Are you looking for a natural, chemical-free way to clean your apartment? Have you thought about using essential oils? If you’re not familiar with essential oils, it may not have occurred to you that these natural ingredients have a lot of disinfectant and purifying power. Two of our experts at Simply Camden have compiled a list of our favorite recipes to clean your apartment with essential oils.

Essential Oils for Soaps and Disinfectant Sprays. Many antibacterial hand soaps and disinfectant sprays on the market contain chemicals. Follow these recipes to create your own!

1. Cloves oil and cinnamon oil blend:  The combination of these two oils is not only a sweet, pleasing scent but an effective hand sanitizer. Add a few drops of these to the oil of your choice, like olive oil or coconut oil, and keep it handy by the sink or when you’re out and about. You can also combine these same ingredients with Castille soap instead of oil for a foaming hand soap.

2. Protective Essential Oils Blend: Wild orange, clove bud, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary all combine to create this purifying essential oils blend. Cleanse the air in your apartment by diffusing this aromatic blend or combine with water or vinegar in a spray bottle to clean your countertops, sinks, and toilet.

3. Disinfectant Essential Oils Blend: Combine lavender, lemon, thyme, oregano, and eucalyptus in a 16 oz spray bottle with water and voila! You have a household disinfectant. Use this spray to scrub down your fridge, clean your stovetop, wipe down your cabinets and more!

4. Lemon Oil: Lemon is one of the most versatile essential oils and can be used all on its own. With a high concentrate of antibacterial elements, you can use lemon to disinfect your whole apartment! Diffuse it to create not only a wonderful aroma in your home but also to purify the air. You can use lemon oil in pure form or diluted with water or vinegar. Use it with lime oil as a grease fighter when washing the dishes. Or add a drop or two to the rinse-aid dispenser in your dishwasher to give dishes some extra sparkle.

Essential Oils for Deodorizing Your Apartment. Yes, you can diffuse essential oils in your apartment to create pleasant aromas, but did you know many essential oils act as deodorizers to eliminate bad smells?

1. Lemon Oil: Yep, lemon oil is back again, this time as an excellent odor eliminator. Add a few drops to your garbage disposal or down the drain to freshen the scent or to the bottom of the dishwasher if it starts to smell funky.

2. Lemongrass oil: Lemongrass gives off a more subtle aroma than lemon oil and so is great for diffusing. Add a few drops of lemongrass oil to a diffuser in your guest bathroom before friends come over to eliminate odor. Fun fact: Lemongrass oil also keeps mosquitos away.

3. Deodorizing Essential Oils Blend: combine citrus oil or wild orange oil and pine oil to create a fresh scent that eradicates stale odors. A drop or two of this blend in the diffuser will replace bad smells and purify the air. You can also add a drop or two to a wooden laundry ball to freshen laundry or on wood chips to place in your dresser drawers and keep clothes fresh.

It only takes a few drops of these essential oils and essential oil blends to start cleaning your apartment naturally. A few notes on buying essential oils before you begin:

• Not all oils are created equal. While there are many sellers and carriers of essential oils these days, you want to look for 100% pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils. This grade gives you the highest concentrate of oils per bottle.

• Some essential oils can be pricey, but most will run you $10 - $20 per bottle and yield up to 350 drops (that’s a lot since most essential oils recipes only require 2-3 drops).

• There are several different oil and plant options that work for the same ailment or objective. Let your individual aroma preference dictate the ones you choose to diffuse in your home.

So, are you ready to clean your apartment with essential oils? Test these blends in your apartment and find the one(s) that work for you!