Do you love to save money? Do you prefer non-toxic things in your home? Do you enjoy it when your kids clean the house? Then read on!
To read this article later, click “Save” on the picture to save to Pinterest.
Cheap and Easy Cleaning Hack
I grew up in a house where most meals came from a box, most food was laced with sugar, and the cleaning products were expensive and extremely toxic. So it took me a few years to come around to a different mindset. Now I realize you can be healthy AND save money at the same time! It’s a win-win!
Who understands that a concentrate is just that… a concentrate. You add water to a small amount of a strong solution, and it magically lasts for a long time. My favorite concentrate to clean the house with is essential oils.
Let’s Break This Down for a Second
There are approximately 250 drops of essential oil in a 15mL bottle. This is the standard size of most quality essential oils. When I mix up my cleaning solution, I use about 6 drops total – 3 lemon and 3 melaleuca.
A bottle of doTERRA Lemon costs $14.67 retail. This equals out to only $.06 per drop!
Melaleuca costs $28.00 retail, so it is $.11 per drop!
So let’s go back to third grade. If I am a retail customer, I would spend 6+6+6 (3 lemon drops) and 11+11+11 (3 melaleuca drops). This equals $.51. That’s right… 51 cents for the essential oils. You can add a little vinegar which would be about $.05 as well.
Item | Retail Cost | Cost per Drop | Cost for Mixture |
---|---|---|---|
Lemon EO | $14.67 | $0.06 | $0.18 |
Melaleuca/Tea Tree EO | $28.00 | $0.11 | $0.33 |
Vinegar | $0.05 | ||
TOTAL for Healthy Cleaning | $0.56 |
So that’s $.56 to clean most homes 2-3 times or
28¢ to clean your whole house with a healthy cleaner. Yes, please!
Cheap and Easy Cleaning Blend
All you need is a 4 ounce glass bottle which should last you for years. It must be glass as essential oils eat through plastic. Here’s the recipe:
3 drops lemon essential oil
3 drops melaleuca/tea tree essential oil
3-4 tablespoons of vinegar
Top off with water and give a little shake.
You may also enjoy learning how to make many other DIY recipes with essential oils here.
Use it for EVERYTHING!
I love saving space under cabinets, and this is the best way I have found to accomplish that. I used to have 6-8 bottles under my sinks for cleaning floors, tubs, toilets, etc. But this blend does it all! One bottle.
The only thing we don’t clean with it is things we don’t spray at all. When we dust or do glass/mirrors, we only use a Norwex cloth for that… no sprays. And we do sprinkle a little Comet into the toilet bowl, but you could pour a little of this blend in the toilet if you wanted to. If the toilet still stinks, you can just spray a little of this solution in and on the bowl.
Non-Toxic and Safe for Kids and Pets
My kids are old enough to clean the house to earn their allowance. And we feel totally safe having them clean with this solution. I wouldn’t want their little respiratory systems to breathe in the toxic fumes other traditional cleaners have. Lemon and melaleuca are also safe for pets when watered down and used sparingly.
If oils are newer for you, you may enjoy Essential Oils for Beginners and the importance of shopping on a doTERRA Certified Site.
Does it Work?
Yes! We’ve used this blend for years, we are generally very healthy, our house feels clean, and we all love it!
Melaleuca is best known for its purifying qualities, so it is great for cleaning your home. It also purifies the air and supports immunity. So you are actually getting healthy benefits from this while you clean!
Lemon is known for cleansing and purifying, so it is also perfect for cleaning as well.
One More Tip
You can substitute lemon and melaleuca for other oils that are also purifying and perfect for cleaning. Mix and match with every new bottle just for fun. You can use:
- Eucalyptus
- Orange
- Cinnamon
- Pine
- Thyme
- Douglas Fir
- Peppermint
- doTERRA’s On Guard (an orange and clove blend)
Are you ready to shop for your essential oils to get you started? I’d love to answer any questions you may have as well. Please Pin or share if you found this helpful!
Pingback: Easy Essential Oil DIY Projects - The Freckled Foot Doc
I love cleaning with essential oils. Skipping the toxins for health promoting essential oils is a win in and of itself. Bonus that it’s actually cheaper! Great post!
I totally agree! Thanks for your kind words.
I like your cost breakdown! People always think oils are more expensive because the bottle costs more than a bottle of conventional cleaner, but your price breakdown shows which is actually more affordable.
Thank you! The cost breakdown was one of the things that sold me on oils ages ago.
I’m always looking for new ways to clean in a non toxic way and this is so helpful! I will give this blend a try for sure.
Great! I hope you enjoy it.
I use vinegar and baking soda for everything but now I will try some essential oil as well. Thanks
Vinegar and baking soda work well and are really healthy. But I do enjoy the smell and benefits of the oils for sure!
Pingback: Easy Essential Oil DIY Recipes - Making Frugal FUN