Thieves Household Cleaner

If you have been using essential oils for any amount of time, then you probably already love the thieves oil blend. But have you heard about Young Living's amazing, all-natural, non-toxic, and highly effective, Thieves household cleaner?

When my sister first told me about it I remember rolling my eyes (we were talking on the phone). While my mouth was saying “wow, that sounds really great”, my mind was thinking “there is no way that I am ever going to spend $30 on a bottle of cleaner”.  

The funny part was that I had transitioned to all natural cleaners years ago and I’ve actually paid $30 for a bottle of cleaner more than once.   I actually had quite an embarrassingly large collection of expensive, and mostly only partially used, natural cleaners in my kitchen and laundry room.  

When I finally decided to order a bottle of the thieves cleaner I did not have any plans to use it for cleaning (because of the afore mentioned extensive collection of cleaners I already had), but I was at my whit’s end looking for something to get the funky smell out of my husband’s workout gear.  It was my last ditch attempt to find a natural solution before he made good on his threat to buy a bottle of Tide® laced with Febreeze® because he was tired of stinking even before he started to sweat.

The bottle of cleaner arrived and after it completely destroyed the gym clothes’ funk in one wash cycle, I couldn’t resist mixing up a batch in a spray bottle and testing it in other areas of the house.  I quickly found that I loved the stuff.  I had tried dozens of natural cleaning solutions before and had found myself constantly having to compromise on cleaning power in order to feel comfortable with the safety of the ingredients.  But the Thieves cleaner actually worked, not to mention smelled amazing!  

I am almost as cheap thrifty as I am OCD about cleaning my house, so I did endeavor to use up those other cleaning supplies before allowing myself to transition completely to the Thieves cleaner.  I may have been unnecessarily liberal in my use of some of those other products though in an attempt to get rid of them more quickly.  And I will admit that it filled me with an almost ridiculous amount of glee every time I used up a bottle of something.  It felt great to be able to toss an empty bottle of some sort of specialized cleaner knowing that it didn't need to be replaced. 

The initial cost of buying a bottle of the cleaning concentrate can be a bit intimidating (especially if you buy the big bottle!), when you can buy bottles of “regular” cleaner for just a couple of dollars.  So I did the math, and I was very pleased to find that even if you pay the retail price for the concentrate, it works out to $1.20 per 450ml bottle of diluted cleaner.  That is at a 1:30 dilution, but in many cases you end up diluting the cleaner 1:50 or even 1:320.  And if you are a wholesale member the price goes down to $0.91 per bottle!  So not only is the Thieves cleaner safer and more effective than most conventional cleaners, it also ends up being less expensive to use. 

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Some of my favorite uses for Thieves Household Cleaner:

Laundry:

Just use one capful of concentrated cleaner in place of laundry detergent. 

Gym clothes: For especially smelly loads I will throw everything in a bucket with warm water and the cleaner and soak overnight.  When I’m ready to wash it, I just dump the contents of the bucket into the machine and let it run through the cycle.

Bedding:  I will often allow the load to soak in the machine for an hour or two before completing the cycle. 

Uniforms: Since my husband’s job often has him in contact with diseased, ill, or very dirty people, I always wash his uniforms in thieves cleaner to eliminate bacteria and viruses. 

Towels:  The first time I washed my towels with the thieves cleaner they actually came out smelling worse than when they went in.  This was because the towels had a buildup of bacteria, mineral deposits, and soap residue that had accumulated over time.  The Thieves cleaner was working to break this down, but it took a few wash cycles before they were completely free of it.

Wash cloths and rags: These can get really germy and gross so Thieves cleaner in a hot wash cycle is perfect.

Cloth diapers: I wish I had known about this cleaner when my kids were still in diapers.  I spent so much money on specialty detergents, and so much time stripping my diapers.  With the thieves cleaner there is no soap residue and no build up, plus it knocks out bacteria so it is the perfect cloth diaper cleaning solution. 

Febreeze®  Substitute:

My husband’s uniform has a number of pieces that are required to be worn daily but are not conducive to being washed regularly.  Most of the guys at work spray their gear down with Febreeze® on a daily basis to prevent nasty smells from developing, but that doesn’t necessarily deal with all the bacteria and germs, not to mention it’s not great for your health to be breathing in chemicals all day.  My husband sprays his equipment with a 1:30 ratio of diluted cleaning concentrate and has absolutely no issues with his gear smelling bad. 

A few of the other things I spray regularly to eliminate odors and bacteria are:

-Pillows & mattresses

-Shoes

-Car interior & kid’s car seats

-Area rugs

-Window coverings

-Inside of my purse

-Shower curtains

-Upholstered furniture

All Purpose Cleaning

I literally walk through my house with a spray bottle of cleaner and a rag and clean every single surface in my home – walls, doorknobs, windows, furniture, floors, counter-tops, cutting boards, blinds, cupboards, sinks…

There is a spray bottle of diluted Thieves cleaner under every sink in our home.  This makes it easy to quickly tidy the bathroom or disinfect messes in the kitchen. 

Bathrooms

When the bathroom is in need of a deeper cleaning than can be accomplished with a spray bottle and rag, I dilute a capful or two of cleaning concentrate in a bucket of warm/hot water.  I like to work my way from least to most yucky so I start with the mirrors, move on to the walls, cupboards, and doors, then the sink and counter-top.  I then clean the shower/tub, and finish up with the toilet.  When I am all done, I dump the contents of my bucket into the the toilet bowl and use a brush to give it a good scrub.  Super easy.  


If you've been curious about the Thieves Household Cleaner, then November is the perfect time to give it a try because Young Living is offering the opportunity to earn a 14.4oz bottle of cleaning concentrate (along with some other great Thieves products!) for free with qualifying purchases!  For all the details, please click here or log in to your YL back office.