As a kid, one of my favorite rainy day activities was playing “chemist”. Having purchased and renovated an old 1800’s farmhouse, my parents amassed an impressive collection of multi-colored glass bottles along the way, and stored them in a cabinet in our garage. On rainy days, I would gather up a bunch of glass bottles of varying colors and sizes, and place them under the eaves of the house.
Then, I waited.
When the bottles filled up, I would then put up the hood of my raincoat, run outside to get the bottles, and bring them in to my garage “lab”. Then, back and forth, I’d pour the water from bottle to bottle, trying to reach the perfect formulation in each bottle.
Today, I brought myself right back to my childhood. The difference, however, was that the ‘rain’ was essential oils, and now I have my very own (growing) collection of glass bottles.
This is my little “chemist” station. But I’m not a chemist…I just love making natural versions of the un-natural products around my home. Admittedly, I’ve gotten rid of most of the chemical-based cleaning and household products already, but I replaced them with other mainstream “natural” products (for instance, I started using Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products in place of most other brands). Lately, however, with all of the research I’ve been doing on essential oils, and the fact that I’m really enjoying the benefits I feel since using them, I wanted to replace even my “natural” household products. Since becoming a Wellness Advocate for doTERRA, I’ve learned a ton.
Today, I embarked upon an All-Purpose Cleaner journey, and I am so happy with the results. This recipe is so simple, it smells glorious, and you don’t have to worry about conceding when your toddler begs you for some “spway!”
This is my super sweet son (who just had his 2nd birthday yesterday!), and he loves to clean! It’s his favorite thing to do, as evidenced here, as well as through his favorite birthday gift, which is a play set of cleaning items. It’s quite funny, really. When he’s a teenager, I’m sure that cleaning will be the last thing that he’s interested in–but for now, he’s my best helper.
The cleaner that I put together today smells so great, and I nearly used half of the bottle because it was doing such a great job. I just kept cleaning every surface that I came across. Clearly, my son gets his love for cleaning from his mama.
I decided to use lemon oil for its antiseptic, antibacterial, degreasing and disinfectant properties. Also, it smells amazing, especially when used in conjunction with lavender oil, which also has antibacterial properties. I topped it off with frankincense, which is mainly thought of as an oil that would be injested or diffused (not used in a cleaning product), but I adore the smell of it, so I dropped it in. I figured that if I’m enjoying the smell of my homemade cleaner, I might be more enthusiastic about cleaning.
We’ll see!
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