Sleep Rollerball Recipe: A Simple Essential Oil Blend To Promote Restful Sleep

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February 6, 2020 By Rebecca D. Dillon 5 Comments

Learn how to make an easy, 2-ingredient sleep rollerball recipe with a simple essential oil blend for sleep. A natural way to promote restful sleep, this essential oil blend is kid-safe and can be used even if you are pregnant or nursing. Plus discover tips on how to get a good night’s sleep by simply changing a few of your daily habits.

Using Essential Oils for Sleep

There are a lot of factors that affect one getting a good night’s sleep. For me, living with fibromyalgia has a huge impact. While I’ve worked hard to find successful ways to manage fibromyalgia symptoms, I still have bad days. Between the barometric change in pressure (rain, rain, go away) and Aunt Flo making a visit that coincides with that, I’ve been struggling hard the past few days. Not only does this mean having to step back a bit from the blog and exercise a bit of self care, it also means that I have to find ways to ensure I’m getting the best sleep I possibly can.

Previously I made an aromatherapeutic insomnia sleep spray to help promote sleep. Made with a simple essential oil blend of vetiver, lavender and ylang ylang, this sleep pillow spray works wonders. However, I know not everyone loves the ways these essential oils smell. Some people hate the scent of lavender essential oil, while others find vetiver too earthy and overpowering. That, and vetiver can give you some pretty wacky dreams. (Kind of like melatonin has a tendency to do.) Therefore, I thought I’d also share an easy sleep rollerball recipe as another natural alternative to help with sleep.

My sleep rollerball recipe requires only the purchase of a single, sleep essential oil blend. This makes this project cheaper than buying multiple essential oils up front. Rather than a blend of lavender, vetiver and ylang ylang essential oils that I used previously, this sleep essential oil blend contains lavender, grapefruit, ho wood and bergamot essential oils. It smells heavenly and it’s also child safe for kids ages 2 and up, when properly diluted. Additionally, it’s also safe if you are pregnant or breastfeeding — and a lot of us know how exhausting both of those prospects can be. Plus, by utilizing the aromatherapeutic of essential oils, there are no pills to swallow or drug interactions to worry about.

This super simple, sleep rollerball recipe is one of the recipes from a past Simply Earth essential oil recipe box. I love how easy Simply Earth makes it to get started using essential oils by including six recipes in each of their monthly boxes, in addition to the essential oils and other materials you need to create them. If you think you might be interested in giving their recipe boxes a go, then be sure to use coupon code: SOAPDELIFREE when you sign up here. You’ll score a free bonus box (with rollerball bottles, coconut oil and more) valued at $40, along with a coupon for $40 off your next order. (I used mine to score this awesome essential oil diffuser.)

Otherwise, you can simply purchase Simply Earth’s sleep essential oil blend here without having to sign up for anything at all. Or straight up purchase their pre-made Sleepy Rollerball and you’re good to go with no extra work necessary.

Here’s how to make Simply Earth’s easy, sleep rollerball recipe. (And don’t forget to check out my tips for getting a good night’s sleep after the recipe for more ideas on how to get a restful night’s sleep!)

Sleep Rollerball Recipe

Ingredients:

9 drops Sleepy essential oil blend
10 mL sweet almond oil

Instructions for making this sleep rollerball recipe:

Add nine drops of the sleep essential oil blend to a 10 mL rollerball bottle.

Then fill the remainder of the bottle with sweet almond oil. Then swirl to mix.

Cap the rollerball bottle before screwing on the lid.

How to Use Your Sleep Essential Oil Blend:

To use your aromatherapeutic sleep essential oil blend you made from this sleep rollerball recipe, simply apply to pulse points as needed to promote a restful sleep.

Don’t want to use this sleep essential oil blend in a rollerball bottle? Learn how to use this sleep essential oil blend to create an aromatherapeutic sleep pillow spray here. Or simply add a few drops of the sleep essential oil blend to your diffuser to promote a restful night’s sleep.

Alternately, you can also try this aromatherapy roll on recipe for rest and relaxation. It’s made with an essential oil blend for sleep that includes lavender, mandarin, bergamot and ylang ylang essential oils.

Looking to learn even more about essential oils and their aromatherapeutic benefits? Be sure to check out Simply Earth’s new Essential Oil Hero Course. This extensive course on essential oils not only provides you with recipes and the knowledge you need to use essential oils safely, it also comes with a fabulous essential oil starter kit. And, there’s even the option to pay for the course over time. Learn more here.

But, before you leave, check out my tips on getting a good night’s sleep below!

Tips for Getting a Good Night’s Sleep

While products such as melatonin, herbal supplements and even aromatherapy — like my sleep rollerball recipe — can help promote a restful night’s sleep, there are also simple activities and changes you can make in your day to day lifestyle to help you get a good night’s sleep. Following are a few simple tips to help you sleep better naturally.

