The One Natural Product that Totally Turned me into a Compulsive Clean Freak

I appreciate a tidy home, but I am (was?) definitely not one of those compulsive cleaning types. Back when I was single and freelancing from home, I kept a somewhat sparse apartment that remained in fair order. But that's often the case when the only person to clean up after is you.

However, when I became a mother and wife, my tidying-up habit quickly went out the window. Face it, after a full day of toddler chasing, diaper changing and cooking and serving food on demand, I really didn't have the energy to scrub floors and dust (even though I probably should have). Put hubby's shoes away, and they're back in the middle of the floor again. Dog barfs in his bed on your way out the door. You know how it goes.

Well, let me tell you the unexpected natural product that permanently changed my attitude toward cleaning. Can you guess what it was? I bet you can't.

It was essential oils!

Yes – quite unbelievable, no? I mean, how can something as seemingly innocuous as a small vial of potent plant essence shake up someone's world in such a manner? Once I tried them, I hardly knew what hit me. What is this sudden, wild urge to purify and feng-shui everything in sight?

So, let me tell you what happened. I started smelling the stuff. And I liked it. A lot.

I began to amass a respectable-sized collection of essential oils. I liked sampling the various scents and trying them out for their various purposes. Lavender for a calming effect. Lemon for cleaning and disinfecting. Geranium to balance the lady-moods. Peppermint for a lift.

I bought a couple of spray bottles. Blue plastic, nothing special. I mixed up some of my favorite oils to make an all-purpose blend for spritzing about the house. I used it to clean my counter tops, tables and cabinets. I sprayed it on my husband's office chair that smells of cigars and old campfires. I freshened up the air all around the house with an intoxicating potion.

Pictured: my essential oils collection, when it was about half as large as it is now.
Note the key ingredients - jojoba oil as a carrier oil, witch hazel for mixing spray blends.

So, what ended up happening is that I liked the scent of all the various essential oils so much that I ditched my former cleaning products, and began using oils exclusively to clean the house.

Into a bucket I added 20 drops of lemon and 10 drops of eucalyptus, along with 5 drops of tea tree oil, with a mix of Dr. Bronner's and a couple of gallons of water. I used that to clean the kitchen floor, then the bathroom. It smelled so yummy. People who came over to visit remarked on how fresh and inviting my house was. "What IS that amazing aroma? "they would ask after I had sprayed the kitchen trash can with a combination of lemon, peppermint, cinnamon and geranium.

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So that ended up being the catalyst for me becoming a clean freak. I began to feel disgust at the sight of any crumbs or smudges on my kitchen floor. What was this strange compulsion? I'd spray the air that had been fouled with stale cooking odors, and the bright lemon aroma would inspire me to start wiping down everything.

Now, instead of just remaining plopped in front of the computer impulsively checking messages over and over, I was impulsively cleaning – and my house has never looked better!

I even do stuff like go in the fridge for a snack, find old food that needs to be trashed, get rid of it, clean the container, then spray and wipe the refrigerator with my magical cleaning mix.

Now, when people come over, they can't help but remark on the delightful, clean appearance of my home. I can't even believe it myself. Mr. Clean and the Tidy Bowl Man have got nothing on this gal.

Okay – so I might be exaggerating just a wee bit up in this piece.

(Is that acceptable to say? Did I use that one correctly? Ah – who am I kidding? I am old, and uncool. Hooray for being uncool, and not really caring!!)

 

Sure, some days I don't go near a broom, and the laundry accumulates up to the ceiling on a sleeping bag in the basement. But honestly, I have never been more excited to have a shiny, fresh-smelling home, and this is all due to the addition of essential oils into my life.

So, thank you, amazing, mood-inducing, germ-fighting, olfactory-tingling, vibe-changing, essential oils!

You've made me a better mother, wife, woman. ::gush::

What ways do you have tons of fun with essential oils? Drop a line, get a link.

xo.
Mom