Last week we put out a lot of our Easter items at the store. I’m just loving seeing all the color, breaking me from this year’s winter funk. I’m so ready for Spring.

So, in the spirit of Spring, I decided to do a deep clean of my kitchen and living room. I used Sunleaf Naturals Aromatherapy Blends to create some cleaners for the kitchen as well as the living room.

Cleaning Carpet with Essential Oil Aromas

            I started cleaning with an easy task—vacuuming the living room floor. My goal was to get some of the winter cooped-up-inside-dog smell out of the place. For this task I tried out the Sunleaf recipe for Aromatic carpet care. Here are the steps I followed:

• 1 cup of baking soda
• 4 – 6 drops Sunleaf Naturals Aromatherapy blend oil (Cedar Mint Blend)
• Mix ingredients together and sprinkle on the carpet. Allow the mixture to sit on the carpet for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Vacuum over the area covered by the mixture (steps from the card provided by Sunleaf Naturals)

My Essential Oil Aroma Cleaning Tips

            I decided to mix the baking soda and oil blend in a Ziplock bag. My thought was that it might be easier using a bag than a bowl to really move the oil around. This method worked out great!! I was able to get all the lumps out of the baking soda and really get the oil evenly distributed.

I decided to leave my mixture on the carpet on the long side of the recommended time range (10 minutes). The smelly dog is strong in my house. The wait really worked.

I am a fan of minty smells and thought mint would best cut through the dog smell. I chose SN’s Cedar Mint Blend based on those criteria. My living room now has a fresh minty wood smell. To make the scent last longer I also opened a mini reed diffuser with the same oil blend.  Fresh as a minty daisy!! 

Cleaning the Kitchen with Essential Oil Aromas

            My next task was cleaning the kitchen counters. Surprise! —there is dog all over the front of my fridge, range, and dishwasher. I decided to tackle this problem with some of the All-Purpose Cleaning Spray. Here are the steps I followed:

• Make sure to have a 16oz spray bottle (glass if possible)
  • 2 cups of water (soft or distilled water works best)
  • 2 teaspoons unscented Castile or liquid soap
  • 12 – 16 drops Sunleaf Aromatherapy Blend
  • Add all ingredients to a bottle, shake well.
  • Spray, then wipe dry (steps from the card provided by Sunleaf Naturals)

Once I finished the preparation, I sprayed the blend on my counters, chrome, and other washable hard surfaces, then wiped them dry. I shook the spray bottle before each use. The cleaning blend stores for up to two weeks.

            My scent choice for this mix was the Orange Ginger Blend. Fresh citrus is always a great smell in the kitchen!

Getting Rid of Smells in the Fridge with Essential Oils

OK, first of all, I had no idea my fridge was so dirty. I really should have looked at it sooner! Anyway, the mix I used was super easy to make (and I didn’t even have a funnel. Tip: Wax paper works out great for a makeshift funnel). I followed the same steps from the Kitchen cleaner, but it was a bit easier with the wax paper. A funnel would make it a piece of cake.

The cleaner smells great and cuts through dirt and oil just fine. I also felt good about using it on the microwave. I always worry about using regular cleaners in the microwave because so much of our food goes in there at some point. The essential oil spray cleaned the microwave just as well, if not better than, a regular household. The oils smell much better than traditional household cleaners too!

I was espeically surprised at how much oven grime the essential oils were able to remove without even a bit of elbow grease.

            I will definitely be trying the rest of the cleaning recipes that Sunleaf Naturals has listed on their website’s ‘recipes for home’ card. I might even have to dive into some of their personal care recipes.  Spring, here I come!