Stay active and exercise daily, even if you’re just taking a walk around the block.
Ditch electronic devices two hours before bedtime. That means no tv, video games, computers or cell phones.
Increase your time outdoors. Two hours of sunshine a day can improve your quality and duration of sleep by up to 80%.
Skip caffeinated beverages all together. If this isn’t doable, then avoid drinking any beverages with caffeine after 2pm or at least seven hours prior to your normal bedtime.
Don’t drink alcohol. The consumption of alcohol can seriously disrupt your sleep patterns as well as reduce your body’s natural melatonin production.
Avoid eating meals before going to bed. Your last meal of the day should be at least three hours before hitting the hay. Otherwise, it can disrupt hormones and affect sleep quality.
Stick to a consistent schedule. Keeping a regular schedule by getting up and going to bed at the same time everyday can help you get consistent, better quality sleep.
Need a nap? If you must take a nap during the day, limit that nap to no more than a half hour.
Make sure you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs by taking a daily multivitamin or supplements. Low levels of things like B6 and magnesium can definitely affect sleep quality as well as your ability to fall asleep.

Do you have tips for getting a good night’s sleep? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

And don’t forget to pin this easy sleep rollerball recipe to Pinterest for later. (You can also find and follow on me on Pinterest here.)

For more ways to use essential oils for home, healthy and beauty, be sure to follow my Essential Oils Pinterest board. Or for more great recipes and projects from Soap Deli News, be sure to follow me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: aromatherapy, essential oil blend, essential oil recipes, essential oils, health and wellness, healthy living, herbal remedies, home remedies, home remedy, natural alternative, natural remedy, self care, simply earth, sleep, wellbeing, wellness

Spring Cleaning Tips: How to Naturally Clean & Declutter Your Home

January 30, 2020 By Rebecca D. Dillon 4 Comments

Part of getting my home in order for spring, involves spring cleaning. This includes decluttering — and grudgingly tossing out those craft and soap making supplies that have hung around a bit too long. While spring cleaning is probably one of my least favorite chores ever, it doesn’t have to be a full on gladiator challenge. Get your home in order this spring with these easy spring cleaning tips and tricks. Plus discover ideas for decluttering your home and utilizing natural cleaners. Following are my best spring cleaning tips and homemade cleaner recipes to help you get your butt in gear and start the new season off right!

Spring Cleaning & Decluttering Your Home

Although it’s been a mild winter thus far, I’m still looking forward to spring. As the weather gets warmer, the birds start chirping and the flowers and trees start to grow. I also prepare for a new beginning and growth in my home. It’s definitely an inspirational time for me. Not only do I get excited about getting outdoors again, but I’m also always stoked to start on new projects. However, a clean space — without the clutter from the previous year — is paramount to both my productivity and creativity.

With the stress of the holidays gone, along with all those crazy commitments, I’m finally recharged and ready to tackle spring cleaning in my house. Spring cleaning isn’t my favorite chore, but the reward is well worth it. Knowing that everything is clean gives me a sense of peace and calm. And, of course, it grounds me better than any other activity out there. (Sad, but true. If only I had the patience to meditate.)

I used to dread spring cleaning. Now I look at it as a time to get organized and start fresh, which helps improve my mood and motivates me to get it done.

Easy Spring Cleaning Tips and Tricks to Get the Job Done

If you dread spring cleaning, here are some helpful, spring cleaning tips that will aid you in getting your home clean and organized naturally. All without having to turn it into a huge production resulting in weeks worth of memes on your Facebook page and no actual progress.

Declutter Your Home

Weeks before I begin the actual cleaning, I start decluttering. Why waste my time cleaning things that I don’t want? And to be honest, you can clean anytime. I mean, you do it all year long anyway. (Well, I hope you do. There are some single dudes I know that are just flat out gross. Their kitchen floor literally requires a blow torch, not a mop.) Therefore decluttering tops my list of spring cleaning tips.

To get started decluttering my home, I go through each room with two baskets and a trash bag, one at a time. Trash goes in the trash bag, things that don’t belong in that room go in one box, and things I want to get rid of go in the other box. You’d be amazed at how much stuff you don’t need anymore! (And while I know you haven’t used all that shea butter up yet, it’s hitting the end of its shelf life and has got to go. Because seriously, while you could throw it into a soap recipe this weekend, are you really going to 100% make that happen?)

The things I don’t want I take directly to my car to drop off at a thrift store that benefits charities. Other things, like ingredients on their last leg and those spices in my cabinets that are basically flavorless dirt granules at this point, get tossed. I have less clutter, and other people benefit.

Although sometimes I think people benefit more from me tossing the “garbage” in my pantry (I mean, if I don’t want to eat it, do they?) than the clothing I drop off at the thrift store. The same, of course, can be said for that ever growing stash of soap making supplies that stretches on to infinity. The last thing you want to do is invest the time it takes to make cold process soap only to end up with dreaded orange spots at the end of a cure because you held onto that olive oil too long.

