Spring Clean your Heart Out

The votes from our Instagram This or That Poll are in- and up second your choice for What Essential Oil do you want us to use in recipes for Home Cleaning Products.

And the winner is....

Eucalyptus Essential Oil

First off, I should start by telling you a little about my cleaning habits so you understand where I am coming from when formulating these recipes. I am "get a deep clean once every 2-3 months" kind of gal, so that means my cleaning products need to be 1. Effective at tackling deep, set in grease or grime; 2. Have a strong penetrating scent to cut through the build-up of active human and dog musk; 3. Be able to add a layer of protection, especially in the case for my hardwood furniture and floors. On top of that I like the simplicity of ingredients that I can name, and I like not overcrowding the space under my sink with a retinue of very toxic products. I managed to check those boxes and clean all of the surfaces in my home with just three different recipes. I spent the entire of my Saturday testing these blends out so I can bring you a reliable blog, and of course avoid cleaning again for the majority of summer.

The best part about natural cleaners is you don't need five different ones to do the same job. No separate one for the bathroom shower and sink, and then one for the toilet, no kitchen counter scrub next to your ammonia floor cleaner, and no more Windex! One cleaner for the kitchen and bathrooms and a wood polisher to keep your furniture free of grime and healthy looking will suffice. I will, however, be sharing a "window cleaner" focused recipe, but really you could use it in your kitchen and bathrooms as well. The main differences in the recipes is that one needs a little more lead time to formulate and the other one is for on-the-spot cleaning. If you learn anything about me from this blog you should learn that I am a BIG fan of simplicity and if I can figure out how to use an ingredient lying around my house to avoid going to the store then I 100% will go that route, so my formulations are just that- simple, made with products I have on hand.

Window & Glass Cleaner

Let's get started with the longer timeline blend. We are making what is called an INFUSION. An

infusion is just the saturation of certain fresh or dried herbs in an oil or in this case a vinegar base over a period of time to extract the properties and scent of the herb. This is something I do a lot especially for this window and glass cleaner blend I use (and for some fun dandelion salves I make which you can find a recipe to HERE). Since I have managed to keep a Citronella plant alive for over a year now (woohoo!) I take full advantage of its blooms and trim the leaves to make bug spray infusions for myself and my dogs, but also for our glass! I collect a good handful of leaves and fill a mason jar with them and top it off with white distilled, or a combination of apple cider and white distilled vinegar. I fold a paper towel over the jar and attach the outer ring portion of the mason jar lid and leave it in a window sill for 1-2 weeks. Most people say you need two full weeks, but after one if you pull it down and do a sniff check you'll probably notice the smell of Citronella (or whatever herb you infused) and if you're in a pinch, use it then.

• 4 oz Mason Jar
• 1 bunch of fresh Citronella, Rosemary, mint, lavender, or whatever herb you've managed to keep growing
• If using a dried herb for about 1-2 tbs in the infusion and adjust as necessary
• 2-4 oz White Distilled Vinegar
• 2-4 oz Apple Cider Vinegar

When diffused transfer this to a glass spray bottle for best use.

Notes For Use

This is a strong cleaner that really does a good job of cutting through the nose slime that's created when you have four dogs who are eager to see you come home, or protect your house for the dreaded "walking neighbor." When I spray it on my windows I give it about 1 minute to set it and then, as my mom would say, "give it some elbow grease" and watch it work! Spray, wipe, repeat. I also use this spray for my glass gardening pots, wiping them down on the outside, being careful to only spray the rag or paper towel I am using with it as the vinegar could harm the plants. Citronella is a natural bug repellent and sometimes house pots get unwanted invaders so this is my way of deterring them. If you do this once a day it is most effective, but if you're like me and forget, you might still get pests, but here's to both of us being more consistent in the future to keep our house pots thriving!

