You already know that many commercial cleaning products contain chemicals that may be harmful for you, your family, and the environment. After all, you’re here visiting my website for natural, healthy alternatives for your body and wellbeing.
Scouring (ahem!) the internet for DIY solutions can be time-consuming and overwhelming, and that’s where my knowledge of natural ingredients and essential oils can help you. Many of the product recipes below use common, inexpensive natural ingredients like bi-carb soda (baking soda), white vinegar and salt, which are available from most supermarkets. Essential oils enhance the cleansing properties of the products and they smell naturally great at the same time.
Plug-in air fresheners
Swap out your plug-in commercial air fresheners for an ultrasonic
diffuser or make your own air freshener spray. Try doTERRA’s Spring Fling Room Spray:
In a glass spray bottle, add 20 drops each of Lemon, Grapefruit, and Lime oils, and top with distilled water. You may wish to add more drops of essential oil depending on the size of your spray bottle.
Give the bottle a shake and spray liberally.
Toilet bowl cleaner
Swap out commercial toilet cleaner for natural ingredients. Put ½ cup of bi-carb soda, 10 drops of Tea Tree oil, and ¼ cup of white vinegar directly into the toilet bowl. Scrub as the vinegar and bi-carb soda react.
Hand Soap/Wash
Swap out commercial hand soap for a natural, healthy alternative – you could use doTERRA’s On Guard® Foaming Hand Wash or make your own hand wash:
Just re-use an empty foaming hand wash bottle and pour in 2 tablespoons of unscented liquid castile soap and 1 tablespoon of Fractionated Coconut oil. Add 10 drops of your favourite essential oil(s), then slowly add water to fill the bottle, leaving some room for the foaming pump. Give it all a good shake, then pump one to two times into your hands and wash with warm water.
Bathroom/shower cleaner
Swap out commercial cleaner for this effective, fresh smelling blend:
In a glass spray bottle, combine 1 cup white vinegar, 4 teaspoons castile soap, and 10 drops each of Tea Tree and Eucalyptus essential oils. Shake well, and spray generously on tub and tile. Allow to sit for 5–10 minutes and wipe clean.
Multi-purpose ‘spray and wipe’ cleaner
Fill a spray bottle with water and add doTERRA On Guard® to clean all benchtops and surfaces. (Make sure each time you use it that you shake it well before spraying!)
‘Ouchie’ spray
Having a ready-to-go Ouchie spray blend in your handbag is a safe way to support your children emotionally when they have an ouchie. A homemade ouchie spray not only soothes and smells nice but contains natural antibacterial properties which are found in many essential oils.
In a 30 mL spray bottle, add 10 drops of Frankincense, 10 drops of Lavender and 10 drops of Tea Tree oil. Top up the rest of the spray bottle with Fractionated Coconut oil. Remember to shake the bottle well before each use.
Perfume/fragrance
Essential oil blends are a perfect, safe alternative for commercial perfumes and fragrances. You can combine your favourite essential oils with a carrier oil in a 10 mL roller bottle and dab the blend on your pulse points, behind your ears etc. You can also suspend your ‘pure-fume’ in water with Epsom salts, witch hazel or alcohol! Give this a try:
Fill a spritzer bottle with 30 mL of vodka (any vodka) and add 3.4 mL of Vanilla bean vodka mix*, 12 drops Frankincense, 12 drops Lavender, 6 drops Tangerine, and 4 drops of Vetiver essential oils.
*To make the Vanilla bean vodka mix, marinate 3 vanilla beans in a jar with 500 mL of vodka for 1-3 months. Recipe above is based on a 30 mL spritzer bottle (adjust ingredients proportionally according to bottle size).
Shower/body wash
Commercial body wash can contain nasties like parabens, artificial colours and fragrances, petroleum-based ingredients or even triclosan (if it is anti-bacterial) which is banned in the U.S. Switch to this blend for a gentle, naturally fragranced clean:
Combine ½ cup of unscented liquid castile soap, 3 tablespoons Fractionated Coconut oil and 4 tablespoons of vegetable glycerine in a 250 mL glass pump bottle. Add 10 drops of your favourite essential oil(s) and shake well. Try doTERRA’s Citrus Bliss®, Peppermint, Grapefruit, Lime, or Eucalyptus for an uplifting body wash. Just remember to shake the bottle before each use as the ingredients will separate!
Window/glass cleaner
For a streak-free, effective clean, try this:
In a spray bottle, combine 1 cup of white vinegar with 1 cup of water, and 10 drops of Lemon oil. Spray on the glass and wipe clean with a lint-free cloth.
Household cleaning wipes
For a safer, natural way to conveniently clean up spills or other messes, you can make these easy-to-use wipes using doTERRA On Guard® products:
Ingredients
1 roll premium paper towels
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons Fractionated Coconut oil
3 drops doTERRA On Guard® Protective Blend
1–2 tablespoons doTERRA On Guard® Foaming Hand Wash
Instructions
- Cut paper towel in half widthways with a serrated or electric knife and place them in an airtight container with a lid. Use half the roll now and half later.
- Combine water, Fractionated Coconut oil, On Guard® Protective blend (or your favourite essential oils), and On Guard Foaming Hand Wash in a small bowl.
- Pour mixture over paper towels and cover with airtight lid. Let the mixture absorb for 10 minutes.
- Turn the container over and let sit for another 10 minutes.
- Remove and discard the cardboard tube. Pull wipes from the centre of the roll when ready to use.
If you want to purchase doTERRA products to try out the above recipes or would like my guidance to make or modify the recipes to suit your needs, please
contact me. Do you have a tried-and-true essential oil recipe for around the home that you’d like to share? Please leave a comment!