Essential oils are a great addition to your cleaning routine. Not only can they make cleaning more enjoyable and a task that you actually look forward to (at least a little), but they also have some wonderful benefits as well.

One main benefit to using essential oils for cleaning is for their odor-eliminating properties. Most essential oils can help to eliminate odors, but the ones on this list, in particular, do it quite well while also making your home smell fresh and clean.

Essential oils also contain natural compounds produced by the plants they are derived from that antibacterial and antiseptic (1), making them a great addition to your cleaning products.

Finally, using essential oils in combination with natural or handmade cleaning products is a great way to reduce or eliminate the harmful chemicals in your home found in many conventional cleaning products.

It can be fun and simple to add essential oils to your cleaning routine. In this post, we’ve included the best essential oils for cleaning, diffuser blends for cleaning day to make your house smell amazing, and some easy DIY cleaning recipes using essential oils!

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Best Essential Oils for Cleaning 10 Diffuser Blends for Cleaning Day DIY All Purpose Cleaner DIY Carpet and Fabric Powder DIY Kitchen and Bathroom Scrub DIY Room and Linen Spray DIY Goo Remover with Lemon Essential Oil

Best Essential Oils for Cleaning

Citrus Essential Oils: Including lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, tangerine, and orange. Citrus essential oils not only smell fresh and clean, but they also have great odor-eliminating properties. Choose your favorite citrus essential oil to diffuse on cleaning day or add into your favorite unscented cleaning products.

Citrus oils can also clean away sticky substances similar to ‘goo-gone.’Lemon works the best for this, but you can use whatever citrus oil you have on hand.

Keep in mind that citrus essential oils can stain fabrics due to their natural color, so they may not be ideal for use in laundry cleaning or as fabric sprays.

Rosemary: an herbaceous essential oil that is fantastic for eliminating odors. It blends well with lavender, citrus oils, and other herbaceous essential oils. Rosemary essential oil can be very strong, so add sparingly. It makes a great addition to diffuser blends, DIY cleaning products, and can also be added to your laundry routine.

Lavender: This warm floral oil is known for its antibacterial and deodorizing properties. It works great when used as a linen spray to freshen up stale fabrics or when added to dryer balls.

Apothecary Blend: This essential oil blend is a mix of the herbs and spices that old apothecaries would have likely used to help their clients stay well and fight off germs. It combines clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata, and rosemary essential oil in a spicy scent that’s ideal for cleaning. Add this blend straight to your diffuser or to your favorite unscented cleaning products. 

Peppermint: A vibrant essential oil with a fresh scent and antibacterial properties. Peppermint essential oil blends well with lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, and citrus oils in cleaning products and diffuser blends. It’s also known to deter pests. 

Cinnamon Leaf: A great choice when dealing with mold and mildew. Cinnamon leaf’s warm and spicy aroma isn’t commonly associated with cleaning, but it’s antibacterial and pest deterring properties make it a great choice. It blends well with orange essential oil. 

Eucalyptus: The fresh scent of eucalyptus is a favorite for cleaning recipes and diffuser blends. This is a great choice to freshen up musty spaces. Both eucalyptus radiata and eucalyptus globulus work well for cleaning.

Lemongrass: Lemongrass has a sharp scent that can eliminate odors and freshen spaces. Its fresh scent is similar to citronella making it a great choice for spring cleaning.

10 Diffuser Blends for Cleaning Day

These essential oil diffuser blends for cleaning day use the essential oils for cleaning above, along with some other essential oils that can help to freshen your home and blend well with those oils.

Our diffuser blends are formulated to be about 10 drops total, but feel free to adjust based on the size of your space and how strong you like your blends to be.

If you're looking for essential oils to use in your diffuser blends, you can check out our own line of pure essential oils!

Clean Kitchen:

• 6 Drops Lemon Essential Oil
• 3 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
• 1 drop Basil Essential Oil

Cleaning Day:

• 5 Drops Lemon Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Rosemary Essential Oil
• 1 Drops Lemongrass Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Lavender Essential Oil

Line Dry:

• 4 Drops Lemon Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Rosemary Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender Lemonade:

• 6 drops Lemon Essential Oil
• 2 drops Lavender Essential Oil
• 2 drops Lime Essential Oil

Spring Cleaning:

• 4 Drops Bergamot Essential Oil
• 3 Drops Spearmint Essential Oil
• 3 Drops Grapefruit Essential Oil

Pine Fresh:

• 4 Drops Lemon Essential Oil
• 4 Drops Cypress Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Fir Needle Essential Oil

Open Windows:

• 5 Drops Eucalyptus Radiata Essential Oil
• 3 Drops Lemon Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil

Orange Spice:

• 6 Drops Orange Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Clove Essential Oil

Spring Blossoms:

• 4 Drops Orange Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Black Spruce Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Geranium Essential Oil
• 1 Drop Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Spring Rain:

• 3 Drops Bergamot Essential Oil
• 3 Drops Cypress Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Black Spruce Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Lavender Essential Oil

DIY Cleaning Recipes with Essential Oils

DIY All Purpose Cleaner with Essential Oils

Did you know you can make your own DIY all-purpose cleaner at home? It’s only 3 ingredients and I bet you already have all 3. This recipe works well to clean laminate (faux wood) and tile floors, glass and windows, and countertops. 

