Essential oils are used for fragrancing and flavouring in many items in the supermarkets and in our homes. They are used to fragrance cleaning products, food and personal hygiene products. Here are just a few ways you can use the aromas you like to help make the chore of doing laundry more pleasant.

In the rinse cycle

Use a few drops of lime essential oil in a cup of plain white vinegar for the rinse cycle. It is cheaper, great at softening clothes, better for the environment and you can use any scent you like. Lime for summer clothes and lavender for winter perhaps.

In the tumble dryer

Add a drop or 2 of any essential oil to a tissue and put that in with your clothes when tumble drying. Geranium for those who like floral scents, or eucalyptus for a fresher, greener scent.

De-gumming sticky things

Eucalyptus is the oil to have on hand for removing chewing gum from the soles of shoes, sticky labels from glass jars, and oil or grease from fabrics. Apply liberal amounts of eucalyptus to colourfast fabric and then add to the normal wash – will leave your laundry smelling fresh and clean Please also ensure you are using pure essential oils and not fragrant oils as fragrant oils are imitations that cannot replicate the actions of essential oils.

Aromatherapist Maria Mitchell

  Maria Mitchell is a qualified Aromatherapist and Herbalist whose passion has led her into teaching, and writing about the healing power of Aromatherapy and Energy Healing You can learn more about Maria here