In a spray bottle, fill nearly to the top with water, add a few drops of your favourite pure essential oil or a combination of oils and a few drops of vegetable based detergent (this helps the oil and water emulsify – apparently). Effective as an air freshener or toilet spray.

Alternatively:

• Add a few drops of oil to your oil burner for a room deoderiser.
• Spray your curtains with the air freshener spray or your windscreens to catch the breeze and disperse throughout the room (test a patch first to check for colourfastness before you spray any curtains or upholstry! Essential oils may bleach fabric.)
• Wipe doorways, windowsill etc with a little essential oil to deoderise a room.
• Add a drop or two of oil to cotton wool and place in a room or in the garbage bin for freshness
• Wipe a drop of essential oil over a light bulb before turning it on. The heat will disperse the fragrance.

This is a recipe that I have been using at home for about 5 years now. I use it for pretty much all my cleaning. The tea tree oil is anti-bacterial without being toxic. It is a bit of an initial outlay, but as you only use a few drops, it lasts for years. It also gives everything a wonderful clean smell.

For tougher marks, sprinkle a damp rag with bicarb soda and wipe over surface until stains and tough grime is gone. Follow with the all purpose cleaner below.

Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. Use as a spray and wipe on any surface.

One of the great Australian home remedies, tea tree oil has many uses in the frugal home, from cleaning to repelling insects to medicinal remedies. I grew up using tea tree oil for insect bites but there are many other uses for the oil.
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