ESSENTIAL OILS: WELLNESS IN HOME

Essential oils, known since ancient times, allow us to improve our health in a way that is sweet and natural. I am not referring only to your own person health but also to the environment that surrounds us, where we live or where we spend most of our days.  With the daily use of aromatherapy, we can easily purify the home, the office, the car, etc….

In this first article, we will deal with home walls where a few drops of oil essential can make a very “aromatic” difference!

The properties of essential oils are many, as regards the care and cleaning of and use in our home. It is important to know that most essential oils are antimicrobial, insecticide, repellent, disinfectant, bactericide, fungicide and antioxidant …

The oils must never be used pure and for this reason as they can be easily dosed in drops added to normal products that are used to clean the house. By adding the essences we can concentrate strength and sweetness together with a cleaning action, disinfectant and perfume.

An essential oil that should never be missing in our home is melaleuca or Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia leaves) oil. The Tea tree is a shrub from the Mirtaceae family that grows mainly in the humid regions of the sub-tropical coast in Australia, but it is also grown in Africa and the Orient. The name was mistakenly given by the first sailors who landed in Australia and, yes, they prepared refreshing infusions with the leaves of this plant exchanging it for some tea plants. The essence has a color that can vary from light yellow to opaque.

This essential oil is among the most studied in the world and has various properties. It is in fact anti-infective, antifungal, antiseptic, antiviral, balsamic, cicatrizing, fungicidal, germicidal and anti-parasite.

Some simple uses:

To drive away ants: place piles along the points where the ants appear of coarse salt mixed with Oregano with the addition of 10 drops of clove O.E. and 10 drops of tea tree O.E.

To remove moths from wardrobes: Lavender pads are excellent; but for something even more powerful you can place plaster perfumers soaked with some tea tree drops.

For mold: put wine vinegar and water in equal parts in a sprayer and add 15 drops of tea tree O.E., 15 drops lavender and 10 drops O.E. of Eucalyptus or Lemon. Spray on the affected part and leave on without rubbing.

Dishwasher: 10 drops combined with detergent are an excellent way to remove scale and as a rinse aid.

Floor cleaning: 10 drops added to normal detergent enhance its disinfectant action and as a polish.

Washing machine: add 5-10 drops to normal detergent and you will have, in addition to a pleasant fragrance, a sanitizing effect.

Lemon essential oil or sweet orange are excellent degreasers and therefore you can add 10 drops to the dishwashing detergent bottle to enhance its effects as a degreasers.

Mint, Eucalyptus or Thyme essential oil can be added to all the products that are used to disinfect and wash surfaces. 5 to 10 drops are added for oil and maximum three oils per bottle. This trio of oils has particular antibacterial properties, but at the same time it gives a very spicy fragrance.

To perfume the rooms you can use essence diffusers, but you can also create scented candles and potpourri.

FRANCESCA SCALMANA

Other articles that may interest you:

Aromatherapy: How to choose an essential oil

Essential oils: What are they?

Essential oils: Aromatherapy in the working environment