10 Uses For Essential Oils In Your Home
By Jill Black
When guests first enter your home, the first thing that greets them is the aroma. Essential oils may often be used to create a homely atmosphere within the home.
Add 6-8 drops of your favorite scent to water in a diffuser, or place the drops directly into a bowl of boiling water. Sweet orange, lemon and your favorite spice oil are especially good when diffused during the winter months for a refreshing, warming aroma and atmosphere. Candles fragranced with essential oil can also be used to give the home a pleasant ambience and aroma.
Other ways essential oils can be used around the home:
1. Add a few drops of essential oil to water in a spray bottle to freshen linen or spray on garments before ironing.
2. Put six to eight drops in 600 ml of water in a fine spray bottle, and spray into the air as an air freshener and towards carpets and curtains. Do not spray onto velvet or silk, and avoid spraying directly onto wood.
3. Place cotton balls fragranced with lavender in drawers and linen closet to deter moths.
4. Put four drops of oil onto a cotton ball and place behind the heater or radiator in winter. Drops can also be used with the humidifier.
5. Clean your fridge with one drop of orange, mandarin, mint, lavender or lemon oil added to the final rinse water.
6. When washing down surfaces in the kitchen, use one drop of lemon, thyme, cypress, lavender or palma rosa placed directly on a cloth, or use seven drops in water.
7. Put a drop or two of oil onto a cold light bulb in a lamp so the fragrance fills the room as it heats up.
8. Essential oils are used to clean the air rather than mask smells in the home. To rid a room of stale tobacco or cooking smells, use cinnamon, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, orange, tea tree, rosemary or lime for their ability to freshen and cleanse the air of stagnant smells throughout the house. Saturate cotton balls and place in the corners of a room, in cupboards or out-of-the-way places to fragrance kitchens and living areas throughout the house.
9. Hallways are the place where we greet our guests. Use lemon, lime, bergamont or grapefruit. Lavender or geranium can be mixed with any of these. Lavender is uplifting in the morning, and geranium has a calming effect and is good for afternoons when you may need to wind down at the end of the day.
10. Keep tea tree oil in your first aid kit for cuts, burns and head lice.
Jill Black is the author of several books and a member of the New Zealand Freelance Writers Association (NZFWA). For more articles and resources, visit her online at www.netwrite-publish.com.
