3 ALL NATURAL cleaning recipes you will LOVE!
February 21, 2012 by Missy
Until recently, I kept whatever company owns Windex in business. The father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding had nothing on me. I used it to clean almost everything. So a couple years ago when my friend told me she cleaned her windows, mirrors, floors, counters, etc. with water and vinegar I thought she was CRAZY! Until I tried it, that is. Ever since then I have studied and learned more and more about how harmful some commercial cleaners are. Through experimenting with different natural cleaners, I have come to LOVE these 3 recipes and I know you will as well! They have no chemicals, no artificial anything, you can feel totally good about having your kids use them, in fact it just may improve their attitudes in the process from the ingredient’s aromatherapy benefits!
These recipes were given to me from my friend Jennifer, who just happens to be a registered Aromatherapist and has a Master’s Diploma in Aromatherapy from the American College of Healthcare Sciences (the only one in Idaho, I might add). She knows her stuff! I love asking questions and learning from her – she is amazing. I will share more about Jennifer at the end of the post, but let’s get on with the recipes!
This first one is BY FAR my kid’s favorite! When I first introduced this to my kids, they were fighting over who got to clean the toilet! Who wouldn’t with a name like this.
Toilet Bomb
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup white vinegar
5 – 10 drops Melaleuca (Tea Tree) essential oil
Combine all ingredients in at least a quart-size container. Add vinegar to the baking soda to create the explosion your kids are going to love! To make this a no-brainer for the kids, Jennifer uses a canning jar with a sticker at the fill line for the vinegar. She writes the rest of the ingredients on a blank mailing label covered with packing tape. She leaves a ½ cup measure in a big bag (Costco version) of baking soda near the jug of white vinegar and the Melaleuca essential oil in the laundry room. You can also just dump the ingredients right into the toilet and skip the jar, but the reaction isn’t quite as fun. 
Basic Sink Cleaning
Baking soda
Lemon essential oil
Sprinkle baking soda, about 1 tablespoon, in a wet sink. Add 1-2 drops of the lemon oil. Scrub the sink with a damp, not wet, sponge or cloth. Rinse thoroughly.
This is easy for the kids to do and you don’t have to worry about them getting it on their hands or breathing it. They love the smell of citrus and it’s antibacterial! You can also clean adhesive off nearly anything with Lemon oil.
Mirror Bright
Move over Windex!
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
8 drops citrus oil (Lemon, Wild Orange, Lime, Grapefruit)
Combine all ingredients in a plastic spray bottle and shake well before use.
Spray solution onto mirror and wipe with a dry cloth or towel.
I love cleaning with this, just so I can smell it. mmm. The hardest part is deciding which oil to choose – they all smell SO GOOD!! I went with wild orange this time.
This mixture not only cleans the mirror (and faucets) to a shine, but it will help to prevent fogging while the shower is running.
After you clean your bathroom, you won’t have to evacuate for a couple hours while the chemical smells die down, in fact you might want to camp out for a while just to enjoy the fragrance. Seriously. OR you could make up a batch of this last recipe to enjoy anywhere in your house.
BONUS RECIPE:
Air Freshener
8 ounces water
5-7 drops of essential oils**
Great for use in bathrooms, kitchens, etc. Avoid wood surfaces.
**Pre-made essential oil blends you can use from doTERRA areCitrus Bliss*, Serenity, or On Guard*.
*On Guard & Citrus Bliss can be used to disinfect door knobs, switch plates, sick rooms, etc. due to their antibacterial nature, especially On Guard.
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I asked Jennifer to tell us a little about her background and explain a bit about essential oils. It is a whole new world to me that I am learning about and loving the benefits from.
“I have used and studied essential oils for 15 years. In 2010 I became a Registered Aromatherapist through the Aromatherapy Registration Council and in 2011, I finished a Master’s Diploma in Aromatherapy from the American College of Healthcare Sciences.
The use of pure therapeutic grade essential oils is growing rapidly as people learn of their benefits and ability to heal and strengthen in a natural way with no side effects, for most people, when used properly.
Because of their popularity, essential oils can be found in many stores and are proliferating on internet sites. Many people ask, “How do I find good oils?” It’s a good question, because the two most important qualities of an essential oil are it’s purity and potency. It needs to be absolutely pure–no fillers, no extenders, no other essential oils, no pesticides, no impurities. Second, it needs to be potent. Potency is dependent on many factors from what type of plant is grown, where it’s grown, when it’s harvested, when & how the oil is extracted, and how it’s stored thereafter. If an essential oil does not meet either of these standards in any way then it may not be as effective as a pure & potent oil would be, it may not have the action expected, and it could cause harm. If you’re going to pay any money for an essential oil then be willing to pay for quality. Otherwise you are wasting your money, because a cheap oil is just that, cheap–of little value.
