10 Tips for Using Essential Oils in the Home

By J. Black

When guests enter your home the first thing that greets them is the
aroma. Essential oils are often used to create a homey atmosphere
within the home.
Add 6-8 drops of your favourite scent to water in a diffuser or place
the drops directly into a bowl of boiling water.

Sweet orange, lemon and your favourite spice oil are especially good
when diffused during the winter months for a refreshing, warming
aroma and atmosphere.

Candles fragranced with  can also be used to give the
home a pleasant ambience and aroma.

Other ways essential oils can be used around the home include…

1. Add a few drops of essential oil to water in a spray bottle to
freshen linen or spray on garments before .

2. As an air-freshener put 6-8 drops in 600 ml of water in a fine
spray bottle and spray into the air and towards carpets and curtains.
Do not spray onto velvet or silk and avoid spraying directly onto
wood.

3. Place cotton wool balls fragranced with lavender in drawers and
linen closet to deter moths.

4. Put 4 drops of oil onto a cotton wool ball and place behind the
heater or radiator in winter. Drops can also be used with the
humidifier.

5. Clean your fridge with a one drop of orange, mandarin, mint,
lavender or lemon oil added to the final rinse water.

6. When washing down surfaces in the kitchen 1 drop of lemon, thyme,
cypress, lavender or palma rosa placed directly on a cloth or
alternatively 7 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 wool 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 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.