My Secret Cleaning Weapon - Thieves Essential oil and Baking Soda
It seems silly to be posting a recipe this simple but I seriously use this every day. It's great for a little scrubbing power and for taking out any icky germs.
Thieves oil is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal so it makes sense to use it to clean your house. Want the science to back it up? Here is a study on the Antibacterial and anti-fungal properties of Essential oil, and Antibacterial activity of Essential oils, and an article for using Essential oils against Hospital-acquired infections and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (like MRSA). These studies feature one or more oils found in the Thieves blend.
Thieves is a blend of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary. The smell of Thieves reminds me of the holidays, probably because of the clove and rosemary. It leaves my house smelling clean and a tiny bit spicy, I love it. I've replaced all my chemical cleaners and use this blend and the Thieves line of concentrated cleaner from Young Living. Check out this link for a before and after cleaning with Thieves post.
I've used this mixture to clean stubborn, caked on grime from my oven. I use it to clean all my sinks and my bathtub. And I love using it to clean my glass stove top.
Got something oily/grimy on your hands and soap alone isn't getting it off? Pour a teaspoon or so of this mixture into your hand and massage into your skin and wash away. It works like a charm for me.
To make this amazing mixture
- Take a clean quart size mason jar.
- Fill it almost all the way with baking soda
- Drop 3-5 drops of Thieves essential oil into the jar.
- Put a lid on it and shake it for a minute.
- Let this sit for at least 20 minutes before using.
It's that easy. I find that I make this up every two weeks when I clean regularly... Otherwise it will last a month or more. I definitely used more when I first started using it, but now that most of the tough jobs are done I don't have to use as much.
For more information on Essential oils please visit my Oils page and check out the other ' Reasons why' posts.