All Corners of the House- Natural Cleaner

This next recipe is one I primarily use as a general household cleaner. I use it in the kitchen, the bathroom, on the floors, sometimes even on the scuff marks on our white walls if I stay cautious about how hard I wipe. There is no lead time for this blend, so you can make it on the spot and keep refilling it as long as you need. Again, I try to use what's laying around the house, so the type of vinegar I use varies. Many people would probably prefer a 1:1 of apple cider and white distilled in their kitchen and bathrooms, but I get huge tubs of white distilled and smaller bottles of apple cider so the one I primarily used for cleaning always ends up being white distilled. It works fine for me! This blend is the only one I have that explicitly uses Eucalyptus. It's not because it doesn't make a good cleaning additive- it absolutely does, but because like I said earlier, you just don't need that many cleaners. However, the antimicrobial benefits and of course the fresh scent of Eucalyptus Essential Oil are what really make this recipe go the extra mile. I should warn you though, Eucalyptus and pets don't always mix well which is why I primarily use this blend in the few rooms in the house the dogs don't actively hangout in, or at a very gentle dilution. I have seen no adverse side effects. If you have dogs I would recommend just a 2-3% dilution in rooms that your dogs (or cats) aren't always in and a 1-2% in rooms in which they are, but trying to avoid areas they sleep on or lick. If you want to avoid it all together then using Orange or Lemon Essential Oils in this recipe
will give you many of the same benefits and are more pet-friendly alternatives.

• 4 oz spray bottle
• 1-3 oz apple cider vinegar
• 1-3 oz white distilled
• 10 drops Eucalyptus (Orange EO or Lemon EO)
• 1 oz water

Blend essential oils in vinegar before adding water. Shake bottle well and voila! Go the extra step for your floors and double or triple the recipe when adding it to your mop bucket.

b b b bbbBBBONUS RECIPE

I threw in another recipe because I needed an oily option to really show love to the beautiful wood furniture and floors we have in our 100 year-old-home. Using the beeswax I had just ordered, and some grape seed oil I combined the two to make a nice thick coat to help lock in moisture. To cut through the greasy spots at the same time you will need something acidic to break it down, so I have just a touch of vinegar added to this blend as well. If you plan ahead and like the infusions you can infuse a lemon rind into the grape seed oil and have yourself a sweeter smelling, acidic alternative. I believe the beeswax in the recipe really gives it longer lasting protection, but not everyone has some just lying around, so feel free to substitute either of the beeswax or grape seed oil with coconut or olive oil. I add essential oils to this recipe but you don't have to, and sometimes they can be damaging to furniture. Being mindful of your dilution and/or spot checking on delicate pieces might be ideal if you're worried. If you do want to add essential oils I enjoy the blend of Orange and Cedarwood, or one with Pine and Lemon.

• 4 ox Mason Jar
• 1/4 Cup Beeswax
• 1/2 Cup Grape Seed or Olive Oil
• 1-2 Tbs of Vinegar (or the rind of one lemon infused in the oil for 1-2 weeks ahead of time)
• 5 Drops Orange (or Lemon) Essential Oil
• 5 Drops Cedarwood Atlas (or Pine) Essential Oil

Alright, now you're ready to spring clean your heart out this year! Get those corners no one ever sees, clean the glass light fixtures (I know you need to), and make sure you do a good enough job that you don't even have to think about it again until next year! Then get outside and enjoy the rest of the sunny warm weather.

- Until next time

Savannah Rose

Savannah Rose holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from Murray State University, and is currently the marketing coordinator for Time Laboratories and the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy. While her experience with essential oils is fairly new, beginning in the fall of 2018, she has since completed part of her Level 1 Aromatherapy Certification and is now finishing her completion of the Anatomy and Physiology requirements. She is currently looking to pursue Holistic Nursing and obtain her Bachelor's of Nursing Degree at Idaho State University. Savannah is also currently completing her Animal Aromatherapy Certification with Ashi Aromatics. She currently volunteers for a local pug foster, recently discovered a love for gardening, loves all things outdoors, and can often be found with a camera, a good cup of a coffee, or on a trail run. To learn more about Savannah and see the other aspects of her life you can follow her on Instagram @_savyrose

The statements made in this informational presentation have not been evaluated by the FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration). These products are not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent any disease, and should not be used as a substitute for medical care.