Aromatherapy and a Cleaner Home
In this day and age, it’s very rare to come across anything that’s certifiably all-natural. All those canned and packaged food lining the shelves of grocery stores are all packed with unhealthy preservatives and carcinogens. Ironically, even your everyday cleaning products are dirtied with dangerous chemicals that can cause you allergies or even long-term health issues.
You could just be wiping down your countertop with disinfectant-- but did you know that antibacterial cleaners contain quaternary ammonium and phenolic acids which can burn your skin and throat, and irritate your eyes? You could just be spraying some air freshener in the living room so your guests are greeted with the smell of fresh apples or cherry blossoms—but did you know that that means they’d also be breathing in chemicals that could cause cancer, brain damage, or at the very least, irritate their eyes, skin, and throat?
Why must your cleaning routine be so hazardous that any accidental mixing of two cleaning products could potentially result in death by noxious fumes?
Surely, that shouldn’t be the case!
That’s why we believe in using all-natural products to give you a cleaning experience that’s more than just basic cleaning. Say goodbye to the unpleasant smell of bleach, or the migraine-inducing scent of too much disinfectant—your house doesn’t have to smell like a visit to the hospital!
And say hello to the refreshing scent of bergamot, the lovely perfume of lavender, and the citrusy smell of lemon—because what better way to ensure soothing freshness than essential oils?
What are essential oils?
You’ve probably been hearing a lot about essential oils; especially if you’ve been on social media lately. There are cosmetics and perfumes based on essential oils, and essential oils are becoming increasingly popular among people who prefer more traditional and “natural” approaches to medicine.
Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts that retain the natural smell and flavor of their source. Essential oils are obtained through mechanical pressing or distillation of various plant parts, including bark, flowers, leaves, or fruit, to capture the compounds that produce fragrance. It can take several pounds of a plant to produce one single bottle of essential oil!
Essential oils have chemical compositions that differ from one another, and these different chemical compositions result in properties of smell, absorption, and effect on the body that are unique to each essential oil.
Do essential oils really work?
With essential oils undergoing a recent surge in popularity, they have been touted as the cure for almost everything under the sun, from a sore throat to COVID-19! While some of these claims can be dangerously exaggerated, it is undoubtedly true that essential oils carry a lot of benefits. They can make a positive impact on your health and well-being, and they are often used in the treatment of many different diseases and disorders, including anxiety, and depression.
They can also act as antifungal and anticancer properties, although research is still ongoing as to their effectiveness in these fields.
Essential oils in aromatherapy
The biggest application of essential oils is in the use of aromatherapy, which is the practice of using essential oils for therapeutic benefit.
Aromatherapy has been in use for thousands of years and has existed as an ancient form of treatment in many cultures. Ancient China, Egypt, and India used aromatic plant components in resins, balms, and oils and they served as medicine to improve both physical and psychological health.
Aromatherapy operates on the mechanism of smell—perhaps the most powerful and evocative sense of the human body. Think about how just a whiff of something familiar can immediately have you transported back to a time with which you most strongly associate that particular smell.
When a person inhales an essential oil, this scent is carried by olfactory nerve cells in the nose to the olfactory system. The olfactory system then sends this aroma to the brain—namely, the limbic system, and more specifically, the amygdala, which is the emotional center of the brain.
The essential oils being able to use this nasal direct access pathway to the limbic brain means that they can provide mental support and neurological stimulations or calm for people with stress disorders.
And this is where we come in with our cleaning products that have essential oils incorporated into them!
Aromatherapy using cleaning products
When cleaning products are so full of synthetic chemicals to the point where you have to brace yourself for the inevitable headache after dealing with all the bleach, chemicals, and whatnot thus making cleaning a dreaded chore.
With the Cleaning Fairies, cleaning isn’t just about wiping down countertops with strong disinfectant; or spraying in an air freshener that has a ton of toxins. We make sure you come back to a house that isn’t just cleaner, but also more calming.
Imagine walking back inside your home to be surrounded by the citrusy aroma of bergamot, rather than the chlorine smell of bleach! We at the Cleaning Fairies make sure that cleaning isn’t just about getting rid of dust and dirt; we also make sure it’s a valuable sensory experience.
Benefits of Essential Oils in cleaning
As we mentioned before, different essential oils have different smells and effects on the body, based on their unique chemical compositions. Here’s a list of some essential oils and their effects:
-Bergamot: Its sunny and pleasant aroma will linger in your home and help reduce anxiety, lift your mood, and lower your blood pressure
-Lemon: Citrusy, sweet, and tangy, lemon oil is also great for getting rid of sticky residue. In addition to being able to reduce anxiety and nausea, it has amazing antiviral and antibacterial properties. It is also a natural deodorizer.
-Sweet Orange: Sweet, citrus and happy, one of the most effective oils for alleviating depression. It acts a natural dissolvent making it very useful for breaking down grease, grime and items stuck on.
-Clove and Cinnamon- spicy, warming and sweet, these oils are the most effective for killing mold and mildew spores in their tracks. The spicy aromas offering a soothing, grounding emotion while effective disinfecting your home..
-Lemongrass oil: Characterized by a strong citrus scent, lemongrass oil helps ease your anxiety, stress and depression.
-Eucalyptus oil: The heady, earthy smell of eucalyptus oil can help relieve you of nasal congestion which is especially useful in the flu season!
These are just some of the many benefits of just a few selected essential oils. The Cleaning Fairies’ focus is on letting our clients come back to a house that’s not just clean, but also healthy and soothing.
Essential oils are an option that’s healthier and easier to work with, and they actively soothe your system. Here’s your chance to opt out of the age-old synthetic chemical cleaners, and start choosing to live your life naturally better and truly cleaner.
Happy Cleaning!
Katie x