It is so easy to incorporate essential oils into our daily cleaning regimen and lessen the amount of chemicals that are used in the home. The chemicals we bombard our bodies with each day through the food we eat, the air we breathe, the beauty products we use, the cleaning products and cleansing agents we use and just in the environment around us all contributes to our toxic load. Once our toxic load becomes too high, our bodies have trouble filtering them out and they begin to build up in our cells, tissues, joints, and organs contributing to an array of symptoms and illnesses.
We can lessen the toxic load numerous ways like eating more homegrown or organic, using less synthetic scents and fragrances, avoiding synthetic dyes and using more natural cleaning products and less chemical-based products. I am going to share with you my 5 favorite homemade DIY’s that we use in our home everyday!
When picking essential oils, cheaper is not always better. Essential oils can be adulterated, contaminated, be full of fillers, chemicals, synthetic fragrance and dyes which can be toxic to the body. These types of oils can do more harm than good and you will not receive the benefits from the plants as you would with a certified therapeutic grade essential oil. Be sure to do your research and find the oils that are best suited for you. I researched essential oil companies for months until I found a company that I was comfortable with. Also, not all essential oils can be ingested. Essential oils should have a batch number on them where you can check all the information on third party testing. Without proper testing, it is impossible to know whether the essential oil is pure. I add essential oils to my cleaning regimen everyday like adding it to my dish water when washing dishes, to my laundry, and when wiping counters, door knobs and so on when sanitizing. I add essential oils to my homemade cleaning products and use them in a bunch of different ways too!!
**I am no way endorsing any particular kind or brand of essential oils. Use the brand you like best. I am no way affiliated with the brand of oils used in this post and they do not agree with any information I share here. This is not medical advice but rather a lovely way to incorporate essential oils in your daily routine. All of these recipes can easily omit the essential oils and work just as well.
I am sharing some of my favorite easy homemade natural household cleaners and how I incorporate essential oils into them!!
Let’s get started!!
I. Homemade Dryer Balls
These homemade dryer balls are simple and a much easier and cheaper way to add fragrance to your clothing and remove static without adding chemicals. Our skin absorbs chemicals from our clothing, especially fragrances we use in our laundry not to mention we breathe these chemicals in. These homemade dryer balls are awesome!
For these dryer balls, you need 100% wool otherwise the balls will not felt properly. Out of 1 skene of wool, we got 2 larger dryer balls or 3 smaller ones. It’s totally up to you how large you wind them. I prefer using the larger ones in the dryer, so I usually add 1 to 2 wool dryer balls to my laundry, depending upon the size of the load!
These wool dryer balls are simple to make that you can easily get your children to make them with you! Take some 100% wool yarn and wrap a bit around your fingers. Then take it off your fingers, fold in half and start to roll into a ball. I rotate the ball as I wind the wool so it lays a bit more flat.
Continue rolling until you have it the size you like. Tie a knot and place the knot under a piece of yarn. The cream color wool yielded 3 since they’re a bit smaller and the grey and white yielded 2 from the skene of wool.
Then place it inside a nylon and tie it tightly, knotting it in between each wool ball.
Place in the washing machine with your next load of laundry and then into the dryer. Do this about 4 to 5 times back and forth from washing machine to dryer until it is felted. I washed and dried mine in 4 loads to felt. Then remove from the nylon. The nylon may be stuck to the wool ball – that is perfectly fine, just carefully peel the nylon off and discard. The ball is now felted and ready to use.
Place 1 to 3 wool dryer balls, depending on size, in laundry in the dryer. In the last 5 minutes of drying, add 2 to 3 drops of your favorite essential oils. I honestly, add 4 drops at the start of my drying load and start it. My laundry always comes out smelling beautiful without the use of chemicals!!
As these wool dryer balls are used, they will shrink. Once too small they can be tossed out and use another! One dryer ball is good for about 1000 loads or about 2-5 years! How awesome is that for saving money!!
