Make Your Own Non-Toxic Tub & Toilet Bowl Cleaner!

In the process of going completely non-toxic in our household products, I've switched to using vinegar and baking soda for a great deal of our cleaning. They're cheap, effective, and totally safe so I don't have to lock them away from the kids. But I wasn't 100% happy with using them to clean the toilet. Now I've found a simple recipe I really like for a non-toxic toilet bowl cleaner, and I've been using it for the last few months.  I found that it also works well in the tub! Here it is...

 

Non-Toxic Tub & Toilet Bowl Cleaner

• 1/4 cup Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap (try Lavender or Peppermint!)
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 20 drops essential oils (I used 5 drops each of: Lemon, Melaleuca/Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, & Thieves... this blend smells wonderful and each of the oils have powerful cleaning properties!)

Mix all ingredients in a 16 oz or larger squeeze bottle. Give it a good shake each time before using. For the container, I started out using a spray bottle but it eventually got clogged because of the baking soda. What I ended up finding that worked best was squeeze bottles from Sally's Beauty Supply that are made for applying hair color. You could also use an old dish soap container or obviously a toilet cleaner bottle if you have one. I put the recipe right on the bottle so it's quick & easy to refill the bottles.

The original recipe included 2 TBSP baking soda, but I found that it eventually caused it to clog the squirter.

NOdor Spray Recipe

If you ever find yourself in need of a powerful odor-eliminating spray, you'll be glad to have this one! I got the recipe from Crow River Animal Hospital, HERE, along with their assortment of natural cleaning recipes. It's a heavy duty odor eliminator that they originally formulated as a natural alternative to "Tom Cat Urine Odor".  It's some powerful stuff! Here's the recipe:

It's How I Roll!

Most of the essential oil recipes I'll share with you are either in spray form or some sort of a cream using an herbal base (I'll be sharing those next month). Another handy, simple way to use your favorite oils or blends is in roller bottles. Here are my favorites...

Each of the following Roller Bottle Recipes was made by first adding my essential oil(s) of choice to a 5ml roller bottle (I got mine here), then filling the rest of the bottle up with a carrier oil of choice. Some examples of carrier oils include olive oil, sunflower seed oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, etc. Just be sure your carrier oil is organic, cold-pressed or expeller-expressed, and unprocessed.

Antihistamine Roller: 5-10 drops each Lemon, Lavender and Peppermint oils. (Read more about this powerful, natural antihistamine blend here!) It's a great blend for runny noses and allergy sufferers. I only used 5 drops of each oil since I use it on my kids. We  use it mainly on the base of the toes, so there's no chance of irritating the skin. I've read that other people use it on the base of their neck or the thymus.

Eczema (and more!) Roll-On Relief: 5 drops Lavender + 3 drops Melrose. This is a great blend for irritated skin! 

Peppermint: 15-20 drops Peppermint essential oil. I loved having a handy roller of Peppermint oil when I was pregnant because I had a lot of heartburn and this would knock it out. I kept it in my purse and by my bedside. (For heartburn I applied it over my thymus or on the vita flex point on my upper foot.)  It's also great for digestive concerns we've used it instead of Tum's. It's been a life-saver more than once for tummy aches and upset stomachs, so I still carry it in my diaper bag as well as keeping it in both bathrooms. (Apply directly to stomach or to the arch of the foot.) It can also be used for allergies by applying it to the base of the neck or to the thymus.

Peace & Calming: 15-25 drops Peace & Calming essential oil blend. Use this on the big toe (vita flex point for the brain), feet, back of neck and wrists for overactive kids, fussy babies, and anyone who could use a little calming down. This is great to use right before going to sleep at night! 

RC: 15-30 drops RC essential oil blend. This is an amazing blend for Respiratory Congestion (hence the name... R..C..). I used 30 drops so it's nice and strong. Apply it to the throat, sinuses, chest, back, and feet.

Make Your Own Dust Mite Spray!!

In yesterday's post, KILL Those Dust Mites!!! I told you about the grody little creatures invading your bedding, carpet, and crawling all over your kids' stuffed animals. Today I'm going to share with you the dust mite spray that I came up with to kill those pesky creatures. After reading how effective Eucalyptus essential oil is at killing dust mites, I made this spray to use on mattresses and stuffed animals between washings. You can also use some of this spray on your dusting cloth to actually kill the dust mites as you dust. Besides killing dust mites, this spray is also great to neutralize odors and repel bugs, making it a good choice to use in closets and shoes.

 Here's my recipe for a 4oz spray bottle:

• 15 drops Young Living Eucalyptus Essential Oil
• 10 Young Living Purification Essential Oil Blend
• Fill the rest with distilled water & shake to mix.

Spray on stuffed animals, mattresses, and other bedding to kill dust mites. You'll still want to vacuum afterwards to remove their feeces, which is what actually affects your health and allergies. 

