DIY: Make over your cleaning cupboard

I needed to start with this image above today! If essential oils work THIS fast, can you imagine what chemicals are doing to us?? I had a massive wake up call this year. It was time to start sorting out my general health, moods and energy levels. It started with chemicals and I can honestly say I’ve never felt better!

If you want to makeover your cleaning cupboard you won’t regret it. So simple, cheap and easy.

There are 3 reasons WHY you should start using less toxins to clean your home

1. Less ingesting chemicals which can alter your mood and general health
2. Better for the environment
3. Cheaper

While you can’t remove 100% of toxins you can drastically reduce your load. I would say I’ve reduced my load by about 90%. The other 10% maybe I’m not tuned in enough yet, I do love sunscreen and I’m yet to try hair products. BUT I have been giving it a good go the last 6 months. I’ve changed my toothpaste, deodorant, night cream, washing powder…

I feel like there has been a huge shift in mood and energy, so I am definitely sticking to this!

In today’s world we are surrounded by toxins – the air we breathe, the products we use, the things we eat. I am not an expert at this yet, and I still have a long way to go in learning, but I am on the right path.

Endocrine disruptors (scented and artificial smells) are chemicals that can interfere with your hormone systems at certain doses. Any system in the body controlled by hormones can be derailed by these hormone disruptors. I felt my hormones were suffering and in turn I wasn’t feeling great or sleeping well.

So, going low tox is not just about cleaning. Everyone washes their clothes in detergents and fabric softeners containing fragrances that release toxic chemicals on the skin and into the air all day long.  We sleep in pj’s and on sheets all washed in chemicals. Because of this, we are awash in fragrances 24/7. When we go to a public place, we are sharing what is now being called “secondhand fragrance”. This is the combination of chemicals being released into the public air space from air fresheners, cleaning products, and scented candles plus all the products people are wearing (from hair spray, shampoo, clothes, to perfume, etc). Everyone is breathing contaminated air even if they choose to not wear fragrance. Soooo… FOR ME, it was time to reduce my general toxic load.

The use of chemicals in my home was something I COULD control directly to see if that would help shift a few things.

Here’s a list of the things I have changed/added for more low-tox living

1. I threw out my perfumes and made my own. You can read more about that here.
2. I ditched candles, reed diffusers, plug-in smelly things and room sprays. I’ve been using the PURIFY essential oil instead (cheaper and smells better anyway!).
3. I stopped using a night cream on my face with chemicals. Read what I use now here.
4. I switched to a natural deodorant so now I am not putting chemicals on my lymph nodes under my armpits every day.
5. I changed my washing detergent to a non-toxic one – made my own too.
6. I threw out all my cleaning products and use the doTERRA On Guard concentrate cleaner in a spray bottle for everything around my home, plus I use it in my mop bucket. It smells so good and is cheap because you only need a tiny bit. I am no longer ingesting chemicals when I spray my kitchen benchtops 6 times a day (because of a house full of boys who eat all day long!). My house is still pretty clean!
7. I changed my hand wash to low-tox with antibacterial properties.
8. I’ve started using a natural toothpaste which is fluoride free, and has natural whitening properties. You only need the tiniest bit.
9. I’ve also upped the use of indoor plants to clean the air. You can read about that here.

I am not spending any more money than I used to. A bottle of essential oil has 250 drops and mostly you’ll need 2-4 drops at any time. Lemon is $12 and It will last for a long time. The KEY is to use less! I just push my trolley straight past all the cleaning aisles and buy my other products only monthly. It’s so good!

So you will need a few items to start with

1. Vinegar – is a great alternative for cutting grease, deodorizing and hard water stains.
2. Borax or bicarb soda – scrubs, disinfects, whitens, deodorizes and cuts grease as well as the best of cleaning products.
3. Liquid Castile Soap – a vegetable-based soap available at many health food stores or online, is a great alternative to other dish soaps or hand soaps.
4. Witch hazel water – not imperative (but handy to use to mix water and oil).
5. Essential oils – I will tell you which ones I love and use.
6. Glass bottles – you must either use glass (from here) or stainless steel bottles to mix ingredients because essential oils may corrode plastic over a long time.

Essential oils I use the most

Lemon, tea tree, lime, peppermint, purify for cleaning. Lavender and eucalyptus for clothes washing.

Above are the recipes I have used. I am now using just these combos daily! If you want to learn more about how to get your whites WHITE then read this blog post. You can also use the soft scrub as a paste to put on stained clothes.

Grab some labels (I have a really simple label maker from Officeworks) or buy some vinyl stickers you can write on, or head to Etsy to find some pre-printed ones.

Now, go throw out all the the cleaning stuff you have! You will save so much money but just using essential oils, vinegar and baking soda as basic ingredients.

If you’d like to know HOW you buy doTERRA essential oils – which not only has cleaning benefits but you’ll cover about 80% of your health and wellness needs, then read this post and get started today!

If you do sign up and start using doTERRA you’ll join my Facebook group and I’ll teach you everything you need to know PLUS see my weekly online classes.

♥ KC.