Use Essential Oils to Green Clean Your Home

All natural essential oils can be used as environmentally friendly cleaning agents for your home. Pure, organic essential oils are without chemicals and safe for your family and pets. Not only do many organic essential oils contain cleaning power without chemicals, but the scents are wonderful for the home and provide the benefits of aromatherapy. Creating your own green cleaning products from essential oils is easy, and saves you money as well. In the long run, essential oil green cleaning products are less expensive to make from home than buying multiple cleaners at the grocery store.

Essential oils are sold online and at craft stores. Initially it may seem that some of the essential oils are costly, however, the oils are concentrated and only a small amount is needed for each recipe. Buying a larger quantity can reduce the cost per ounce. Look for pure, high grade organic essential oils from reputable sources. Avoid fragrance oils, as these are not the same as pure organic essential oils. Fragrance oils often contain synthetic chemicals and do not possess the cleaning power of essential oils. Creating essential oil green cleaning products requires only a few tools. Have on hand funnels, measuring spoons, eye droppers and containers, which can be found at craft stores as well. Save and wash clean any empty spray bottles and reuse them to store your green cleaning products. Essential oil green cleaning products should be stored in a dark, cool area, so as to prevent the breakdown of the oil from light and temperature.

The citrus family of essential oils, such as lemon, orange and lime, grapefruit and tangerine, all have amazing green cleaning abilities. They are antiseptic in nature and work great as a disinfectant. For an all purpose green kitchen cleaner, add 20 drops of grapefruit and 10 drops of lime to a 32 ounce container and shake well. Green clean your kitchen countertop, cabinets, trash can and more with this all purpose disinfectant. Citrus essential oils also make great furniture polish. Many recipes call for olive oil, but I prefer lighter color oils like jojoba. Fill a bottle with 4 oz of jojoba oil, and add 10 drops of lemon essential oil. Shake thoroughly and use your green clean furniture polish sparingly on a dry cloth to buff shine your wood furniture.

Tea tree oil is well known for its disinfectant and antibacterial properties. Tea tree oil has been used throughout history for green cleaning surfaces, as well as people. Tea tree was used in army kits in the World War II era for wound cleaning because of its antibacterial properties. For green cleaning the bathtub and other hard surfaces, add 12 drops of tea tree oil to one cup of baking soda. Shake the mixture well and sprinkle over the tub and sink. Let the mix sit and work for five minutes and scrub clean! Make a green cleaning product that will remove mold and mildew by mixing a cup of water, a cup of white vinegar with two teaspoons of tea tree oil. Spray onto mildew, let sit for several minutes and wipe clean.

A lavender and eucalyptus blend of essential oils can be used to clean and freshen up bedrooms, linens, trash cans, drawers and closets. These organic essential oils can also be used as a laundry additive for fresh smelling clothes. Prepare a basic all purpose mix by adding 20 drops of lavender and 8 drops of eucalyptus to two cups of water. Use a clean, fine mist spray bottle for the container. Shake well before each use. Spray pillows, sheets and bedspreads to freshen, or add a half cup directly to the laundry rinse. It's also nice to spray a cloth to add to the dryer. As a green cleaner, spray trash cans and other surfaces and wipe clean.

Pine essential oil, mixed with cedar wood essential oil, makes an excellent wood floor green cleaning product with an excellent fresh scent. Add 25 drops of pine oil and 10 drops of cedar wood oil to a gallon of hot water. Another tip is to add the oils to a quarter cup of Murphy's Oil Soap, which is a green clean product as well. Any one of the above essential oils can be used as a carpet deodorizer when added to baking soda and sprinkled onto a rug before vacuuming. Use 10 drops of essential oil to 2 cups of baking soda, sprinkle and wait ten minutes, then vacuum.

Using essential oil green cleaning products will reduce the amount of chemicals used and stored in your home. Save money on cleaning products and protect your health by creating basic cleaning supplies for your home use that are environmentally friendly and easy to make with a few simple ingredients.