If you’re someone who hates using commercial products to clean and freshen your home, you may find it challenging to come up with a natural solution that works. Too often, natural solutions may not be strong enough as a disinfectant, or may not be powerful enough as a deodorizer.
However, over the past couple of years, more and more people have begun using essential oils. Essential oils are completely natural and are quite useful because of the natural antibacterial properties they offer. Below, we’ll provide a brief breakdown of essential oils and how you can use them to freshen your home.
What Are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts. Manufacturers obtain essential oils through a process known as distillation, which relies on either steam or water. They could also get the oils through cold pressing. Essential oils are entirely natural, capturing the “characteristic essence” of the plant from which it’s withdrawn.
Essential oils are incredibly powerful, with some being up to 75 times more potent than dry herbs. They are often used in conjunction with aromatherapy. According to Aromatherapy Associates, “Aromatherapy is an alternative form of therapy that uses essential oils to help improve and balance you emotionally and physically.”
If you wish to purchase essential oils, you’ll find that there are generally two categories on the market. The first is pure essential oils. A vile of this essential oil contains 100 percent of a particular plant extract. The second type is essential oil blends, which combine two or more oils into a container.
Why Consider Using Essential Oils
The most significant benefit of essential oils is the fact that they are entirely natural. They are safe to use around your home or office. They are also safe for use around children and some oils are even safe to use around pets. They can serve as an excellent substitute for the standard household cleaning products that currently exist in your home.
One of the best reasons to consider using essential oils is because of their natural antibacterial properties. Studies have found that essential oils could inhibit the growth of bacteria while also destroying bacteria cells. Thus, you could use essential oils as a natural household surface cleaner.
You could also use the essential oils to kill airborne germs and particles in your home or office. Imagine having a natural defense that helps keep your surrounding area germ-free during flu or allergy season.
Another reason essential oils are so well-liked is that they act as a natural deodorizer because they smell fantastic. If you’re looking to freshen a room, you can run a nebulizing diffuser, which will disperse scents throughout the area. We’ll touch a bit more on nebulizing diffusers in the section below. Some of the essential oils which best freshen and disinfect a room include:
- Orange
- Lemon
- Grapefruit
- Tea Tree
- Peppermint
- Cinnamon
- Thyme
Lastly, essential oils could impact your mind as well. Lavender is an essential oil best known for its calming properties. One study found that lavender essential oil increased the amount of deep-wave sleep patterns in patients. Lavender is also known to help reduce anxiety and stress.
Essential oils could also have uplifting properties as well. Citrus essential oils are an excellent choice first thing in the morning when you’re searching for a jolt of energy to help start your day. They could also be useful mid-afternoon for the same purpose. Additionally, sandalwood essential oil is known to help relax nerves while helping people focus.
Studies have shown that inhaling essential oils – such as the ones dispersed by a nebulizing diffuser – can stimulate your limbic system. Your limbic system is the section of your brain responsible for thing such as your emotions, long-term memory, and behaviors. The limbic system also helps regulate the bodily functions, like the heart rate and breathing.
How To Use Essential Oils
There are many different ways in which you can use essential oils. One of the most popular ways is by dispersing the oils into the air by using a nebulizing diffuser. They take advantage of Bernoulli’s principle, which means that they do not require heat or water, making them safe for every day use in your home or office.
When you use a nebulizing diffuser, you’ll add a couple of drops of the oil into the bottom of the reservoir. The diffuser will then disperse tiny drops of the oil into the air, where it will then freshen and disinfect. Nebulizing diffusers are an excellent choice because they run in the background. With the exception of having to add drops of essential oil every few hours, you’ll never notice that the diffuser is there.
Another common way to use essential oils is by topical application. Because they are entirely natural, essential oils are safe for use on skin and other household surfaces. If you’re going to apply the essential oils to your skin, you’ll want to be conservative in how much you’ll use.
Essential oils are quite powerful, which means that you won’t need more than a drop or two of the oil. However, doing so could prove to be useful for healing wounds and other skin conditions.
You could also choose to use essential oils as a natural household surface cleaner, serving as a substitute for chemical-laden products like Lysol. Below, you’ll find one of our favorite household cleaners that you can make using essential oils. You’ll need:
- Eight-ounce spray bottle
- Seven drops of lavender oil
- Seven drops of tea tree oil
- ¾ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup of water
About Organic Aromas
At Organic Aromas, we strongly believe in the power of essential oils. We appreciate that the oils are entirely natural and safe. We have worked for more than eight years to provide our customers with the best products on the market. Not only does this include pure and blended essential oils, but it also includes nebulizing diffusers as well. We invite you to check out the Blog Section of our website for the latest product updates and news.