Decide How to Clean

Once you declutter your home, then decide how you’re going to clean. I clean room by room. This helps me stay motivated because I can finish a room and feel a sense of accomplishment once it’s done. It also keeps me from getting overwhelmed. After all, no one wants to see me sheltered in a corner talking to myself anymore than I usually do. (I’m self employed, dammit. It’s called a staff meeting!)

I have a friend who does one chore all over the house. She cleans every window at the same time, then she cleans all of the floors. This saves her the time and hassle of getting out the same cleaning products over and over.

Make a Schedule

I would love to get my all of my spring cleaning done in just one or two days. However, I can’t do that without risking a fibro flare. Although I take supplements that help me manage my fibro, I have to respect my daily limits. (Self care, while important for EVERYONE, matters even more when you have a chronic illness. Because literally it can put you out of commission for days to weeks.)

Whether it’s your health or your work schedule that dictates how much you can do in a day, it’s helpful to make a plan. Sometimes it takes me up to two weeks to spring clean. That’s okay! Take your time and it will get done eventually. You’ll find that trying my spring cleaning tips as well a developing your own spring cleaning tips and tricks that fit your lifestyle and personality, really does help.

I make a plan for a room a day and skip some days so I don’t overexert myself. You don’t have to get everything done in one day.

Work Top to Bottom

When it is time to start spring cleaning, always work from the ceiling to the floor. Any dust that you move around will fall to the floor, so it’s important to clean your floors last.

I’m no seven foot NBA player, so getting cobwebs from the ceiling or cleaning the walls is a nightmare. I love this Compact Mop and Broom Kit for dusting the ceiling and walls, however. I use the microfiber mopping cloth dry or slightly damp to dust the ceiling and walls. It makes it so quick, and I can finally reach them without risking falling off of a chair.

Not only is it made from recycled materials, this makes multi-tasking a snap and the collapsable handle saves on space.

Once the ceiling and walls are clean, I move onto the surfaces and finally the floors. Afterwards, I just toss the microfiber mop head into the washing machine, so there’s zero waste.

Tips on Spring Cleaning Your Home with Natural, Non-toxic Cleaners

Steam Cleaning

Another of my favorite spring cleaning tips is to steam clean. I don’t want to use chemicals when I clean, so my preference is to clean with steam for those extra dirty jobs. I have a portable steam cleaner that I use for surfaces, including the microwave, sinks, bathrooms, and more. Not all surfaces can be steam cleaned, so check the manufacturer’s instructions before using it.

Steam cleaning removes up to 99.9 percent of bacteria and other germs. It’s a great way to kill germs with just water and no chemicals.

Of course, if a steam mop isn’t part of your doomsday arsenal, you can always make your own DIY all purpose cleaner with essential oils to disinfect floors and other surfaces. (Just be sure to sub the tea tree oil if you have pets in your home.)

Alternately, if you’re in the market for a steam mop, the PurSteam Thermapro Steam Mop is truly multi-surface and multi-functional. It can be used on hardwood floors, tile, laminate, carpet and even clothing. In addition, it’s also pet friendly. And the small size means it doesn’t take up half my utility closet.

All Purpose Cleaner

The all purpose cleaners that you find in stores can be toxic and not healthy for you, your family, or your pets. So choosing the right cleaning products for your home is important. Products such as Mrs. Meyer’s all purpose cleaner, which is made from plant-derived ingredients, as well as Aunt Fannie’s cleaning vinegar are the perfect natural alternatives for cleaning your kitchen and bathroom.

In addition to buying non-toxic, commercial cleaners, you can also make your own natural cleaning products. If you’re new to making your own cleaners, I recommend starting with an all purpose cleaner because you’ll use it often in the kitchen and in the bath. Here’s a very easy and basic all purpose cleaner recipe with vinegar, water and essential oils.

Alternately, if you significant other has threatened maiming, torture or death if you ever use vinegar to clean the house again, here’s a vinegar free all purpose cleaner that uses Sal Suds to clean instead. (It’s pretty crazy awesome. It got an old wine stain off my laminate countertop.)

All purpose cleaners are great for general cleaning, but they don’t work well on stuck on dirt or dried food spills. Therefore, I recommend making this natural cleaning clay recipe. It works like a soft scrub cleanser and is perfect for cleaning your stove top, tile floors or glass. It requires just three simple ingredients and is ready to use in just 5-minutes.

Liquid Castile Soap

I also use liquid castile soap to clean my home. Typically, I’ll use it in the mop bucket and dilute it to clean surfaces. I’ve tried making my own liquid Castile soap, but it always separates. Therefore, I usually just pick up Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castile Soap instead.