II. Simple Multipurpose Cleaner
This multipurpose cleaner is great to use to clean kitchen counters, bathroom surfaces, table and any other surface you may need to clean. You can also use this as a cleaner in your vehicle, to wash your floors and you can place cloths inside to use as cleaning wipes that can be laundered later instead of disposed! I store it in a mason jar and pour some in the sink when cleaning the bathroom or use it with cloths as cleaning wipes! It’s so versatile!! And, it smells refreshing, leaving no residue and it works wonderfully!
Simple Multipurpose Cleaner
2 cups water
1 tbsp baking soda
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tbsp Castile soap
30 drops Eucalyptus essential oil
20 drops Wild Orange essential oil
Place altogether in a 16oz glass bottle. Shake gently before use. Spray surface and wipe.
III. Dishwasher Pods
These are great for the dishwasher or place in a sink with warm/hot running water so the pod dissolves before washing dishes. These are great to take camping, use day to day or simply have on hand and takes just a few ingredients!
Dishwasher Pods
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
2 tsp Castile soap
2 tbsp vinegar
30 drops Lemon essential oil
In a bowl, mix baking soda and salt together. Add castile soap and vinegar. Add enough vinegar to just moisten mixture enough that it holds together when compressed in your fingers. Pack about 1 tablespoon into a silicone mold. Press firmly. Let dry completely in a warm place for 24 to 48 hours. Gently remove pods from the mold and store in a closed container. Makes about 15 pods. To use, place 1 pod in dishwasher.
IV. Toilet Bowl Cleaning Pods
It is easy to make these “cakes” for the toilet bowl! We pressed into an Easter egg mold since we found that to be the perfect size. The longer you allow to set, the firmer they are. Ours were a bit crumbly as we only let them sit for 10 minutes!!
To use them, all you need to do is toss one into the toilet and watch it fizz! Wait 5 to 10 minutes before scrubbing.
Toilet Bowl Cleaning Pods
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup citric acid
1 tbsp dish soap
20 drops Tea Tree essential oil
Mix altogether until it holds its shape. If mixture is too dry, add a bit more dish soap. Mixture may expand which is totally fine, let it sit for a few moments. Scoop into a silicone mold. Let sit 4 hours or overnight. Mixture may expand in molds as well, in that case, wipe the top before letting harden. Remove pods and place into a jar with a lid or airtight container.
V. Homemade Hand Sanitizer
Homemade hand sanitizer is simple to make! Nothing is as good as soap, but when soap is unavailable, this spray can come in handy!
We made a batch with both alcohol and witch hazel. I prefer the witch hazel which is a great astringent, is nourishing to the skin, soothes sunburns, helps with diaper rash and assists the body with various skin troubles like acne, bruises, eczema, bug bites and even varicose veins. Witch hazel is great to have in your natural medicine cabinet. Isopropyl alcohol can be drying to the skin so I always add a few drops of fractionated coconut oil which helps soften the skin.
You can use any essential oils you enjoy. I like using citrus, cinnamon and cassia, lavender, or herbs like tea tree, oregano, thyme and rosemary. You really can use any scent combination you like!
All you need is a spray bottle, witch hazel or isopropyl alcohol, water, fractionated coconut oil and your favourite essential oils!
We use a ratio of 1:3 water to alcohol
In your spray bottle, add:
20 to 30 drops essential oil
1 tsp fractionated coconut oil
3 tbsp water
9 tbsp alcohol or witch hazel
You can adjust measurements for the sizing of your spray bottle you are using. Before use, lightly shake and spray onto hands. Rub hands together until hands feel dry.
These are just a few household items we use on a daily basis and is a great start to eliminating chemicals in the home and using a more natural based alternative. Our skin absorbs so much, so even starting with something as simple as the dryer balls and switching to essential oils rather than manufactured scents is a great beginning to lessen our toxic load.
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours