Essential Oils for the Home

AromaClean

Typically I like to use about 10 drops of essential oil in a bucket of hot water, 5 liters or so, in combination with about 1/2 tsp of pure soap. This is a rather weak solution, but we have bunnies running around the house, and safer is always better.

I'm still looking around for a good online supplier of pure soap, when I find one I'll post it in the resource section for everyone.

Despite it's relative weakness, I find the above solution more than adequate for regular household cleanup. For tougher spots, use a stronger solution - but make sure to wipe or rinse it with a water soaked cloth to eliminate any heavy residue.

My personal favorites are the sharp, fruity ones and the pine. Try making some blends; many of these share the same basic benefits, so take advantage of the aromatherapy aspects while you're puttering around and cleaning.

If you are prone to allergies, make sure you do a little investigation of these oils before you begin, paticularly the lavender. If you have pets and babies running around on the floor then sticking hands and feet into their mouths, you'll probably want to keep an eye to make sure they aren't showing evidence of alleric reactions to these scents; sneezing, red or watery eyes, fussing with the face frequently, etc.

Essential oils are also good for scenting candles (one drop on a candle before you light is is ample to scent a large room), firewood or fire logs, or just air diffusing: put a drop of oil on a small cotton ball and hang it inside a floor vent with a string and a safety pin. Air conditioning or heat, this is an effective air freshener that does not entail spraying potentially harmful chemicals directly into the air, does not require the production of the plastic bottle or metal can, and reduces the use of propulsants.

The Oils

Caraway: antimicrobial
Cedarwood: insect repellent
Clary Sage: bactericidal
Clove: antimicrobial, insect repellent
Eucalyptus: insect repellent
Geranium: fungicidal, insecticidal
Grapefruit: disinfectant
Lavender: antimicrobial, insecticide,
Lemon: bactericidal, insecticidal,
Lemongrass: bactericidal, fungicidal
Lime: bactericidal
Myrrh: antimicrobial
Oregano: antibacterial
Peppermint: antimicrobial,
Pine: antimicrobial, bactericidal, insecticidal,
Rosemary: antimicrobial, fungicidal, insect repellent
Rosewood: antibacterial
Sandalwood: bactericidal, fungicidal, insecticidal
Tea Tree: bactericidal, fungicidal
Thyme: bactericidal

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