A lot of people are beginning to be more aware of the dangers of using chemical cleaners in their homes. Not only do most chemical cleaners cause damage to wood and other floor materials, but they can also be rather harmful to one’s health.
Many people are switching to natural cleaning approaches, including essential oils, for their alternative cleaning solutions. Oils like lemon, tea tree and lavender are safe and effective for cleaning your home. You can use them to clean your surfaces, furniture and even clothes.
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Can essential oils work for cleaning?
The first question that you may have about essential oils is whether or not they can actually be used as cleaners.
The good news here is that essential oils are potent enough to kill bacteria and germs. They can even kill fungi if you happen to have mold in your home. In addition to being effective cleaners, essential oils are also gentle on your home and body.
They are not irritating to your health. First of all, they don’t have the strong smells that chemicals do. So if you happen to have allergies or asthma, cleaning with essential oils might be better for your health than traditional cleaning products.
Even if you don’t have allergies, you won’t have to worry breathing in strong chemicals or them getting on your skin. Potent essential oils may dry up your skin but they are not harmful like chemicals are.
The best essential oils for cleaning
Some essential oils work better as cleaners than others. The most effective essential oils for cleaning include tea tree, lemon and lavender.
Tea tree
Tea Tree oil, also known as Melaleuca and is one of the most powerful cleaners in the essential oil market. It is a highly effective fungal, viral, bacterial, and microbial killer. In addition, it also smells really nice! You can easily use tea tree oil to create your own DIY cleaner at home and we’ll show you how.
Lemon
Lemon is one of the most potent antiviral cleaners that you can ever find being able to easily slice through grease and dirt. So if you happen to have very oily floors, then lemon will work wonders for you. Not only will it remove sticky substances, but it will also make your entire house smell fresh for a long time.
Lavender
The cool thing about lavender is that it has many functions. First, it can keep odors away from clothes. That’s why there are many lavender based laundry detergents. Aside from that, it can also be used as an antibacterial disinfectant that can prevent the growth of mold and mildew. You can spray it on your bed, your drapes, and even your clothes.
In addition to cleaning surfaces and odors, some essential oils can even fight germs. Read here to learn about what essential oils can kill germs.
How to make your own essential oil cleaner
They great thing about essential oils is that you can mix them together to easily make your own cleaner right at home. Follow these steps to create your DIY cleaner:
- Try out a weaker solution first
The first thing you need to do is to determine the strength of your essential oil cleaner. Put 3 cups of water or a regular cleaning solution in a bowl. Then just add 5 drops of your chosen essential oil.
- Add more essential oils
If you find the solution a little bit too weak, then you just need to add 5 to 15 more drops of the essential oil in the water or cleaning solution.
- Mix the solution and put it in a spray bottle
After that, mix the solution and pour the solution into a spray bottle. Then all you need to do is just spray your floor, walls, drapes, clothing or whatever else you want to clean.
Frequently asked questions about essential oils
Will essential oils and water mix?
Oil and water generally don’t mix, and this goes for essential oils and water too. That’s why you need to make sure that you shake your spray bottle really well to make sure the oil and water blend before cleaning with your essential oil cleaner.
Can you mix more than one oil together?
You can mix multiple essential oils together for your cleaning and diffusing needs. In addition to tea tree, lemon and lavender oil, you can add other essential oils as well.
For example, you can mix lavender oil with lime or peppermint. You can also mix lemon with vanilla and even tea tree with eucalyptus. You can even mix all three of our favorite choices together to create a really potent mix.
Are there any risks when using essential oils?
While essential oils are generally safe, gentle and non-toxic, you need to be a bit careful when handling them. Especially if they’re undiluted. If you have sensitive skin, essential oils can be an irritant if they come in contact with your skin.
What are good carrier oils that can be used with essential oils?
You can try basic oils such as coconut oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil or jojoba oil as carrier oils for your essential oils. A carrier oil is a mild oil you use as the base for adding your essential oil to dilute its potency.
After adding some drops of essential oil to you carrier oil, it should be safe to apply to your skin.
Are essential oils dangerous to pets?
Undiluted essential oils are dangerous to pets when ingested. Even some mixed solutions are not good for pets, so you may want to keep the spray bottles away from your pets just to be safe. Certain oils like eucalyptus, peppermint, cinnamon and tea tree can actually poison you pet and make it sick.
Pet safe oils include chamomile, frankincense and ginger. Make sure they are diluted and that your pet still doesn’t ingest them.
Switching to essential oils
If you want to stop using strong chemicals for cleaning, then consider using some of these great essential oils in your home. If you’re more of a DIY-er you can follow the steps above to make your own.
We hope that this little guide was able to help open your eyes to a possibly more organic home starting with cleaning materials. If you start using essential oils for cleaning, you can expect to have better health and overall a fresher home.
