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The Well-Oiled Life | Using Young Living Essential Oils in Everyday Life

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How to Dilute Thieves Household Cleaner

How to Dilute Thieves Household Cleaner

I must admit, this is embarrassing.  When I purchased my Young Living Thieves Household Cleaner, I was so excited to begin using it.  I could not wait to throw out my cleaners with harmful ingredients!  But you know what??  It sat under my counter for probably 2 months!!  Why, you ask?  Because I didn’t know how to dilute it!!

To be fair, there are instructions on the back of the bottle, but they are in ‘parts’, as in 1 part cleaner to 30 parts water.  When I tried to look up info on ‘how to dilute Thieves Cleaner’, everything was talking about ‘cap fulls’.  Well how much is 30 cap fulls equal to?  Clearly I could have pulled out some tablespoons and some teaspoons to see just how big a ‘cap full’ was and done some fancy math, but that always got pushed to the bottom of my to-do list, which is why my bottle of Thieves Household Cleaner sat unopened in my cabinet for 2 months!

One day I actually looked at the big spray bottle I had purchased for diluting my cleaner, and I realized it had OUNCE markings on the side!  DUH!!!  Wow.  I really can’t believe I am admitting this publicly, haha!  Anyways, USE OUNCES!!  Like 1 ounce of cleaner to 30 ounces of water.  I almost didn’t do this post, but just in case someone out there has a bottle of unopened Thieves cleaner under their sink…

If you do not yet have Thieves Household Cleaner (this is a concentrate and makes 29 16oz bottles!), you can get it here!

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Comments

  1. Thank you so much for posting this!! Mine has been sitting under the counter too (after much excitement about purchasing it)!! I could totally relate to your post and now know how to dilute thieves!!

    • Haha! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know, April! Glad I’m not the only one who was intimidated about pulling it out and diluting it!! :)

      • I am so glad that I found this so helpful and today after months sitting in my closet am using my Thieves cleaner. Thanks

    • Thank you so much. I was also embarrassed to admit the parts lost me for a moment, lol. Mom brain.

  2. This is so funny! I too was so excited to get my Thieves Cleaner & then sat wondering HOW do I do this…but mine only sat for 3 days before I googled and found your post! Can’t wait to use it now!

    • Oh good, haha!! I’m so glad you found my post and that yours didn’t sit unused for as long as mine did!! :)

    • Thank you! Math idiot here! I was lucky to get through college algebra so that I could complete my major lol!

  4. Thanks for posting this! Glad to know I’m not the only one trying to figure this out. Wondering if you rinse after using, or if you can just spray on and wipe down surfaces. Thanks!

    • Hi Kendal! It doesn’t need to be rinsed, you can just spray on and wipe down surfaces! Thanks for stopping by! :)

  5. Thank you for posting this as well. I kind of understand what it meant by one part, but the weird thing is figuring out how big of a container you need for whatever measurement you choose to use. I really think YL should make this more clear, and put ounces instead of “part”. My biggest question is about the sudsy part of using the directions for Heavy Cleaning. I know it talks about heavy, light uses, but i’m wondering what is everyone’s favorite dilution as to getting things really clean? And when cleaning glass or surfaces, if there any type of smudging from the cleaner with oils in it?

    • Hi Lisa! I think you just have to play around with it to see what suits your needs. 30 oz water to 1 oz cleaner suits my needs great, I’d say that is the most common ratio. I would start there and make a small batch, then tweak it as you need it! I don’t use it on glass (I use microfiber cloths and water), so I don’t know the answer to your smudging question. :)

  6. So I know the bottle has suggestions, but what ratio do you find the most effective? Is the 30:1 ratio best or should I mix a litthe stronger? Also, is this safe to use on granite, marble and copper? Haven’t found anything specific on these materials yet. I just bought mine today!

    • Hi Lynn!
      30:1 is probably the most common ratio, you could make a small batch of that to see how you like it then tweak it as necessary. I can’t answer your question about granite, marble, and copper. I would call Young Living or your granite/marble/copper manufacturer (or both!)

