Natural
Spring Cleaning with Essential Oils
For
natural, gentle and effective cleansing and aroma, here are my top 10
essential tips for using aromatherapy oils around the house:
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Lavender is one of the most popular and familiar essential oils. Its
name comes from the Latin, 'lavare', meaning 'to wash'. A few drops
added to the rinse of your washing machine, adds a gentle, refreshing
and soothing aroma to your clothes - at the same time, a good general
purpose antiseptic, it can help reduce the appearance of black mould
in the soap compartment.
-
When hoovering add a few drops of your favourite oil to leave a pleasant
smell and mask pet or other stale odours. Add to the hoover bag or on
to the filter. Good choices are Lavender, Geranium, Lemon or a blend.
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For natural disinfectants, oils like Eucalyptus, Lemon, Rosemary, Thyme
and Lavender can be wiped around loos (neat) or surfaces (shake up 15-20
drops of essential oil in 125mls tap water).
-
Add the same oils to water used to mop the floor - 15-20 drops in half
a bucket of warm water.
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Mist sprays are a good way to disperse oils into the atmosphere and
add fragrance to the home. Add oils to water as in (3) and use in a
plant mister or similar. Shake well before use to disperse and do not
store in plastic for more than a few days as the oils may react with
the container. You can store in a dark glass bottle and decant to a
spray when needed. Any favourite blend of oils will do. Try Lemon, Bergamot
and Geranium (relaxing, uplifting) or Lavender, Peppermint and Clary
Sage (soothing, calming and fresh).
-
Use lavender, geranium or any favourite blend in a mister for your ironing
or add 1-2 drops to the water tank in your steam iron.
-
Many essential oils have deodorising properties for cooking, smoking
or pet smells - put in an oil burner, a few drops on a tissue on the
radiator or in a mister (use up to 30 drops for best effect and spray
regularly over a couple of hours). Blends containing a selection from
Eucalyptus, Lavender, Geranium, Rosemary and Pine are effective and
have good disinfectant properties as well.
-
When driving (not strictly in the home!)keep yourself alert - with oils.
You can get special car vaporisers but a few drops on a wad of cotton
wool and tucked into the heater vent works very well. Alternatively
use a spray as above. Good oils and blends are Rosemary, Pine and Peppermint;
Bergamot, Lemon and Geranium; Rosemary and Grapefruit.
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As well as creating pleasant aromas, essential oils can be very effective
at helping when coughs and colds and 'flu abound. Eucalyptus, Lemon,
Clove and Cinnamon are especially useful against airborne bacteria.
Lavender, Sandalwood, Eucalyptus for coughs and Peppermint, Lavender
and Eucalyptus for colds and stuffy noses. Disperse in vaporisers or
room sprays.
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And finally, when the house is spotless (!) and you are busy baking
(!!), don't forget that you can use citrus oils in the same way you
would good quality essences of lemon and orange. This is because they
are in fact the same thing, expressed from the skin of the fruit. Add
to icings and cakes, ice creams and desserts for delicious natural flavourings.
Be
creative with blends of your favourite oils and enjoy the cleansing effects
and aromas of essential oils in your home. For further advice on Aromatherapy
and Essential Oils contact Claire Phillipson on 07967 384560.
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