Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Cleaning, essential oils, On Guard concentrate, and my pantry

I am not a great cleaner. I tend to clean the way I do everything -- all or nothing. While this may work in my real life, it does not work so well for things like laundry and toilets. When I was single, I could let my house becomes utterly disgustingly filthy and then I would go crazy and clean every inch of the house with a toothbrush and Mr. Clean.

When my husband, The Guy, and I got married and moved in together, we had to combine our cleaning styles. The Guy's home was always pristine. It looked like a show home with no clutter, no mess, and no dust. My house looked like a frat party had been held the night before with Coke cans instead of beer cans!

After my back injury, we moved into a new house and things got a little more complicated. I couldn't do things like vacuum, scrub the bathtub, sweep the floor, or anything remotely helpful. The house was still a construction zone and there was a thin layer of drywall and sawdust dust on everything. The Guy was working weird shifts and trying to get things done.

It was then we hired a cleaner to come in twice a month. We found a company we liked, they were inexpensive, and our contractor paid for the first few weeks! Since then we have moved to The Guy's cousin's company (Concise Services) for our cleaning.

It was at this time, I was introduced to DoTerra's products which included the On Guard Cleaner concentrate, a mix of Wild Orange, Clove, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary. I had had great results with On Guard oil blend boosting my own immune system, so when I knew it came in a non-toxic, environment friendly, cleaner form, I had to use it.

Since then, it's the only stuff I use and my cleaner uses it too.

environmentally friendly cleaning immune boosting
Concentrate (left) and mixed in a spray bottle (right)

The nicest thing about having a cleaner coming in to do the basic cleaning is that when the cleaning bug does hit me, I can do big things. It makes cleaning less tedious when you don't have to do it all the time.

I'm trying to get my life sorted out before I start my Master's in the fall and it has resulted in a bit of nesting. I've been organizing and cleaning like it's my job. Because of this, I've been extra pleased with having the On Guard cleaner at my ready.

Take my pantry for example.

Untitled
Mid-disaster

When we moved into the new house, I put the pantry together in a bit of a disarray. Things went here and there with some semblance of plan, but not really. In the two years since, I have been more frustrated with the pantry as time went on. So, with my nesting to deal with, I emptied the shelves onto all my kitchen counters.

I was shocked at how gross it was in there. Sure I swept the floor and things, but I have to admit I don't know if the shelves had been dusted or cleaned since we moved in. 

I have a feeling I know the answer.

I started at the top and worked my way down. I used the spray bottle I had mixed up (2 Tbsp to 24 oz of water) and started wiping. 

The smell of On Guard is awesome. It's citrus and clove and reminds me a bit of Christmas. Well, that or the orange cleaner from garages that cleans motor oil off your hands. You know, without the grittiness and the knowledge you're likely killing the earth.

I like that I (or someone else, thankfully) can clean almost anything with something that is natural, doesn't have weird ingredients you can't pronounce, and will actually work to protect your family from illness without stripping their ability to have their own immune system do some of the work.

In the end, I had a very well organized pantry that smelled good.


clean pantry On Guard DoTerra
Final product - clean and smelling yummy!

Every time I walk in there, I am thrilled by the organization and I am happy to know that I could make it happen with the help of a natural cleaner!

What products do you use to clean? Are you concerned about natural products that are effective? 

Thursday, May 5, 2016

My favourite essential oil: Grounding Blend (Balance)

I was first introduced to DoTerra essential oils in the fall of 2013.

I was in a difficult place in my life. My workplace was in turmoil, a supervisor and I were having difficulties, and I started having panic attacks. I couldn't eat or sleep and my heart rate was through the roof. I took a 3 month stress leave from work and hunkered down.

I remember being at a union meeting with my friend, Steph, when she gave me a sample of DoTerra's grounding blend, Balance.

Balance doterra


I guess there was a reason it is called the "grounding blend". I was immediately taken with the earthy body of the oil. The smell of earth and trees and calm flooded me. It's hokey, I know, but it was like taking a walk in the woods, sitting on a fallen log, listening to the birds sing, and knowing it would all be okay.

Balance is a blend of Spruce, Ho Wood, Blue Tansy, Frankincense, and Blue Camomile. Now, I only knew what two of those ingredients were and I didn't know what they did. All I knew was, for the first time in what seemed like months, I could breathe.

It makes sense that DoTerra lists one of it's primary benefits as evoking "feelings of tranquility and balance."

I have used Balance daily since then. Sometimes, it is just out of love for the smell. Sometimes, it is to relax. Every time, it is because of the feeling of peace and nature that it brings to me in the midst of the city and the chaos of life.

It might do the same for you too.