Best Essential Oils for Green Cleaning

There are dozens of essential oils that work well with green cleaning mixtures.

• Lemon, cinnamon, lavendar, and orange essential oils leave wonderfully fresh and pleasing smells.
• Although more pungent in smell, eucalyptus, peppermint, and tea tree oils are three of my favorites because of their many beneficial properties.

This article focuses on these properties and explains how they are helpful when used in cleaning mixtures.

Creating green cleaning mixtures is easier than you might think. As people become aware of the harmful toxins in many store-bought cleaners, more people are looking for other options. A wealth of information about how to create your own green cleaners is found quickly with a Google or Hubpages search. Beneficial essential oils can easily be added to all of the green cleaning recipes in the hub, Healthy Natural Green House Cleaning Solutions.

One example is a furniture polish cleaning solution. Combine equal parts of vinegar and olive to use as a furniture cleaner. Put in a spray bottle or easy-dispense container. Add several drops of essential oil to the furniture polish solution. For a small bottle, add 3 to 6 drops, and for a large bottle, add 10 to 20 drops. According to tests run by Biomed Central, cinnamon was very effective for antibacterial properties. Because of this, I would use cinnamon essential oil in surface cleaners, such as furniture polish. Not only will your furniture be shiny and attractive, it will be germ-free as well.

Peppermint essential oil has some wonderful cleaning properties. Because of its antibacterial strenght, it is very useful in cleaning bathrooms, kitchens, and surface areas. In additioln to its antibacterial properties, peppermint essential oil is a natural pest detterant as well, keeping ants, roaches, spiders away from you home. It mixes well with other essential oils such as lemon and lavendar, creating an incredible smell as you are cleaning.

Tea tree essential oil offers antibacterial, antiseptic, and antifungal properties. IIt is an excellent remover of mildew and mold in the bathroom as well as other areas of the house. I was amazed at the result when I sprayed a mixture of water and tea tree essential oil on my mildew-infested shower walls and floor. I did this for several days, and the mildew gradually vanished. Now I maintain a mildew-free shower stall by spraying the walls and floor once a week. To make this mixture, mix 10-20 drops of tea tree oil with water in a spray bottle. Then, spay the mixture on moldy or mildewy areas. Let it sit on the surface without scrubbing or rinsing. This mixture will also rid your house of musty and unpleasant odors.

According to OrganicFacts.net, the health benefits of eucaplyptus oil include anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, decongestant, antiseptic, antibacterial, and other medicinal properties. Because it is used to treat many respiratory problems, when used to clean bathrooms and add to hottubs, it has an added health benefit as well. In addition, eucalyptus oil is antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, and antiviral, which makes it a wonderful ingredient in household cleaning mixtures. Eucalyptus oil has also been shown to repel dust mites, so it is an excellent choice of essential oil to add when washing clothes, towels, or linens. Simply add several drops to the washing machine when beginning a load of laundry.

One should always be careful when using essential oils. Check to be sure that you are not allergic to them and that they will not interfere with any other treatments you may be receiving. Keep them away from children. Essential oils are meant to be used diluted as they are very potent. Visit: Essential Oil Warnings for more information about the uses and warnings for specific essental oils.