Keeping our homes clean especially during cold and flu season is important. However, many of the store-bought cleaners contain harmful, hormone-disrupting chemicals that may cause more harm than good. Air fresheners that contain synthetic fragrance should also be avoided when removing chemicals from your home. Making natural homemade cleaners that will disinfect and leave your home smelling fresh is easier than you may think. We will list the best essential oils for disinfecting and cleaning and how to use them.
Tea Tree
Tea tree oil comes from extracting the oil from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia tree that grows in Australia. It can be used topically for several health conditions, but it is also a fantastic disinfectant with anti-bacterial qualities.
Tea Tree oil is also great at killing mold and mildew so this is a great choice for cleaning tile floors and showers. Not only that, but a couple of drops added to your washing machine wash cycle will also act as a laundry booster leaving your clothes cleaner and smelling fresh.
Lemon
We all love the fresh smell of lemon. In fact, it’s one of the most popular cleaning scents. Most of the cleaners that have the lemon scent we love are actually using synthetic fragrances that are harmful to our health.
A high-quality lemon essential oil is pure and not only cleans the air and surfaces, but it has been shown to elevate the mood. It takes approximately 75 lemons to make one 15ml bottle of lemon essential oil! No wonder there are so many amazing benefits.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon essential oil comes from the bark of the Laurus Cinnamomum plant. It has many more benefits than that of the dried spice. The oil is also much more potent and able to provide many more benefits.
Cinnamon oil has strong disinfectant properties and is a great choice for a multi-purpose cleaner. This scent is a favorite in the fall and winter, so it makes sense to add it to a cleaning routine especially during those seasons. Try combining it with wild orange for even more of a disinfectant punch. The strong scent of cinnamon combined with the fresh citrusy scent of wild orange makes the perfect aromatic combination.
Peppermint
Especially popular during the holiday season, the sweet and spicy aroma of peppermint is not only pleasant but can ease tension and headaches. Peppermint comes from the peppermint plant, a cross between spearmint and mint. One drop of peppermint essential oil is equal to approximately 27 cups of peppermint tea. Needless to say, it’s extremely potent and amazing as a disinfectant due to its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
Peppermint has also been found to help eliminate issues with insects and rodents due to its strong scent. Putting some oil on a cloth or cotton ball and wiping areas where insects and rodents can get inside such as doorways and windows will prevent them from entering.
Another great combo for cleaning is to combine peppermint oil with tea tree oil. The cool refreshing scent of peppermint and the spicy aroma of tea tree is a refreshing combination.
Wild Orange
Wild orange oil is one of the top choices for easing tension, improving your mood, and promoting relaxation so it makes perfect sense to add this to our daily cleaning routine. In addition, Wild orange helps to purify the air and surfaces and is anti-bacterial.
Wild orange is great for cleaning surfaces, polishing, degreasing, and removing stains making it one of the best essential oils to use for disinfecting and cleaning.
How to Use Essential Oils for Cleaning
Now that you know which essential oils to add to your cleaning routine, you may be wondering how to use them.
Essential oil and vinegar recipe
In a spray bottle, combine one cup of white vinegar, one cup of water, and 10-15 drops each of the essential oils of your choice. Shake well before each use since the oil and water will separate.
Not all essential oils are made the same. Many inexpensive oils on the market have been shown to contain very little essential oil, and lots of inexpensive and harmful fillers. And even if the fillers are clean carrier oils, you may still be paying more for the filler, than the essential oil themselves. Do due diligence when researching which essential oils to invest in.
Creating a clean home doesn’t require several bottles of cleaner. Just one or two homemade cleaners will be sufficient in cleaning all of the surfaces in your home. You can rest assured that your home is truly clean from top to bottom.
Now that we have learned how to replace household cleaners with safe alternatives, let’s discuss keeping our homes free of formaldehyde.
