This easy DIY will have your mirrors and glass clean and streak free. Using ingredients you most likely already have in your house, you can get the same clean for a fraction of the cost of buying the blue stuff...and your house will smell aah-mazing.
Instead of having to open the windows to air out your house, having to wear gloves, and worry about possible health effects, you can sit back and just inhale the beautiful aroma left over from cleaning your glasses and mirrors.
All ya need is:
2 cups distilled water
1/4 cup alcohol (rubbing or vodka)
1/2 cup white vinegar
15 drops Lemon Essential Oil
15 drops Orange Essential Oil
Simply add all of the ingredients into a quart size spray bottle, shake well each time you use, spray and wipe. Easy peasy!
I prefer to use vodka in my recipes because rubbing alcohol has a more pungent aroma.
You can also use any essential oils that you would like but the citrus oils work well to help remove residues and grime, and they are the least expensive essential oils you can buy!
Tap water is ok too, but ya might get some streaks, so distilled water is preferred. You can also omit the alcohol but it contributes to streak free and helps the mixture dry quickly.
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Have you ever turned over one of the cleaning products you have bought and actually read the label? The first time I did that-yikes! 'Hazardous to humans' 'May cause cancer'... If ya haven't, I encourage you to read your labels...When I saw those warnings, there was no way I was using that! With a whole herd of dogs and cats in my house tho, I still needed to clean. Thankfully with some basic household ingredients that are inexpensive and essential oils, easy DIY cleaners are at our fingertips!
One of the easiest cleaners to make is equal parts white vinegar and water. I like to add Lemon essential oil or Pine essential oil, and sometimes I will add both for an outstanding aroma and a cleaning boost. If you have natural stone, granite, or marble, vinegar isn't recommended as it can scratch and dull the countertop, and affect the sealers. You will want to use plain ol' soap and water.
When I'm using soap and water, I like to take a quart size spray bottle, add a couple of tablespoons of liquid Castile soap, then fill with water. Simply squirt and wipe, easy peasy! For more info on Castile soap and my favorite hand soap recipe click HERE
Side note: Sometimes I have an 'ant attack' in my kitchen..I make the above soap spray and add about 30 drops of Peppermint essential oil. It hasn't failed me yet-lol.
Alcohol (at least 60%) is one of the most effective alternatives to chemical cleaners. You can use 2 parts vodka to 1 part water and let it sit on the surface for about 30 seconds. I also add about 30 drops of essential oil. You can use isopropyl rubbing alcohol instead of vodka, but I find its aroma a bit more pungent, so I stick with Vodka or Everclear. My fave essential oil to add to this is a blend from Young Living™ called Thieves™. Lemon and Orange also work well and fill the house with a happy and uplifting aroma.
You can also make an effective cleaner with hydrogen peroxide. The CDC acknowledges that hydrogen peroxide does effectively kill viruses and bacteria. You will need to let the peroxide sit for at least one minute before wiping away. Since light breaks down hydrogen peroxide, you will want to keep it in a dark colored bottle, or you can simply take the bottle you buy the peroxide in and add a spray top. You can add a cleaning boost and aroma with any essential oils that you like, try Pine! To stretch your peroxide further, or make a milder solution-mix a half a cup with 2.5 cups of water, and make a spray.
And if DIY isn't your thing at all but you still want an effective household cleaner that's safe for you and your pets...Thieves™ Household cleaner to the rescue. Using plant based ingredients and the power of Thieves™ essential oil blend, you can safely and effectively clean. It comes super concentrated, simply add 1 or 2 capfuls to a quart size spray bottle and fill with water. It's also highly economical, costing less than 2.00 per each quart sized spray bottle ya make.
Last week we chatted about your shopping list to start swapping out 1 product at a time, room by room in your house. If ya missed it click HERE
Why do we want to do this, you ask? Good question!
Unfortunately, todays household products contain many chemicals that are well researched to be bad for us! Known cancer causing agents and hormone disrupters are found quite commonly in the majority of products on the market. Trade secret laws give companies the option of not fully disclosing all ingredients. Did you know that literally hundreds of chemicals can be added to a product and listed on the label with ONE word....FRAGRANCE...
Lucky for us, using a few household pantry items most of us have on hand anyways, and natures life essence of plants aka essential oils, we can make our own cleaning products that work just as well. I would even argue better, and usually (after a bulk buy of basic ingredients) cheaper in the long run. We can also reuse the recipe containers over and over again, which is better for the environment.
Let's start with the basics...the number one caustic, dangerous, yucky chemical I used to use, was BLEACH....lucky for us, there's a fast and easy recipe, that's much less caustic and much safer, with all the germ fighting capabilities.