Not only is Dr. Bronner’s a quality liquid soap, it’s also safe enough you wouldn’t feel completely terrible about washing out your teenager’s mouth with it. While not something I condone, I certainly won’t play innocent and balk over thinking about it a time or two. Even the most perfect children can drive you up the wall. Especially during that “no” stage. And the one where they question everything… “But why?”

If you’re short on cupboard space like I am, here’s how to make a liquid castile soap concentrate for cleaning. This won’t separate like a homemade liquid will and it will save you some dough if you’re on a budget.

Laundry Cleaners

My washer and dryer work overtime when I’m spring cleaning. I always make sure to wash my curtains, bedding, and pillows.

I wash them in the hottest water possible for the fabric to kill germs. I also like to hang them outside in the sun to kill more germs and make them smell like fresh sunshine.

Making laundry detergent is also easy and saves a lot of money. Here’s my easy, homemade laundry soap recipe. If you have tough laundry stains, then be sure to treat them with a laundry stain remover recipe. (This stain remover stick also works great for hand washing delicates.)

Don’t like grating the soap? Here’s how to make laundry detergent without grating.

Bathroom Spring Cleaning Tips

I think spring cleaning the bathroom is at the bottom of everyone’s favorite things to do list. If you clean your bathroom weekly, there isn’t much left to do for spring cleaning except declutter the cabinets and give it a thorough cleaning. (And if you have little boys running around your bathroom, then you’re likely cleaning a lot more frequently. Because, boy pee. Am I right?)

To make cleaning my bathtub quick and easy, I use my homemade shower cleaner weekly. It not only makes my bathtub sparkle, it also works great on grimy toilets and sinks! Overall, it’s just an easy way to keep my bathroom clean without a lot of effort. My Dawn and vinegar shower cleaner is also great for a no scrub deep clean on shower doors and soap scum, and requires as few as two ingredients. (This is by far one of my most popular bathroom cleaner recipes!)

Then, for daily maintenance, use an after shower spray to keep your shower clean for longer periods between cleaning. This easy bathroom cleaning hack also works on windows and mirrors, and is made with a simple, 2-ingredient essential oil blend that naturally freshens your bathroom as well.

Cleaning Hacks for Naturally Freshening the Air

I think opening the windows helps clear the air and makes the house smell so fresh! However, if the temperature isn’t warm enough in your neck of the woods, try one of these easy ideas for natural air cleaners instead.

I use my diffuser to kill germs in the air during the winter. Essential oils like tea tree oil, eucalyptus essential oil, lemon essential oil, and clove essential oil can kill germs in the air when diffused. You can find a ready made, Purify essential oil blend that’s perfect for this task here.

You can also try my rosemary fir room spray to freshen the air or my lavender eucalyptus DIY air freshener with essential oils to freshen both the air and fabrics. It’s great for smelly kids rooms as well as pet odors.

Looking for Eco-friendly Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Home?

For eco-friendly spring cleaning tips, check out this post for healthy homemaking ideas. This collection of spring cleaning tips will save you both time and money! And they’re perfect for anyone who wants to create a non-toxic home using eco-friendly cleaning products.

Or give Grove Collaborative a try and score a free sustainable, spring cleaning starter bundle for your household chores when you spend $20 on any of their natural cleaning products, essential oils or cleaning tools. (Offer good for first time customers only.) Sign up here.

If the sustainable starter kit isn’t really something you need, they also have an offer for free laundry detergent as well as a free home bundle with Mrs. Meyer’s products. (Sadly, you can only pick one. I know, bummer. But it’s still a sweet deal regardless.)

For more spring cleaning tips and homemade cleaner recipes, be sure to visit my Natural Cleaning Products & Homemade Cleaner Recipes Pinterest board here. You can also find and follow me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

Filed Under: Handmade Home, Lifestyle Tagged With: bathroom cleaner, cleaners, cleaning, cleaning hacks, cleaning products, cleaning recipe, cleaning solutions, cleaning tips, eco-friendly, green cleaning, healthy homemaking, healthy living, homemaking, housework, kitchen cleaner, non-toxic, shower cleaner, spring cleaning, window cleaner

Essential Oil Remedy for Cold and Flu: Cold Rollerball Recipe to Support Immunity

January 23, 2020 By Rebecca D. Dillon 9 Comments

Tackle your cold and flu symptoms and get natural relief with this essential oil remedy for cold and flu. This easy cold rollerball recipe supports your body’s immunity. It can also help to soothe cold symptoms by offering congestion relief in addition to aiding focus and energy. (After all, we all feel run down when we’re sick!)

Aromatherapeutic Essential Oil Remedy for Cold and Flu

With cold and flu season especially bad this year, not to mention that new coronavirus now making rounds in the United States, I’ve taken extra steps to naturally support my body’s immunity. I’ve taken both elderberry syrup as well as fire cider preventatively, as well as to reduce symptoms when I do catch a cold. (There’s been some nasty illnesses being passed around here in Virginia. Luckily, I’ve managed to avoid catching the flu thus far.) While fire cider is pretty amazing at offering both immune support as well as relieving nasal congestion, occasionally you need a little extra boost. This is where aromatherapy steps in.

