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When we started our homestead journey, I was a total newbie! I grew up around farms in Pennsylvania and spent most of my childhood playing on one, but I was never responsible for the upkeep. I’ve spent countless hours doing research about caring for animals and running a happy and healthy small farm. You can imagine how disappointed I was when, source after source, told me that Clorox and ammonia-based cleaners were safe to use in coops, barns, and stables. These conventional household cleaners are full of toxic chemicals that are hazardous to people and animals. I did not feel right using these products on our farm, so I’m on a mission to find natural, clean products that are safe to use for all of us.
In our home, I use Thieves Household Cleaner from Young Living. It’s an all-in-one, 100% plant- and mineral-based non-toxic cleaner. It’s a combination of thieves and lemon essential oils, vegetable-based surfactants, and biodegradable cutting agents that are all SAFE for people and animals. It’s super concentrated, so one bottle goes a long way. I literally use it for EVERYTHING. Kitchens, bathroom, countertops, stovetop, floors, windows – all the things. I add one capful to a 16oz glass spray bottle, a few drops of my favorite oil, and fill with water.
You can find other ways to use Thieves Cleaner on the YL Blog.
I’ve been using Thieves Cleaner around the farm as well and, so far, it is getting the job done! I’m confident in the ingredients, its effectiveness, and it’s completely harmless for the animals. There are so many uses for Thieves around the farm and these are some of the ways I use it around our small farm.
Shelters
Quarterly deep cleans – three capfuls in a one gallon bucket of hot water or one capful in a 16oz glass spray bottle filled with water. Scrub down shelters and hose off to rinse.
Food Troughs & Bowls
one capful in a 16oz spray bottle. Spray troughs or bowls with cleaner and scrub with a sponge or brush. Rinse. For caked on messes, allow the cleaner to set for a few minutes before scrubbing. For a bowl refresh, sprinkle with baking soda and spray, allow to sit for a few minutes and then scrub down. They will look like new!
Water Troughs
Monthly deep cleans – one-to-three capfuls (depending on the size of your trough) of cleaner directly into trough, fill 1/3 of the way with water, scrub with brush or sponge. Rinse before refilling. To refresh metal troughs, sprinkle with baking soda, spray with thieves, allow to sit for a few minutes and then scrub.
Chicken Coop
Bi-monthly deep cleans – three capfuls in a one gallon bucket of hot water and one capful in a 16oz glass spray bottle filled with water. Scrub down floors, walls, and roosting bars with hot water and cleaner mixture. Spray roosting boxes with spray bottle and scrub. Rinse.
Food Storage Bins & Scoops
one capful in a 16oz spray bottle. Spray food bins, rinse, and allow to dry completely before refilling.
Bunny Hutch
one capful in a 16oz spray bottle. Spray down hutch, rinse, allow to dry complete before adding bedding.
These are just a few of the simple ways you can start to use Thieves around your farm. Because it is plant-based and non-toxic the possibilities are endless and it makes the “ditch & switch” process so much easier. If you’d like to try Thieves Household Cleaner, email me or send me a DM on Instagram and I would love to send you a sample. You can order a single bottle directly from YL here* or I can order for you, have it shipped directly to your home, AND you can get the 24% off (message me on Instagram for that option). If you’re ready to make the switch to non-toxic products, the most cost effective way to purchase is through the Thieves Premium Starter Kit. You can get your starter kit HERE.
The premium starter kit includes:
- Thieves® 15-ml
- Thieves® AromaBright™ Toothpaste
- Thieves® Fresh Essence Plus Mouthwash
- 2 Thieves® Household Cleaner
- 2 Thieves® Foaming Hand Soap
- 2 Thieves® Spray
- 2 Thieves® Waterless Hand Purifier
- Essential Oil Magazine
By purchasing a Thieves Premium Starter Kit, you will receive a YL membership and will get 24% off future purchases and have the option to sign up for ER rewards.
I suggest the Thieves Premium Starter Kit because you can use all of the products for various reasons around your farm. You’ll get TWO bottles of cleaner, which will last you 6 months to a year, depending on how big your farm is. The hand purifier (sanitizer) is great to keep in your pocket while you’re working around the farm. I like to use this after checking the chicken coop, feeding the animals, or between chores. I like to keep a bottle of the thieves spray in my feed shed in case I need to wipe down a bowl or scoop, but not able to do a full scrub down. Thieves essential oil is a great all-around oil. I add it to my spray bottles for an extra boost, add a drop to my water when cleaning my eggs, and add a drop of two to water troughs to support the digestive systems of our animals.
There are so many ways to use essential oils around your home and farm and this is just one easy way to get started. I’ll be sharing more ways I use essential oils on the farm as we head into this winter season. I cannot wait to learn and grow with all of you.
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