7 Essential Oil Cleaning Recipes with Simple, Healthy Ingredients

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Making your own essential oil cleaning recipes is so much fun! You’ll get to enjoy all the aromatherapy benefits of essential oils, without having to breathe in the toxins of harsh cleaners. Once you’ve cleaned your home using essential oils, you’ll never go back to the toxic versions of these cleaners. 

Do you know that indoor air pollution is even worse than outdoor air pollution?

The products we use in our home every day, may seem innocent enough, but they are contributing to health issues like allergies, asthma, headaches, hormone imbalances, weight gain, autoimmune disease, and cancer.

Just because they are available to purchase at the grocery store, does not mean they are safe or healthy.

Do you know that unlike products you consume, things like cleaners do not have to list ingredients, and do not have to be safety tested?

If you want an eye-opening view of what toxins lurk in your home, please watch The Truth about Toxins. 

Why Choose Essential Oil Cleaning Recipes

Part of what started me on this whole journey of simple and natural living, was cleaners.

Way back when my oldest was a newborn, I suddenly became aware of how toxic my cleaning supplies were. I recall making sure she was safely asleep in her room, with her door closed, before I would clean the bathroom. I wanted to protect her from those toxic fumes.

Then I had a bit of an epiphany ~ why was I willing to expose myself to them? After all, I was her mom – didn’t I want to stay healthy for her, too?

I also realized that if the fumes were so toxic, then what kind of residue were they leaving behind on my tub (which she bathed in), the floor (which she would eventually crawl on), etc.

However, at the time, I wasn’t really aware that there were other options. I grew up using things like Windex, Pine Sol, Comet, and the like… were there really other things you could use to clean your home?

Time for change…

Fast forward a couple of years, when I gave birth to my 2nd child. When he was 5 months old, I was snuggled up with him on the couch, nursing him, and watching an episode of Oprah. It was all about the toxins that were in our homes, and she gave alternatives that were safe and non-toxic.

You can watch that episode here. 

This is the point that the light bulb went on. It was a very distinctive point in time, as it really changed the whole trajectory of our lives. Everything she pointed out on the show, I realized we had in our home. All the cleaners, personal care products, scented plug-ins, even the disposable diapers I was using on my baby were toxic. It became my new mission to detoxify our home, one item at a time.

Initially, I felt very overwhelmed by the whole process. I didn’t know where to begin, so I decided to just tackle one area at a time.

Swapping out Toxic cleaners for Natural cleaners

I figured that cleaners were the most toxic thing we had in our home. I began replacing everything with store-bought, natural versions of the cleaners I was used to purchasing. I also discovered the miracle of vinegar! It was so useful for cleaning windows and mirrors.

Over time, I wanted to save some money, and I also wanted more control over the ingredients that were used in my cleaners, so I began phasing out the store-bought natural cleaners and replacing them with simple, homemade versions. 

Doing so also greatly simplified my life, and reduced our waste. Instead of purchasing multiple bottles of different products (which I would then have to recycle), I could simply buy a few basic ingredients in bulk and keep re-filling my own bottles. Less things to buy and store, less things to recycle, and a win for the planet! 

Benefits of Essential Oil Cleaning Recipes

I began incorporating essential oils into my cleaning recipes, for an extra boost of cleaning power, and also to make my home smell great! As much as I love cleaning vinegar, I didn’t want my home to smell like french fries. 🙂 So adding essential oils was a great way to have healthy, non-toxic scents in our home.

Over time, I began to realize the many other benefits of essential oils as well! Like getting a better night’s sleep, reducing our family’s waste, and saving money!

In addition to all the aromatherapy benefits of using essential oils while cleaning, they also have antibacterial and antiviral properties – making them a perfect addition to your homemade cleaners. 

I’d love to share with you my favourite essential oil cleaning recipes!