TIPS:

• As I mentioned in Monday's post, you can stick stuffed animals and other bedding in the freezer to kill dust mites, but if your little ones can't stand to be without their lovies for 2 days while they freeze and another day while you wash them, this is a nice alternative. Spray the dust mite spray on the stuffed animals to kill the dust mites, and then vacuum or cold-wash it afterwards to remove residue. Then they can still have their teddy bear back before bedtime.
• Remember to bring this spray along with you next time you stay in a hotel to cleanse the room and bedding!! 
• To read my full post about dust mites and the other measures you should take to get rid of them, read my post "Kill those Dust Mites!" 

ABOUT THE OILS USED:

• Eucalyptus Essential Oil* is antibacterial, anti-infectious, antiseptic, and antiviral. 
• Purification Oil Blend* purifies and cleanses bacteria, kills odors and their bacteria, mold, and fungus. 
• Between these two oils, this is a great spray for keeping your sleeping area clean and de-yuck-ifying kids stuffed animals!

KILL those Dust Mites!!!

What if I told you that this nasty creature was sleeping in your bed, and in your children's beds?

This is a dust mite. And I hate to break it to you, but dust mites live with YOU. They feed on the dead skin cells you constantly shed, and are mostly found in your bedding. (yuck!)

After reading up about dust mites I have to say I was pretty grossed out. They're not visible to the naked eye, but they live on your carpet, plush furniture, curtains, matresses, pillows, and bedding. Statistically, if you suffer from allergies or asthma, there's an OVER 50% chance that you're sensitive to house dust mites. Even if you don't have allergies, do you really want to be living with those creatures?

After finding out that my son is super-allergic to dust mites (he scored the highest possible reaction to them when allergy tested), I had a super-cleaning spree to purge them from our house. If you'd like to rid your house of them too, here's how...

Make Your Own Natural Air Freshener!

Here's a quick, easy recipe for non-toxic air freshener. It smells wonderfully fresh and lemony, and is perfect for keeping in bathrooms.

Natural Air Freshener Recipe

4 oz water

2 or 3 drops Purification essential oil blend (I use 3)

2 or 3 drops Lemon essential oil (I use 2)

You can make this spray in what ever size you'd like. Just add approximately one drop of essential oil per ounce of water. So for a 32 oz spray bottle, you'd want around 32 total drops of oil. If you want to change it up a bit, some different essential oils that are great for air freshener are Peppermint or Thieves.

Make Your Own "Bug Off" Spray!

You know how OFF bug spray has a warning label to only spray it on your clothes, not your skin? I don't know about you, but my clothes don't get bug bites, my skin does.  Now I have a home-made bug spray with no toxins in it, that is so gentle that even babies can use it! Not only is it SAFE for  skin, but it doesn't leave it feeling or smelling disgusting, like all store-bought bug sprays do. Best of all it only takes about a minute to whip up.

Bug Off Spray Recipe

2 oz water

pinch of sea salt (an emulsifier)

15 drops Purification Essential Oil*

5 drops Peppermint Essential Oil*

I've seen several essential oil bug spray recipes online, but this is the one I use and like. Of course you want to use a good quality plastic bottle, which I found at my health food store. An empty Thieves spray bottle also works well, just half the recipe because it's only a 1 oz bottle. For an 8 oz spray bottle, use 60 drops Purification and 20 drops Peppermint.

If you want to change up which oils you use, some other combinations I've seen recommended include Lemongrass with Citronella and Basil, or Lavender with Geranium and Peppermint. Just use about 10 drops essential oils per ounce of water. My spray recipe includes the essential oil blend "Purification,"  which gives me the benefit of an optimum blend of ingredients without having to purchase them all individually. Besides preventing bug bites, Purification is also great for treating them too... just apply one drop of the full-strength Purification oil to the bite. It works wonders. One night my two-year-old got bit up with a cluster of huge bites all over his back, so I applied Purification. The next morning you couldn't even see the bites any more!

DIY: Organic, Non-Toxic Multi-Purpose Sanitizing Spray

Did you know you can make your own non-toxic disinfectant & sanitizing spray that WORKS? Today I'm sharing with you a SIMPLE recipe for a DIY antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-infectious spray to use on any surface that needs cleansing. I carry it in my diaper bag and use it for cleansing hands and surfaces when we're out and about. Ready for the recipe? It's a whopping two ingredients...

Organic, Non-Toxic, Multi-Purpose Sanitizing Spray Recipe

• 6-12 drops Thieves Essential Oil Blend*
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 oz distilled water

First put the salt into your spray bottle, then add the Thieves. Cover the top and shake it well to mix the Thieves oil well into the salt. Then add water to fill the rest of the bottle and shake again to mix. The purpose of the salt is to help mix the water and oil together.

That's it! Now you can send the germs running. I had a two ounce bottle and added 20 drops of oil. If you're refilling an empty Thieves Spray bottle once you've used it up, then half this recipe.

Dr. Mom's First Aid Spray Recipe

Today starts a series of posts I have scheduled for June and July that feature the various essential oil recipes I've been testing and using for the last 8 months or so. I have a good handful of recipes that I've enjoyed using in that time, so I'll be sharing them with you over the summer. 

Today I'll share with you a super-simple recipe for a First Aid Spray you won't want to be without. It takes all of about a minute or two to whip up, and is excellent to spray on minor cuts and wounds. 

Dr. Mom's First Aid Spray Recipe: