DIY Cleaning Products
The month of December means peppermint trumps pumpkin when it comes to flavored coffees. It also means it’s time to get into the spirit of the season, so it’s a good thing you’ve already decked your home out with holiday décor.
But that’s not all you can do to embrace the season this year. You can also make your home smell like the holidays by cleaning with essential oils and using the following DIY cleaning products.
One disclaimer before you get in the DIY zone: Some of these solutions contain distilled white vinegar — the reigning champion of green cleaning products. Vinegar should never be used on stone surfaces.
Concentrated All-Purpose Peppermint Cleaner
Cleaning with essential oils is an excellent way to stay green and fill your house with holiday scents. Use this DIY cleaner to get your home looking and smelling like the season.You’ll need:
- A medium-sized Mason jar
- 3 drops liquid castile soap
- ¼ cup washing soda (Note: This is not the same as baking soda. If you can’t find washing soda at the store, you can order it online.)
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup vodka
- 4 drops of tea tree oil
- 8 drops of peppermint essential oil
Instructions:
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the vinegar until it’s boiling. This should take about two minutes, but timing will vary depending on your microwave model, so keep an eye on it.
- Remove the bowl using oven mitts and add the washing soda. Stir this until it’s completely dissolved.
- Add the remaining ingredients and pour into the Mason jar. Screw on the lid and shake well to marry all of the components.
- When you’re ready to clean, mix one part cleaner with four parts water in your spray bottle. Shake to combine and use with a microfiber cloth.
Scented Simple Vinegar Solution
As you probably know, vinegar is great in terms of green cleaning products. Unfortunately, it can make your home smell like dill pickles every time you clean. Cleaning with essential oils lets you clear off kitchen countertops and bathroom mirrors while adding a touch of the holidays to the air. Check out this simple solution:You’ll need:
- A large spray bottle
- Water
- Distilled white vinegar
- 10 or more drops of peppermint essential oil
Instructions:
- Fill your spray bottle with a 1:1 ratio of water and vinegar.
- Add 10 drops of peppermint essential oil to your bottle and shake well. Tip: You can add a few more drops of oil if the scent isn’t minty enough for you. And if you don’t like mint, you can substitute clove oil in this recipe.
- Clean using your solution and a microfiber cloth.
Holiday Bliss Bathroom Powder Cleaner
Unlike most green cleaning products, commercial bathroom solutions tend to have caustic scents that don’t quite bring the holidays to mind. Cleaning with essential oils not only gets your bathtub clean, it eliminates those abrasive smells. And this recipe can even make your bathroom smell festive.You’ll need:
- A large Mason jar
- A hammer and a small nail
- 1 cup borax
- 1 cup baking soda
- ½ cup sea salt (Note: If you have a fiberglass bathtub, leave the sea salt out of the recipe as it can scratch your tub.)
- 6 drops of peppermint essential oil
Instructions:
- Screw the lid on your Mason jar. Using the hammer and nail, carefully punch several holes in the jar lid to create a shaker for your powder.
- Mix the dry ingredients.
- Add the peppermint essential oil and mix again. (If peppermint’s not your style, you can use clove oil or any other essential oil.)
- Pour the ingredients into the Mason jar and top with the shaker lid you made.
- Use your DIY bathroom powder just as you would any other powdered cleaner. Wipe it away with a microfiber sponge.
- When you’re not using your cleaner, you can sub out the shaker top for a regular jar lid so that powder doesn’t scatter everywhere if the jar gets tipped over. You can also store by placing a piece of waxed paper between the lid and the metal screw band.
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