Vacuuming with Essential Oils

Hi, everyone!

Last week I promised a post on how I utilize essential oils when vacuuming to help clean the air in my home and battle some of the beautiful, spring allergens.

Disclaimer: all opinions and ideas are my own — I’m not getting any $ for promoting specific products, and my posts should not be taken as or instead of medical advice. Just wanting to share how using EO’s help us during allergy season. 🙂

 

If you do suffer from allergies, I’m so sorry. You’re not alone! Just the idea of spring (and blooming canola, or fresh cut flowers in a vase on your counter) probably brings on the runny nose and burning, itching eyes.

I’d never had allergies until I moved to this area… I didn’t know what I was getting myself into! 😀 But after having lived next to wheat and canola fields for three + years, I’ve finally figured out some tried and true ways to combat my spring allergies.

Vacuuming in general can help allergy sufferers a great deal. It sucks up lots of the bad stuff from your carpet and upholstery and tends to freshen the house right away.

Adding essential oils have simply “amped up” my allergen cleaning routine! I’ve had great success using a few therapeutic grade essential oils – both pure oils and blends specific for allergies – and have been using them in my diffuser and vacuum for years.  I love doTerra and Ovi oils. Click on the links for more info!

How do I use essential oils with my vacuum?

Every vacuum is different, so I thought I’d show what the inside and outside of my vacuum looks like throughout the post.

In the first picture, I’m removing the filter container from the vacuum.

The second photo is what the container looks like after removing…

The filter from photo three.

The little filter from the third photo has a foam ring around it. I remove it, hand wash it, and dry it completely every other vacuum use. Then I wipe down and clean out the rest of the container and outside of the filter. When the foam ring is dry, I place it back on the filter.

This is a better photo of a freshly cleaned vacuum filter. (Yep, still has some dust on the outsides…I just find our vacuum works way better after a filter wash and rinse!)

To use the oils, just place three or four drops inside the filter’s inner circle, straight onto the fabric-y looking white part.  I tend to tap four drops in four equally spaced spots around the circular filter. That way, the oil and its scent are working in all parts of the filter, and not just one spot.

When you’re finished putting the oils into the filter, simply replace the filter and container where they belong, and vacuum as usual!

You’ll be amazed at how quickly the scent will fill the house, and how well the oils help naturally disinfect and clean the air.

What Oils Do I Use?

The best pure oils for allergies I’ve found are lavender, lemon, and peppermint mixed together in a 1-1-1 ratio. Simply tip the bottles so you get one drop of each oil inside the filter.

I also have used doTerra’s Breathe blend. Three or four drops of that will really get you feeling better once you vacuum!

On a side note, in the winter during flu and cold season, I use tea tree oil instead as a natural disinfectant. I love using two drops of tea tree oil and one or two drops of either of the above blends to combat dust allergies in winter.

All of these make the house smell amazing after vacuuming!

Poor, little, trusty vacuum – he’s lived through a lot and keeps serving us well! 😀

That’s it! It’s a very simple process, and with a cat, a (very long-haired) dog, and tons of allergen-bearing flowers and crops right outside our back door, doing this twice a week has helped our family immensely.

For an extra, allergy-destroying boost, try the 1-1-1 lavender, lemon and peppermint oil blend in a diffuser for a few hours, or next to your bed at night.

I love this little “recipe” photo from Ben and Me. So handy!

But hopefully this post can help your home be a little more spring-friendly, and a lot less allergen-filled!

 

Happy Spring!

 

❤

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