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When guests enter your home, the first thing that greets them is the aroma. Essential oils can be used to create an ambiance of harmony, relaxation, freshness or peace.
Add 6-8 drops of your favourite scent to water in a diffuser, or place the drops directly into a bowl of boiling water. Sweet orange, neroli, geranium or lemon, and your favourite spice oil are especially good when diffused during the winter months for a refreshing, warm aroma and atmosphere.
Candles that have been scented with a few drops of essential oils are the simplest way to diffuse aroma in the home. Here are more ways in which essential oils can be used in the home:
- Add a few drops of essential oils to water in a spray bottle to freshen up linen or to spray on garments before ironing.
- Make a natural air-freshener by putting 6-8 drops of essential oil in 600ml of water in a fine spray bottle. Spray it into the air and towards carpets and curtains. But do not spray onto velvet and silk or directly onto wood.
- Place cotton wool balls scented with lavender in drawers and linen closets to deter moths.
- Clean your fridge by adding a drop of orange, mandarin, mint, lavender or lemon oil to the final rinse water.
- When washing down surfaces in the kitchen, use a drop of lemon, thyme, cypress, lavender or Palma Rosa placed directly onto a cloth.
- Put a drop or two of oil onto a cold light bulb in a lamp – the fragrance will fill the room as the bulb heats up.
- Unlike commercial air fresheners which use strong chemical compounds to simply mask smells, essential oils are used to purify and clean the air. To rid a room of stale tobacco or cooking smells use cinnamon, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, orange, tea tree, rosemary or lime.
- Saturate cotton wool balls with essential oils and them place in the corners of a room, in cupboards or out-of-the-way places to scent kitchens and living areas throughout the house.
- Hallways are the place where we greet our guests. Use lemon, lime, bergamot or grapefruit oils here. These may be mixed with lavender oil or geranium. The uplifting effect of lavender would be good for the mornings, while the calming effect of geranium will help you wind down at the end of the day.
- Finally, remember to keep tea tree oil in your first aid kit to use as a disinfectant, to treat cuts and burns or add a few drops to boiling water and inhale to help loosen chest congestion.
