How to Use Essential Oils in Your Home

There is certainly a lot of buzz around essential oils and how they can help you reduce how many toxins are in your home.

Essential oils can have a positive effect on your health and be a handy addition to your home cleaning routine.

Read about our four favourite oils and how you can get the most out of them below.

How Are Essential Oils Created and How Do I Utilise Their Scent?

In this Healthline article, you’ll learn that essential oils are created through the process of distillation with steam or water, or cold pressing. The aromatic elements are extracted and combined with carrier oil.

There are a number of uses for essential oils; one of the more popular is diffusing a scent throughout your home. You’ll need a diffuse, which you should be able to pick up from Kmart or Chemist Warehouse priced from around $30 to $100+.

For most models, you should only need about 5 oil drops per 100mls of water. All you need to do is turn it on and the scent will work its magic – voila!

What are the most versatile essential oils?

Did you know there are more than 90 types of essential oils? There are also many blends available combining different oils for a specific purpose; sweet orange, ylang ylang and lavender to reduce anxiety.

Your best bet is to start with versatile scents that can be used for a range of tasks.

Eucalyptus Oil

Most of us associate the signature smell with cough drops or chest rubs, which we inevitably reach for when the winter coughs and colds surface.

Eucalyptus oil can relieve stuffiness, sinus congestion and headaches but it has other uses too.

• Research has discovered that eucalyptol may improve asthma symptoms.
• With its natural antibacterial and disinfecting properties, it is great for cleaning your bathroom. Add a few drops to warm water in a glass spray bottle to clean your shower.
• Inhaling the oil may reduce pain levels and improve relaxation, according to some research.

Lavender Oil

As one of the better known oils, lavender is ideal for calming and promoting better sleep. This is how you can use this oil to your advantage.

• Put a few drops of oil on your pillow or bedding for a great sleep.
• You can neutralize a musty room with just 5 drops and some water in a spray bottle. Mist around your home to freshen it up.
• Combine vinegar with the above mixture and clean your kitchen benches to disinfect them effectively.

Peppermint

The peppermint plant is a hybrid of water mint and spearmint plants, and its oil is perfect for homemade cleaning solutions and use around the home.

• Spruce up your shower with our recipe for peppermint shower spray here.
• Just 5 drops in a diffuser to energise or help with sinus congestion. This is because of the oil’s menthol properties.
• Get rid of bugs naturally around the home by placing some drops on a cotton ball. Bugs hate the smell. Pop them in entryways or where pests are hiding to repel them.

Tea Tree Oil

One of our favourites, Tea Tree Oil is a fantastic natural sanitizer as well as an anti-fungal product.

• Mix the drops with vinegar and water and effectively tackle mould. This mixture is a potent multi-purpose cleaner as well.
• Make your own make-up remover with 10 drops tea tree oil and ¼ cup olive, coconut or canola oil. Keep it in an airtight container.
• Tea Tree Oil is renowned for skin care and treating conditions such as acne or dermatitis. Just make sure you undertake your own medical research before using it on your skin.

Safety, First

Do not apply oils directly onto the skin unless diluted with a carrier oil. Learn more about carrier oils here.

Ensure you are following instructions if you are making your own household cleaners using essential oils.

Keep homemade cleaners including essential oils in glass spray bottles as some oils can wear plastic down over time.