Three Essential Oils for Natural Spring Cleaning

Everyone knows the glory of baking soda for absorbing icky odors in your fridge and freezer. But it's also a terrific, natural surface cleaner. Just sprinkle a tablespoon on a damp cloth (I like microfiber, not sponges) to quickly clean kitchen household surfaces. For an added kicked, use a few drops of Essential Oil of Peppermint (Mentha Piperita), which naturally fights germs that can lurk on exposed surfaces. (Your kitchen will smell minty fresh!) 

I'm not a fan of vinegar, although it's a wonderful natural cleanser as well. (I just can't stand the smell.) So I use lemon juice to clean my porcelain sinks and cutting boards. And I mix Essential Oil of Lemon (Citrus Limon) with baking soda for an aromatic cleansing paste for those mysterious spills that seem to appear out of nowhere in my fridge. 

To refresh pillows and duvets after a long winter, cover a clean tennis ball with a square of clean cotton (perhaps from an old sheet long since retired from use), secure with a straight pin, and apply several drops of your favorite essential oil. I love Essential Oil of Lavender (Lavendula Officinalis) for its calming properties. Toss with your linens right into the dryer on the "fluff" cycle for 10 minutes or so. Not only will your bed linens be plumped up and refreshed, they'll smell divine!