Essential Oil Uses for the Home

The month of May is known for a lot of things: blossoming flowers, vegetable gardens, Mother’s Day, and spring cleaning. Spring cleaning chemicals, though, can lead to some serious health risks. The Cleveland Clinic published this list of household chemicals and their hazardous effects on the body.

Laundry detergent – If swallowed, cationic detergents can cause nausea, vomiting, shock, convulsions, and coma. Non-ionic detergents can irritate skin and eyes.
Ammonia – Fumes can irritate eyes and lungs; can cause burns or rashes on skin; can produce deadly chloramine gas if mixed with chlorine containing products.
Bleach – Corrosive to skin and lining of nose mouth and throat; fumes irritating to eyes and respiratory tract. NEVER mix bleach with other cleaners – especially ammonia – and also toilet bowl cleaners and drain cleaners. A gas can be produced that can cause serious breathing problems and even death.
Pet flea and tick treatments – Can cause headache, dizziness, twitching, nausea; shown to
cause cancer in animals.
Dishwashing detergents – Automatic products can cause skin irritation or burns; hand dishwashing products are milder, though can cause irritation to mouth, throat, and GI tract.
Oven cleaners – Extremely corrosive, burns skin and eyes; can be fatal if swallowed.
Antibacterial cleaners – be corrosive to tissue; damages liver, kidneys, lungs, pancreas and spleen cause central nervous system depression; severely affect circulatory system; corrosive to skin; suspected of causing cancer.
Window and glass cleaners – can irritate eyes and lungs; irritates mucous membranes;
ingestion results in drowsiness.
Toilet bowl cleaners – is corrosive, burns skin, can damage kidney and liver; irritate eyes and
respiratory tract; corrodes mouth and stomach, forms hypochlorite in water, which is corrosive to skin and mucous membranes.
Rug, carpet, upholstery cleaners – Fumes cause dizziness, sleepiness, nausea, loss of appetite
and disorientation; can cause cancer with long-term exposure.
Furniture polish – Can irritate your skin, eyes, throat, lungs and windpipe; if swallowed, furniture polish can cause nausea and vomiting.
Air fresheners – an irritant to the eyes, throat, skin and lungs; thought to cause cancer.

So what about some natural ways to spring clean the house? What is effective and healthy?

Freshen the Home Naturally With Essential Oils

Try these 5 ways to use essential oils around the house to keep things smelling great:

Place a few drops of your favorite oil on a tissue or cotton ball and place it in your underwear drawer,linen closet, or any other area of the home. Lavender, Ylang Ylang, or Lemon oils are great choices.
Use your vacuum to make your house smell inviting by placing 2 drops of Grapefruit and 2 drops of Lemongrass on a small piece of newspaper. Vacuum up the newspaper and your vacuum instantly becomes a giant powered air freshener.
Keep your bathroom or shoe closet fresh with a simple water spray bottle and your favorite oil blend. A few drops of Pine Needle mixed with any of the citrus oils; Lemon, Grapefruit, Orange, and my favorite, Bergamot.
Do you have pet odor in your house? Try this carpet freshener the next time you clean the floors. Place in a airtight container 200g of baking soda and place 10-20 drops of your best oil in the container. Lemongrass, Lavender, Vanilla, Orange, or Eucalyptus. For a good combination try 7 drops of Lemon, Lavender, and Peppermint. Wait 24 hours and then use your new carpet cleaner.
Have you been trying to get the odor out of those gym clothes? Place a few drops of your favorite oils on a dryer ball or terry towel and place in the dryer with your clothes. Lemon and Eucalyptus are great oils for this but any of the light floral oils and citrus oils work well.

Have you been looking for an alternative to the harsh household cleaners? Try these ideas:

All-Purpose Cleaner – keep your countertops clean and germ free by adding 3 drops of tea tree oil and 3 drops of lemon or orange to a ½ cup of water and a ½ cup of vinegar. Use the water to soak your cleaning cloth for a fresh and healthy feel in the kitchen. If you have some chicken juice or other harmful bacteria source on the countertops try adding an extra 3 drops of Nature’s Shield to the water.
Shower and Bathtub Cleaner – start with a ½ cup of water, ½ cup of vinegar, and a ½ cup of baking soda with 5 drops of Bergamot oil. Place these in a quart sized spray bottle.
Window Cleaner – 3 cups distilled water,1/4 cup rubbing alcohol or vodka, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 20 drops peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil. Place these into a quart size spray bottle.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner – 1/2 cup baking soda,1/3 cup liquid dishwashing soap, 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide, 30 drops eucalyptus essential oil, 3/4 cup water; place these in a 20oz squirt bottle.
Furniture Polish – ½ cup of almond oil, ⅛ cup of beeswax, 10-20 drops of Orange, Lemon, Bergamot, or Lavender. Heat the almond oil and the beeswax in a double boiler until melted. You can add more oil if the mix if it is too thick or more beeswax if if is too runny. When the desired consistency is achieved remove from heat and add the essential oil to the mix. Pour the mix into a wide mouth jar and let it cool to a soft wax texture.
Floor Cleaner / Mop Solution – Mix ½ cup white vinegar to 1 gallon warm water. Add 10-15 drops lemon or a lemon/clove essential oil mixture.

Essential oils are great tools for making life more fun and healthy. Look for more recipes and uses of oils, supplements, exercises, dinner recipes, and much, much more on our Facebook and Twitter pages. If you have a favorite of your own, feel free to share it there for all to enjoy.

All Diffusers and Essential Oils are on sale – 15% off – through Thursday, May 18! Stop in our Roanoke, Virginia chiropractic office to purchase your oils and start your healthy spring cleaning!