Many people have recently learned about the benefits of natural essential oils. Some people call them ‘magic potions’ because they do wonders. And they can be used in cleaning as well. Most people only know them and use them for aromatherapy but you can incorporate them into your cleaning products and routines and benefit from their many uses.
All essential oils are versatile. Essential oils are concentrated aroma compounds from plants and they are all natural products. And as each plant has specific uses and benefits, so do the essential oils. True – they are expensive but they are also a very safe and useful thing to have in your home.
You may have noticed that some shampoos and toothpastes have tea tree oil as an ingredient but you have never seen it on the labels of cleaning products, right? Here you can learn a bit about the most magic one of them all – tea tree essential oil.
Tea tree essential oil has strong antimicrobial and antiviral properties and can fight and kill off bacteria quickly. It can be used to clean and disinfect your home. It even has a kind of medicinal smell so you can add other essential oils to overpower this smell, if you do not like it. It can be used as an ingredient in home-made cleaning products or a few drops of it can be added to your detergents to enhance their power or to give them an additional purpose.
Now, here are some recipes with tea tree oil that you can do and enjoy having a clean and disinfected and safe home.
- For a disinfectant use:
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 2 cups hot water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 10 drops tea tree oil
- 10 or fewer drops of essential oil of your choice – for the smell
Combine these ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. Spray any surface that you want to disinfect and wipe with a paper towel or a clean cloth.
- For a soft scrub use:
- 10-15 drops of tea tree essential oil
- ¼ cup liquid castile soap
- ¾ cup of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until they form a creamy paste and use a sponge to scrub the dirty surface. Clean your kitchen or bathroom sink, clean your kitchen counter or the greasy fingerprints on your kitchen cabinets doors, etc.
- Mould killer – because of its antimicrobial properties tea tree oil is a great tool in the fight against mould. All you need is a cup of white vinegar and 5 drops of tea tree oil. Mix them well and pour or use a sponge to apply to the infested area. Fine cleaners london advises you to leave the solution to do its job for a few minutes then wipe to remove the mould. If you do not have pets or kids, you do not even have to rinse off the area, the smell will go away on its own.
- Disinfect your washing machines – your dishwasher and washing machine can be disinfected and cleaned with just the tea tree oil. Add 15-20 drops of the oil into your machine and run it on hot water cycle to efficiently kill all bacteria and unpleasant odour.
- Laundry – you can just add 5-10 drops of the tea tree oil to your laundry detergent and it will help reduce bad smells and mould in your wool clothing, but you can also make yourself a natural laundry detergent using the oil. Here is what you will need:
- 2 cups of Borax
- 2 bars of Fels-Naptha soap or its equivalent, grate the soap
- 2 cups of another grated soap
- 2 cups washing soda
- 30-40 drops of tea tree essential oil
- 10-20 drops of another essential for the scent, you choose which one
You can use a blender to combine the ingredients evenly. Store it in a plastic container near your washing machine and you will have a fantastic natural laundry detergent.
Here is a tip – only buy tea tree essential oils in black bottles and keep it in dark place, do not expose it to direct sunlight for long. And enjoy the magic powers of the tea tree in your daily cleaning. Have a clean and safe home!
Grace Reynolds writes cleaning articles for a lot of blogs. She is from London and she knows a thing or two about essential oils.
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