7 Homemade Cleaning Solutions

Spring is that time of year we get the urge to purge and clean up our act. This year, makeover your cleaning cabinet and learn to clean using essential oils. These fun products are fast, affordable, and eco friendly. What’s more, the delightful and relaxing smell of the oils will make you forget you are cleaning.

Revamp common—and perhaps toxic—household cleaners and become part of the growing trend of people who are using essential oils to naturally increase the antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antibiotic properties of their homemade cleaning supplies. Consider this your chance to learn how adding just those few drops of oils can help up your game in the cleaning department.

For more information on the laundry and cleaning life savers below, be sure to visit www.jodieames.com

WOOL YARN BALLS

Key Benefits:
· Replaces the need to buy fabric softener and toxic dryer sheets.
· Cost about $15 for over 300 loads or one year worth of drying!
· Cuts drying time of clothes by 25-50%, saving you money on your energy bill.
· Adds scent to clothes that won’t irritate your skin or hurt the environment.
· Can be used to help dry all clothes, which isn’t the case with dryer sheets.

1. To get started, you will need 100% wool yarn, pantyhose, and essential oil.

2. Take the end of the yarn and wrap it around your index and middle finger 20 times. Remove from your fingers and then wrap yarn 20 more times around the center to make it look like a bow.

3. Pinch the beginnings of your ball together as you keep wrapping the yarn in all directions. Make sure that as you wrap you keep the yarn tight and soon your ball of yarn will take shape! It should resemble the size and shape of a tennis ball. Cut the yarn once it has reached that size and tuck the ends into the sides of the ball.

4. Repeat the above steps and you will end up with 4 or more balls of yarn.

5. Cut one leg off the pantyhose. Place the first ball into the bottom of the leg and tie a knot above the ball with the pantyhose in order to secure it in place. Repeat that process until all the balls have been secured.

6. Place them in your washing machine with a load of dirty laundry and set your washer settings on the hottest to allow the yarn to felt and fuse together into a solid ball. After washed, place the yarn balls in the dryer on the hottest setting to complete the felting. You could choose at this point to layer more yarn over the fused ball to make it bigger if desired and begin the fusing process over again. Keep in mind over time the ball will get slightly smaller as they continue to felt.

7. After the balls are all dry they are ready to be used. I like to add a few drops of my favorite doTERRA essential oil and toss them in the dryer to add softness and a pleasant smell to my laundry. The two-three drops I add to the dryer balls seems to last for several loads, add more oil as you deem necessary.

8. 150-200 yards will make one yarn ball. I like to make the shape medium size so that they don’t get lost in my laundry. Only use 100% wool; acrylic or other yarn will not felt properly.

DIY LAUNDRY DETERGENT

Key Benefits:
· Cost effective. One gallon batch makes enough to do 100 loads, costing you 7 cents per load compared to 20 or 24 cents per load for a commercial detergent. That’s more than 60% savings!
· A superior option for people with skin sensitivities.
· It’s quick and easy to make a gallon batch. Took me 15 minutes from start to finish to make.
· Safe for colors and white laundry.

1. To get started, you will need 3 cups Borax, 2 cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, 1 Bar Zote Soap (5-8 ounces), 4 ½ cups Oxygen Bleach without chlorine (I use the dollar store brand or Sun brand), 3 ¼ cups Biz, and 30 drops of essential oils.

2. I first started with grating my Zote Soap from Reams Market here in Utah. I searched everywhere for this soap and realized it is only sold here in Utah at Reams . The bar was 14 ounces and I only needed 5-8 ounces so I grated half the bar on the finest cheese grater setting possible. You can also grate it thickly if you won’t be lazy and blend it in a good blender or food processor until it is fine. If you let the soap sit out for a few days uncovered it is easier to grate.

3. Next, I start adding all my ingredients to a bucket I bought at the dollar store. I added it to my cute container first but found it hard to stir, so I dumped all ingredients into my bucket and found it much easier to stir and mix evenly before adding it back to my fancy container for storage.

4. This recipe will yield a little less than 1 gallon of detergent which breaks down to about 100-120 ounces.

5. If you have a high efficiency (HE) washer, I would recommend starting out with 2 TBS. of detergent and diluting it in ¼ to ½ cup of HOT water before adding it to your dispenser so it won’t clog and cause you problems. If you have really hard water you might also want to try and add a little vinegar to your fabric softener dispenser to help, but the borax in the recipe should be sufficient. I have also noticed that if whites are turning a grey-ish color then you need to add more detergent, so play around with the chemistry of your water and where you live to find the right amount for you in your home.

