Lemony Goodness

Apparently lemons are my thing lately. I'm hoping to make a lemon cake for Hadman's birthday this weekend. But today's not about recipes. It's about essential oils.

I've had my starter kit for a couple of weeks now, and I'm discovering the awesomeness of each kind s-l-o-w-l-y. As a problem strikes, I turn to Google to see which oil will help me out. It's been fun to learn about these all in a hands-on way. And it's kinda funny to see how excited, amazed and clueless Dave is about these little viles of magic. I'll never forget the first time he set eyes on them and said, "Aww! I'm so sorry they're so small. Is there a bigger size to buy?" Sure, 15 mL is a small container, but for the most part you're only using a few drops to maybe 10-20 in one use. So, they actually last quite well.

So, while I've been using lavender on my pillow (Dave says it's the best sleep ever), an "arthritis" blend for my achy knees (I'm not old, really), tea tree on my feet when I feel like I'm coming down with a summer cold, and peppermint to chase away an upset stomach, I thought I'd share my current FAVORITE use for essential oils. By far the best.

See, while I'm not a laundry hater, and I stay on top of it pretty well, I have a tendency to get that smell goin' on with it. You know the one. The I-forgot-the-load-and-left-it-in-too-long-on-a-humid-day musty smell that, if you wear the clothes, follows you all day.

I'm the queen of that smell, it seems. Am I the only one?

Well, the only EO that I've decided to relocate out of the handy carrying case is the lemon -- next to the washer. It's going to stay there until it's empty...then I'm getting more to repeat the process!

There are two ways that I use the stuff. I've come to add it automatically (10 drops, give or take, depending on the size of the load) to the washing detergent before dumping it into the washing machine. If I don't get to the clean-but-wet load in a day or so, I haven't noticed that musty smell AT ALL.

Then, if the load has been in the dryer and is displaying any not-nice smell, I put about 10 drops on a washcloth (it can stain, so make sure it's an old cloth or one you're okay with staining; this hasn't happened for me, but you never know), toss it in, and run it until everything's dry (or run it for awhile to "fluff" the load). If it doesn't take it away completely, repeat the process. It shouldn't take more than two "fluffs" to rid the clothes of the smell.

The reason that the lemon EO is so ideal for laundry use is its disinfectant qualities. (It can also be used in other cleaning applications, too.) See? The stuff ain't just for aromatherapy! I've found a couple of links (like this one - alternative to disinfectant hand gel?! - and this one) that give you far more information than I currently can on other incredible uses for this lemony goodness.

Does anyone have an EO uses that they can't live without to share? I'd love to pick your brain!

By the way, I'm not a seller of any essential oils, so these opinions are just to help out anyone interested in the benefits of EOs, no strings attached. :-)