Part of the journey for me has been about how I can integrate aromatic plants with essential oils or sometimes simply to use aromatic plants (dried or fresh herbs). As a gardener, a herbalist and an aromatherapist, integrating the two makes sense and I trust this series will inspire you to do the same.
I thought it would be valuable to begin with a couple of cleaning products. Why? Because a huge part of product and/or remedy making is ensuring your kitchen or work-space is clean: top to bottom. Your products safety and longevity depends on it!
Personally I love to clean but I know some people who just can’t stand it, so I hope these beautiful cleaning products inspire you to enjoy cleaning just a bit more.
So here’s #1: Lavender/Lemon Window Spray
I don’t know about you but I cannot stand the way vinegar smells! Essential oils help for sure, but I have found that infusing the vinegar with different dried herbs goes a long way to helping me want to use it as a natural cleaning product ingredient. And lavender/lemon! Well, the lavender makes cleaning windows or mirrors that much more relaxing while the lemon not only cleans (antimicrobial and general cleanser), it supports my immune system! I also love the way lavender and lemon marry to create a beautiful aroma! How’s that for simple yet effective…..
Here’s what you’ll need:
Equipment:
◻︎ 16 oz Glass sprayer bottle or plastic is fine too.
Ingredients:
◻︎ 1/2 to 3/4 cup Dried lavender flowers
◻︎ Lemon essential oil
◻︎ 16 fl oz White vinegar
How to make:
1. Place 1/2 to 3/4 cup of dried lavender flowers in container.
2. Cover lavender flowers with vinegar.
3. Add 50 drops of Lemon (Citrus limon) essential oil.
4. Gently shake bottle.
5. Let sit for 2 hours.
6. Label product. (We will be covering how to create labels in our next post.)
Your Lavender/Lemon window spray is now ready to use.
You can leave the lavender flowers in for approx. 2-5 days and then will want to strain them out. They will lose their color and simply not look as pretty plus they may clog your sprayer.
Go ahead, try it out. You will be amazed at how well it cleans your windows and mirrors.
Why use glass? I really love to use glass to make our cleaning products not only because they won’t be leaching potentially toxic chemicals into the brew but also you can clean and refill them. If you love these glass bottles as much as I do, I ordered mine here. These are a bit pricey so if you find cheaper ones please do let me know. You can also use plastic spray bottles found at home stores such as Home Depot or Lowes or save the glass bottles from products you purchase and try and find a spray that fits that particular bottle that you have!
****Another source for bottles: http://www.glassbottleoutlet.com/16-oz-amber-boston-round-with-black-trigger-sprayer/