A close second is our hand soap, especially in todays times where we seem to be washing our hands all the time. This hand soap recipe is great for dry or sensitive skin, and I like to add essential oils known to support skin.
The main ingredients you're going to need today are...
For the bleach alternative:
Hydrogen Peroxide
Lemon Essential Oil (any essential oil you have and like will do-tho!)
For the hand soap
Castile soap
Olive Oil (optional- but I like to add for extra moisturizing)
Lavender Essential Oil (any essential oil you have and like will do-tho!)
Lets take a closer look at those ingredients...
Hydrogen Peroxide: It is widely acknowledged as a safer substitute for bleach and kills bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The oxidation from the extra oxygen molecule kills germs and bleaches color from porous surfaces (like fabrics).
The extra oxygen does break down over time so keep the recipes you make in dark colored spray bottles to avoid exposing to light. It used to be touted as a great wound cleanser but research has shown that it actually can keep wounds from healing so it is best used for cleaning.
Castile Soap: an eco friendly plant based soap traditionally made from olives and named after the Castile region of Spain where it originated from. Today, it can be made from coconut, castor, or hemp oils as well. Since it's naturally hydrating and mild, it works well for sensitive and dry skin, and is safe for kids and pets.
I like Dr. Bronner's as it's readily available in most health food stores and cost effective. I also buy the unscented so that I can choose the aroma and properties of the essential oil that I want.
Lemon essential oil: Extracted from the peel of lemons and known for its cleansing properties. It's widely used in home cleaning solutions. Its fresh, uplifting aroma is also an effective odor neutralizer. It also works well to remove sticky residues.
Lavender essential oil: Whats not to love- with a soothing aroma and soothing to the skin, Lavender provides many skin care benefits. It contains cleansing and antioxidant properties.
Bleach Alternative
16 oz. dark colored spray bottle
1 cup Hydrogen Peroxide
1 cup distilled water (tap can be used as well)
20 drops Lemon essential oil
Hand Soap
8 oz foaming pump dispenser (or a spray bottle can be used)
2 TBS Liquid Castile Soap
1 TBS Olive Oil (you can use any liquid carrier oil you have on hand hand such as grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, or fractionated coconut oil)
Distilled water (tap can be used as well)
20 drops essential oil ( My fave are Lavender essential oil-good for the skin, or Thieves™ essential oil blend from Young Living™)
Give the recipes a try...you'll find it a nice surprise that it actually smells good to clean your home and your hands will be squeaky clean and moisturized!
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Did you know that if you have a few basic ingredients in your home, you can easily start swapping out your store bought cleaners with healthier alternatives..oftentimes for much cheaper and without all the toxic yuck?
Simply put these on your grocery list:
- Vinegar
- Baking Soda
- Liquid Castile Soap
- Vodka
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Citric Acid (optional- I have a few great recipes that include citric acid and it is readily available & inexpensive on Amazon)
You might even have these ingredients already!
Using these ingredients you can safely and easily clean every surface in your home...including you-lol...
Over the next month, I'l be sharing some of my top home cleaning recipes mixing these ingredients with premium essential oils. You can really use any essential oil you like the aroma of, but here is a list of my must haves:
- Lemon
- Orange
- Pine
- Peppermint
- Lavender
- Thieves™ essential oil blend from Young Living™
- Purification™ essential oil blend from Young Living™
So add these must haves to your cleaning cabinet and get ready to start swapping out 1 product at a time...and don't worry, if you're not a DIY'r, I'll have my fave equivalent you can buy ready to go!
You are the gate keeper! Let's control what we can for the health of ourselves and our fur kids!
To get these recipes and more delivered straight to your inbox, click HERE!
This is by far one of the easiest DIY's for air fresheners ever!
All you need is essential oils. Any essential oil you like the aroma of. Altho, I love to use the citrus oils for this. They are the least expensive essential oils and have a 'high' aroma that fills the bathroom and hangs around. Lemongrass is a close second for the same reasons.
Simply add about 5 drops of essential oil to the inside cardboard roll of your toilet paper and refresh as needed. If you need more scent, add more oils....or that brings us to my number 2 easy DIY, which involves clothespins.
You simply add about 5 drops to a wood clothespin and pin in inconspicuous places...like on the back of a decorative towel...on the back of a picture....or hide behind a knickknack. I like to use the same oils mentioned above, or use your favorite! These are also great to pin anywhere in the house you need odor control. They are especially useful for closets as well.
Packs of clothespins are cheap and easily bought on Amazon. You can use cotton balls instead, but I find the clothespins are easier to stash by clipping to something and don't stand out color wise.
Of course, you can always use a diffuser too! It's nice to set up the toilet paper roll and clothespins one time and then forget about them until you start missin' the aroma and refresh. Where with a diffuser, you have to work slightly harder-lol...
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