After using many brands of essential oils and being trained in organoleptic testing (knowing how to recognize a good oil according to look, touch, smell, and taste- in some cases) it was still daunting to find the best quality oils until I was introduced to doTERRA essential oils which are certified to be pure and therapeutic grade through an independent lab earning them the CPTG seal, Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade. In my opinion, they are the most perfect essential oils available on the market AND the best value! Are there other good-quality oils? Of course, but doTERRA’s are the best.”
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Thanks Jennifer!
After testing a LOT of different brands of oils, Jennifer found doTERRA oils and she has completely converted. She loved them so much and was sharing them with everyone anyway, so she signed up to be a consultant. I recently approached her and asked if she would team up with HowDoesShe to help spread the word and educate about these amazing oils. If you think you might want to do the same, I can’t think of a better mentor! You can buy the oils or contact Jennifer for more information on becoming a consultant, if that sounds like something you might be interested in doing, on this website, or email her, jen@edenoils.com.
Do you use essential oils? What are your favorite ones?
Read more about essential oils and how they are helping my son, Skeptic to Believer. All Natural Remedies
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Thank you! These recipes are great! I am going to be trying them!
These are great recipes! Thanks! One side note, make sure not to use anything citrus on granite, zodiac, or corian table surfaces. It can eat the finish and dull it severely. Just fyi.
That is true with citrus juice for sure. What’s interesting about citrus essential oils is that they come from the peel so they are quite different from the juice and not acidic. I have let lemon essential oil sit on a piece of Zodiac for several hours and it didn’t cause any noticeable change. If you still want to avoid it there are many other essential oils that are antibacterial which you can use to clean those surfaces. Missy and I will be sharing more cleaning recipes soon!
Thanks for this post! I think I will give some of these a try. But can I ask where you got your spray bottles? Thanks!
I found the spray bottles at our dollar store, I think it is called Dollar Tree. I have also seen cute ones (a little smaller) at Michael’s craft store.
If you have cats NEVER use essential oils anywhere near them, even in well ventilated rooms. Make sure you only use hydrosols in place of the EO in the mixtures above. Tea tree oil is especially toxic to cats. Cat’s bodies cannot process terpenes and EOs will reach toxic levels very quickly and cause death.
I use the diluted lemon oil on my corian and have never noticed a dulling… but I will be more carefull now that I know….. thx…!
Actually, essential oils are safe to use around cats and other pets, but when used on them obviously in small amounts and with care. I wanted to be sure this was true so I consulted a true expert, Robert Tisserand. Check out this link to see what he says: http://roberttisserand.com/2011/06/cats-essential-oil-safety/
He does agree that Tea Tree oil should especially be used with care on cats.
Love cleaning with natural products.
Looking for a way to clean stainless steal and found that you can use olive oil and vinegar. Gave this a try on the hood over our stove and it worked great. All the sticky oily residue from cooking rubbed off and didn’t leave any streaks.
Thank you! I am going to try this for sure!
I love these recipes and have used them for a few years now…. I would also add that cleaning with a HIGH quality microfiber cloth makes these recipes even more fantastic, especially on glass. Cheap microfiber leaves lint behind, but the High quality leaves a nice shine and picks up any dust and eliminates the waste of paper towels. I use different colored microfiber cloths to keep my kitchen, bathroom, and general dusting separate. I do however always use paper towels for the toilet…. just can’t stomach not throwing those germs out…. Happy cleaning!
And I also love the doTerra oils and I am not a consultant…. just a happy consumer…
I just love this post! I had already convinced my 5 year old that cleaning the shower floor really is fun(give him the vinegar and baking soda, and he has a blast[really, he does]), but I never thought to add the essential oil to make it aromatic. Thanks!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE doTERRA oils! We have the Family Physician kit and we use it for so many things. I am excited to try out these recipes! Thanks Missy and Jennifer!
You must have been reading my mind. I have been so sick of using chemical cleaners lately. Not only do the fumes bother me, I feel like I am buying them ever other week. I love the idea of making my own… I wish I could sniff the screen to see what they smell like.
When do you think technology will invite scratch and sniff screens? I’m sure it’s coming soon,… right? 
I have been told essential oils should be used with a special kind of plastic and/or in dark colored glass bottles because the oils can eat away at plastic. I have had this happen actually, when I was just beginning to use them (I use doTERRA too). I just wanted to make others aware, not all plastic works well with the oils.
I use OnGuard in water dilution as my go-to general cleaner and disinfectant, and have it in a plastic spray bottle. It is indeed getting somewhat degraded (and leaching what? into my water, yuck). I was excited to find out that the spray top fits on my glass apple cider vinegar bottle, so when that gets emptied I’m going to switch my EO solution over to that.