Ingredients:

• ½ cup water
• ½ cup white vinegar
• 20-30 drops of essential oil

Directions:

1. In a spray bottle (reused from a store-bought product is perfect if you have it), combine equal parts water and vinegar - use as much as you need to fill your container.
2. Add essential oils to your liking, start with about 20 drops per 1 cup of solution.
3. Shake well.
4. Spray directly onto your surface and wipe away with a towel or mop pad. 

Yes, this solution will smell vinegar-y when first applied, but that scent soon dissipates. Vinegar is a great natural cleaner on it’s own. Adding the essential oils can improve it’s cleaning properties and leave your home smelling fresh!

I personally like to use an equal combination of eucalyptus globulus, peppermint, and lemon. But any combination of essential oils that you prefer will work great. For inspiration, try using one of the Diffuser Blends for Cleaning - just double or triple the recipe!

DIY Carpet and Fabric Powder

Carpets and fabric furniture like couches and mattresses can get musty over time. You can make a quick and easy dry powder to sprinkle on carpet and fabrics with just 2 ingredients that can help freshen up almost anything from stinky feet to pet odors.

Ingredients:

• Baking Soda
• Essential Oils

Directions:

1. Mix baking soda in a jar with essential oils. Use any jar you have handy - repurposed spice containers or anything with a shaker lid is ideal but not necessary. Add about 20-30 drops essential oils per cup of baking soda, or to your liking.
2. If you have time, let the mixture sit for a few days so the baking soda can soak up the essential oils.
3. Sprinkle over fabric, furniture, or carpet.
4. Allow the powder to sit for at least 15 minutes, or a few hours if possible. 
5. Vacuum up the powder and enjoy your fresh fabrics!
6. Store leftover powder for later use.

Again, you can use any combination of essential oils you prefer and use the blends above for inspiration. Be careful with using citrus essential oils in this recipe as they are naturally colored and may stain lighter fabrics.

Keep children and pets away from the rooms while the powder sets as baking soda can be irritating to the skin and eyes.

DIY Kitchen and Bathroom Scrub

Another easy and 3-Ingredient recipe, this DIY Kitchen and Bathroom Scrub is great for tough build-up in sinks, showers, and on tile. It combines baking soda - as a scrubbing agent - with water to form a paste and citrus essential oils to help remove build up.

Ingredients:

• Baking Soda
• Water
• Lemon Essential Oil (or whatever citrus you have on hand)

Directions:

1. Mix roughly 1 part water to 4 parts baking soda, adding water little by little until you get your desired paste consistency. 
2. Mix in the lemon essential oil. Start with 5-10 drops per cup of paste and add more if needed.
3. Using a brush or scouring pad, scoop a small amount of paste onto the surface and scrub until the grime and build up has been removed, then rinse off.
4. Use the paste immediately as it does not keep well.

DIY Room and Linen Spray

Freshen up any room or fabric quickly with this DIY Room and Linen Spray. It combines essential oils with water and witch hazel (to help the scent linger). You can try using the Diffuser Blends for Cleaning above, or check out this post for more room spray scent recipes. 

Ingredients:

• Water (tap is okay but distilled is best)
• 1 tsp witch hazel
• 30+ drops essential oil

Directions:

1. Combine water, witch hazel, and essential oils in a 4oz spray bottle.
2. Shake well and add more essential oils if needed.
3. Spray rooms and fabrics to deodorize and freshen!

Unlike conventional air fresheners that can contain harsh chemicals, this DIY room spray won’t have an overwhelming scent. The essential oils, though, will be working to eliminate odors. And if you leave the room and come back, you’ll be able to smell the fresh scent without it being overpowering (your guests will notice, too)!

Again, keep in mind that some citrus essential oils may stain light fabrics. 

DIY Goo Remover With Essential Oils

Did you know that lemon essential oil can be used to remove sticky things like jar labels, sticky food residue, and adhesive? This DIY is less of a recipe and more of a method. Here’s how to do it:

Directions:

1. Using a paper towel or while wearing gloves, drop a few drops of lemon essential oil directly onto your sticky substance and rub it in.
2. Allow the lemon essential oil to sit on the adhesive or label for a few minutes to soak in.
3. After a few minutes, scrape or peel whatever needs to be removed.
4. If the surface is still sticky, repeat steps 1-3 until the goo is completely gone.
5. Wash the surface with soap and water

Lemon Essential Oil works best here, but you can also use whichever citrus essential oil you have on hand!

We hope you enjoyed this post! If you're looking for essential oils to use in your diffuser blends and DIY recipes, you can check out our line of pure essential oils here!