Essential oils: Lavender June 26, 2007

Lavender actually gets its name from Latin lavare, meaning, to wash. It was actually used in WWII to disinfect hospital walls and floors – I’d say that’s pretty potent, with what was going on in those hospitals! As fas as the essential oils go, it’s pretty popular for its clean, pure aroma. It promotes nervous system health and balance, and has lots of other healthy uses.

It has been used for nerves, migraines, headaches, tension, emotional stress, sore muscles or tense muscles. Other uses include benefits for the skin, immune and circulatory systems. The medicinal uses make it popular as a general additive for aromatherapy, but you can just as well add some lavender essential oil to your regular cleaning products, or add some to a damp rag to rub into your hardwood floors. It’ll leave your home smelling fantastic, promote health for your family, and do hard work as a disinfectant.

You can purchase essential oils at your local natural foods store, or Google it and purchase online. You’ll want to aim for Lavandula angustifolia, also known as Lavender Fine, as that’s the better type of lavender on the market. Happy cleaning! 

Please note: Lavender is not recommended for early pregnancy. When pregnant, please use caution when handling any essential oils, as most have not been tested for their effect on baby development. 

Home-made recipe to polish wood furniture May 29, 2007

The Green Guide’s tip last week was most helpful! They suggest making a furniture polish with a vinegar or lemon juice base, so that it doesn’t make your furniture ‘gunky’ like an oil-base would. Check it out here!  I just tried it – and I love the results!

Tea tree oil shampoo? Can it really be? April 18, 2007

Thanks to The Alternative Consumer for pointing out Boo! Shampoo, infused with tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is one of the most widely used essential oils out there – it has great antiseptic, antiviral, anti fungal, and disinfectant properties. You can use it to clean all sorts of surfaces, from wood floors to scraped knees. We’ll take a jaunt into all the many uses of tea tree oil another day, but for now, did you know it’s an insect repellent?

Amazingly, tea tree oil can be used to prevent head lice. Because of this, it’s been used as an additive in Boo! Shampoo, to be used for daily shampooing for all hair types. The formula also contains calendula, lavender, ginseng, wheat protein, rosemary, and honeysuckle. Mmmm… Sounds like a treat for hair, mind, and body! This is the perfect thing to send the kids off to camp with this summer, and if you like it, keep using it through the school year. How much easier it is to prevent lice than to get rid of the nasty buggers!

Essential Oils: Eucalyptus March 25, 2007

Mmmm… one of my favorites… That slightly sweet, woodsy yet menthol-ish homey scent… I use it to spruce up my homemade cleaning products, I add it to the humidifier, use it to make bath salts, and I keep a few sprigs of eucalyptus tree (when I can find it fresh) atop my piano in the living room. Hmmm… enchanting…

Eucalyptus was known as the “fever tree” in the 19th century because it drove away the mosquitoes that carry malaria.  In fact, it cleans the environment so well that the frail and sick would migrate to places where the tree was growing, just to live in its presence. Eucalyptus has been used to promote healing in wounds, fight infection, and relieve muscle pain. It’s also used in many herbal breathing treatments to help clear airways and promote respiration.

For cleaning around the home, it’s a disinfectant and also works great in laundry to kill dust mites.

Thursday’s tip: Spot mopping ease March 16, 2007

Just because you don’t like the chemicals in convenience cleaning products like Swiffer doesn’t mean you can’t use the idea! Don’t ditch your Swiffer! Just keep a spray bottle next to it filled with a mixture of 1 part white vinegar, 1 part water, and scented with your favorite essential oil. I recommend eucalyptus and lavender, but even without the essential oils you’ll have a nice cleaning solution. The smell of vinegar dissipates as it dries.

When you need it, spray your tile or laminate floors (anything except hard wood) with the solution whenever you need a little spot cleaned, run over it with the swiffer, and no need to rinse. Voila!

Lemongrass – Essential oil March 5, 2007

I tried something new today, and I’m so happy with the results! I ordered a concentrated organic cleaner that’s unscented, and when I diluted it to clean my floors, I added some Lemongrass oil. The result is amazing! I have beautifully clean floors (even hardwoods!), and my house now has the clean, uplifting scent of lemongrass.

Here’s some information I found about essential oil of lemongrass:

• The scent is clean, with an earthy-citrus smell, but not overpowering.
• The light, airy scent dissipates relatively quickly but eats odors as it goes.
• It has a calming, anti-depressant affect.
• It’s a natural antiseptic, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-inflamatory.
• It is known to relieve fatigue and headache, and promote digestion, stimulate the appetite, relieve sore muscles, and aid in milk flow in nursing mothers.
• It’s also a great insect repellent!
• It should be avoided during pregnancy or in people with high blood pressure.

Ways to use Lemongrass:

• Add several drops to a solution of 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water for an all-purpose cleaner.
• Add several drops to your bath.
• Mix a few drops into an unscented massage oil.
• Add a few drops to your laundry detergent or laundry rinse cycle, especially when washing sheets to kill and prevent dust mites.