Cleaning Naturally

I love spring cleaning! No not the long day of scrubbing or the constant whine from my children of "Are we done yet?" But when everything has been de-junked, and polished and scrubbed, the house not only smells fantastic, it feels pretty darn good too!

I used to have a whole closet dedicated to all my cleaning supplies. A bottle of something for windows, another for showers, one for stove tops, and another for the floors. And I was always nervous that one of my kids would get into it and ruin the carpet with the bleach or worse ingest it. Now, I'm almost 100% natural/ green cleaners. 

Since joining doTERRA, I've learned about how powerful essential oils are and recognized not only the medicinal uses but also their practical around-the- house uses as well. I also use vinegar and backing soda as handy cleaners as well. 

One of my favorite products to use is the On Guard Cleaner Concentrate. It's a small bottle that packs a real punch.

Here's the product info: On Guard Cleaner Concentrate is designed to be the ideal natural cleaner. It is fortified with dōTERRA’s proprietary On Guard Protective Blend of Wild Orange, Clove Bud, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary CPTG essential oils that provide natural protection against certain environmental factors. This powerful essential oil blend is combined with plant based derivatives that provide a non-toxic and biodegradable way to clean and eliminate odors so it is safe for loved ones as well as the environment. The multi-purpose capabilities of On Guard Cleaner Concentrate make it perfect to expertly clean hard surfaces in  the kitchen, bathroom, or any room leaving behind a clean and invigorating scent.

No harsh chemically smell, fans on and windows down. It's safe to use around children, pets and those with asthma. 

**This post isn't sponsored. Just sharing golden nuggets as I find ‘em. 

The doTERRA Story

Here's a short video about DoTERRA. It talks about how they source the plants to make the oils as well as a couple uses.

Essential Oils

So what exactly are essential oils and how are they used? Here's what I know:

Essential oils are liquids distilled from plants--from different parts, not just the leaves. It can be from bark, flowers, seeds, roots etc... But you need to know that not all essential oils are the same, there's purity to consider as well as therapeutic value. It depends on the part of the plant that was used, soil condition, organic or not, region/climate/altitude, harvest time/method and distillation process. It's a lot to think about but it's important because you could be paying for something not as potent or even artificial.

DoTERRA is Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG). This means they actively pursue the purest quality and highest grade possible.

Essential oils have been around for thousands of years as mankind's first medicine. Manuscripts from China talk about usages and alabaster jars have been found filled with essential

Now that you know what it is here's why they work:

Essential oils are so small on the molecular level that it's easy for them to absorb into your skin. They are lipid soluble which mean they can go through the cellular wall, within 20 minutes they can be metabolized into every sell in the body, being processed like other nutrients. Essential oils are powerful antioxidants and create a unfriendly environment for free radicals. They can be used topically, aromatically and internally.

All info is from Modern Essentials, A Contemporary Guide To The Therapeutic Use Of Essential Oils, Second Edition

I love all things natural and side-effect free. I garden organically, bike everywhere I can and even go natural with having babies, so when I first learned about doTERRA I was very interested. Once I tried it myself I was hooked. This blog isn't only about doTERRA but I will feature their products often, If you are interested in learning more about it and try it for yourself you can click here: http://www.mydoterra.com/deannah/