Dust Spray

The other night, I came home from a date with Hubby, paid the babysitter, turned on a lamp and sat down in my favorite spot on the couch.  I don't normally use the lamp I turned on, so it brought my attention to a few things I had in that corner: plants, books, puzzles, and *gasp* DUST!  Now, I'm not talking about your average layer of dust that appears when you don't dust for a week.  I'm talking about a thick layer of dust that only comes from a month (or two) of neglect.  Gross, I know.  

Don't be fooled.  I don't normally dust every week, or every other week for that matter.  It's just one of those things that gets away from me, like laundry, scrubbing floors, and bathrooms.  I'm usually so busy that I don't remember to clean something until it has grown a film or some other obvious sign of neglect.    

My youngest daughter is sick and stayed home from school today, so it gave me a chance to do some cleaning.  I grabbed my trusty, store-bought dust spray, aimed, and nothing came out.  My bottle was broken.  Thankfully, I had a recipe I've been wanting to try.  So, I grabbed the ingredients, mixed 'em up, and dusted.  I could hear the dust mites screaming as I wiped them up with the cloth.  Ick! Dust mites.  My hives are coming back.  Bleck!  

Here's the recipe I tried, taken from The Naturally Clean Home: 


1/2 c oil soap (I used Murphy's Oil Soap)
3/4 c water
5 drops sweet orange essential oil
15-20 drops cedar essential oil

Mix all ingredients into a spray bottle.  Shake gently.  Spray on wood surface. Wipe with a dry cloth. 

My notes: I didn't put the cedar oil.  I didn't have any.  I would have because I think it would smell great.  I used the orange oil because I did have that in my cabinet.  It adds a nice scent, as well as added antibacterial benefits.  You really could omit the essential oils altogether, but I like the smell and the added benefits of essential oils.  

I liked the consistency of the spray.  It was light and easy to spread around the wood surface.  It picked up all the dust and left a nice, clean shine.  If you like a high gloss in your wood spray, you could add a little more Murphy's Oil or reduce the water.  

I have to include a note about the Murphy's Oil Soap ingredients.  All of them are good, except for the Tetrasodium EDTA.  (Of course, I read up on this after I used it) Tetrasodium EDTA contains formaldehyde.  It can be a strong skin and lung irritant in humans.  

If you don't want to use Murphy's, here's another recipe for you.  I haven't tried it but I'm sure it's a good one:

1/2 c lemon juice
1 tsp liquid castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's)
4 drops of bergamot, geranium, or sweet orange essential oil.  


To use, follow the directions above.  

A good tip is to try these recipes on an inconspicuous spot on your furniture before you spray it all over.  Some essential oils can adversely affect certain wood finishes.

Let me know if you try these recipes and what you think. Happy Dusting! (Is there such a thing?)  

Thanks for stopping by,