This easy 4-ingredient, aromatherapeutic cold and flu remedy essential oil blend recipe offers natural cold relief throughout the year. Simply mix the ingredients together in a rollerball bottle and apply to pulse points. Or use the essential oil blend for cold and flu in the recipe below in your diffuser for simple, natural cold relief.

Cold Rollerball Recipe: Easy Essential Oil Remedy

Ingredients:

1 drop Peppermint essential oil
1 drop Pine Scotch essential oil
3 drops Mandarin essential oil
10 mL fractionated coconut oil

Instructions for this essential oil remedy for cold & flu:

To make this easy essential oil remedy for cold and flu, add the essential oils to a 10 mL rollerball bottle using a dropper or pipette.

Then fill the remainder of the rollerball bottle with fractionated coconut oil.

Place the rollerball cap onto your bottle, then swirl the essential oils and fractionated coconut oil to mix.

How to use your cold rollerball recipe:

To use, simply apply this aromatherapeutic, essential oil remedy blend to pulse points for congestion relief, focus and energy.

You can also use this cold and flu essential oil blend, sans the fractionated coconut oil, as an essential oil diffuser cold remedy. Simply add a few drops to your diffuser for easy, hands off congestion relief for cold and flu symptoms.

This essential oil remedy for cold and flu and cold rollerball recipe is safe for kids ages ten and up. It has a shelf life of 2 years.

This easy cold rollerball recipe is just one of the amazing essential oil recipes that can be found in the monthly Simply Earth essential oil recipe box. However, you don’t need to be a subscriber to purchase their essential oils and essential oil blends. They even sell the other ingredients you need to make their amazing, essential oil recipes, including the fractionated coconut oil and rollerball bottle called for in this cold rollerball recipe.

Should you decide to subscribe, however, you’ll receive either the current monthly box (if it’s not sold out) or their awesome essential oil starter box. Using coupon code: SOAPDELIFREE means you’ll also get a free bonus box along with a coupon for $40 off your next order of anything your heart desires. (I used mine to buy their sweet essential oil diffuser I’d been eyeing for some time.) Learn more here.

Yield: 1 - 10 mL rollerball bottle

Essential Oil Remedy for Colds

Tackle your cold symptoms and get natural relief with this essential oil remedy for colds. This easy cold rollerball recipe supports your body's immunity.

Active Time 2 minutes

Total Time 2 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Materials

1 drop Peppermint essential oil
1 drop Pine Scotch essential oil
3 drops Mandarin essential oil
10 mL fractionated coconut oil

Tools

10 mL rollerball bottle
dropper

Instructions

Add the drops for each essential oil to a 10 mL rollerball bottle.
Fill the remainder of the rollerball bottle with fractionated coconut oil.
Place the rollerball cap onto your bottle, and swirl to mix.

Notes

To use, apply to pulse points for congestion relief, focus and energy.

Cold Rollerball Recipe to Support Immunity: Essential Oil Remedy for Cold and Flu.Tackle your cold and flu symptoms and get natural relief with this essential oil remedy for cold and flu. This easy cold rollerball recipe supports your body's immunity. It can also help to soothe cold symptoms by offering congestion relief in addition to aiding focus and energy. This easy 4-ingredient, aromatherapeutic cold and flu remedy essential oil blend recipe offers natural cold relief. #essentialoils

More Essential Oil Remedies for Colds and Flu to Support Immunity

If you like this essential oil remedy for colds and flu, then be sure to check out these other essential oil remedies for cold and flu season. You’ll just love these easy essential oil recipes that support health and wellness.

Cold Relief Bath Soak Recipe with Essential Oils
Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend for Cold Relief
DIY Shower Steamers with Menthol Crystals
Essential Oil Diffuser Blend for Colds and Flu

Other Cold and Flu Home Remedies to Try

While they don’t contain essential oils, here are some other wonderful, natural ways to fight colds and flu and support your body’s immunity.

How to Make Custom Herbal Tea Blends for Colds & Flu
Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe for Immune Support
Fire Cider Vinegar Recipe for Natural Cold Relief
Cold Relief Bath Soak Recipe with Eucalyptus
Homemade Cold Remedy Drink Recipe with Ginger

If you like this essential oil remedy for cold and flu, be sure to pin it to Pinterest to save for later. You can also follow me on Pinterest for more great DIY ideas and other natural essential oil remedies.

Also, don’t forget to follow Soap Deli News on social media for more great health and wellness recipes & projects. You can find me on facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up to receive an email whenever I share a new post!

