A beautiful hummingbird moth hard at work on the lavender in my garden

Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun…

Essential oils have been used for centuries; the Egyptians favoured them for all sorts of things including cleansing and preserving the bodies and organs of their Pharaohs and dignitaries, but I use them for slightly less exotic cleaning jobs, like freshening up the downstairs loo (giving the bowl a wip wap with antibacterial tea tree oil and lemon for a freshener) and as a key ingredient in the machine’s rinse tray (6 drops of my oil of choice instead of fabric conditioner) when washing our clothes.

There are lots of pure oils and many well known blends and I’ve found this tremendous list on the good old Wikipedia that will give you an insight to their common uses.

Once you discover how versatile and powerful a few tiny drops can be, you’ll soon be able to eliminate a great many of the chemically laden plastic bottles of cleaning jollop that are probably lurking under your kitchen sink.

Here’s a small selection of recipes taken from the Aroma-Essence website on the subject of house cleaning:

Basic Disinfectant
In a spray bottle, put water and a squirt of natural soap such as Bath Gel Base. Add your favorite antiseptic, anti-bacterial essential oils (e.g., 5 drops each of lavender, lemon, and lemongrass essential oils). Shake well before each use.

• Spray bottle with water
• A squirt natural soap
• 5 drops each of lavender, lemon, and lemongrass
• Or simply add a drop or two of eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, pine, juniper, thyme, or rosemary to a damp cloth. Wipe down the surfaces and notice how a chore turns into pleasure. Note: Use natural cleaning tools (natural sponge, mop) because essential oils can react with plastic.

Dishwasher
A few drops of oil may be added to the dishwasher to help disinfect and purify. Some popular oils are pine, orange, tangerine, lemon, and peppermint.

Floor Cleaner
Add 1/4 cup white vinegar to a bucket of water. Add 10 drops of lemon oil and 4 drops of oregano essential oil. Oregano oil has powerful antiseptic properties!

• 1/4 cup white vinegar to a bucket of water
• 10 drops lemon oil
• 4 drops oregano oil

Vacuum Cleaner
You may also saturate a disposable cloth or tissue with several drops of essential oil and place it into the collecting bag of your vacuum. This will diffuse a pleasant odor as you clean.

If your vacuum collects dirt into water, simply add a few drops into the water reservoir before cleaning. This refreshes both, the carpet and the room.

Window Cleaner
Vinegar leaves windows shining. But nobody said your house needs to smell sour like vinegar. Instead …

In a spray bottle mix:

• 1 cup White Vinegar
• 10-15 drops of Lemon oil
• Water

Mix vinegar and water and essential oil in a spray bottle. Shake well before each use.

Fly Repelling Window Cleaner
In summertime, wipe down with a damp cloth impregnated with fly-repelling essential oils such as lavender or lemongrass.

• 2 fl.oz. (50 ml) water
• 10 drops of lavender or lemongrass

Moth Repellents
If you need moth repellents for your linens and woolens, avoid toxic commercial mothballs made of naphthalene. Natural essential oils such as lavender, lemongrass, Canadian red cedar, or rosemary can just as effectively repel moths and other insects.

You can make a sachet by placing several drops of essential oil on a cotton ball. Wrap and tie this in a small handkerchief or square of cotton. Hang this cloth in storage areas or add it to your chest of linens. Refresh as often as necessary.

You can put this sachet in your drawers to keep your clothes freshly scented. Lavender and rose are classic scents. For children’s sleepwear, Roman chamomile is especially fragrant and relaxing.

Scented Stationary
To scent stationary, stretch out a scented cotton ball and place in an envelope. Or place scented blotting paper between your stationary and roll it up and place in a box for storage.

Laundry
Essential oils may be used to enhance the cleanliness and fragrance of your laundry.
You may also add several drops of essential oils to the rinse cycle, such as fir, spruce, juniper, lavender, cedarwood, wintergreen/birch, or rosewood.

In the Dryer
Instead of using toxic and irritating softening sheets in your dryer, place a washcloth dampened with 10 drops of lavender, lemon, melaleuca, bergamot, or another essential oils. While the oils will not reduce static cling, they will impart a distinctive fragrance to your clothes.

There are many more available on the ‘House Cleaning with Essential Oils‘ page from the Aroma-Essence website and on many others all over the Internet; only take advice from a source you trust!

As with anything, it’s a jolly good idea to make small and simple changes at a gentle pace and I recommend you look into the wonders of Lavender to begin with and move on from there.

