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green cleaning recipes with essential oils

green cleaning recipes with essential oils - - local - letsbelocal.ca

leave the cupboard of chemicals behind 

Regular store-bought cleaners tend to be full of synthetic fragrances and harsh chemicals, that are harmful for your family, pets and the environment. Natural cleaners are just as effective, easy to make, and much safer. To help get you started, we've rounded up our top DIY cleaning recipes for the home. 

IMPORTANT TIP: In any water-based recipe, make sure you include an emulsifier such as Castile soap, Epsom salt, or high-grade alcohol. Why? Emulsifiers help your essential oils to stay suspended and evenly distributed throughout your solution. Without an emulsifier your oils will float on the surface of your mixture – this can cause skin irritations and breakdown your spray bottle mechanism over time.

Without further-ado, let's jump into it!

all-purpose cleaner

A must have in any home! This all-purpose cleaner is extremely versatile and can be used on everyday surfaces like countertops, tables, switches, handles, remotes, toys, the inside of your fridge and pretty much anything else that needs a regular clean. Avoid letting your mixture sit for long or scrubbing your surface abrasively as this cleaner may wear down the finish. 

Supplies & Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp Liquid Castile Soap*
  • Option A: 20 drops Protective blend (dōTERRA: OnGuard or Young Living: Thieves) + 10 drops Orange essential oil
  • Option B: 30 drops total of any combination of Lemon, Lavender & Peppermint essential oil
  • Option C: 30 drops total of any combination of Orange, Clove, Arborvitae & Cinnamon essential oil
  • 16 oz Glass Spray Bottle

*Instead of Castile soap, you can also use dōTERRA's OnGuard Cleaning Concentrate, 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol or 1 cup of white vinegar.

Directions:

Combine ingredients in your spray bottle and fill the rest with distilled water. Give your mixture a good shake before using it. Spray and wipe surfaces with a cloth.

creamy scouring scrub

Our second go-to natural cleaner is a creamy scouring scrub that you can use on sinks, tubs, tiles, hard to scrub dishes and even your oven. All you need is baking soda to neutralizes lurking odours (it also has a mildly abrasive texture that is awesome for removing stubborn grime), Castile soap to disinfect and lift any grime, and an essential oil (we used an orange essential oil for this recipe because of it's natural disinfectant properties, and because it's fresh and energizing). Let's get mixing!

Supplies & Ingredients:
  • 1 cup of Baking Soda
  • 5 tbsp of Liquid Castile Soap
  • 10 drops of Orange* essential oil (Lavender, Tea Tree and Peppermint essential oils are also great options)
  • 300 ml PET Plastic Jar or any jar you have handy

Directions:

In your jar, mix the ingredients together until they form a creamy paste. Apply the mixture to the intended surface (for extra stubborn grime let the mixture sit for 15-20 minutes), and use a scouring pad or brush to scrub. Finish by wiping away any paste with a damp cloth. 

toilet cleaner

Have no fear, this fizzing concoction will leave your toilets smelling fresh and looking sparkly. 

Supplies & Ingredients (the measurements for this recipe will differ depending on the state and size of your toilet):

  • 1/2 to 1 cup of white vinegar or 2-4 tbsp of liquid Castile soap
  • 1/2 cup Baking Soda
  • 8 drops of essential oil (Tea Tree*, Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, Peppermint)

*Tea Tree (Melaleuca) essential oil has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, making it one of the best oils to use in germ-ridden areas. We also love a good citrus oil because of the fresh and uplifting scent, and powerful cleansing and purifying properties.

Directions:

  1. Add vinegar to your toilet bowl. You can pour it in or add as much as you're going to use to a spray bottle so you can easily coat all sides of your toilet. We recommend rinsing your spray bottle afterwards as the vinegar may breakdown the spray mechanism if it sits in your bottle over time.
  2. Sprinkle the baking soda over top of the vinegar. You should notice a fizzing reaction between the two.
  3. Add in your essential oils.
  4. Let the mixture sit for at least 15 min (the longer the better).
  5. Use a toilet brush to give your bowl a thorough swish.

glass & mirror cleaner

Time to bust out a hard-working glass cleaner that will wipe away all of the dirt, dust, and residue that has accumulated over time. Use it on mirrors, windows and glass tables – the ingredients in this recipe work together to create a mixture that disinfects, shines, and quickly evaporates to prevent streaks.

Supplies & Ingredients:

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a 16 oz Glass Spray Bottle and top with distilled water. Give your mixture a good shake, spray your surface, and wipe with a microfiber cloth in a circular motion until dry and sparkly. 

carpet refresher 

Next on the list are carpets, which we all know tend to harvest unwanted odours and dirt, especially if you have pets or kids. Try this carpet cleaning solution to freshen up your space (we like to shake out and air our carpets outside for an hour before). 

Supplies & Ingredients:

  • 8 drops Tea Tree (Melaleuca) essential oil
  • 8 drops Wild Orange or Grapefruit essential oil
  • 3/4 cup of Baking Soda
  • 180 ml Shaker Bottle

Directions:

Combine ingredients in your shaker bottle and sprinkle on your carpet. Let it sit for 20-40 minutes before vacuuming it up. You can also use a glass jar and poke holes in the lid.

floor cleaner

Last but not least, this floor cleaner will help remove sticky stains, dirt, and dust. 

Supplies & Ingredients:

Directions:

Grab your spray bottle and your own homemade Swiffer pad or a traditional mop. Duplicate this recipe several times to cover large surfaces.

* For hardwood floors, we suggest reducing the vinegar portion to 3-4 tsp / 16oz to reduce the acidity of the solution. Always try a test patch on your floors before using the solution.

final thoughts

These cleaning products will help keep your home sparkling clean without having a cupboard full of chemicals. 

If you’re looking for vinyl bottle labels, check out our Metallic Green Clean Label Sheets. Available in Gold, Silver, and Rose Gold. You can also find a variety of Raw Materials and Empty Bottles on our website as well!

happy cleaning! 

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Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash.

2 comments

Lois Byard

Must try these! Thank you!

Carine Verbist

Merciii!! Thanks!!❤️😀

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