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: aromatherapy, cold relief, congestion relief, diffuser blends, essential oil blend, essential oil recipes, essential oils, flu, health and wellness, healthy living, winter

Creative Ways to Upcycle Dishes with Lead Paint for DIY Home Decor

January 13, 2020 By Rebecca D. Dillon 7 Comments

Believe it or not, decorative dishware produced as late as 2004 has been found to contain lead paint. While no longer deemed safe for eating, you don’t have to toss your favorite vintage dishes. Instead try one of these creative ways to upcycle dishes with lead paint to create unique, DIY home decor!

Your Dishes May Not Be Food Safe!

I think most families have some Corelle dishes in their cupboards. They are a popular plate and dish brand thanks to their durability and trendy designs. Today, people covet the old styles, scouring flea markets and thrift stores to complete their collections.

I bought two sets of Corelle dishes years ago because I was sick of chipped or broken plates. Corelle plates are virtually indestructible, so they last for many, many years.

A word of warning though, if they do break, they shatter! You’ll be finding glass shards on the floor and in the next room for weeks.

Your beloved Corelle dishes may bring back fond memories of sitting around the dinner table with family and friends, but they may also be slowly deteriorating your body due to lead paint exposure.

Tamara Rubin, Lead Safe Mama, recently tested several vintage Corelle pieces and found lead paint in the decorative designs.

They are vintage, so it doesn’t apply to you, right? No, for these purposes vintage is anything before 2005. That’s only 15 years ago. Considering the durability of the plates and bowls, it’s definitely possible that your dishes are older than 2005.

In her article, Tamara shows screenshots of conversations with Corelle. Corelle states that lead paint was common in glazes and decorative designs before the 1990s. Corelle has not used lead paint for decorative designs since the “mid 2000s”. They recommend using any pieces made before 2005 to be used as decoration only.

Plain white plates are testing okay. The lead is found in the paint that was used for the design on plates.

Creative Ways to Upcycle Dishes With Lead Paint

No one wants to just throw away their plates, but you can’t use them to eat off of. So what can you do with them?

There are a lot of ways to upcycle dishes and plates. You can use them in a number of ways to decorate your home both inside and outside. Following are some creative ways to upcycle dishes with lead paint.

Painted Elephant Wall Art via Sabotage900

Creative Way to Upcycle Dishes for Wall Decor

Hang Them on The Wall

If your plates have a decorative design, you can hang them on the wall. Many people hang them in their dining room or kitchen because, well, that’s where plates are used most often.

Don’t be limited to just food related rooms. Use a grouping of plates above the bed for a whimsical and fun grouping that won’t cost you anything.

Paint Plates for Unique DIY Art

If you don’t like the design of your plates, paint them! Painting plates is easy to do. Since you won’t be washing them, you can use acrylic paint or enamel and not have to worry about the paint being food safe or washable. You could even prime them and spray paint them if you want to completely change the color and design.

You can use a stencil or paint them freehand. This is a great way to get custom decor that matches the colors in your home.

This wall art idea from Sabotage900 features an illustrated deer for fun & quirky, unique home decor using repurposed dishes.

I also really love this idea for Painted Plate Octopus Wall Art from Homebody UA for using groupings of painted plates to create unique, painted plate wall art for your home.

Or, you can paint a decorative pattern or a mandala design on your vintage plates as another way to upcycle your dishes.

Decorate Without Painting

If you’re not artistic or don’t want to paint them, you can change the look of old plates with some greenery or flowers. Simply use hot glue to attach sprigs of flowers or greens and maybe a bow or some other decoration and hang the plate on the wall.

Decoupage Plates

If you don’t want to paint, decoupage your plates. Use patterned scrapbook paper to die cut or hand cut cute shapes. Animals and flowers are always popular.

You can also use fabric to decoupage plates. Either cut a shape or cover the entire plate with fabric like you would with the scrapbook paper.

Use Mod Podge to glue the paper to the plate. You can also use Mod Podge as a sealer to easier cleaning.

Chalkboard Sign

If your plate has a decorative edge, it might make cute chalkboard sign. Use chalk paint to paint the center and leave the pretty edge. Then hang on the wall or use a plate stand to display. You can change the sign easily for different holidays or use it for inspirational quotes.

This chalkboard style plate from Ranch Life Gifts illustrates a cute way to use chalk paint to upcycle your dishes with lead plate that are no longer food safe. You can also use this same concept to create an upcycled plate, chalkboard countdown calendar for Christmas.

Upcycle Dishes to Use As a Backdrop

For more creative ways to upcycle dishes, use plates to decorate your mantel or on a desk or buffet table. Set a larger plate on a stand and then add candlesticks, vases, and other items in the same color scheme.

This is an easy and inexpensive way to decorate. Shop your own home for objects that would look cute grouped together.

Make Creative Centerpieces with Upcycled Dishes

Larger dinner plates or serving trays with lead paint can’t be used for food, but they can still be used as centerpiece. Add potpourri or flowers to make a cute centerpiece.

Change your centerpiece with the seasons by using pine cones, Easter eggs, or dried berries for Christmas.