7 Essential Oil Cleaning Recipes with Simple Ingredients

If you’ve been thinking about switching out some of your store-bought cleaners, for safe, healthy, non-toxic versions, here are 7 simple essential oil cleaning recipes.

You’ll notice how incredibly simple they are, and how few ingredients they require.

All-Purpose Cleaner with Vinegar & Essential Oils

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I make a small amount of commission at no extra cost to you. See full disclosure here.

I always keep a very basic, all-purpose cleaner on hand. It’s simply 50/50 vinegar and water, and about 10-20 drops of essential oils. I sometimes switch it up, I like lemon and wild orange. You could also use things like tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, lemongrass… whatever you like, really!

All essential oils have anti-bacterial properties, but some are better for cleaning than others. You can play around and see what you like! Depending on the seasons, I like to use different oils.

Quality matters. If you’re going to go to the trouble of making your own cleaners, be sure and choose high-quality essential oils. Most store-brand or Amazon essential oils are adulterated – meaning they are not pure, and often have synthetic additives (even if they say they’re pure).

You can learn more about the brand I use, trust, and recommend, here. 

I use a plastic spray bottle for this, because a large glass bottle would be too heavy to carry around the house. Just make sure you invest in a higher-quality plastic bottle. Cheap, dollar store ones will break down very quickly with the essential oils. I purchased mine at a local hardware store (TSC).

You want a professional-quality sprayer, like this.

Advertisers would like us to believe that we need a different cleaning product for every application in our home. It’s simply not true, and I have drastically simplified my cleaning cupboard, replacing almost all of my cleaners with this one simple cleaner.

I use this for:

• countertops
• appliances
• floors
• dusting
• windows
• mirrors
• pet messes

Powdered Cleanser with Baking Soda & Essential Oils

In place of something like Comet, I wanted something that I could use when things needed an extra good scrub. Like my stainless steel sink or my bath tub. I came up with this very simple cleaner!

• Baking soda
• Lemon essential oil

I simply took an old tomato sauce jar, and using a hammer and nail, poked some holes in the lid. Filled the jar with baking soda and lemon essential oil (10-20 drops). This works amazingly well – and leaves a lemony fresh scent behind! It takes all the grunge out of my kitchen sink and leaves it shiny.

Spring Cleaning with Dish Soap & Essential Oils

Sometimes, spring cleaning tasks require an extra boost of cleaning power.

When doing things like washing down walls, I mix some natural dish soap with vinegar, and add a few drops of citrus oils. Citrus oils are amazing for cutting grease and dirt.

I just add some dish soap and vinegar, and about 10 drops of essential oil to my sink and fill it up with hot water. Then I use a rag or a cloth to wipe down the walls or extra dirty surfaces.

Not only does it clean amazingly well, but nothing beats a clean, citrusy scent. You will totally fall in love with this version of clean, rather than leaving behind a stinky chemical scent.

Bathroom Cleaner with OnGuard Cleaning Concentrate

To clean my bathroom, I absolutely love to use dōTERRA’s OnGuard Cleaning Concentrate.

It’s a concentrated, plant-based solution that you dilute with water. I add just 1-2 tbsp of this to a spray bottle of water, and that will usually last me a couple of weeks with daily use.

I use a glass spray bottle for the bathroom, because it looks pretty, and also I’m not carting it around, so I don’t mind that it is a little heavier. I also use the concentrate straight-up for cleaning my tub. I just apply some to a cloth and wipe everything down.

The bottle of concentrate lasts me months, with daily use in the spray bottle and weekly use for cleaning the tub.

Dish Soap with Essential Oils

I haven’t had much luck with coming up with an effective dish soap recipe.

Instead, I buy an all-natural, Canadian-made dish soap in one gallon jugs and just decant it into a smaller container which I keep at my sink. Because it is unscented, I like to add essential oils to it to liven it up a little.

About 10 drops is plenty for this much dish soap. You can add more or less depending on how much scent you like.

I’d recommend using a natural, earth-friendly dish soap, like this one.

