Welcome to part two of our essential oil series with my guest collaborator, Lindsay Luker of Good Leaf Life “your guide to understanding the ingredients & solutions provided by nature to help you live peacefully & naturally.”
Lindsay encourages us to “live a good life” which is what essential oils help us to do. In our first part Essential Oils for Health and Beauty, Lindsay talked to us about ways to renew and revive our bodies with simple solutions using oils.
Now we get to attend to the space we live in!
HOME
As Lindsay says, “Your home is your sanctuary, your safe place. It is a retreat to relax and restore where you can take a deep, cleansing breath at the end of the day. Your home is a space you share with friends and family.“
For me the question becomes: Why would you fill this space with toxins?
Unfortunately, that is what the average cleaning supplies are; toxic. Even those fancy, heavily scented candles and room fresheners are complete with things that are actually poisonous to us. Crazy, right?
It took me a long time to get to the place where I was ready to set aside my Formula 409 and Tide Detergent for natural cleaners. Please, don’t think you’re supposed to suddenly change your life overnight.
Changing the way in which you clean is a learning process with tons of options and decisions. Each step moves you toward a goal of a purely clean home so you can live in your space with peace in your mind, body, and soul.
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR THE WIN
It took me even longer to bring essential oils into my routines. They felt overwhelming and I had no idea where to start. I needed simple, straight-forward directions, which is where Lindsay comes in.
LINDSAY - Essential oils are aromatic compounds naturally found in plants. Many of them contain high concentrations of compounds which are cleansing by nature. These can be incorporated into your cleaning routine and eventually substitute for the possibly toxic products you are currently using.
KATE – I asked Dr. Lindsay, PhD, to give us definitions for some of the important sciencey words you’ll find in the oil descriptions:
LINDSAY –
Monoterpene –
Penetrates the skin quickly because it is a small molecule
Mild anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antibacterial effects
Decongestant
Deodorizer
Monoterpenol –
An alcohol
Genially mild and safe for use on skin
Anti-infectious, anti- inflammatory, antiseptic
Used a lot in skincare
Excellent support for nervous and immune systems
Monoterpenes, monoterpenols, sesquiterpenes, sesquiterpenols, esters, oxides, ketones, and phenols are a few of the main chemical families in essential oils.
Each plant’s essential oil has a unique chemistry composed of molecules that fall into these families.
Each family has characteristic properties and effects we can use to support our physical and emotional health!
Let’s get started with a few easy ways to safely clean your home (not to mention introduce gorgeous and effective aromas into your life!)
CLEANING OIL CHAMPS
LINDSAY – Any of the following oils are fantastic cleaning agents!
Lemon and her citrus oil sisters like Wild Orange, Grapefruit, Lime, and Mandarin contain d-limonene, a monoterpene which is inherently antiseptic, and it supports the white blood cells in your immune system for extra safeguard against germs.
Meanwhile, the uplifting zesty citrus aromas cleanse negative mental energy and invigorate your mind!
Tea Tree Oil is anti-everything! Antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral; it is an extremely effective oil filled with terpinen-4-ol, a monoterpenol sure to clean your home while stimulating your immune system.
The medicinal aroma of tea tree also cleans relationships. Having a casual domestic debate? Clean it up with tea tree!
*Do not use tea tree oil if you have pets, especially dogs and cats. They are not designed to metabolize this and it can cause serious harm to them.
Peppermint is filled with menthol, a monoterpenol (or alcohol). This anti-infective compound blends beautifully with citrus oils for a fresh home!
The cool aroma of peppermint also cleans the mind of negative thoughts.
KATE – I had an unusual cleaning need lately and called Lindsay immediately. I had ordered a copper lighting fixture for my new powder room. It was supposed to have “light antiquing” on it. When it arrived, it looked like it has been under water oxidizing for 30 years.
Solution? Rub the crap out of it with lemon oil. This photo shows the difference a little oil made.
HOUSEHOLD SURFACE CLEANING SPRAY
LINDSAY – Combine these ingredients into your bottle. Label it. Shake it. Spray it. Wipe it. Done! What you will need:
16 oz dark glass spray bottle
NOTE: Light can break down the compounds in oils and shorten their shelf life. Plastic can be broken down by the oils and sprayed into your home’s air. Use dark glass for all of your essential oil recipes.
A spoonful of white vinegar
Distilled water
40 drops of essential oils
This can be used on most surfaces… sinks, countertops, faucets, toilets, showers, mirrors, windows.
