathroom and kitchen to keep your home clean and help stop mold!

What to Clean Refrigerator With? – Freshen Up Your Fridge

The truth is, your refrigerator is one of the stinkiest places in your house. Smells from pungent foods, like fish, can linger in your kitchen long after you’ve shut the refrigerator door. Using baking soda is a great way to absorb foul fridge odors, but there is another cleaning hack you should use to help keep your fridge even fresher.

Mix

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 2 cups hot water and
• 10 drops of your choice of either grapefruit, lime, or lemongrass essential oils

Mix these ingredients up in a spray bottle and use this solution to spray the shelves in your refrigerator. Let the solution set for a couple minutes to soak if there is a dried on spilled mess. This sweet-smelling solution will leave your fridge feeling clean and fresh. No more stinky refrigerator and all clean – without chemicals.

Keep Your Fruit Fresher a Few Day Longer with Essential Oils

Not really a cleaning hack but I remembered this when I was cleaning my kitchen today and thought I would mention it.

Want to make your fruit more appealing and stay fresher longer? Not too many of us like bruised apples or brown bananas. Try this essential oil hack.

Simply add 3-5 drops of lemon essential oil to a bowl of cool water and soak the fruit for a few minutes. Take it out and let it dry naturally on your counter before putting back in your refrigerator or wherever you like to keep it. This will help increase the shelf life of your fruit, leaving it bright and ripe for a few extra days.

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