The Many Ways to Use Essential Oils for Your Home

When people enter your home the first thing they notice is the smell, either pleasant or unpleasant.   

Diffusing essential oils in your home or office will bring in  wonderful uplifting fragrance as well as purify the air and protect your family. Diffusing certain oils can promote greater physical health, mental and emotional balance and spiritual harmony.

Kinds of Diffusers 

Tea Lite Burner
 The most common aromatic diffuser on the market is the ceramic or glass oil burner that uses a tea lite candle. Water is added to the top bowl with several drops of essential oil. As the hot water simmers it releases the fragrance of the oil into the room. These are inexpensive and generally range form $10 – $20. They are nice for fragrance but not as effective for killing airborne germs, bacteria, fungus and viruses. These burners are primarily used for fragrance and often come with fragrance oils, not essential oils. Also requires an open flame with candles that may not be suitable for childrens rooms, homes with pets and other situations.

Reed Diffusers
Hollow reeds are placed in a small crock of fragrance oils to disperse the fragrance into the room in a subtle way. These are are nice for fragrance but not for essential oisl and ineffective for killing airborne germs, bacteria, fungus and viruses.

Simple Diffusers with Small Fans
An electric or battery operated diffuser that uses a small fan to blow the scent from the oil on the pad into the surrounding room. Prices are about $25 and up. They can be used to scent a room for fragrance and are convenient for travel. They are not as effective for killing airborne germs, bacteria, fungus and viruses as the nebulizers. These are safer than using tea light burners around children and pets. And they can also be used with a timer if desired.

Nebulizer
This is the most effective way to diffuse essential oils into a room for therapeutic purposes. This is the true therapeutic diffuser that brings all the benefits of the oils into the air and the body. Nebulizers spreay the essential oils into a micro-fine mist that is dispersed into the air to kill germs and purify the air. This oil mist has powerful benefits and many anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and antiseptic properties to kill bacteria, viruses, fungus and mold.

Essential Oils have a high percent of oxygen in their molecules which kills bacteria and destroys odors from cooking, illness, mold & mildew, cigarettes, and animal odors and dander. Using a nebulizer in a sickrooms is very beneficial as it helps stop the spread of germs into the other parts of the house. Note that only therapeutic essential oils (NOT fragrance oils) have the germ-killing properties. This type of diffuser is more expensive, ranging from about $60 and up. Sometimes you can find these diffusers at your local health food store or online. One website with several models is http://www.diffuserworld.com/ Generally they will run about $65 - $150 but are the best way of bringing all the therapeutic benefits to your environment. With care they will last for years.

Diffusing on a Timer 
will help conserve your oils while releasing the therapeutic benefits. A nebulizing diffuser will run continuously until it is out of oil, but current research has found that you can get purified air and great therapeutic benefits to the lungs and body by diffusing essential oils oils for only 10 minutes every hour. It is easy to do this by using a programmable timer that plugs into your outlet. Or order a nebulizer with a built in timer from The Ananda Apothecary at http://www.anandaapothecary.com/aromatherapy-diffusers-burners.html 

Oils to Diffuse
You can diffuse Fragrance Oils for the scent, but be aware that fragrance oils are chemically created and have NO therapeutic properties for killing mold, bacteria, fungus, and airborne germs. The true essential oils are antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal. Try single oils like Lemon, Eucalyptus, Cinnamon, Orange, or Fir, or blends like Sacred Mountain®, Thieves® or Purification® (blends by Young Living® Essential Oils). You can also make your own custom blends. Research by Weber State University shows that diffusing many essential oils destroys airborne bacteria, viruses, mold and fungus..

Oils for the Fall and Winter Season
Rich and complex fragrances will refresh the indoor space as well as purify the air for your family and guests. Use one of your favorite oils like Thieves, cinnamon bark, pine, cedar, fir, frankincense, juniper, myrrh, orange, sandalwood, spruce, tangerine, eucalyptus & rosemary or wonderful blends like Sacred Mountain.

Christmas Blend 
Wonderful! Smells like a fresh Christmas Tree. Add to the diffuser a blend of 5-10 drops of each: Balsam Fir Oil, Spruce Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Juniper or Pine. Do not add water or other fragrance oils. You can also use several drops of this blend for Christmas potpourri, or to re-scent fresh wreaths and garlands. Use 1 drop on a lamp ring to scent the entire room. Do not add to candles as it can be flammable.

Spring/Summer Blend
Light and airy fragrances will purify and refresh the indoor space as well as remind of the fragrances of the garden. Try lemon, eucalyptus, geranium, ylang ylang, grapefruit, jasmine, lavender and Rosemary.
Note - citronella has a pleasant lemony fragrance. Be sure to use the therapeutic citronella only, NEVER the common oil for mosquito candles and burners which is a petroleum distillate and should NEVER be burned indoors.

