In an effort to rid our lives of toxins we are switching our cleaning materials to more natural alternatives.  Now search the internet for natural cleaners and you will likely find tons of recipes for baking soda and vinegar cleaners…maybe a drop of essential oil here or there for fragrance.  While I am sure these cleaners work well and serve their purpose, I wanted something more.

I have learned that essential oils are so much more than an added fragrance!  I love the smell of Young Living’s Thieves oil blend, so when I got my first bottle of Thieves Household Cleaner I fell in love!  The smell is amazing, but the cleaning power is even better.  It is such a versatile product that I thought I would share some of the ways I use it in my home.

1.  All Purpose Cleaner

One capful of cleaner filled with filtered water in a 32 oz spray bottle will clean just about anything.  I use it for everything from kitchen countertops and high chairs to bathrooms and mirrors.  It does a fantastic job of cleaning surfaces and there is no need to rinse it off since it contains no harmful chemicals. You can also dilute it a bit more  (maybe ½ capful in a 32 oz bottle of water) for a glass cleaner.  One capful to a gallon bucket of water makes a wonderful mop solution for tile floors (I have not tested on hardwood since I don’t have any).

2. Dish Soap

I have been buying some of the more expensive brands of dish soap to stay away from harsh chemicals.  So recently I decided to make my own, and I am pleased with the results.

Here is my recipe:

• 1 cup castile soap (I used this one)
• ¼ cup of hot filtered water
• ½ capful thieves household cleaner
• optional: 1 Tablespoon washing soda (I used this one although I can’t tell a major difference with or without)

Mix all ingredients together in a large measuring cup (use an immersion blender if  using the washing soda) and pour into a dispensing container (I use a olive oil container like this one.)

3.  Laundry Stain Remover

For Christmas my 5 year old got a set of pajamas made out of WHITE fleecy material.  Of course the first day she wore them she also spilled chocolate milk down the front of them.  I tried a few stain removers I had with no luck and set them to the side.  A few days later I noticed the pajamas and then saw my thieves cleaner and thought, “why not?”  I dabbed a bit on a cleaning rag (undiluted) wet the jammies and gently rubbed on the stain with the cloth. I was amazed that the stains came out perfectly! Beautiful white pajamas once again!

4. Carpet Cleaner

Just like with the stained jammies, I saw a spot on the carpet that needed to be washed and attacked it with some thieves cleaner and a wet rag and the stain vanished!

5. Dishwasher Detergent

A couple of years ago I found a homemade dishwasher detergent that is super economical and easy to make, but sadly it didn’t give my dishes a pretty shine.  In fact the plastic stuff actually was quite dull and almost dirty looking. The  glasses weren’t streak free either.

I had seen a few people who said to use some lemon essential oil to get them shiny, but even that didn’t seem to work. The dishes got clean, but I found myself going back to my old detergent to get the clean and shine I wanted.

Then I saw something that said you could use the household cleaner with dishes.  Most agreed that unless you pre-wash the food off of your dishes (which I do not do) then it can’t be used as a stand alone cleaner in the dishwasher. So I decided to add it to my old standby homemade detergent, and I was very pleased with both the clean and the shine!  

So here’s my recipe:

• 1 cup washing soda
• 2 cups borax (like this one)
• 4 T lemishine (like this one – I may try leaving this out with the next batch and see  if it makes a difference since it claims to make the dishes shine…)

Mix these three together very well in a gallon sized zip lock bag by shaking. Then transfer into a container with a lid for easy scooping.  Scoop out about 2 T of the mixture to fill the compartments in the dishwasher, then add ½ capful of thieves household cleaner.  Fill the rinse agent with white vinegar and wash as usual.  Enjoy your economical and chemical free dish washer soap!

How can you get some of this awesome cleaner you ask?  

• Go here https://www.youngliving.com/signup/
• Select retail customer
• Enter my number for the enroller and sponsor #1405009
• Follow the instructions to become a customer and purchase your cleaner!  It’s that simple!

OR

• If you are ready to jump in to essential oils with a premium  starter kit , then select wholesale member
• Enter my number for the enroller and sponsor #1405009
• Follow the instructions to become a wholesale member and purchase your  kit and cleaner!  It’s that simple.