Make Unique DIY Garden & Yard Art

You can use plates, bowls, and cups in your yard, flower beds, or on your patio. For bowls, paint them red and add some white polka dots to create a cute mushroom for the yard like this example of vintage dish mushrooms from Blue Cottage Creation.

You can also attach a coffee cup to the center of a dinner plate to make a flower. Attach to a stake and place in your yard or flower beds for whimsical flowers.

This upcycled plate flower from Tambrey the Repurposer is a great example of one of the many ways to upcycle dishes for garden art.

You can even make an upcycled vintage dish bird bath, like this example from MsCenna.

Or craft a fun teacup bird feeder, similar to this upcycled teacup bird feeder from GoGo Garden, for another cute way to upcycle vintage dishes.

Craft a Tiered Stand for Organizing or Decor

If you have three plates that match or coordinate in varying sizes, you can create a tiered stand. Use the biggest plate on the bottom and add an upside down wine glass or even a piece of wood or a glass shot glass or short vase as a spacer. Then add the middle sized plate and another spacer and then the smallest plate.

E6000 is the best glue to use for glass. Don’t use this tiered stand for candy, but you can use it for flowers or other decorations and knick knacks.

Cute Way to Upcycle Dishes Into Planters

Upcycle bowls, tea cups or mugs as planters. I’m hesitant to plant in something that I know has lead paint, so I’d use a liner to hold the dirt and plant and set that inside the cup or bowl.

For more way to upcycle dishes as planters, I really like this idea for a mosaic upcycled, teacup succulent wall planter from Peace by Piece Co. As well as this upcycled teacup, mosaic herb planter by Charming Deco Boutique.

Upcycle Dishes for Unique Home Lighting

While repurposed teacup candles are one of the more popular ways to upcycle dishes, this use is unfortunately not recommended other than for decorative purposes. As teacups aren’t designed to be reheated over and over again, like mason jars are, they can potentially explode while burning.

However, you can upcycle your dishes to use as lamp bases and pendant lighting!

I just love this idea for an upcycled teacup lamp from DAUSnGLO.

What are some of your favorite ways to upcycle dishes? I’d love to hear how you’ve repurposed your vintage dishes to create your own unique DIY home decor. So be sure to share your thoughts in the comments! And don’t forget to pin this post with creative ways to upcycle dishes for later reference.

Discover more creative ways to upcycle dishes, along with budget-friendly DIY home decor ideas, on my Pinterest boards. Or keep up with all of my DIY ideas by following me on social media. You can find me on facebook, twitter and instagram. You can also sign up to receive an email whenever I share a new post!

Filed Under: Decorating, DIY Craft Project, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: crafts, decorating, diy, garden art, home decor, how to, recycle, recycled, repurposed, upcycle, upcycled

DIY All Purpose Cleaner with Essential Oils for a Non-Toxic Clean

January 10, 2020 By Rebecca D. Dillon 5 Comments

Discover an easy way to make a simple DIY all purpose cleaner with essential oils. A safe, non-toxic way to clean your home, this recipe for a green friendly cleaner — and the essential oils to make it! — are part of the new Simply Earth Essential Oil Recipe Box! Read on to learn how to add this easy, 4-ingredient DIY all purpose cleaner to your cleaning routine. Plus discover six more non-toxic cleaning recipes you make using essential oils.

Should I Switch to Natural Non-Toxic Cleaners with Essential Oils?

Wondering if you should make the switch to natural cleaners or your cleaning routine? The answer, in short, is yes!

While spring cleaning is the buzzword as winter dissipates and warm weather sneaks back in, cleaning is unfortunately a year long (not just seasonal) task. There are so many products marketed for those of us obsessed with killing germs, sanitizing surfaces and removing dirt, it can be hard to know which products to choose. Especially when many of those cleaners contain scary, and sometimes evenly potentially toxic, ingredients. And unfortunately, many of them aren’t very eco-friendly either. They contain ingredients like bleach, which harms not just the environment and its ecosystems, but can also cause skin and respiratory distress in both humans and pets.

Luckily, cleaning your home doesn’t have to be toxic or expensive. You can make your own non-toxic homemade cleaners. This DIY all purpose cleaner with essential oils is an easy way to get started. But first, I want to tell you about a sweet offer from Simply Earth. Their new starter essential oil recipe box not only has essential oils perfect for cleaning and sanitizing your home, but also the ingredients to make your very non-toxic DIY all purpose cleaner. There’s also a recipe to make an easy immunity boost hand sanitizer that’s perfect for cold and flu season!

Simply Earth Makes It Easy to Make the Switch!

There are a lot of recipes for natural non-toxic cleaners to be found through a simple google search. Many of which contain essential oils. Knowing the right products to buy, however, can get confusing fast. Luckily, this is where Simply Earth steps in. They make it easy to not just grow your collection of quality essential oils, but also to get started making your own simple essential oil recipes for health, home and beauty!

