Did you know that you can effectively clean your home while supporting the health of both your family and pets? With essential oils, you can make products that cleanse, purify and smell exceptional while avoiding harmful chemical-based synthetic cleaners.
Everyone is raving about the “new” way to clean your home with natural products. Many essential oils are naturally anti-bacterial, help fight germs and cut grease; you can get creative by personalizing cleaners for each room in your home using lemon, wild orange, eucalyptus and more. You will not only look forward to cleaning, but will create an invigorating oasis of nature’s living energy.
Take a look at the ingredients of the products you currently use in your home to clean your kitchen, bathroom floors, and carpets. The hazard labels on these items alone should raise concern about why we may be having so many breathing and allergy challenges in our lives today.
While using harsh chemicals, the fumes can go directly into the lungs and cause harm. The Consumer Product Safety Commission found that over 150 chemicals inside the average home have been linked to allergies, birth defects, and psychological abnormalities.
The aromatic combination of oils such as clove, rosemary, lemon, tea tree, eucalyptus, and cinnamon is a powerful blend that not only effectively cleans, but can turn your living space into a spa-like atmosphere. You will be delighted not only by the smell, but also how clean and crisp the air feels. This is so much healthier than using chemicals and improves indoor air quality, creating a greener and safer place to live.
Using essential oils and natural products can also be less expensive than chemical-based products. There are many books and resources for recipes that are fun to make and last a long time. And yes, using essential oils, you will actually look forward to cleaning your home!
Wellness should begin at home. In order to make that happen, we must take a look at not only the foods we eat, but also the air we breathe. Nature intended to provide us with all that we need through bountiful plants and the many soulful benefits they provide.
Everyone remembers favorite smells from childhood, and they embrace the memories. Why not provide nature’s healing scents for yourself, your pets and your family by using the best nature has to offer us?
Maria Billis is an independent member of Young Living Essential Oils and can be reached at (518) 879.6360 or [email protected]. For more information visit www.mariabillis.vibrantscents.com.
Comments (2)
The author is obviously not trained in aromatherapy because she misses a number of salient points:
– “Breathing and allergy challenges” can occur when inexperienced users attempt green housekeeping with essential oils, just as they can occur with typical chemical household cleaners.
– Essential oils emit VOCs just like “harmful chemical-based synthetic cleaners” and over time can build up on floors, countertops, etc., exacerbating the problem.
– Many of the essential oils mentioned in the article are inappropriate for use around babies, toddlers and pets… not to mention elderly or immune-compromised individuals. In fact, oils such as clove and cinnamon are potentially harmful to ANYONE who isn’t handling them with extreme care, since accidental drips and spills can cause chemical burns to skin and nasal passages.
– It takes a rather extraordinary amount of plant matter and labor to produce essential oils relative to other types of botanical products. For instance, using 10 drops of lemon oil is the equivalent of using 6 or 7 bags of lemons. Is this “less expensive than chemical-based products” from an ecological perspective?
– “Many books and resources for recipes that are fun to make” are largely written by people who have zero background in aromatherapy or essential oil safety issues. The “recipes” smell nice, but often do not incorporate enough essential oil to have an actual germ-killing effect when cleaning.
I’m not against using essential oils, by the way. However, I am very much a proponent of educated, responsible and respectful use of these precious and expensive substances. Using them for green cleaning may make your house smell pretty, but it is largely a waste of money.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments, Katharine. The short article was meant to be an introduction to the concept and not a how-to guide. We hope those interested will further research the concept and your note on finding reliable sources is important.
Thank you for reading Desert Health ~
Lauren Del Sarto
Publisher