Love doTERRA, and love cleaning with natural products!! My 2 year old eats everything…I would clean the floor with ammonia, and then cringe as he put toys from that chemical-covered floor into his sweet little mouth. I decided to go all natural with my cleaning products, and doTERRA makes it SO easy!! The oils are safer, smell better, and over-all are actually cheaper than all the chemical crap I used to buy…and they’re good for more than just cleaning
I too had been told that you should only use the oils in dark colored, glass spray bottles. Is that true, is there a certain plastic that it will work ok in?
I have never had a problem using essential oils diluted in water in a plastic spray bottle. I use them for room sprays, disinfecting sprays…
I typically use the hard plastic spray bottles but have not paid attention to the type of plastic. The only downfall to using diluted oils in plastic is that it dulls the plastic over time.
On the other hand, you WOULD NOT want to put straight essential oils or water with essential oils in it that you are going to drink in a plastic container.
To avoid the issue entirely you can use glass bottles with atomizer/spray tops. Optimal essential oil storage is in dark glass bottles, but diluted-and if the mix is used fairly quickly, it shouldn’t matter too much. You will see the essential oil floating on the water in clear bottles which will remind you to shake the mix before each use.
Hope that helps!
So many great ideas! I like the lemon oil for sinks–must try this!!
My mom owned a cleaning business for 12+ years, she ALWAYS used vinegar and water for mirrors. I have never used anything else. We also love ‘Shaklee’s’ scour off. But im completely stoked to try that “toilet bomb”!
I’ve been looking for something non-toxic to use in our church nursery to clean toys. Which recipe is recommended and how long can it last in a spray bottle? Will it still need to be wiped down or just sprayed on? I’m thinking he last recipe, just mixing water with the EO’s.
You’re right on. Use On Guard, which is antibacterial and antiviral, in the amounts suggested in the last recipe. It will last for a long time. Unless you have a super-fine atomizer on your spray bottle, or you don’t mind the item being a bit damp for awhile, then I would wipe it off (at least a little).
Interesting fact: On Guard was tested in a hospital on a countertop which had the resistant bacteria, MRSA, on it in a dry form. It inhibited the MRSA from growing for 7 days. So, it is pretty powerful stuff!
Good luck!
Wondering if it is ok to add these oils to a homemade laundry detergent for a better scent???
It is more than okay. It will be great! You can use some of the antibacterial oils as well. Ones that smell good and are antibacterial as well are Lavender, Peppermint, and Lemon to get you started.
I just bought items at the grocery store to make the laundry detergent posted here a week or so ago, without the scented ingredients, and I am going to use essential oils instead to scent it.
Do you have a good recipe too?
I just started using vinegar for cleaning about a month ago, I’m SO glad you posted this. I have just been using the stuff by itself.. and boy sometimes it makes my nose burn
I love doterra. I’m actually going to a class/party tomorrow night so I can stock up! I will definitely have to make these recipes. I already know my 3 year old and husband are going to be begging to do the toilets (YES!!!) Thanks for this great post!
Thank you for this post. I love baking soda and vinager to clean with and the idea of adding some delicious smell just makes it exciting!
Your recipes sound great! I love cleaning with vinegar, too. I do have some doTerra oils, but I have to say the whole Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade label gets to me. They say they are the only oils in the world that are CPTG, but it’s because they copyrighted the term. Nobody else could use that term even if they wanted to. There is no national or world certification called CPTG.
Sorry to be a party pooper on that. I do LIKE their oils, just have a bad taste in my mouth because of the whole CPTG thing.
I use the Wild Orange in the shower for aromatherapy, just putting a few drops on the tub floor and enjoying the fragrance while I shower. It’s supposed to be a stress reducer.
Butterfly Express is supposed to have some good oils for less money than doTerra, but I haven’t tried them yet.
I hear you! It is a tricky term since there is no standardization of essential oils and no governing body. That is why they came up with the term, because they are trying to raise the bar and provide truly pure and therapeutic grade oils to all consumers. It doesn’t make everyone happy though. I’m currently in a long drawn-out online discussion on this exact topic. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and have come to this conclusion:
Everyone that sells essential oils grades/qualifies/standardizes them and asks their consumers to trust that they have done due diligence in securing the best oils possible.
Other companies do the GC/MS analysis on their oils but don’t even attempt to tell you what standard they are trying to meet or tell you what they do if the oils don’t meet whatever standard they’re using.
doTERRA has the range of constituents for each oil and their percentages printed in the book Modern Essential which is about their oils, and is a quality resource on essential oils by the way. If an oil doesn’t meet the standard it is rejected and sent back (then sold to another bottler who packages and sells it).
