If you aren’t already into essential oils, then I highly recommend giving them a try. Essential oils are all natural and thus so much more earth (and health!) friendly than other scented products. They can replace air deodorizers, cleaning supplies, medicinal supplies and more.
I think everyone who uses essential oils has a favourite – and mine is tea tree oil (melaleuca alternifolia). Tea tree oil essential oil has such a clean, fresh smell reminiscent of tree bark and dirt and rain.
Maybe others would describe it differently, but it smells like nature to me. And when I wash my face with my tea tree oil soap and breathe in the scent of the earthy suds… oh man. Heaven. In my nostrils.There are a ton of online resources listing things you can do with tea tree oil. Make cleaning supplies, treat acne, cure infections, soothe bug bites… But instead of reiterating those, I wanted to share a few more unusual tea tree essential oil uses. Most of these uses I just stumbled upon and did no research before trying. But they worked wonders for me! Maybe they will for you too?
Glasses Cleaner
My glasses are ALWAYS dirty and it drives me nuts. I don’t own any store bought glasses cleaner because ya’ll know how I feel about chemicals so I usually make do with de-smudging my specs with water or – in truth – my shirt. But a few weeks ago I decided to add a few drop of tea tree oil to a microfibre cloth and give my glasses a polish. Not only did it clean the lenses, it also de-gunked the arms (I’m not the only one whose glasses get kinda gross from hair products and such, am I?). AND it made them smell amazing. Plus, since tea tree oil is a disinfectant it also de-germs your glasses. An excellent plus since they sit on your face all day long!
Phone Cleaner
Again, something of mine that is ALWAYS dirty. I’ll admit, I let my kids play with my phone. I don’t usually let them go on it, but I do let them button mash a bit or listen to music sometimes. Just like with my glasses, one day I decided to put a few drops of tea tree oil on a soft cloth and give my phone a polish. Fingerprints – gone. Face smudges – gone. Food splatters – gone. Germs – gone!
Goo Remover
This discovery came when I decided I wanted to relocate some decor items from my kitchen to my living room. Having been exposed to kitchen grease for years, some of them were pretty gunked up. I added a few drops of tea tree oil to the goo, let it sit a couple of minutes, then washed it off with a wet rag. No more goo!
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Sleep Aid
This one is unusual because tea tree oil is actually known more as a stimulant than a relaxant. There’s actually no scientific evidence that tea tree oil aids sleep, yet many people swear by it. It does make sense though, since tea tree oil has so many health benefits, and feeling healthy is one of the keys to a good night’s sleep. I find that its clean, fresh smell makes me feel relaxed in the same way you relax when your house is spick and span. And there’s nothing like a tidy house to make me sleep more soundly! For 19 other essential oils that reportedly help you sleep better, go here.
Sink Freshener
This one might not be that unusual, since tea tree oil as a cleaning and deodorizing agent is so common. But for my method I literally just put a few drops in the sink drain and that’s it. No mixing or combining or any effort whatsoever. I do the same when my garbage can gets kinda stinky. And I have a baby still in diapers so… enough said.
I often buy tea tree oil from my local health store, which you can do too if you have access to one. If you need to or prefer to buy it online, here are a few different brands:
If you just can’t get seem to get enough info on essential oils visit Wellness Aromas, which is great online resource for all things oil-y!
Do you have a favourite use for tea tree oil? Let me know in the comments and then we can geek out over how amazing it smells. Seriously, I can’t be the only one who kind of wants to put it in my mouth? Which you can, by the way, diluted with water for use as a breath freshener!
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Posted on February 18, 2018 (Last updated on November 17, 2018)
Former architectural technologist. Current treehugger.
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Washing the floor all you need is hot water, vinegar and a couple of drops of tee tree oil and viola. It’s clean, fresh and free of compound chemicals.
Totally! I love putting a few drops of tea tree oil in with my mopping water. I’ve even gone so far (or not far enough?) as to just use water and tea tree – no vinegar. I tell myself my floors aren’t THAT dirty so water and a bit of essential oil will do 😉 Thanks for the comment!
Simply take a pinch of the tea leaves, place them in the tea strainer and pour the water into the cup. Remove the tea strainer and tea leaves the tea is ready. This is my method! The tea is weak but refreshing. Alternatively, you can add the leaves to the tea pot and strain through the tea strainer if you have more people.
That stuff stinks like gasoline.
To each their own. It’s my one of my favourite smells in the world. But then again I also like the smell of gasoline so there you go.