  7. Thank you so much for this great explanation for diluting. I just got my first bottle today and am looking forward to the different uses

  8. Hi there! I was thinking about getting the thieves mouthwash. Can I dilute that too? To make it last longer. And if so, would it be ok to reuse an old mouthwash bottle? Does it need to be held in glass or is plastic fine?

    • Hi Hannah,
      I don’t think the mouthwash is meant to be diluted, but you can certainly try to see if you think it works well enough. Oils in plastics have a lot to do with the dilution ratio in addition to the type of plastic. The mouthwash does come in a plastic bottle, you could get in touch with customer service to see if it is a special plastic or not.

  9. Yep! Guilty!! How do you think I found your site… I had to put in how to dilute Thieves Household cleaner b/c I didn’t have a clue either!

    Thank you so much for this post!

  10. Thank you so much! I have used my Thieves, but wasn’t sure of the measurements either. Glad I found you with your explanation.!

  11. Hi there!! Thank you so much for sharing this! I just went through the SAME thing! LOL I wanted to use it today to clean our shower, though. Do you know how well it works on mold/mildew in showers, and how often would you suggest cleaning said shower? It has grout & such. Wish me well! LOL :) Thanks for sharing!!

    • Hi Heather! I’m glad you found my post!! :) I’m actually not sure how well it works on mold and mildew. You could always spot test a bit of a higher concentration if the 30:1 ratio is not working. I’d love to hear if it works. :) Good luck!!!!

  12. Thank you so much for the explanation of how to dilute. I was confused as well. Maybe they need to redo the label to better explain how to dilute the product.

  13. Thank you….I googled it and found your site…so we are in the same boat. I’m glad you posted your findings :)

      • Yep, I googled and found your site too, I was lucky my daughter already uses it, so she told me 500 ml bottle – use two capfuls and fill with cool boiled water. Mine arrived in the post today and I’m already using it. Love the smell!!

  15. Angie, thank you so much for posting this, I obviously had the same “blonde” moment (as I am a blonde, it applies) :) I thought that this was a common core math problem for certain and I was doomed! I so thankful you chose to share…. because mine would be under the sink too if it were not for you! Blessings, Jennifer, Marietta, GA

    • Hi Jennifer! You are so welcome, I’m so glad it was helpful to you! :) Thank you for stopping by and for the note, too!!

  17. Oh my goodness, you are so awesome. I was having the same problem just a few minutes ago. I feel glad to know I am not the only confused one.

  18. Just received my first order of thieves kit…read the back of the bottle and said…what? Humility is a great asset to have…you just saved me and many others from being robbed of using these healthy cleaning products!!! So appreciate you!

    • Hi Zoraida! Yay! So glad you found my post! I know, I felt so silly once I realized how easy it was, ha! Thank you so much for the note, have a great day!!

  19. Im so glad you made this post cause i might of done the same thing i just said let me see if i can figure it out looking it up yours is the first one i came across thank you.

    • Hi Lori! Oh yay! So glad you found this post and that it didn’t sit under your cabinet for months like mine did!! :) Thank you for the note, have a great day!

  20. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I love you !!! Lol, after what feels like forever, I am off today and trying to catch up on some way overdue housework and I too had a bottle of thieves cleaner and my cupboard, also unopened and of course I grabbed my phone to Google how to dilute it and your post appeared on my screen, I truly felt like it was talking to me, I had to smile and laugh, you saved me valuable time in trying to figure out how to use this amazing stuff and I can’t thank you enough, tootles, off to do my housework, thank you so so much !!!!

    • Hi Lisa!
      I don’t know why I am just now seeing your comment, but YAY! I’m so glad you found this info!! :) Thanks so much for leaving a note, have a great day!!

  21. Thank you thank you for posting this video.
    I didn’t know what the 30:1 meant on the bottle. Ha ha
    It’s been on my cleaning shelf for 4 months.
    Now my apartment will be so much better then comercial cleaners.

    • Hi Teresa! Oh yay!! I’m so glad you found this video!! So glad you can begin enjoying your Thieves cleaner!! :)

  22. Thank you thank you for posting this video.??
    I didn’t know what the 30:1 meant on the bottle. Ha ha
    It’s been on my cleaning shelf for 4 months.
    Now my apartment will be so much better then comercial cleaners.
    ?

