Kasey Schwartz - Essential Oils for a Clean and Healthy Home

of AllThingsMamma.com

Avon, Massachusetts

To my husband, Brian, and to my children, Ella, Andrew, and Sydney: Thank you for being the inspiration for this book, for helping me want to be a better wife and mom, and for helping me make better decisions for our family and finding the ways to do it! Brian: Thank you for loving me and supporting me in all that I do, from reading my blog in the early days and being the lone commenter on a post to helping me bring this book together through your prayers, support, and encouragement. I could never do it without you. I thank God for each of you and for this opportunity every day! I love you!

Before I had kids I recycled, used some organic products, and read a ton of books and magazines about how to live a more natural lifestyle, but it wasnt until after I had kids that I got really serious about it. I was no longer in charge of just my own health and well-being; I had a husband and three tiny redheads to keep healthy and make decisions for. They were looking to me to know how to live. While I knew I wanted to instill in them a love of God, family, and others, I also wanted them to know how to lead the healthiest lives they could by making better choices for themselvesfrom the food they eat to the products they useso I set out to change one thing at a time in our household. I didnt try to do a complete overhaul all at once; that never would have worked, and we all would have been overwhelmed. But making small changes one step at a time add up to big changes over time.

My first step was to buy organic food whenever possible. I then replaced our chemical-filled lotions, soaps, and cleaning products with more natural options. And I eventually traded out those store-bought items for products I made myself using all-natural ingredients and essentials oils! The more I changed, the easier it got. It became a habit to use natural products instead of chemical-filled products. And you know what? My family followed. They began to make healthier choices for themselveseven when we werent together. Now its natural for us to clean with lemon essential oil or to spray lemongrass essential oil in the house to freshen the air. Its a part of our life, and I feel great knowing that Im protecting my family the best that I can in our home by choosing eco-friendly, nontoxic products whenever possible. I cant protect them from everything outside our home, but I sure can do my best inside our home. Thats my hope for you: that youll find small changes you can make in your everyday life that will eventually add up to big changes that make a big difference in your health and well-being.

So pick something to try, whether its the baking sodabased Lavender Carpet Freshener or the lemony (see recipes in Chapter 3). Each small change is better for your health, which is something to be proud of. I hope that you find this book useful, gain confidence in your ability to naturally handle anything life throws at you in your home, and find some everyday solutions that you just cant be without!

Eucalyptus oil. Lemon oil. Tea tree oil.

You have probably heard about using lavender essential oil to relax, or maybe youve heard of using peppermint to aid digestion, but did you know that you can actually use essential oils around the house to replace nearly every household product you currently use? Its true! There are literally hundreds of uses for essential oils in your home, and throughout Essential Oils for a Clean and Healthy Home youll find more than 200 of those uses to get you started.

Essential oils have potent cleansing and purifying effectsas well as powerful scentsthat boost the strength of the all-natural cleaning products and household remedies that are safe and effective for your whole family. You can use these essential oils in combination with items you probably already have around your home, like baking soda, vinegar, and Castile soap, to create a natural, chemical-free cleaning experience for every room in your house and for every use imaginable. (see recipe in Chapter 4), and youll find recipes to help you clean your stainless steel, brass, and granite in the kitchen and bath. Ill even share ways to use essential oils combined with all-natural ingredients in your kids areas. From getting rid of sticky messes and crayon marks on the walls to cleansing toys safely, well discuss all the little tips and tricks for using essential oils to get your home in tip-top, green condition without breaking the bank.

By switching from store-bought products to essential oils for household uses, youll save time and money, and cut the toxins found in commercial products out of your life. After all, when you control the ingredients in the products you use, you take charge of your health and well-being. So start reading, and youll soon be on your way to a healthier and happier home with the help of essential oils!

You know that you want to use essential oils to clean your kitchen, bathroom, and more. You realize that you can use these oils to keep pests out of your house and out of your life. And youve heard that you can safely use a variety of these oils to keep your home safe and healthy for your kids and pets. But even though you know all this, youre not quite sure how to put these great ideas and information into practice in your home. Dont worry! Figuring out how to use essential oilsor even learning what essential oils really aremay seem overwhelming, but it doesnt have to be. Throughout this chapter, and throughout the book, youll learn all you need to know to buy and use essential oils safely and correctly to give you the clean and healthy home youve been looking for. Enjoy!

Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. They are primarily extracted through careful steam distillation, but also through cold pressing. And the purest essential oils are far more powerful than the botanicals from which they were extracted. They are very clean, and are immediately absorbed by the skin. Unlike heavy vegetable oils, pure, unadulterated essential oils are translucent and range in color from crystal clear to deep blue. Essential oils are are great way to cleanse and purify every area of your home naturally, and theres a recipe in the following chapters to address nearly every area of your home!

Essential oils have been around for thousands of years and have been used in various ways, from treating health ailments to scenting bath products to making natural cleaning products. They are both powerful and fragrant, and many essential oils have cleansing and purifying properties that are perfect for many everyday home uses. By using essential oils in your home, you can remove toxic chemicals that have an unhealthy effect on your home and your health. Essential oils can do the same things chemical cleaners can do but in an all-natural and healthy way!

These natural cleaning and healing properties are great, especially if you, like so many people these days, are looking for a greener, healthier way of doing things. So many store-bought items, ranging from makeup to cleaning products to insect repellants, are packed full of harmful chemicals, toxins, and who knows what else. And why do you want to spend your hard-earned money on potentially harmful products when you can make products that are as effective as they are safe in the comfort of your own home at a portion of the cost?