I trust doTERRAs oils to be as pure and potent as they say they are and after two years experience with their oils can honestly say they are worth every penny!
Hope that helps.
I have a question for Jennifer! I am a teacher and I’m interested in using aromatherapy in my classroom. Do you have any suggestions for what oil I should start with? Maybe something soothing or calming?
Great question! Here are a few of my favorite blends.
Citrus Bliss~ Invigorating Blend, This uniquely exhilarating blend brings together all of the uplifting and stress-reducing benefits of citrus essential oils in a sweetly satisfying way. In addition to their elevating properties, many of the citrus oils in this blend have been studied for their ability to cleanse and to disinfect. You can diffuse them or dilute them in water in a spray bottle and use it to disinfect surfaces. This is a great blend for anxiety and depression when you still have to get something done. It calms and invigorates.
On Guard~ Protective Blend, The oils in this blend have been studied for their strong abilities to kill harmful bacteria, mold, and viruses. This blend can be diffused into the air or used to clean and purify surfaces.
Serenity~ Calming Blend, This relaxing blend contains essential oils that are often used to help calm and soothe feelings of stress, excitement, and anxiety in order to help the body maintain its natural state of health. This is great in a diffuser!
How much eucalyptus is used in OnGuard? I would love to buy it to make my home cleaners, but my husband is allergic?
what else would you recommend?
I don’t know exactly how much eucalyptus is in On Guard but it is the second to last ingredient so maybe not too much.
You can successfully use the citrus oils to clean either singly or the Citrus Bliss blend above.
Another blend you could use is Purify which contains lemon, lime, pine, citronella, melaleuca, and cilantro. This one is good to diffuse in the air-as are the others-to purify the air.
Quick note–to me Purify does not smell as good as the others unless you like that strong cleaner smell when you’re done with the cleaning. Some people really like that.
Thanks for answering my questions, Jennifer! I’m looking forward to receiving my new oils and getting rid of nasty chemical cleaners.
I tried to post your article about natural cleaners to Facebook but it wouldn’t work–the Facebook box was shimminging back and forth, something technical I think. Maybe you can check it out and get it fixed so I can post it. It would also be helpful to make it available via email and/or PDF it. Thanks so much especially for the air freshener — I will certainly use this as we have cats and I am Chemically Sensitive.
Excellent blogging and info. I still prefer Young Living Oils over any other though! Keep up the good work!
These are wonderful cleaning recipes! Please stop over and share at Mix it up Monday:
http://flourmewithlove.blogspot.com/2012/02/mix-it-up-monday_26.html
I hope to see you soon
Love this! We have our Kitchen Fun and Crafty Friday Link Party going on now and would love for you to share this! http://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com/2012/02/kitchen-fun-and-crafty-friday-link_23.html
It is just such a neat aid to make your own cleaning products and what’s neat too is that you’ll always have the right ingredients for a next supply of toilet cleaner at hand. No more excuses not to clean the house
The best thing about using natural concoctions to clean the bathroom is you can do it while you shower (yes, I clean my shower in the nude); I always spray my shower down after I’m done with my apple cider vinegar dilution which I use in my hair, and when I’m feeling really ambitious I’ll just scrub the walls down with straight baking soda (which I have in my bathroom for toothbrushing & exfoliating). I tell you, my bathrooms are much cleaner now than they used to be.
Sounds great. Is the vinegar dilution for preventing hard water deposits? What about in your hair?
people wash their hair with vinegar and water – I have tried and wasn’t a fan – but a lot of people swear by it.
Ooh!! I am actually in the process of making home made cleaners! Thanks for sharing this. I bought some tea tree oil just the other day! I’d love it if you stopped by my blog sometime!
In your toilet bomb recipe is the tea tree oil used for it’s antibiotic properties?
That’s correct, because it is antibacterial–and it smells good (at least I think it does).
I love them I use my doterra oils everyday, but not for cleaning though, mainly, for medicinal purposes. I should try it. This looks Great and it bet is smells wonderful too.
Tried your toilet bomb today. worked really well. Like the idea of not using harsh chemicals. Thanks!
HI! Love your recipes, i’m teaching a ‘Green Cleaning’ with doTERRA oils class and was wondering if I could use your awesome pictures, and recipies (with links of course).
Sure, we love links back to the site! What a fun class!
Where can I find those sponges?
I found them at my dollar store. I loved the colors!
I’ve been making my own cleaning products for over a year now. The Toilet Bomb recipe looks interesting but I have read many places that mixing baking soda and vinegar is fun to do but because one is acidic (vinegar) and one is alkaline (soda) they essentially neutralize/cancel each other out. Do you or your friend that you received the recipe from have any thoughts on that? I’ve been avoiding this combo….