14 May Fresh Ways to Use Essential Oils in Your Home

These essential oil “life hacks” will help you take care of those everyday pet peeves while keeping your home invitingly fragrant – all using the power of natural essential oils. These are just a few of our favourite tips:

Sticky Situations

When it comes to sticky messes around the house, lemon essential oil is your number one natural cleaning ally. It’s great at cutting through grease, plus it’s antibacterial and antifungal. Just a couple of drops on a damp cloth can remove oil, glue or wax crayon from most surfaces! Lemon oil also leaves a fresh citrus scent behind.

Castile Cleaner

Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil to an unscented castile liquid cleaner; this will leave behind a lingering and inviting scent wherever you clean. Lime, grapefruit, bergamot or lemongrass oils are top choices.

Vacuum Magic

Place 4-5 drops of lemon, grapefruit or orange essential oil on a cotton ball, and place the ball inside your vacuum bag. This will freshen the house while you clean! Replace the cotton ball when you empty out the vacuum bag.

DIY Dryer Sheets

A great hack for winter when we tend to put damp clothing in the dryer more often. Take a piece of clean scrap fabric, cut it into 10-12 pieces and place the pieces in a clean glass jar. Mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 10-20 drops of a fresh, fragrant essential oil, and add the mixture to the jar. Seal the lid onto the jar and shake the mixture carefully. Keep it in your laundry room, and add a couple of sheets to your tumble dryer with each load – this is a natural way to make your laundry smell simply wonderful! Plus you can reuse the fabric sheets again and again. Choose your favourite fresh fragrance – lavender, lemon, rose geranium or patchouli essential oil all smell great.

Sleep-Easy Spray

Lavender oil is known for its relaxing properties; the scent can ease stress and relieve insomnia. Make your own natural lavender spray for peaceful sleep; mix 10 drops of lavender essential oil with 1 cup of filtered water, and add the mixture to a spray bottle. Spritz a little onto your sheets about 30 minutes before going to bed. This gives the mist time to evaporate, leaving behind that wonderful calming lavender fragrance.

DIY Rice Diffuser

Make your own air freshener without chemicals or candles – it’s so easy. Place half a cup of uncooked jasmine rice in a bowl, then mix in 15 drops of pine essential oil, and 5 drops of rosemary essential oil (or a dash of fresh rosemary if you prefer). Stir well and then place the bowl in the room you want to freshen – the rice works really well at diffusing the oil scent into the air. Just make sure the rice is out of reach of pets and small children who might be tempted to nibble!

The Toilet Roll Trick

Here’s a little secret that will keep your bathroom smelling fresh and fragrant. Choose a strong, fresh-smelling essential oil, like wintergreen, lavender or rosemary. Drip five drops directly onto the cardboard tube inside the roll (be careful not to get any on the actual sheets of toilet paper); then pop the roll in place. Every time the roll turns, you’ll release a subtle fresh fragrance.

Peppermint for Pests

Keep spiders and mice out of your home using this simple trick. Dab 3-6 drops of peppermint essential oil on a cotton ball, and place the cotton ball in the problem areas. This helps to keep common pests away without using harmful chemicals or nasty poisons. Plus it smells a little like peppermint candy canes – a lovely aroma for us humans, but one that spiders and mice can’t stand!

Choosing Essential Oils – Why Organic is Best!

It takes a lot of plant matter (leaves, flowers, roots etc) to produce just a tiny bit of essential oil. That means that creating these oils has a significant environmental impact; and it’s absolutely essential to choose a brand that harvests sustainable, organically grown plant materials. At Faithful to Nature, we support Organic essential oil brands like Soil, which give you all the benefits of these precious oils without damaging our delicate environment.

Share your favourite ways to use essential oils – we’d love to hear about them.