KATE – When I started making my own cleaners, I knew at the time that glass was better to use than plastic, but didn’t realize the importance of dark glass. So my older clear glass bottles live under the kitchen sink with every citrus oil I own so I can mix it up with each batch.
WOOD POLISH
LINDSAY – What you will need
16 oz dark glass spray bottle
½ cup olive oil
½ cup white vinegar
20 drops of essential oil
Any of the following are excellent! Lemon, Orange, Arborvitae, Lavender, Tea Tree
Combine as desired
Shake. Spray. Wipe with a microfiber cloth!
KATE – Okay, I wish I took better care of the wood in my home, but I’m not there yet. Remember, I’m on a journey, too!
There’s a part of me that wonders if I take the time to create the polish might I start using it simply because I made it? Would that be the next step in caring of my home?
Hmm, I may be updating you on social media in the future…
LIQUID HAND SOAP
LINDSAY – These oils are filled with monoterpenes, which are antiseptic by nature: Lemon, Grapefruit, Juniper Berry, and Tea Tree. And these are filled with monoterpenols, which are anti-infectious by nature Geranium, Lavender, Tea Tree, and Ylang Ylang.
Use any combination you feel drawn to!
What you will need
Dark glass bottle with pump; size of choice
Unscented castile soap
Cleansing essential oils
Use a 1-2% dilution rate. For example: 8 oz castile soap with 40-80 drops total of oils.
KATE – I love getting crazy with my oil combos. Just like my cleaning spray, I mix it up with each batch. One of my faves is geranium and lavender with some cedarwood. It makes me happy.
BUG REPELLANT
LINDSAY – All of the following are natural bug repellents: Clove, Lemon, Lemon Eucalyptus, Geranium, Arborvitae, Peppermint, Lavender, Citronella, Patchouli, and Cedarwood.
What you will need:
2 oz glass spray bottle
Distilled water
Use 30 drops total
You can also put a few drops of any of the bug repellant oils on cotton balls and place them in the corners of your home to keep the insect friends away without harming them.
*Please keep out of reach of pets and/or wee ones.
KATE – My husband is a magnet for mosquitos, so I like to keep any repellants a little more manly. That means leaning away from the florals and more toward oils like arborvitae and cedarwood.
Of course, he has no sense of smell so I could really make up any concoction I like and he’d never know!
PUPPY REPELLANT
LINDSAY – Citrus oils, especially Lemon! They do not like it. Place a few drops on a cotton swab and gently wipe any wood surfaces or furniture you do not want your puppy munching on!
STICKY STUFF
Lemon does the trick, no joke!
Watch the residual sticky stuff from labels, price stickers, honey, or the I’m-just-not-sure-what it-is stickiness melt away! 1-5 drops (depending on the size of sticky area) and rub the offending substance off with fingers or a sponge. Easy!
STINKY SHOES
Place a few drops of the oils of your choice on a cotton ball. One for each shoe. Stick it in the shoe. Remember to remove before wearing!
*As always, please keep out of reach of pets and/or wee ones.
Fresh oils I like to use in those stinky kicks: Peppermint, Lemon, Wild Orange…the possibilities are endless!
AIR FRESHENING
Diffusing essential oils offers an array of benefits for your home and all its inhabitants! Oils fill the air with negative ions, which cancel the positive ions of dust and allergens.
Replacing scented candles with oils spares your lungs, skin, and entire being of the toxins candles and smoke release into your home.
A few drops go a loooooong way! For example, in a 400 sq ft room, you will not need more than 6 drops in your diffuser!
I’ll have more diffuser recipes in the next two parts of this series focusing on essential oils for mental well-being and for your spirit.
NEXT STEPS
KATE – Try one or two of these ideas and start moving your home toward being cleaner, safer space. I love that I no longer use rubber gloves to clean. I’m never afraid of what’s going to touch my skin. I hope you will, too.
Remember, if you want to begin making changes you don’t have to do them all in one day. Rarely do new habits stick when we try to do too much at one time. It becomes too overwhelming.
This is a great example of how your life and the space you live in are so very connected.
Care for your home and you will be caring for yourself.
Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter so you don’t miss the third and fourth installments of this series on essential oils for your mind, body, soul, and space. And make sure you go back and read up on health and beauty, too!
For support in your essential oil education and journey you can contact Lindsay Luker on her website for Good Leaf Life.
I’ll be waiting for you to schedule your next coaching session with me to spread that education out into your whole life decluttering journey.