I made my own essential oil soft scrub today

I’m frustrated with cleaning products that claim to be safe and environmentally-friendly, yet I still can’t pronounce the ingredients listed on the label. So much for clean and green.

Probably best to stick with the standards: vinegar, baking soda and borax. Baking soda and Borax are amazing cleansers. Baking soda actually suffocates mold so that it can’t live. And vinegar, by itself, is great for killing germs. But, to give these home made cleaners an extra punch, I always refer back to my sound and true essential oils, like tea tree oil, thyme, eucalyptus and fir tree oil — they kill mold, bacteria and are great disinfectants. The lingering scent is very nice, and gives the aura that you’ve actually cleaned something! In the past, I’ve added lavender oil, but there’s some concern that lavender oil may not be great to use around men, after all. And since, I have five men here, I’m not touching the lavender for now.

Making this soft scrub, really, took no time at all. And I made a big batch, so that I can use it for awhile.

You’ll need a squirt bottle — like an empty shampoo bottle, or a dishwashing liquid bottle to store the soft scrub — so that you can squirt the stuff out.

If you’re so inclined, here’s how to make your own soft scrub:

• Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup borax, or baking soda, (or half of both) into a large bowl.
• Add 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar (if you’re using baking soda, this will fizz…. so let it get it out of its system and settle down before you go on. You may have to add the vinegar slowly to keep this from bubbling over.)
• Once the fizzies are gone, use a funnel to pour this into the empty squirt bottle.
• Next add 20-30 drops of tea tree, orange, lemon or eucylyptis oils. (Or a combination of these oils)
• Add liquid soap until you get the consistency of soft scrub. I like to use a very natural soap — like Dr. Bronner’s or liquid castile soap. These soaps are made from plant-based sources, and do not leave a film, the way something like Dawn does.

The borax and baking soda are non abrasive, so this is safe to use in your sink, tub and stainless steel cooktop.

You’ll need to shake the bottle before each use.