Seven Ways to Use Essential Oils in Your Home

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Recently a friend was asking me how I use essential oils.  I know that there are medicinal uses for them, but I have only ventured into using them for tasks around the house, mainly in my cleaning products. So here is a list of which oils I use and how I use them.

My favorite oils are...

Lime- I LOVE the smell of this oil!  I use it in a lot of my cleaning supplies (more on that in a moment).

Sweet Orange- I also love the orange.  It goes into my cleaning supplies.

Lemongrass-At first I thought I didn't really like this scent, but it is perfect to put on a dry rag (about 10-20 drops) and throw it in the dryer.  Really makes the clothes smell wonderful!

Lemon-Can you tell I like the citrus scents?

Candy Cane-My new favorite seasonal scent.

Here are some ways that I use them...

1. In the Castile soap I make.  Candace over at His Mercy Is New has a post on making liquid Castile soap.  Basically, I buy Dr. Bronner's Citrus Castile Soap, grate it, mix it with water, and then heat it up to dissolve it.  I then let it sit overnight.  Before putting it in storage containers I add some citrus scented essential oils (orange, lemon, or lime).  I haven't mastered the amount of soap to the amount of water.  Candace suggests one grated bar of soap to a gallon of water.  I may not have added enough water to my last batch as it was rather thick, but you can always add more water and mix well.  I then keep a jug of it to use as laundry detergent.  I also dilute it with water and add more drops of essential oil to it and put it in a spray bottle.  I use this as a cleaner for my counter tops.  Smells wonderful!

2. When my carpets need freshening I mix a cup of baking soda with about 20 drops of oil.  I then sprinkle this on my carpets and let it set for awhile and then vacuum it up.  One cup of baking soda normally works for one average sized room.

3. In the summer time when my garbage disposal starts to reek I will put some baking soda mixed with several drops of essential oils down it.  If you let it set for awhile it will take away the nasty odor.

4. You can use essential oils to make a room spray.  These Aura Cacia spray bottles are great for adding 2 oz. of water and about 30 drops of oil.  Shake gently to mix and then spray.  There are also scents that are pre-mixed like  Patchouli/Sweet Orange,  Lavender Harvest, or Tangerine/Grapefruit. Or how about candy cane? For a smaller room the AURA CACIA Aromatherapy Room Diffuser works well.  I have one for one of our bathrooms.

5. You can take two clean rags and put about 10 or so drops of an essential oil on them and put them in the dryer.  They will subtly scent the clothes.

6. If you use vinegar in the rinse cycle of your washer you can add some essential oil to lightly scent the clothes.  NOTE: Don't mix Castile soap with vinegar.  It renders the soap useless!  Normally when I do a load of towels I use a powdered laundry detergent and then vinegar in the rinse cycle to get the mildew smell out of the towels.

7. The final idea I haven't tried yet, but will, the next time I go to the store and buy ice cream salt.  Yes, you read it right...ice cream salt.  Here is a recipe to make fabric softener crystals.

So how do you use essential oils in your home? Would love to hear your ideas!