Cleaning With Bucket Boy, Goldilocks and Lemons

We all have a scent we associate with something being clean. My mom loves cleaning with pine-scented products. I'm more of a citrus gal. Cleaning with essential oils has been a game changer in my home. I love a clean scent after finishing my cleaning chores, and I especially love knowing that there are not harmful chemicals exposing my children and beloved pets to what can sometimes be toxic substances. I have my youngest child to thank for putting me on the path of healthy cleaning without chemicals. What do chemicals, cleaning and kids have to do with essential oils? Let me explain.

One of my sons, who still loves water, was nicknamed Bucket Boy for about two years. He just could not resist crawling over to the bucket and pulling himself up on it to peer over the edge at the fascinating liquid inside while I was mopping the floor. He often tipped the bucket over and flooded the floor. When I say often, I mean every single time. At that time, we had two adults, two dogs, two cats and three kids under the age of four. I wanted sleep, a clone of myself, a clean floor for my crawling kids; and I wanted a house that smelled clean, too.

You may be thinking, Lisa, just use less liquid in the bucket so it will be easier to mop up. Yes, I did that. Keep it where he cannot get to it. Yes, I did that, too. Distract him. Yes, I thought of that one. Nevertheless, I had to put the mopping bucket on the floor to rinse the mop at some point. I tried a different kind of mop when Swiffer sweepers came out. Swiffer sweepers don't handle the uneven kitchen tiles very well, and by then, Bucket Boy graduated to other watery hobbies. Then the microfiber steam mops came out. That has been the best solution of all. No chemicals or soap needed! Yet, I felt like Goldilocks because although the bucket and mop and crawling mischief maker problems resolved, it still was just not quite right. Something was missing.

Lemons

20d Orange

lemon oil image

thieves cleaner

I finally figured out that the missing thing was the smell of "clean." At first, I didn't realize how accustomed I was to the scent from the harsher chemicals in the commercial cleaning products. I wanted to get rid of the synthetic chemicals, so that meant the scent was also gone. I mostly recognized just that I missed the citrus scent. When I went to smell the old cleaning products, I gagged. It was really awful - the scent I used to enjoy made me feel queasy! That's when my nose solved the mystery. The smell of "clean" needed an upgrade. I had just started reading about essential oils online and decided to experimented with orange oil. The orange oil was just right. I also learned I like lemon oil for the floors. I especially appreciate that lemon oil also helps remove the unidentifiable sticky messes with three boys that inevitably end up on the floor.

I recently added to my cleaning repertoire when I discovered Thieves Household Cleaner. I may have to alternate between my beloved lemon and this new cleaning dynamo product. Have you tried Thieves Cleaner yet? It transforms Thieves into a cleaning powerhouse with the clove, cinnamon bark, rosemary, lemon and eucalyptus radiata many of us know and love in the Thieves essential oil. I like that it can be used just about everywhere in my home and on most surfaces including granite. There's even Thieves products for your laundry. Remember that new kit purchasers receive a free bottle of Thieves Laundry Soap this month. How do you add a pleasant scent without putting the harmful chemicals into your cleaning routine?

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