The Two Best Essential Oils for Cleaning the Bathroom + Recipes

This post is the third in a series on cleaning with Essential Oils. Click HERE to read the first post and HERE to read the second post.

The bathroom tends to be a bit of a special case when it comes to cleaning the home. It’s the room where we want a little extra disinfecting power. Though there are many natural disinfecting solutions, the bathroom is also the room where people most tend to gravitate back to conventional cleaners because they are believed to do a better job at getting rid of ‘germs.’

In reality, the increased use of synthetic bacteria-killing chemicals in the home (especially in the bathroom) can lead to bacteria-resistance and an increase in illness rather than a decrease. This is a main reason why antibacterial soaps aren’t recommended for hand washing in the home.

So what can we use instead, to get our bathrooms looking and smelling clean?

A combination of natural disinfecting ingredients, namely vinegar and lemon juice, plus a blend of powerfully disinfecting essential oils are, in my opinion, the way to go.

The Two BEST Essential Oils for Disinfecting are…

• Tea Tree: a strong smelling essential oil that comes from steam-distilling the leaves of the tea tree/shrub, found mostly in Australia. Very few drops are needed to create a powerful cleaner.

• Eucalyptus: also a strong-smelling essential oil coming from steam-distilling the leaves and wood of the Eucalyptus tree, also found in Australia. This is an excellent oil to use to prevent the spread and ease symptoms of cold/flu.

Due to the strong smell of each of these essential oils, I tend to blend them with citrus oils for an easier-on-the-nose clean when making my bathroom cleaners.

*REMEMBER: Never drop essential oils directly onto a surface for cleaning. Always dilute first.

Here are a few recipes I use at home regularly:

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Ingredients/Supplies:

• Small mason jar
• Hammer & nail
• 1 cup baking soda
• 5 drops Tea Tree essential oil
• 15 drops Sweet Orange essential oil
• Distilled white vinegar

Instructions:

1. With a clean, empty mason jar screw the lid on tightly. Using the hammer and nail, gently make about 10-12 small holes on the top of the jar lid. This will create an easy shaker for the baking soda mixture. Remove the lid you’ve just put holes in and prepare a new lid.
2. Pour the baking soda into the jar followed by the essential oils, counting the drops. Screw on the new lid and shake to combine.
3. Switch out the lid once more for the shaker lid you created and you’ll be able to shake the desired amount into the toilet bowl.
4. Follow it up with a splash of vinegar and use a toilet bowl brush immediately.
5. If you desire a little extra cleaning power, you can follow this routine up with a squirt of liquid castile soap and another brushing. Just be sure to do this after you use the vinegar, as depending on the oil base of the soap, you may end up with solid soap bits as it reacts with the vinegar.

BONUS: The baking powder shaker mixture you’ve created also works really well as a carpet freshener! Sprinkle the mixture liberally onto a carpet, wait 10 minutes and vacuum up. Works like a charm!

 Shower & Tile Scrubbing Paste

Ingredients/ Supplies:

• Small dish for mixing
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• juice of 1 lemon
• 5 drops Tea Tree essential oil
• 10 drops Lemon essential oil
• squirt of castile soap (I prefer the unscented variety)

Instructions:

1. In a small dish, mix up the baking soda, lemon juice and castile soap. You can use a scrubbing brush or just a spoon/fork to mix.
2. Add essential oils by the drop and stir to combine.
3. Use the paste with a sponge or scrubbing brush and scrub away at tile or inside the shower/tub.
4. Be sure to rinse or mop thoroughly after using this paste to eliminate any left over baking soda residue.

Bathroom Spray Cleaner

I use this spray on my sink, toilet seat, and around any other surfaces in the bathroom that need a good clean. It also works well for a general wipe-down of the shower.

Ingredients/Supplies:

• Spray bottle (I prefer to use amber glass or amber plastic bottles with essential oils to prevent oxidization)
• 1 tsp liquid castile soap
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 5 drops Eucalpytus essential oil
• 10 drops Sweet Orange essential oil
• 5 drops Grapefruit essential oil
• Distilled water

Instructions:

1. Pour baking soda and liquid castile soap into your spray bottle.
2. Top with distilled water, then add your essential oils counting the drops.
3. Screw the spray nozzle on tightly and give it a quick shake
4. Spray and wipe surfaces with a reusable cloth, rinse if desired.

Looking to stock up on safe essential oils to make some home cleaners?

Check out the selection we carry at the clinic by NB Naturals, a locally made Aromatherapy line. All are USDA Certified Organic and are packaged in Kitchener, ON.  *A source list for the plant material used in these oils is available upon request.