Lemon Essential Oil- A “Must-Have”

Lemon essential oil has a number of household and personal uses that can allow you to replace additional unnecessary chemicals in your surroundings. It can be used to make cleaning products, air fresheners, as a disinfectant, and more. Greenfeet.net offers a number of uses for lemon essential oil, some of which are listed below:

• Antiseptic in first aid
• Treating acne
• Getting rid of warts
• Soothing sore muscles
• Household disinfectant
• Inhaling (directly from bottle or with a diffuser) to lift spirits

My favorite use would be as a household disinfectant- to make this all you need is a small spray bottle, 8 oz water, and 25 drops of lemon essential oil. You can use this mixture this to disinfect door handles and faucets or simply spray into the air as a disinfectant freshener (which would be useful when a family member is sick).

I plan to use this disinfecting spray instead of store-bought, chemical-based spray disinfectants and air fresheners that only cover up smells with unnatural scents. I purchased a bottle of the lemon essential oil for about $6 and I’m sure it will last me years longer than any store-bought disinfectant would since I only need to use a few drops each time I make my own.

You can also use lemon essential oil as a homemade sink cleaner– with 1 tablespoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 7 drops lemon essential oil, and water to mix this into a paste you have a scrub for porcelain sinks, tile, and stainless steel. Another great use is to soak a dishcloth in water overnight with a drop of lemon essential oil to disinfect (I am trying this tonight and will report back with the results).

For additional creative ideas such as adding lemon essential oil to mouthwash and using it to boost your energy, check out this interesting article.

***UPDATE*** I soaked 4 dishclothes overnight in a bowl of hot water and several drops of lemon essential oil. There was no lingering smell other than a fresh, clean scent when I checked the cloths the next day.