Top 5 Essential Oils for Spring Cleaning
There’s only one time of year that I truly look forward to cleaning and that is the “spring cleaning” madness. I get bit by the cleaning bug and I have to act on it quick or I’ll miss out on the opportunity.
This year will be a little different than last year’s spring cleaning because I’m going to be simplifying and “naturalizing” what products I’ll be using. Last year I definitely used toxic-cleaners but this time around I have armed myself with only two products I need: Plant Therapy essential oils and Branch Basics’ soap.
That’s right, just two simple products to get all the cleaning I talked about in this post done.
In light of my simplified cleaning products and routine, I wanted to share the top 5 essential oils for spring cleaning so you can also take advantage of cleaning your house with safe, non-toxic products. Knowing which essential oils are best for spring cleaning, helps you get the job done AND reassures your significant other that yes, you are in fact cleaning more than just what’s on the surface.
Oh, and if you’re pregnant, nursing, or have little kids running around all of these essential oils are safe to use.
Top 5 Essential Oils for Spring Cleaning
1. Lemon
Cleaning Properties: Antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiseptic.
Lemon is the quintessential smell in cleaning products and for good reason: it makes everything smell incredibly super clean and the natural aroma is a mood uplifter. This is perfect for spring cleaning because it can motivate you to clean one more thing before calling it quits and enjoying a dairy-free iced maple chai tea latte (to reward your hard work of course).
Lemon essential oil also works really well in cutting grime and grease.
2. Tea Tree
Cleaning properties: Antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, fungicidal, insecticide.
I think tea tree essential oil could be considered the “Holy Grail” of essential oils that are great for cleaning. I mean, look at all those powerful cleaning properties! When creating a DIY cleaner for the bathroom (including toilet), kitchen, or anywhere that is nasty and grimy (garage perhaps?), tea tree is a must have.
The smell of tea tree is pretty strong so combining it with lavender or lemon may help cut down the smell a bit.
3. Lavender
Cleaning properties: Antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, insecticide.
The biggest use I have for lavender is using it as a natural remedy for Andrew’s severe mosquito bites. However, now after researching lavender essential oil for cleaning uses, I can see that it is a must have for spring cleaning as well. The combined cleaning powers and the therapeutic benefits of the aroma make it super effective in cleaning. Just don’t get too relaxed and start thinking about making dairy-free chocolate mousse.
4. Sweet Orange
Cleaning properties: Antiseptic, bactericidal, fungicidal.
In a 2011 study in the Journal for Food Science, showed how valencia orange essential oil (sweet orange) inhibited E. Coli and Salmonella during the refrigeration process of beef. Sweet orange essential oil would be a great addition to cleaning recipe for kitchen counters and cleaning cutting boards.
Sweet orange also works as a great degreaser!
5. Germ Destroyer or Germ Fighter
If you have a tight budget or don’t want to play around with essential oil combinations, this makes a great all-purpose essential oil to add to your cleaning product(s) and part of your natural medicine cabinet.
Germ Fighter (comparable to Thieves ® blend from Young Living Essential Oils, LLC) is a powerful combo of essential oils that kill germs and is especially effective with airborne germs. If you have little kids in the house, you’ll want to use Plant Therapy’s Germ Destroyer which is specially formulated with essential oils safe for kids. Learn more about essential oils and safety here.
Still not sure how to use these essential oils for cleaning recipes? Stay tuned for the third part in our spring cleaning series where I’ll share a few different DIY spring cleaning recipes using these essential oils.
This post is sponsored by Plant Therapy. However, the opinions and photos are of my own. Authenticity is important so I would never promote any brand or product that I wholeheartedly don’t believe in. My readers are my number one priority and I only recommend companies and products that I believe will benefit my readers.
Thank you for sharing this interesting info with us! I’m a green maniac and I like reading articles related to this topic! For disinfection in my household I use lemon juice or vodka…it depends! Or for cleaning the kitchen appliances I use baking soda + vinegar! This combination kills germs and bacteria instantly and removes the bad odor of food! Thanks again! Greets!
Since my ideas have already been coeverd by others (vanilla and flowers), I started thinking outside the box (as they say).The least silly is putting a container of something nice smelling on a heat source like an old style TV or on top of the fridge. If it was warm enough it would activate the smells.Something a little sillier is to start baking ! There is nothing so yummy as the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls or an apple pie.What if you could invent something that would smell pretty when wet, but in a natural, healthy way. Like if you take a shower, when the humidity hit the paint on the walls they gave off a nice gentle smell.Or when the furnace (or air conditioner) kicks in the filter is embedded with a light lemony smell.For really silliness, if they could create a breed of dog or cat that would give off a nice smell when petted But on a more serious note, some people are highly allergic (myself included) to potpourri so I would be careful not to overdo it as it could trigger problems over time, or for visitors.