How to Make Lavender Dusting Cloths

How to Make Non-Toxic Lavender Dusting Cloths

These all natural, lavender dusting cloths are so simple to make and use. I love that I can hand them off to my kids at chore time and not worry about exposing them to potentially toxic chemicals.

Lavender is well known for its soothing, calming properties. I like my home to feel like a safe, calm oasis in the middle of a crazy world, so it’s one of my favorite scents to use around the house.

If you’re not a fan of the smell though, feel free to use another type of essential oil such as: lemon, lime, orange, peppermint, spearmint, or geranium rose.

lavender essential oil

I found the original idea in The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs by Reader’s Digest. You can buy a copy HERE on Amazon.com or check out your local book store.

I adore this particular book because it’s filled with gorgeous photos and lots of interesting projects and inspiring ideas.

Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs

Some links on this site are affiliate links; I only recommend products I personally use and enjoy. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Making these dusting cloths is as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Cut an old t-shirt or other cotton fabric into squares.

cut up an old t-shirt to make lavender dusting cloths

2. Swish the rags around in a solution of 1 cup hot water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 10 to 20 drops essential oil.

soak rags in scented solution

3. Squeeze the rags out and hang until completely dry.

squeeze rags out and hang to dry

That’s it!

Store the dry rags in a tightly closed glass container. I like to add a few extra drops of essential oil before capping, for a stronger scent. (Mountain Rose Herbs is my favorite source for essential oils, but any kind you like will do.)

Whenever you need to dust, just pull a dusting cloth out.

Because of the small amount of oil on the rag, it’s great at picking up dirt. No messy liquids or extra sprays are needed.

used natural dusting cloth

Once your cloth gets soiled, don’t throw it out!

Rinse it well under warm, running water with a small drop of dish washing liquid. Hang it back up to dry & reuse. (Never put oily rags in a dryer; hang to dry only.)

You can get a few more uses from it before having to resoak it in a fresh batch of oil solution.

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34 Comments

  1. how lovely, I’m going to try these and look for that book :) the herbal scouring powder looks great too. Beautiful images as usual.

  2. What a great idea! I’m cleaning out my closet this week, and now I know just what to do with any old tshirts I find in there…perfect! It doesn’t hurt that I love lavender too. :)

  3. Oh thanks this an awesome idea. I can smell the lavender now can’t wait to try this!! Makes me want to clean more LOL!
    Thanks for ALL your great tips I love your blog!

  4. Hi Jan,
    Love this idea. I prefer the smell of natural cleaning products to any store bought chemical cleaners and lavender is one of my favorite smells.

  5. Such a great idea! I’m going to use a citrusy oil since that gets me in the mood to clean and makes my house smell fresh!

  6. Thanks for linking up on From the Farm! This was chosen as one of this week’s favorites! Hope we see you again this week!

  7. I just put all the old shirts and odd clothing in bags for donation. I think I may have to get in there and get the soft cotton ones out. I doo need dusting and cleaning rags. I love lavender. I sprinkle the blossoms inside my pillow case when I cant sleep, then its off to dreamland rather quickly.

  8. I have made similar furniture polish, but have never made the rags to store and reuse….. great idea and I plan to do this. Thank you for posting. :)

  9. I just found your site. It’s lovely! What a wonderful idea for repurposing tshirts. My son has grown out of most of his, and they’re too loved to go to Salvation Army so I guess they’ll become dust cloths!

  10. O wow thank you..i love lavender..it always smells so clean and fresh..am going to make these..
    Happy new year
    sara

    1. Hi Barbara, That’s a great question and one I hadn’t thought of before! I would think that you could, if it’s a pretty stable oil with a comparable shelf life. That’s an interesting idea that I’ll have to play around with, next time I need to make up a fresh batch – thanks for sharing it!

  11. I like to use my husbands old white socks for dusting, I just cut off the top. I will definitely try this with my dusting socks?. I’m new to the DIY household and I am loving it! Thank you for posting for newbies like me!

  12. This is a great idea, I’m just wondering how long this keep before needing to make a fresh batch of oil solution?

    1. Hi Ashley! I only use each batch of oil solution once to do the initial batch of dust rags. After you use the rags several times (rinsing under plain water after use), then you’ll be able to tell that they’re running out of “oomph” and are ready to run through a new batch of fresh solution.
      So, it’s more based on how often they’re used, more than a specific time frame.

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