Easy Herbal Carpet Freshener

Being that two year olds are tiny tornadoes of destruction, we constantly have the vacuum running. My vacuum is awesome and picks up nearly everything. Since we have switched over to all natural products I have been happy and confident in our cleaning routine. Our cleaning products are mostly made from things like vinegar and castile soap, so the smell can feel a bit stale at times. This is when I know the carpets and upholstery could use a boost. This is a great time to break out my all natural, herbal carpet freshener!

I make nearly all of our cleaning products, I keep most of them simple. I especially like this one because it is super easy and makes the house smell clean and fresh.

Easy Herbal Carpet Freshener:

To make you'll need:

4 cups of baking soda (I buy this exact bag, but i get mine at Sams club. Its much cheaper than amazon, about half the price.)

4 Tbs of Lavender flowers (I use bulk herb store)

20 drops of essential oils of your choice. (I like mostly sweet orange with a couple of drops of lemon with the lavender flower blend)

 

 

 

First I blend the lavender flowers into a powder with a blender. I use a vitamix, but any blender would work well for this. Then pour the lavender powder into a container with your baking soda. If you have a "shaker" style container it'll make it even easier to sprinkle on your carpets. Then add your essential oils. I like the smell of sweet orange the most with the lavender. When you plan on vacuuming sprinkle your carpet with a generous amount of powder. You can also use it on your couch and on your mattresses between sheet changes. If your carpets are really funky id suggest working in the powder with a broom. This is especially helpful when, lets say, a wet dog runs across the living room and rolls around to dry off.

You can use any combination of essential oils in this recipe, but id stick with the cheaper ones like lemon, orange or grapefruit. If you find yourself having pest problems you could use peppermint, tea tree or cedarwood too. Keep in mind that peppermint is not considered kid-safe though.

• Lavender: Repels and kills fleas, flies, lice, spiders, and ticks.
• Tea tree:  Lice, flies, and ticks
• Cedarwood: Ants, aphids, beetles, fleas, flies, gnats, mosquitoes, lice, moths, roaches, slugs, spiders, and ticks
• Peppermint: Ants, aphids, beetles, caterpillars, flea, flies, gnats, mosquitoes, lice, moths, roaches, spiders

(I love plant therapy! The best quality essential oils, while still being super affordable. They have a Kidsafe line too! No more referring to your "safety" list when you want to use an oil.)

I love the dried lavender flowers in this recipe, but if you don't have any on hand you could use lavender essential oil instead. It would produce similar results.

The powder works best if it can sit for a little while. I wouldn't recommend actively using with kids or pets in the room. I usually sprinkle it during nap time and vacuum when they wake up. I'd rather them not breathe in the powder if they start running around.

That's it! Enjoy your fresh smelling home!

Related Articles:

• Set up your bedroom for the best sleep ever
• The benefits of Red Raspberry Leaf Tea (The ultimate women's herb)