Laundry Soap with Borax, Washing Soda, Soap, and Essential Oils

I used to buy a powdered laundry soap from Nature Clean. I could get it in very large boxes that would last us 6 months or more. However, for whatever reason, it’s no longer available, so I decided it was time to try making my own.

Making my own laundry soap was something I had wanted to do for a long time, I just needed an excuse!

Here is my simple recipe:

• 1 bar of natural or homemade soap
• 1 cup borax
• 1 cup Super Washing Soda
• 25 drops of your favourite essential oil(s).

At Christmastime, I was obsessed with Holiday Joy. Most of the time, I like to use OnGuard and Lemon.

I grate the bar of soap in my food processor, then add in the other ingredients and blend it all up. I use 1 TBSP per load.

If you wish to make a larger quantity at once, you can use this recipe:

• 1 box borax & 1 box Super Washing Soda
• 4 bars of natural or homemade soap
• 100 drops of your favourite essential oil(s)

(Update – now that we have a High Efficiency washing machine, I prefer to use the OnGuard Laundry soap from doTERRA. It’s extremely concentrated, and one small bottle washes 64 loads. It’s  non-toxic and septic safe!). 

Fabric Softener Substitutes – Vinegar, Dryer Balls, and Essential Oils

Fabric softener is actually one of the most toxic items in your home, especially those dryer sheets. They essentially leave a chemical residue on your clothing, which you (and your family) are wearing against your skin.

Those chemicals are being absorbed into our bodies and building up our level of personal toxicity. When you use your dryer, those toxins are also being vented into our environment. Not really a good situation.

A great, simple fabric softener is simply adding some plain white vinegar to the rinse cycle of your washing machine.

You can also purchase wool dryer balls for use in your dryer, where you can add a few drops of essential oils for scent. I love adding Citrus Bliss. The dryer balls also help your clothes dry more quickly.

I tend to use my dryer in the winter, and my clothesline in the summer.

Dryer balls can also be used for hundreds or thousands of uses – I am always in favour of one-time purchases vs. things that have to be purchased (and thrown away) over and over again. Each time you replace a disposable item with a reusable one, not only are you keeping toxic things out of a landfill, but you are saving yourself a significant amount of money over time.

Tip: If you’re dealing with static, it’s because you have synthetic clothing. Synthetics are anything man-made, like polyester, microfibre, nylon, etc.

These fibres create static. I have phased all synthetic fibres out of our wardrobe, because not only do they create static, but they are toxic to our bodies and our planet. But if you still have some, you can simply hang them to dry rather than putting them in your dryer with your natural fibres. This will eliminate any static issues that you have.

You can purchase wool dryer balls here.

The Perfect Starter Kit to make your own Essential Oil cleaning Recipes

If you want to begin making your own essential oil cleaning recipes, and replacing toxic versions of cleaners, with safe, non-toxic, homemade ones, I recommend beginning with an essential oil starter kit.

It will save you tons of money in the long run, and will give you a great selection of essential oils to use when making your own cleaners.

You’ll be able to get rid of all your toxic home fragrance products (candles, plug-ins, wax melts, room sprays), and just use the diffuser and oils instead. 

You’ll also be able to make other DIY products, like a non-toxic vapo-rub, homemade hair spray, and homemade tooth powder.

The kit I recommend beginning with, is the Healthy Start Kit. 

It includes the Top 10 essential oils in a trial size (5 ml bottles), a diffuser, and a booklet to help get you started with using the oils.

You can order this kit, or browse our other kits here.

I hope these 7 essential oil cleaning recipes gave you some simple ideas for replacing your cleaning products with homemade, non-toxic versions. One of the most common questions I get asked is what do I use for cleaning, so I thought it would be helpful to have it all in one place!

If you have any questions, feel free to post in the comments below.

Want to save this post for later? Pin it to your favourite Pinterest board about non-toxic living! 

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