As the weather starts to warm up, so does the urge to get a start on your spring cleaning. There are few things that feel as great as a clean apartment that is full of sunshine with all of the windows wide open. If you use natural cleaning products instead of your run of the mill, chemical cleaning agents from your local department store, you apartment will smell even better.

Soft Scrub Cleaner

You can use the soft scrub cleaner on your kitchen sink, as well as your bathroom sink, tub and toilet. Just apply the scrub, allow it to sit for 8 to 12 minutes and scrub away. For a deeper clean, let the scrub sit longer. 

• 1 1/2 cups baking soda
• 1/2 cup castile soap (liquid)
• 2 tablespoons distilled water
• 16 drops lemon essential oil
• 10 drops lime essential oil

First, mix together the castile soap and baking soda using a whisk. Once they are combined together, add in the water. Finally, add in the essential oils. Stir until the mixture reaches a soft pasty consistency. This should be enough for cleaning both your kitchen and your bathroom. 

You can store this cleaner in an airtight container. Just be sure to keep it someone dark. 

Appliance Cleaner

This cleaner is great for cleaning the outside surface of your dishwasher, oven, washer and dryer. You can even use it to clean the inside and outside of your microwave and refrigerator. Just spray it on, then wipe it off. 

• 2 cups white vinegar
• 4 cups water (hot)
• 30 drops lemon essential oils
•  1 spray bottle

Pour all of the ingredients into a large spray bottle, shake it up a little bit, and get to work. 

Garbage Disposal Cleaner

After a winter of grinding up all your leftover food, your garbage disposal can start to stink. Not all the food you put down it gets washed away, and grim can quickly build up inside of your disposal. This cleaner with get rid of any grime that has built up and will make your disposal smell like lemons instead of trash. This will make about 36 garbage disposal refreshing pods, which will keep your disposal smelling great for the rest of the spring. 

• 30 drops lemon essential oils
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 cup table salt
• 1/3 cup castile soap
• 2 cups baking soda
• 1 sheet of parchment paper

First, mix together the 1 cup of salt and the 2 cups of baking soda inside of a large bowl. Then, add in the 30 drops of essential oil and the 1/3 cup of liquid castile soap. Slowly, add in the water as you stir the mixture with your hands. Stop adding water when the mixture feels like damp sand and stays together when you try to press it into a ball.

Scoop out tablespoon size balls and set them on the sheet of parchment paper. They will dry out and become hard after about 24 hours. Then you can put them inside of a glass jar or plastic container next to use disposal. Throw between 1-3 balls down at a time to clean your disposal. 

Be sure to try out these natural cleaners during your spring cleaning sessions. These cleaners do not contain any harsh ingredients, but still get the job and make your apartment smell like lemons! It can be hard to keep rental properties clean, but these should help.