i made the wood cleaner in the fall of 2010 sometime, and have been using it ever since. i REALLY love it! it's easy to make, it's effective at removing spots and such from my hardwood floors, and leaving them wonderfully shiny! i use it on my wooden dining table, coffee table, end tables, you name it!!!
you can make this recipe (adapted from the naturally clean home book), and store it in a spray bottle. i did a double batch last fall and just finished up this week (is that a testament to how little i clean?) :)
ingredients2 C lemonbalm tea, cooled (i brew it fresh from lemonbalm, from the farmer's market)
15 drops lemon essential oil
5 drops lemongrass essential oil*
instructions
1. combine ingredients in large spray bottle (you can get these at a hardware or home improvement store for about $2 each, or you can clean and re-use a spray bottle from a commercial cleaning agent. i would avoid one that had any chlorinated compounds)
2. spray directly on surface of interest - i do a lot of spot cleaning. it's a good agent at breaking up spots from water, dog drool, baby food goo, etc.
3. go and clean something, and enjoy the fresh scent of lemon while you work!
storage & safety
store in a normal, room temperature environment. i keep it beneath my kitchen sink. generally speaking, essential oils are highly concentrated and can irritate skin, mucous membranes, etc... so while this product won't be toxic in the way bleach would, be sure to keep it away from children and pets.
*i use a different combination of essential oils compared to the original recipe, which calls for 20 drops lemon essential oil and 2 drops thyme essential oil.