According to the experts at Bay House Aromatics who are featured in my book:

Essential oils are volatile aromatic oils obtained from plants and flowers, usually by distillation. Not all plants have them, and those plants that do keep them in varying amounts in their flowers, their bark, their roots and their leaves. Some essential oils are very expensive, but this is usually directly related to the yield. For example about a hundred times more essential oil can be extracted from a given quantity of lavender blossom than from the same weight of rose petals.

Aromatic plant oils have been used at least since the time of the ancient Egyptians, to fragrance houses, in baths, to provide flavouring in drinks and cooking, in cosmetics, by adding to vegetable oils for massage, and in a number of medicinal ways. Some of them work directly on the mind, calming or stimulating it for instance, while others have a more physical effect such as reducing inflammation or cleansing the skin of harmful bacteria. Because essential oils are so strong, it is not recommended that they are used directly on the body. They need to be diluted in a “carrier“. This carrier can be a vegetable oil or lotion (when using the oil in massage), a skin cream (for skin care), water (when using the essential oil in a bath), or air (when vaporising an oil for pleasure or to clear a congested head).

I have a wonderful wooden box full of glass phials containing my favourite essential oils and blends and I use them for a great many tasks around the house and about my person but before you take this information any further, be sure to read the important Warnings and Cautions contained within this piece and please act accordingly and responsibly as directed!

If you are taking into consideration the issue of absolute purity, it’s important to mention that contamination from pesticides has played a part in this industry as in many others and the only way to eliminate them from your preferred essential oil is to go with a certified organic choice. You can find a very comprehensive selection at Bay House Aromatics and G Baldwin and Co.

Warnings and Cautions

Essential oils are incredibly potent and before adopting any of them for use in your cleaning routine, you should read the label on the bottle and seek advice from a qualified professional. This is especially so in the case of pregnant ladies and breastfeeding mothers.

Here are a few cautionary notes from the very informative website Gaia’s Garden. You’ll find further reading on this page covering oils unsafe for use in aromatherapy and self-treatment, oils to use with caution, photosensitising oils and skin irritants:

Never apply undiluted essential oils to the skin. The exception here is Lavender [for minor cuts, burns, spots, headaches] and Tea-tree [for spots, cuts, fungal infections] and even these two should be used in moderation – or not at all if you are unfortunate to suffer an allergic reaction to these oils! Always test on a small patch of skin first – or sniff the oil, you will know if it’s not for you.

Never use essential oils internally – unless specifically prescribed by a professional / doctor.

When using oils for external use, dilute the essential oil/s with carrier oil [such as Almond, Jojoba, Sunflower...] generally speaking up to 10 drops of essential oil to 10ml carrier oil.

When using oils in a bath, mix them with a little carrier oil or milk before adding them to the water. This will not only help the oils mix with the water and prevent them from evaporating as quickly, but it will also help prevent them forming a film across the surface of the water – potentially allowing larger amounts of oils to come in contact with your skin, eyes, mouth etc… Generally speaking, for an adult, up to 6 drops of essential oil/s should be sufficient for a full bath. For children between 5-12 use no more than 3 to 4 drops essential oil mixed with a carrier.

Increasing the dose of essential oils and herbs does NOT increase their effectiveness. Some oils and herbs are toxic in large amounts.

Never store or use essential oils [pure or diluted] in plastic or metal containers or they will become contaminated. Dark glass is the best for storing oils and herbs – and always store in a cool, dry, dark area.

When working with essential oils [blending your own oils for example] make sure you drink plenty of water to keep you hydrated; clear up any spills immediately; work in a well ventilated space; and remember to take breaks!

I know I’ve harked on about the necessary care you need to exercise with essential oils and a great many of them will probably give you absolutely no trouble at all, but don’t ignore the advice; it’s there for a dead good reason!

Rubbishly yours,

TSx

For a large selection of books on essential oils and their everyday uses, take a look at this listing from Amazon. I personally favour The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: Over 600 Natural, Non-Toxic and Fragrant Recipes to Create Health, Beauty and a Safe Home and The Fragrant Pharmacy.

Don’t forget, charity shops always have piles of books for sale and you might land yourself a real hardbcked bargain, so do have a good rumage through.

ADDENDUM: To find a qualified aromatherapy practitioner who has undergone training of the highest standards and who can offer you the best advice and amazing treatments too, please contact the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists:

The IFPA, 82 Ashby Road, Hinkley, Leicestershire LE10 1SN. Telephone: 01455 637987, visit their website at www.ifparoma.org or email [email protected].