NOTE: The following great ideas are NOT just for parents and children! :)
“I help.”
It started when Hadassah was a toddler. Adam hadn’t retired yet and he was gone for an extended period of time for training. One child seemed a handful at the time (funny how that changes as you add a few more…) and I had to figure out how to balance getting household cleaning done and have a toddler underfoot. I just could not get it all done during naps. I finally decided with great determination, she will just have to help. She “washed” dishes, “scrubbed” floors, and “cleaned” the refrigerator with me. It took a little longer and it was sometimes slightly messier but we were together and getting things done. She was happy. I was happy.
Every toddler has expressed the same desire since. I have learned that they are highly motivated at that age to help and we are sometimes reluctant because we are so busy and want to “get it done.” But what valuable one on one attention, character building, and teaching we are doing! How can we expect them to want to chip in willingly for chores at age six or seven if we have put them off from age 2?
I am extra particular about what I want my two year olds using on their precious skin as we clean together. I love my natural cleaners! I like things simple and I enjoy sticking with things that work well. Adam loves to try new things, smell new things, and in general just change it up a bit. Thus my regular stand by’s have expanded in variety thanks to his gentle prompting.
Plague Rescue is my disinfecting go-to. It is called Plague Rescue for a reason. I use it as a preventative and when there is something infectious threatening to make the rounds. Adam likes it. He will use it. But then comes his need for variety. Since there are so many oils with anti bacterial , anti viral, anti fungal properties, it was easy to come up with several other options.
Some of our favorites are:
Clean with Me
(Tea Tree/Peppermint)
15ml/$15 30ml/$25
Think and Clean
(Lemon/Eucalyptus)
15ml/$15 30ml/$28
Fresh Citrus
(Orange/Tangerine/Mandarin/Grapefruit/Lemon/Spearmint)
15ml/$15 30ml/$25
Plague Rescue
(Clove/Lemon/Cinnamon Bark/Eucalyptus Radiata/Rosemary)
15ml/$15 30ml/$28
USE THE ABOVE BLENDS (OR YOUR OWN COMBINATIONS) WITH THESE CLEANING RECIPES:
Surface and Floor Cleaner- by the bucketful!
We add 5-10 drops of whatever combo we like to our unscented liquid soap of choice before adding to our bucket of water for floors, counters, etc.
Extra Scrubbing Power
Baking soda makes a great base to add essential oils for scrubbing sinks, toilets, and other surfaces that might need a more aggressive scrub. Try this recipe:
1 cup baking soda
2 T castile soap
1 T white vinegar
35-45 drops of essential oil, blend or singles combined
Combine first three ingredients. It will be paste like. Add the essential oils and store in a glass container.
Spray Cleaner
A spray bottle is another great medium for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces. Depending on what we are using it for we find that adding the essential oils to a small amount of vodka, white vinegar or castile soap first helps distribute it in the spray bottle better once water is added.
We recommend testing a small hidden area of the surface in question before using. And remember, more essential oils doesn’t mean better…they are powerful and a few drops goes a long way.
Enjoy! Email us with any questions!