One of the most useful and versatile essential oils is lavender. The oil is distilled from the aromatic Lavandula angustifolia plant. Although widely popular for its calming effect, this essential oil has also been used for centuries as a remedy for various ailments. It can help alleviate anxiety, sleeplessness, eczema, and menstrual cramps. But beyond its medicinal properties, you can also use lavender essential oil at home in many ways.
If you source your lavender essential oil from any trusted brand, you’ll also find recommendations on how you can use it. For instance, you’ll see the benefits of lavender oil by AWO discussed on their site, which you may find helpful. But in this article, you’ll learn six ways you can make lavender oil even more useful at home.
- As a surface cleaner
The antimicrobial properties of lavender make it an effective weapon against germs. This is why it’s a common ingredient in natural cleaning recipes for cleaners, air purifiers, and detergents, among other things. It’s particularly useful in cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, especially when paired with other antimicrobial essential oils, such as lemon and eucalyptus. (1)
If you’re looking to create a natural scrub to remove grime and grit from the tiles in your shower, sinks, or bathtub, try a lavender cleaning paste. Here’s an easy recipe:
- Water, 5 ml
- Lavender oil, 1 ml
- Lemon oil, 5 ml
- Baking soda, 1 cup
Mix these ingredients in a bowl until you get a fine paste. Scrub the paste over areas you want to clean and allow it to soak for about five minutes. Then, wash it away using a damp cloth. You’ll notice that your bathroom, floor, and surfaces are noticeably cleaner and shinier.
- As a moth repellant
Have you opened your wardrobe after some time only to discover that moths have infested them and the clothes are no longer smelling fresh? Or worse, some of the clothes may have holes already! It turns out you can ward off moths by using lavender oil as the scent is a serious turn-off for moths.
Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to keep your closets free of these insects. Spray some lavender oil over the clothes or soak cotton balls in lavender oil and place them in your closet and drawers. Place them strategically at the back of drawers, closet corners, and more where you put your woolen attires, which moths find more attractive.
- As soothing bath salts
One of the many known properties of lavender is its calming effect which is helpful in relieving anxiety and stress. If you’re feeling a bit tense and stressed from the day’s events, a lavender bath soak may be all you need. Start by whipping up some bath salts: put a few drops of lavender oil into a small jar of Epsom salts and mix them together thoroughly.
In addition, the oil’s anti-inflammatory properties are known to be effective in alleviating skin conditions. Lavender oil may help soothe irritated skin from sunburns while also providing relaxation during a bath. (2)
- As a linen spray
If you want to keep your sheets and linen smelling fresh in between washes, you can easily do that with a linen spray. Combine lavender essential oil with alcohol and water, and pour them into a spray bottle. This mixture will help inhibit the growth of odor-causing microorganisms in your sheets before the next wash.
Every night when you prepare for sleeping, spray your bed linen with some lavender oil spray and allow it to dry before laying on the bed. Aside from keeping your bed smelling fresh, you’ll also enjoy the popular sleep benefits of lavender. Experts believe that lavender can act as a natural sleep aid, as its scent may help you sleep better. (3)
- As an air freshener
You can make homemade air freshener sprays to wade away stuffiness in any room or eliminate unpleasant odors from the toilet. Another way is to simply burn your lavender oil using a burner. Adding it to an oil diffuser will also work well. Alternatively, you can give your visitors an excellent welcome by spraying some lavender oil around the front door.
- As a laundry cleaner and freshener
To make more use of its antibacterial properties, you can add lavender oil into your cleaning detergents. The calming smell is a great bonus too! Notably, hospitals in the era of World War I used lavender because of these properties.
Lavender oil is said to be capable of actively fighting bacterial varieties, including some strains that have been identified as antibiotic-resistant. You can also use lavender oil when rinsing your laundry for freshness. Add a few drops to your fabric softener and you’ll have your laundry smelling better and fresh for longer. (4)
Takeaway
Lavender oil has numerous uses at home. You can use it to freshen the air, bed linen, and laundry; clean and disinfect surfaces, and enjoy its soothing effect in a bath. If you do some quick research online, you’ll find countless recipes on how to use lavender oil for your everyday cleaning needs at home. They’re all worth a try!
References:
- “Antimicrobial activity of lavender, tea tree and lemon oils in cosmetic preservative systems,” Source: https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2009.04372.x
- “Antioxidant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of lavender essential oil,” Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26247152/
- “Lavender and sleep: A systematic review of the evidence,” Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1876382012010700
- “The Antibacterial Activity of Lavender Essential Oil Alone and In Combination with Octenidine Dihydrochloride against MRSA Strains,” Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6982929/