Natural Cleaning Recipes with Essential Oils

By Karyn Siegel Maier
Published on January 16, 2012
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"The Naturally Clean Home" by Karyn Siegele-Maier features 150 easy green cleaning recipes.
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Citrus oils smell great, and they're also natural degreasers.
Citrus oils smell great, and they're also natural degreasers.
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Leave your home sparkling clean without the chemicals by using natural cleaning recipes.
Leave your home sparkling clean without the chemicals by using natural cleaning recipes.

Nearly everyone has heard about the virtues of common items such as baking soda and vinegar for scouring and absorbing grease. Adding herbal essential oils enhances a formula’s cleaning value and leaves behind a soothing, natural scent. It’s not just an advertising gimmick that many commercial products contain citrus oils such as lemon or lime–they are natural degreasers and have antimicrobial properties. Using natural products instead of chemical-laden commercial ones makes household tasks almost a pleasure to tackle. I know it’s hard to get excited about cleaning a bathroom, but when you realize that the surfaces are germ- and toxin-free, and the soothing aroma of cedar or lavender lingers, you won’t be able to suppress a smile of satisfaction. And that enthusiasm is contagious–even the kids will want to pitch in!

Cleaning with Natural Ingredients Saves Time, Space and Money

Making your own natural cleaning recipes is not time-consuming or expensive. In fact, quite the opposite is true. It only takes a minute or two to fill a spray bottle with vinegar and water and add a few drops of essential oil. Bingo–instant glass and appliance cleaner! Having done that, there’s one less aisle to visit in the supermarket. The majority of commercial cleaners are quite expensive. A typical spray or foam cleanser for the bathroom, for instance, can cost $4 or more. A natural alternative, on the other hand, will cost pennies to make. You can buy essential oils for an average of $3 to $5 per half fluid ounce. Because you only use 5 to 30 drops of the oil (depending on the formula), that half-ounce goes a long way. Other all-natural ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, water and castile soap are also inexpensive.

You will marvel at the amount of uncluttered space that becomes available in the area where you store cleaning supplies. According to Debra Lynn Dadd, author of Toxic Free, the average kitchen is home to 30 or more commercial products, the laundry room six! Many of the herbal formulas you will be making are multipurpose, so the number of cleaning products you store will be greatly reduced–an immense help to those of us with only a little bit of space under the sink or in a closet.

Ingredients for Natural Cleaning Recipes:

Baking soda: Otherwise known as bicarbonate of soda, you can find this ingredient in any supermarket, usually in the baking supplies aisle.

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