    • Hi Teresa! Oh I’m so glad you found the video and that it was helpful!! :) Thanks for letting me know, all the best to you!

  23. Thank you, thank you, thank you sooooo much for this!!! I had no idea how to dilute my cleaner either so it’s been sitting under my sink too! Haha! So excited to try this! Thank you again! You’re wonderful!

  24. Angie,
    Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I understood what needed to be done, I just needed to clarify the process. Your initial comments were verbatim of my thoughts & experience! I am very appreciative that you helped make this process easier and a little less embarassing!It’s nice to know there are other conscientiuos people who have the same quandries, again thank you for being the one to offer support & guidance!

    • Hi Kathy! Oh I’m so glad you found this post and that I’m not the only one who had trouble deciphering what that meant, haha! Thanks so much for the note, happy cleaning! :)

  25. So glad I found your post! Now I can start using mine…I was too embarrassed to ask on facebook. But do we have to use a glass spray bottle, or is plastic ok? I know with regular essential oils, they recommend using glass because oils can eat through plastic.

    • Yay! I’m glad you found my post, too, Kelly! There is so much water compared to the amount of essential oil once you dilute it that a plastic spray bottle is fine. :) I have one of those big bottles from a home improvement store. :) Thanks for visiting!!

  27. Thanks for posting this, Angie! I too have been stalled at the dilution math. My question now is, can I use the household cleaner (diluted) to make my own room deodorizer spray, or must I use the Thieves essential oil?

    • Hi Lisette! So glad it was helpful! I suppose you could use it to make room deodorizer, but I would just use the Thieves essential oil. You can put some water, a pinch of salt or Epsom salt (to keep the oil mixed in), and a few drops of Thieves in a spray bottle. :) Thanks for visiting!

  28. Okay, so just to clarify, a capful is equal to an ounce? Right? Don’t judge. This mama is running on fumes from lack of sleep and overload of coffee! Haha

    • Hi Angela!! No judgement here!!! So no, an ounce is not equal to a capful – all the recipes I could find were talking about capfuls, and it was super confusing. So I use 1 ounce of Thieves cleaner to 30 ounces of water – just find a shot glass or use your ounce markings on your measuring cups. :)

  29. I googled how to dilute one part product to 30 parts liquid, it was for my Thieves cleaner. I had to laugh when Google led me to your site and it was for Thieves as well. I too was embarrassed that I couldn’t figure out the ratio and had to resort to googling. I was about to find something small and measure the water out 30 times but hoped someone on the internet might give me a shortcut. Ounces works perfect. Thanks for posting this great answer.

  32. Thank you so much for posting. I also wasn’t sure and just googled to see and your post came up. It was super helpful. Thank you again.

  33. Thanks!!! I felt dumb cuz I couldn’t figure it out either!! When I went to school we didn’t say parts, we used measurements Lol. Thanks so much!!!

    • When you’re ingesting them, absolutely – make sure you are using glass! When they are diluted in a cleaner, it is fine… the Thieves Cleaner comes in a plastic bottle ;)

  38. Thank YOU for being brave about this! My bottle is now out from under the kitchen sink and ready to be diluted! I, too, could not figure out how to convert! Blessings on your day!

  40. Thanks for posting this…mine may have sat under the cupboard for awhile too if I hadn’t seen this…the whole capful thing is confusing…thanks again!

  41. I’m so glad to find this post!! Now I can use my cleaner, I could not figure out the amounts! Thank you!

  42. Yes indeed! I have had mine for 3 days and been asking around what 30 parts to 1 part is and no-one knew so I turned to siri and got led to you. Thanks to you Iam about to use my Thieves cleaner.

  44. Guilty as charged! Lol. Mine only sat for about a week. It might have sat longer had it not been for my 10 year old Yorkie peeing on my kitchen floor. ?. I am so glad you shared this information. ?

  45. It must be an Angie thing lol. I did it know what that meant either! Thank you!

  46. I had it under my counter for several months. I finally Googled how to mix it and found your post. So funny!
    Thanks for the info!

  48. THANK YOU! I have had my thieves for a month under the sink. Decided today was the day and had to google. Thankful I found your post!

  50. Thank you for thinking of future me ? I have the sample from my kit and I’m going to go mix it now and get on with it, lol