The Best Essential Oils for Cleaning

Happy Friday!  It is hard to believe that tomorrow will be March!  Did you get your February tasks done for The Household Organization Diet yet?  Tomorrow we will be moving on to the mudroom, front entry, and laundry room so don’t forget to check those last few items off of your list!

A while ago, I talked a bit about the green cleaning products that I like to use and today I am back to talk more about my favorite essential oils for cleaning.



Essential oils are made by steam or cold pressing raw plant material.  Not only can essential oils provide a nice, fresh scent to your natural cleaning products, but they can also provide additional antibacterial and antiseptic properties as well as other additional cleaning benefits.  I use water and microfiber cloths for the majority of my cleaning and I always like to add essential oils to my water bottle.   I also add it to baking soda and my vinegar spray bottle.  

Essential oils are quite readily available at health food stores and online.  I’m not really going to get into what specific brands to buy, but here are a few things to look for when you are purchasing your essential oils:

• Look for pure, undiluted essential oils that don’t have any extra carriers, dilutants, or other additives
• Essential oils are NOT the same as fragrance or perfume {synthetic} oils.
• If you place a single drop of pure essential oil on a piece of construction paper, it should evaporate
• Store your oils in their dark bottles away from heat and sunlight.

There can be a lot of essential oils to choose from, so how do you choose the right one?   First off, scent is a very personal thing so choose an oil that you like.  Cleaning is no fun to begin with – you might as well at least enjoy the smell of your cleaning products!  Secondly, learn a little more about the benefits of the various essential oils and pick one that has the properties that you need.  Here is a quick run down of some of the best essential oils to use for cleaning….

Lemon Essential Oil

• brightens and helps to remove stains
• antiseptic, antimicrobial, and antibacterial
• improves mood
• great for cutting through grease and grime
• combines nicely with basil or thyme

Peppermint

• powerful antibiotic and antiseptic  that makes it great for bathrooms and kitchens
• revitalizing and stimulating {increase alertness and performance}
• combines nicely with lavender, eucalyptus, lemon, and rosemary
• kills dust mites

Tea Tree Oil

• antibacterial, antiseptic, and antifungal
• good for getting rid of insects
• works good for mildew
• combines nicely with lavender or orange
• great to use in the bathroom

Grapefruit

• antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties

Eucalyptus

• kills dust mites
• try adding a few drops to baking powder and using it to clean your mattress

Lavender

• antiseptic, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal actions
• causes a relaxation effect on the nervous system

Sweet Orange

• antiseptic, antifungal, and antibacterial
• great degreaser
• good for cleaning countertops and cutting boards where raw meat has been used

Cinnamon Bark

• antiseptic
• warm, spicy aroma

So what about you?  What are your favorite essential oils?  If you haven’t given them a chance, pick a couple up and see what a nice addition they make to your green cleaning routine!

 **NOTE: This post is part of the 2014 Household Organization Diet series.  To learn more about this, you can catch up HERE  and HERE.  You can find other posts related to this under the “Get Organized” tab on the top of the page or follow along on my Pinterest Board.  Happy Organizing!



If you are looking to get your household cleaning under control, you might also want to check out this post…

How to Create a Cleaning Binder

I shared this post at Live Laugh Rowe, Under the Table and Dreaming, Tatertots and Jello, Thirty Handmade Days, Uncommon Designs, Liz Marie Blog, and Design Dining and Diapers.