ALL PURPOSE CLEANER

Key benefits:
· Costs pennies—about 8 cents per ounce—to make. Most all-natural cleaners cost .50 cents an ounce.
· Only need three ingredients—one being water.
· It will safely and effectively clean surfaces in your kitchen, bathroom, and any other room in the house.

1. To get started, you will need 2 cups of water, ¼ cup white vinegar, and 30 drops of essential oils of choice. Combinations I have enjoyed are: 1) 30 drops of On Guard Blend, 2) Peppermint & Wild Orange, and eucalyptus, 3) Cypress, Lime, and Lemon, 4) Lavender, Lemon, Rosemary, and Cinnamon. 5) Lemon & Rosemary, or 6) Lemon, lemongrass, peppermint, and white fir.

2. Mix ingredients together in a 16 oz. glass spray bottle and you are ready to fight germs on three levels—antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal—while getting a nice dose of aromatherapy at the same time. Cleaning has never been so relaxing or therapeutic!

3. Make sure that you are using this solution of vinegar diluted in water to clean; straight up vinegar will eat away the finish of your granite because it’s too acidic.

SOFT SCRUB CLEANSER

Key benefits:
· Scrubs out sink scuff marks like a gem and removes grime and buildup.

· The recipe utilizes ingredients that you already have around your home.

· The smell of peppermint and wild orange make you feel like you are in a spa instead of scrubbing your kitchen sick. Bonus!

· Costs 8 cents per ounce.

1. To get started, you will need ¾ cup of baking soda, 1 TBS. water, ¼ cup liquid castile soap (my favorites are Dr. Bronner’s peppermint, citrus orange, or rose), 1 TBS. vinegar, 10 drops of peppermint and 10 drops of wild orange essential oils, and lastly a glass storage container I found at the dollar store.

2. In a bowl, combine the baking soda, water, and castile soap.

3. After stirring, add the vinegar and essential oil until you have formed a nice paste consistency.

4. Transfer to your glass storage container of choice and get cleaning! Just wait to feel the invigorating tingling feeling from the peppermint oil. You will forget you’re cleaning a sink and think you are in a spa!

DIY DISH SOAP

Key Benefits:

· Simple to make.

· Contains less chemicals and cleans just as powerfully.

· Cuts grease but won’t dry out your hands.

· Smells good.

1. To get started, you will need: 2 cups warm water, ½ cup castile soap bar shaved, 2 TBS. vinegar, and 10 drops of lemon and 10 drops of lime essential oils.

2. In a saucepan add your water and soap shavings and heat over medium not boiling until melted.

3. Let it cool before you add your final ingredients of vinegar and essential oils and you’re done!

4. I didn’t have a glass soap pump, so I used a pint sized Mason jar idea I saw on Pinterest and made my own soap pump by cutting a hole in the lid of the jar and sliding a regular soap pump through, and boom! You have yourself a vintage looking soap dispenser.

DIY DISHWASHER DETERGENT

Key Benefits:

· Only need two ingredients.

· Whip up a whole batch for several loads and safely store in a Ziplock bag in your freezer.

· Gets dishes clean without harming the environment.

· Clean your dishwasher and dishes at the same time! Meleluca kills bacteria, germs, fungi, and mold

1. To get started, you will need: 1 tsp. Oxygen Bleach (Sun Brand at dollar store or Awesome Oxygen), ½ tsp. Dawn dish soap, 5 drops of Meleluca essential oil, ½ cup vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser or in a bowl in the top rack of your dishwasher…test it out and do what works for you.

2. Mix the oxygen bleach and the Dawn dish soap in a glass bowl until completely mixed together and add your essential oil.

3. Get your mini cupcake pan out and some mini muffin wrappers and place your mixture into the mini tin.

4. You will want to repeat these steps to fill each tin. So the amount to fill each cup is 1 tsp. Oxygen bleach and ½ tsp dawn dish soap mixed with 5 drops of essential oil. Place the cupcake tray in the freezer and store them there until you are ready to plop one into your washing dispenser.

5. When you are ready to wash some dishes, add vinegar either to your rinse aid dispenser or in a cup in the top rack right side up to help add that luster shine to your dishes and cups.

DIY HAND SOAP

Key Benefits:

· Cleans hands effectively.

· No harsh chemicals that will dry skin out.

· Add the right essentials oils to naturally increase the antibacterial qualities.

· Costs 23 cents an ounce, compared to 45 cents per ounce for an all-natural hand soap.

1. To get started, you will need: ¼ cup of liquid castile soap, 10 drops of either OnGuard, or 15 drops of lemon or lime essential oils, and fill the rest of the bottle with warm water and shake to mix.