Showing posts with label lavender. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lavender. Show all posts

Friday, August 28, 2015

Using Essential Oils in Your Home


If you’re at all present on social media, you’ve likely come across at least one post about essential oils. Popular companies like DoTerra and Young Living provide therapeutic grade oils, which can be used in hundreds of ways. But of course, we’re most interested in the ways in which the oils can be used in your home. Here are some of our favorite uses, via Young Living and DoTerra:

Create an aromatic space for your loved ones while cleaning. Put 5 drops of your favorite essential oil on a cotton ball and place it in a vacuum cleaner bag. Try Peppermint, Spearmint, Cassia, or Pine. Geranium can help with doggy odor.

Soak a dishcloth overnight in a bowl of water and add a few drops of Lemon to disinfect and kill germs. It is especially important after traveling or a cold to disinfect your space. Thyme and Eucalyptus are natural sanitizers.
 Photo Cred: naturalwellspring.com

Create an all-natural kitchen sink scrub by mixing ½ cup baking soda, ⅛ cup vinegar and 5 drops each of Bergamot and Lime. Put the mixture in the sink and scrub. Complete the process by washing the sink down with warm water.

Smelling something a little stinky? Place 1-3 drops of Four Thieves, Purification or Hope on a cotton ball and place on bottom of trash can or diaper pail. It cuts back on odors and kills germs.

To clean and increase shelf life of fresh fruit, fill a bowl with cool water and 2-6 drops of Lemon. Drop washed fruit into the water and stir. Your fruit will be luscious for days longer than usual.

For sticky messes, use 1-2 drops Lemon to remove gum, oil, glue, adhesive or crayon from most surfaces.

Clean the carpet with an all-natural carpet deodorizer. Add 5-10 drops of Lemon, Lavender, Geranium, Peppermint or Ylang Ylang to a box of baking soda. Mix well and sprinkle over carpets. Let the mixture sit for an hour or more and then vacuum.

To dispel of household cooking odors add a few drops of Clove, Cinnamon, or any citrus essential oil to a simmering pan of purified water.

When washing out the fridge, freezer or oven, add Lime, Grapefruit, Bergamot or Lemongrass to the final rinse water for a refreshing aroma.

To help keep squirrels, spiders or mice away place 3-6 drops of Peppermint on a cotton ball at the place they enter. Get rid of those pesky bugs without harmful chemicals.
To help keep flies away mix 25 drops of Peppermint or Lavender with 16 oz. purified water in large spray bottle. The mix can be used on counter tops, windows and doors. Be sure to shake well before each use.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Best Winter Houseplants


Don’t feel like tending to outdoor winter plants this season? No worries. There’s plenty of flowering plants that do well in your home. Here are some of our favorites.

Lavender. A famous plant and go-to herb for aromatherapy, soaps and other yummy things, lavender is one of the best indoor plants to grow in the winter. Lavender will grow from a seed if you wish to start from scratch, or you can pick up a young plant. Clearly, the benefit of a young plant is that you get to instantly enjoy the fragrance and pretty purple-blue flowers. You’ll want to place your lavender plant in your home’s sunniest window.

Jasmine. Originating in Asia, jasmine is very simple to care for if you keep your home’s temperature in the high 60’s to low 70’s. Make sure to place this starry-flowering plant in an east or south-facing window and don’t let the soil dry out. Also, jasmine will climb a trellis, so stake one in the pot if you’d like!

Citrus. Yes – really! You don’t need to live in Florida to enjoy citrus fruits such as grapefruit, lemon, or oranges. All you need is a very bright spot in your house, and follow these easy directions from HGTV on how to properly care for your citrus plants.

Geraniums. Are you a fan of lemon, lime, rose, ginger, or even chocolate? Who isn’t? Geraniums are available in all of these fragrances, but did you know the fragrance comes not from flowers but from their hairy leaves? Your local nursery can tell you which they have in stock and which would work best for your home.

What’s your favorite indoor plant for the winter?