My Seven Essential Cleaning Recipes

Have you given much thought to detoxifying your home? Recent studies which link household products to life threatening illness and pollution mean you may want to get serious about purifying your space and finally ditching expensive and harmful household products and cleansers. Reduce your toxic load with these 6 awesome natural cleaning product recipes and one for hand sanitiser. You can easily make at home from safe, eco-friendly ingredients.

Are you aware what's in your everyday "essential" cleaning products?

A variety of compounds found in cleaning products such as laundry liquid, air fresheners, carpet cleaners and others have been found to have detremental side effects on health including: Dermatitis, stomach irritation, hormone disruption, athsma, cancer, liver damage, dizziness, sleepiness, nausea, loss of appetite, disorientation and reduced fertility among others. If you're alarmed by this information, you are not alone!

If you're thinking that you're only effecting yourself with these products, you're wrong, as many of these compounds get washed into the waterways or radiate from our homes in airborne particles, poisoning sealife and effecting air quality.

One study by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection found that when common cleaning chemicals were introduced to waterways they accelerated algae growth, reduced water oxygen, killed off marine life and rendered the water uninhabitable.
One EPA Air Quality study found that household chemicals made up such a significant contribution to smog in California that regulations had to be made regarding the amount of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds, such as ammonia, bleach and others) in cleaning products .

It’s also not just about improving health for you, your family and saving sealife, by cutting out products purchased from big chain supermarkets you are also reducing single use plastic containers that contribute to landfil, and preventing the rise of super-resistant bacteria. A little bit of bacteria is beneficial. Consider that we ourselves rely on a complex ecology of numerous strains of beneficial bacteria, in our mouths, vaginas, ears, noses, skin and microbiome. Common anti-bacterial products such as Triclosan are also known hormone disruptors. Although they claim to kill 99% of germs, and only 1% are considered to be anti-biotic resistant, when you consider that you're not living in a Hospital, it doesn't make alot of sense to bring on the big guns at home.

I know it takes effort to make a change but give it a shot with these healthy alternatives, which use mild ingredients and essential oils..

The beauty of these alternatives is that several of the oils also have beneficial actions on the nervous system, uplift the energy of a room and make your hands and home smell amazing! Please do your own research regarding oil safety for pregnancy or children, though.

Hand Sanitiser

1 TBSP rubbing alcohol
1/4 cup aloe vera gel (either store bought or make your own- only disclaimer is that the shelf life is reduced to about one week by using homemade aloe, Consider halving ingredients for a smaller batch, giving you more chance of using it within the week time frame) Heres an instructional video on how to make at home aloe vera gel.
5 drops each of Wild Orange, Clove, Eucalyptus and Rosemary oil and two drops of Cinnamon oil (Alternatively you may add 20 drops Onguard (doTerra) or Thieves oil, these preparations are already blended.)
1 TBSP distilled water or colloidal silver/ionic silver.
Small spray or pump bottle

Combine aloe vera gel and rubbing alcohol well in a small bowl. Add the essential oil Combine ingredients well and add approximately 1 tablespoon of water or colloidal silver. Add more or less liquid to thin to desired consistency. Transfer hand sanitizer into spray or pump bottles.

*I would still most likely discourage using this blend on children, please seek other kid friendly alternatives.

Here are my 6 top essential cleaning products:

All Purpose Cleaning Spray

2 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
2 teaspoons natural dish soap (I like this one)
25 drops lemon essential oil
20 drops melaleuca (tea tree) essential oil
5 drops cedarwood oil

Shake well before spraying. Use for countertops and general surface cleaning. Spray on and wipe off with reusable cloths.

Toilet Cleaner

Directly into the toilet bowl put:

1/2 cup baking soda
1/4 cup White Vinegar
1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
15 drops eucalyptus essential oil

Scrub as the baking soda and vinegar react. Flush once completely scrubbed clean.

Shower and Bath Gel

1 cup White Vinegar
¼ cup natural Dishwashing soap
10 drops eucalyptus
2 drops clove bud oil
Squeezie bottle

Squeeze on and apply to problem areas. Allow to sit for 2 hours, before scrubbing off. Fact: Clove oil is great at killing mould! Unlike Bleach which just whitens it, and is bad for your health. If you have an especially mouldy shower you can up the clove, but the scent is quite pungent.

Room or Linen Deodoriser

½ cup water
1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol
10 drops Lavender
10 drops sweet orange
5 drops clary sage
A few drops of natural dish-washing soap to disperse oils

I love this fragrance profile. Emotionally cleansing, relaxing and uplifting with the added benefit of energy clearing sage, washes the negativity off clothing and out of the home.

Window Cleaner

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
15 drops peppermint
10 drops lemon oil

Shake well, spray on and wipe off with a reusable glass cleaning cloth

Home Made Laundry Liquid

3/4 cup of liquid Castile soap
1/2 cup of baking soda
2 cups of warm water
¼ cup coarse salt
Optional essential oils (I like Lavender, May Chang or Geranium for fragrance or Eucalyptus for antibacterial properties)

Dissolve the baking soda and salt into 2 cups of warm water. Pour into a two litre container and add the liquid castile soap and essential oils. Fill to the top with water. You can use about 1/4 of a cup per load.

I use a HEPA air filter purifier in my clinic too, because there's only so much in your environment you can control, other harmful toxins off-gas from new buildings, nearby environments, local pollution, bush fires and more. I really love my one!! really affordable at $295 it is a must for athsma or allergy sufferers, as well as anyone health conscious.

There you have it! All the knowledge you need to get started detoxifying your home and contributing to a healthier planet.

Thank you, wellness warriors!

E x