As a single mom living in Whitefish, Laura Blankenship began cleaning houses to make a living, but when she became ill from the cleaning products she was using she started looking for a better way.

She researched not only the chemicals found in common cleaning products and the impacts to health they can have, but she also learned how to make her own natural products.

Homemade cleaning solutions, often containing vinegar and water, were an option, but Blankenship notes that many people, herself included, don’t enjoy the smell of vinegar all over their house.

“Some people don’t mind it, but I don’t like that smell,” she said. “I started working with a biochemist to come up with my own products.”

Blankenship eventually created a number of cleaning products that revolves around using pure therapeutic-grade essential oils. She started Heaven Scent Solutions in 2010, and along with her staff of housekeepers, began using her own natural cleaning products in clients’ homes.

“People care about the food they ingest, but they don’t always think about the cleaning products they use,” she said. “If you can smell a chemical, then it has entered your body.”

In the last six months, Blankeship has expanded her business to include retail sales of Heaven Scent products. The company offers a variety of products from all-purpose cleaner and glass cleaner, to hand soap and shaving cream.

Heaven Scent employs about a dozen people from its manufacturing warehouse and showroom on Baker Avenue. The company continues to provide housekeeping services for more than 40 clients.

In addition to adding a pleasant scent to the cleaning products, the essential oils also serve as natural cleaners themselves — peppermint in the soft scrub acts as a disinfectant. The cleaners are a blend of natural ingredients, often including vinegar, along with the essential oils and a natural products that keep the cleaners from separating on the shelf.

“We’ve taken mom’s old-fashioned recipe, but we’ve upgraded it,” Blankeship said. “Your house basically smells like a spa when you’re done cleaning it.”

Essential oil is a concentrated liquid containing compounds from plants that carry a distinctive scent or essence of the plant. The cleaning products use a variety of oils matched to the cleaner. The all-purpose cleaner contains lemongrass and the glass cleaner is made with real lemon.

Blankenship said there is a difference between the essential oils in Heaven Scent products versus the synthetic oils found in other cleaners.

“Natural certified therapeutic oils bond with the body’s chemistry better,” she said. “A lot of times people are allergic to synthetic oils, whereas with essential oils usually they’re not.”

A positive side-effect of smelling the essential oils while cleaning is that they often enhance the person’s mood, according to Blankenship. As an example she notes that citrus smells are known to be invigorating.

“Cleaning is something that we do and most people don’t enjoy it,” she said. “But people start to love to clean because of our products. They like them not just because they work well to clean, but also because they smell pleasant.”

Locally Heaven Scent cleaning products are available at their showroom and also Third Street Market. The company focuses on selling its products in bulk with refillable glass containers.

Looking to expand the company’s market, Blankeship has been promoting her cleaning products to health food stores on the West Coast. Heaven Scent is expected to soon be sold at stores in the Santa Monica area with hopes to expand into Seattle.

“We have plans to be nationwide in three to five years,” Blankenship said. “We’re focusing on health food stores primarily because they focus on bulk products, which has seen a lot of growth as people look to become more green.”

Heaven Scent offers housekeeper certification and instructional classes about how to use its cleaning products and essential oils.

Blankenship describes her business as “servant-oriented” with the goal of treating her employees well and giving back.

“I want to mentor other single mothers,” she said. “I’ve had advice from accountants to venture capitalists, and people who have taught me how write a business plan and approach investors. I’ve had a lot of encouragement and support.”

Heaven Scent is located inside the green metal building at 1820 Baker Avenue. For more information, call 260-2660 or visit www.yourheavenscent.com.