If you’ve thought about signing up for Simply Earth before, you may have noticed how quickly their monthly essential oil recipe box sells out. Usually, by mid-month, they’ve sold out of the current month’s box. So if you sign up, you’ve had to wait until the following month to receive your first month’s box. Now, when Simply Earth’s monthly essential oil recipe box sells out, you won’t have to wait until the following month to receive your first box. Instead, you’ll get their awesome new starter box, which includes their 4-ingredient recipe for a non-toxic DIY all purpose cleaner.

Here’s what’s inside:

Lemon Essential Oil
Tea Tree Essential Oil
Frankincense Essential Oil
Sleepy Essential Oil Blend
Aloe Vera Gel
2-oz. Spray Bottle
2 Lip Balm Tubes
Sticker Labels for Your Finished Projects
6 Index Sized Recipe Cards

The recipes included in the Simply Earth essential oil starter recipe box are for the following:

Detox Bath Recipe with Epsom Salt
Sleepy Rollerball Essential Oil Recipe
Fresh Air Essential Oil Diffuser Blend Recipe
Lemon Meringue Lip Balm Recipe
Non-Toxic DIY All Purpose Surface Cleaner
Immunity Boost Hand Sanitizer Recipe

You can purchase the starter box from Simply Earth without a subscription. However, when you sign up for a subscription to the Simply Earth essential oil recipe box, you save almost $40 over purchasing the box solo. In addition, you’ll also receive a free bonus box (valued at $40) packed with empty rollerball bottles, blending bottles, coconut oil, beeswax and more materials and supplies to use in future recipes. You’ll also get a coupon code for $40 off your second order from Simply Earth. And it’s good on literally ANYTHING you want to buy. Whether it’s a new diffuser — theirs is so rad! — single essential oils or even more ingredients for your recipes.

Just use coupon code: SOAPDELIFREE when you sign up. Then enjoy exploring six new home, health and beauty recipes every month afterwards! Order your first box today.

Ready to make that easy, non-toxic DIY all purpose cleaner with essential oils now? Great! Let’s get started.

DIY All Purpose Cleaner with Essential Oils

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons distilled water
2 Tablespoons vinegar
13 drops lemon essential oil
7 drops tea tree essential oil

Instructions for making a DIY all purpose cleaner:

You’ll need a 2 oz. spray bottle (included in the Simply Earth starter box) to make this DIY all purpose cleaner. If you have a larger spray bottle you’d like to use, simply double the recipe as needed for the size bottle you’d like to use.

To make this non-toxic cleaner, simply combine all the ingredients in the spray bottle. Then, shake the spray bottle for 30 seconds to mix the ingredients.

How to use your non-toxic DIY all purpose cleaner:

To use your DIY all purpose cleaner with essential oil, shake before use. Then spray the cleaner onto surfaces and wipe clean with a microfiber towel. This all purpose spray not only loosens dirt and grime, it also disinfects surfaces.

As vinegar is abrasive, you do not want to use this DIY all purpose cleaner on porous surfaces such as granite. Otherwise you may damage the stone. If you’d like to use this recipe on granite, you can substitute the vinegar with unscented liquid Castile soap.

Omit or substitute the tea tree oil if you have pets, as tea tree oil is toxic to both cats in dogs at low levels.

More Non-Toxic Cleaning Recipes

If you like this recipe for making a non-toxic DIY all purpose cleaner, then you may also want to try these other non-toxic cleaning recipes.

No Scrub Deep Shower Cleaner Recipe with Lemon Essential oil
Vinegar Free All Purpose Cleaner Recipe with Lemon Essential oil
DIY Air Freshener with Essential Oils
Deodorizing Room Spray Recipe with Essential Oils
Stain Remover Recipe for Laundry Stains with Lemon Essential Oil
Natural Soft Scrub Cleaning Clay Recipe with Essential Oils

I hope you enjoy my easy, non-toxic cleaning recipes with essential oils. Don’t forget to order your Simply Earth essential oil starter box to start your subscription today to start on your essential oil journey. Sign up here now. And don’t forget to use coupon code: SOAPDELIFREE to receive your free bonus box and a coupon for $40 off your next order. Or explore past essential oil recipe boxes from Simply Earth here.

Like this recipe for making a non-toxic DIY all purpose cleaner with essential oils? Then don’t forget to pin this natural cleaning recipe to Pinterest for later.

For more great natural product, recipes and ideas from Soap Deli News, make sure to follow me on facebook, twitter, pinterest and instagram as well as on Blog Lovin’. You can also sign up to receive an email whenever I share a new post!

Filed Under: Handmade Home, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: bathroom cleaner, cleaning hacks, cleaning products, cleaning recipe, cleaning solutions, cleaning tips, essential oil recipes, essential oils, healthy homemaking, healthy living, homemaking, kitchen cleaner, non-toxic, simply earth, window cleaner