Cleaning Out The Cabinets in Your Kitchen
Cleaning out and finding space in your kitchen cabinets can be a hard, trying experience. There seems to be so many items, and just no where left to put them! There are several methods you can incorporate into your kitchen to save shelf space, store items easier, and... Read More

Duct Cleaning - what size vacuum should be used
As a qualified duct cleaning contractor I have discovered that most homeowners feel that they are very uninformed when it comes to understanding what size vacuum should be used to clean their air duct system. We are continuously asked weather we use a portable vacuum or a... Read More

Get Housekeeping Help by Keeping It Simple
How to get your family to help out around the house. I do believe I've tried every option possible to recruit help around the house. I've tried withholding special items. I've tried paying good money for chores. I've even tried a little torture .. only joking. Few... Read More

Spring Cleaning: 5 Steps to an Organized Clothes Closet
Don't leave your clothes 'hanging' another season... If you can't look at your wool pants, boots, and flannel pajamas anymore, salvation is just around the corner. The snow that blanketed us this winter has melted and before you know it, we'll all be wearing shorts and... Read More

Natural Healthy Cleaning With Tea Tree Essential Oil

Tea Tree oil is one of the most popular of the essential oils. It is one of the strongest natural antiseptics, commonly referred to as the "Universal Antiseptic." This quality makes it one of the most worthwhile ingredients in homemade cleaning recipes. Tea Tree oil is also well tolerated having no known allergic reactions.

The time has come for us to reject the chemical-laden, air-polluting, health destroying, hazardous, commercial household cleaning products. There is something wrong when big corporations are using, "Trade Secrets," which means they are free to put harmful chemicals in the products that we use everyday in our homes. Manufacturers are not required to list them on the label.

There are some companies that provide us with many excellent eco-friendly, nontoxic-cleaning products, but it is more economical and satisfying to make our own. You may notice that once you start using natural, safe cleaning products, you will not want to go back to using chemicals. The change is so pleasant to our bodies physiologically, and so soothing emotionally that we can't go back to harsh chemicals.

Clinical studies have documented the value of Tea Tree oil, which date back to the original work conducted in 1923 by Dr. A. R. Penfold, an Australian government chemist. He found that Tea Tree leaves contained an essential oil, which showed antiseptic and bacterial properties 13 times stronger than carbolic acid, the accepted standard of the time. In 1930, Mr. E. M. Humphrey published an article entitled "A New Australian Germicide." He identified that Tea Tree oil's disinfectant action on the typhoid bacilli was sixty times greater than that of ordinary hand soap. So important was Tea Tree in the 1940's that it was standard issue in first aid kits for army and navy personnel.
Tea Tree oil turns out to be one of the most useful of all essential oils, especially as an antiseptic. The antiseptic, germicidal, antifungal, antibacterial immune-boosting qualities of Tea Tree oil make it applicable to a wide range of health conditions. In addition, the antiseptic benefits of the oil allow its use as a natural cleaner and disinfectant within the household environment.

Tea tree oil has many uses for housekeeping. You can prove to yourself how well it works to kill mold and mildew with this simple test: Put 2 teaspoons of Australian tea tree oil in a spray bottle with two cups of water. Spray the mixture on something musty. Let the smell dissipate (it will take a few days). The smell of mold and must will be gone, too, never to return as long as the source of moisture has been removed.

You can make your own cleaning supplies with antibacterial properties that nature provides. You'll feel a whole lot brighter and energetic after a few hours with essential oils than you will after breathing the fumes of toxic chemicals.

About the Author

Sharon Delia is a writer and researcher in the field of environmental health. She has co-authored a website with Richard Cocchia on the subject of environmentally safe home cleaning. To learn more about creating a healthy home for your family visit: http://www.healthy-home-cleaning-tips.com