Lemon & Lemon Blends - have a clean, refreshing and uplifting scent. Used in a diffuser, lemon oil will purify stale air and act as a disinfectant. Lemon oil is very effective in killing germs. You can also blend lemon with a few drops of Orange, Tangerine, Geranium, Clary Sage, Eucalyptus, Jasmine and other citrus and florals.

For Drawers, Linen Closets, Bedroom Closets, Pantry, Luggage, Chests, Trunks and Bags
Use 1-2 drops of your favorite essential oil on a paper drawer liner or cotton ball. This helps to keep closets and drawers smelling fresh and is great for keeping suitcases and bags fresh, too. These are good oils to use:

• Cedar also called Cedarwood Essential Oil – yes, this is distilled from the same tree that supplies cedar wood for cedar closets, chests and drawers. Cedar is used because the natural oils are effective for repelling moths and other insects. In earlier times, natural clothing and blankets with fibers of linen, cotton and especially wool could be damaged by insects and moths so cedar chests became the way to store these goods and protect them. Note that only the real cedar essential oil, not fragrance oils have this ability to repel insects.  
• Lavender – great for baby clothes  
• Lemon, Lemon Blend or Purification – nice for suitcases, purses and gym bags.  
• Florals – Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Geranium or other floral blends – great for lingerie drawers.  
• Pantry – Peppermint or Citrus (Orange, Lemon or a blend) is useful to repel ants and other insects in the pantry. If there is an insect problem, you can add soaked cotton balls to the corners and replace every week until the insects are gone. Most insects dislike Peppermint essential oil.  

Carpet Fresh
Easy to make your own blend that is safe for kids and pets that are on the floor. Add a 10 drops of Lavender and 5 drops of Eucalyptus (or your favorite essential oils) to 1 cup of baking soda. Mix well and let stand a few minutes to blend. If you have a shaker jar that is ideal but if not, just add to a plastic bag, seal the top and snip off one of the corners of the bag. You can now sprinkle the scented baking soda over carpets and rugs. Let stand for 15 min and then vacuum up. Test on a smal area first. Be sure to use pure, undiluted therapeutic grade essential oils as fragrance oils may contain carrier oils, fillers or chemicals that may stain and may not be safe for kids who lick their hands or pets who lick their paws. Note: Don’t use lemon or other citrus oils as they can stain white, light or oriental carpets.

Dust Mites
Dust mites live in bedding and can cause allergic reactions in those who are sensitive to them. Recent research shows that eucalyptus oil kills dust mites in bedding. Add 25 drops of Eucalyptus Oil to each wash load of laundry or 1 TBL to a bottle of liquid laundry soap. Then for drying -- add 3-4 drops of Eucalyptus Oil to the damp washcloth for the dryer – see below. After initial use you can use other oils for maintenance to keep mites away.

Household
Add a few drops of lemon or eucalyptus or other fragrance oil to a piece of paper at the bottom of the trash can. You can use fragrance oils for this since they will not touch the body.

Laundry Helpers
To disinfect heavily soiled laundry - add a few drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil right into the washer or add to the soap.
Use Eucalyptus Oil – for dust mites and Lemon Oil to help remove grease and odors.

No More Dryer Sheets!
A Great Alternative to Dryer Sheets – Be Green, Saves Money, Better for the Environment & Re-usable, too
Instead of those expensive, throw away, dryer sheets with the chemical scent, add 3-4 drops of your favorite of essential oil (Lavender, Sacred Mountain, Spruce, Jasmine, Joy, etc…) to a damp washcloth and toss in the dryer with each load of clothes. Or you can just add a few drops of oils directly onto cotton sheets and towels. The oils freshen your laundry naturally & help control dust mites, allergens, they add antibacterial properties (especially Tea Tree, Eucalyptus) and also helps keep down static electricity. Your clothes and laundry room will smell wonderful! Be sure to use pure, undiluted therapeutic grade essential oils as fragrance oils may contain fillers or chemicals that may cause stains on your clothes. Note: Don’t use any Citrus Oils on white, light or delicate fabrics as they can stain. Test on small area of delicate clothing or lingerie.

Sleepytime Pillow Spray
Use pure Lavender Essential Oil in a spray bottle. Spray pillowcases lightly before bed. Good for kids, too! Be sure the essential oil you use has no fillers or carrier oils that could stain fabrics.

Vacuum Fresh
Add 1 drop of your favorite essential or fragrance oil to the vacuum cleaner bag - caution ONE drop will be sufficient with the heat of the motor - more will be overpowering. This helps freshen the house and kill germs.