Cleaning Your Healthy Home

Years ago I had to come up with a solution to not be breathing all of those store bought chemicals. A cleaner that would kill germs without hurting me and my family and leave my home sparkling clean. I have tried a lot of store "green" solutions that are expensive and I haven't liked them either. I am also not fond of having my house smell like vinegar. So, I did a lot of research and came up with a few solutions that I have been using for the last 6 years & love! These cleaners you can make for less than $1.00 per bottle. Here they are: First the disinfectants: streak free, they smell great and clean everything from kitchen counters, floors, mirrors, toilets to floors, walls, etc.. The first cleaner consists of hydrogen peroxide - 3% (mixed 50/50 with water), tea tree oil, lemon oil and lavender oil. I haven't suffered from sinus discomfort for over 6 years since I started using this solution, and my home is sparkling clean. I also love the aroma therapy as I am cleaning. Any spray top will fit the 32 oz. brown, round peroxide bottle. You can find these round type peroxide bottles at Walgreens. Also, you will need to find a nice spray top that will make cleaning easy. I like the Home Depot spray bottles you can get in the cleaning section. They are high quality and will cost around $3.79 You can find Rubbermaid bottles at Target, but my favorite are the ones at Home Depot. You will need 70% rubbing alcohol for the 2nd cleaner. Cleaning with both the peroxide cleaner and the rubbing alcohol cleaner are economical and earth friendly. You will also need the essential oils listed below. You can buy them on iHerb or get them at your health food store. The oils will last you for what seems like forever. Important: Keep peroxide cleaner in the dark brown peroxide bottle to preserve strength.

Lemon oil, tea tree oil and lavender oil are all great additions to your healthy cleaners.

Hydrogen peroxide kills bacteria, mold, mildew and fungus. It is non-toxic, which is safer for pets and children.

Tree oil turns out to be one of the most useful of all essential oils, especially as an antiseptic. The antiseptic, germicidal, antifungal, antibacterial immune-boosting qualities of Tea Tree oil make it applicable to a wide range of health conditions. In addition, the antiseptic benefits of the oil allow its use as a natural cleaner and disinfectant within the household environment.

Lemon oil is a wonderful disinfectant as well. It is believed that inhaling lemon oil helps in increasing concentration and alertness - we can all use that!!

As a disinfectant, lavender is effective against the bacteria causing diphtheria, pneumococcus, staphylococcus, and typhoid. Lavender oil is moderately antifungal but because it is so well tolerated, it can be applied directly on the skin, such as for athlete's foot or other fungal skin infections. It is soothing to the nervous system and a great tension reliever! We can all use that too:)

70% rubbing alcohol has antiseptic qualities that enable it to kill bacteria. It can also remove oils and grit from hard surfaces. Cleaning with isopropyl rubbing alcohol is both economical and earth-friendly.

The other cleaner I use is just plain baking soda. I put it in a container that has holes in the top and sprinkle it in my sinks and in my toilet bowl. I also clean my stainless steel pans with it. You can find the clear containers in a lot of grocery stores and even The Dollar Store. I purchase the larger size baking soda which is a super value. It is a great cleaner because it has scrubbing power without scratching surfaces, and it can deodorize and has antiseptic and disinfectant properties as well. Baking soda (or bicarbonate of soda, as it is also known) is a naturally occurring material, present in most organic life forms. It can be "made" from sodium carbonate, or soda ash. The soda ash is dissolved in a carbon dioxide rich solution, and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) precipitates out.

You can also make your own cleaning towels from cotton t-shirts. Below you will find the recipes for the cleaners and directions on how to make the cotton white cleaning towels from materials you probably already have.

Enjoy good health in your home!

PURCHASE ESSENTIAL OILS FROM iHerb (Click on links below)
Aura Cacia Lavender Essential Oil $8.21
Aura Cacia Lemon Essential Oil $3.95
Aura Cacia Tea Tree Essential Oil $5.98

Anti-Bacterial Household Cleaner #1 (Peroxide)
Printable Recipe
Start with a 32 oz. peroxide bottle. You will need to remove half the liquid and then fill the part that has been removed with water. You will now have 16 oz. of peroxide and 16 oz. of water in the bottle.

Add: 10 drops of lemon oil (lemon is an antibacterial, deodorizer and disinfectant)
Add: 10 drops of tea tree oil (tea tree is an antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal)
Add: 5 drops or of lavender (anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and for scent purposes)

Shake before using. This cleaner is safe on any surface and even cleans mirrors.

Anti-Bacterial Household Cleaner #2 (Rubbing Alcohol)
Printable Recipe
1/4 cup 70% rubbing alcohol (anti-bacterial)
Add: 5 drops lavender essential oil (anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and for scent purposes)
Add: 3 drops of liquid dish soap

Add all ingredients to spray bottle and then add water to the 25 oz. mark.
This cleaner is safe for your granite countertops and throughout your home, including mirrors. Shake before using.

Cotton T-Shirt Cleaning Towels
You will need:
Cotton T-Shirts that you are no longer using. I like white ones, but you can actually use any color.