How to Make an All-Purpose General Cleaner With Essential Oils

In a world where toxic poisons can affect you and your family in every facet of life, it is nice to know that you can have more control over the health and air quality of your own home and office. Start by making nontoxic, pleasant-smelling all-purpose cleaner that is just as effective as the regular store-bought stuff. Your homemade cleaner is not only nontoxic, it positively influences the mood and general well-being of you and your family. Now that's an all-purpose cleaner!

Things You'll Need

• Large spray bottle
• Distilled white vinegar
• Baking soda
• Purified water
• 100 percent essential oils

Instructions

How to Make Good-for-You All-Purpose Cleaner

1. Add 2 cups white vinegar and 1/8 cup baking soda to an empty spray bottle. Vinegar is the cleaner base, mostly made up of acetic acid, which kills germs nonhazardously. The baking soda adds a harmless but effective grit component.

2. Add 2 cups purified water. Water that has been purified complements the level of health and safety that you are attempting to create with your homemade product and assures you that no unknown impurities will hinder the overall quality of your end result.

3. 

   Add 18 drops tea tree 100 percent essential oil (or the same number of drops of lavender or lemon 100 percent essential oil). While all essential oils have antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral qualities, tea tree, lavender and lemon are reported to be especially effective in cleaning and disinfecting the home. If desired, it is even possible to mix all three essential oils together into a blend. Experiment with what is the ultimate "solution." Tea tree essential oil has the most disinfectant smell, lavender is the sweetest and lemon smells just like a fresh slice of lemon. Let your nose be the judge. You can't go wrong, and if you pass the 18-drop limit when blending, there's no harm done---just know that you are making a stronger cleaner.

4. 

   Use your cleaner freely on countertops, appliances and other places in the home and office where an all-purpose cleaner is called for. Enjoy your homemade product's effectiveness, and take pleasure in spreading the aroma of health throughout your living and work space. The well-being of your loved ones is all the thanks you will need.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make larger quantities of the cleaner at one time if you want. Put the extra solution in glass jars. The shelf life is two years.

• Store-bought cleaning products represent a $5 billion dollar a year industry that includes chemical cleaning products. The labels on these products warn that the chemicals they contain can be linked to asthma, allergies and nervous system distress. Be careful to read labels before buying anything that you intend to use in your own space.

Resources

• A resource with many essential oil recipes for cleaning products
• Additional recipes for home-cleaning products
• Information about the medicinal properties of essential oils