There is something about citrus that simply brightens the darkest day. It does not matter if it is the scent of fresh squeezed Orange juice, biting into a perfectly cut orange slice, lemon bars right out of the oven, or a slice of lime jazzing up a glass of water, citrus makes us feel good inside and out. We might be surprised to learn the benefits of citrus essential oils go well beyond these feelings of wellbeing and can positively affect many areas of our homes and lives. Citrus can be dressed up and taken beyond simply yummy food and drink in the kitchen. Citrus can be used to keep areas of our home clean, to keep bugs away, to help when we face mental health struggles, and even help us perform better in the gym. Let us explore some of these benefits.
Citrus Keeps Our Homes Clean
Citrus is used in many homemade cleaners not just because it smells great but because citrus itself is a cleaning agent. One easy and often used example is cutting a lemon and dipping it in salt to use to clean pans. Lemon and salt can make a number of differences including helping remove what seem like permanent stains, by taking advantage of lemon’s natural bleaching properties. (The same properties that are used when kids use lemon juice to write secret messages to their friends. Citrus is also useful to reach for when dealing with a sticky mess no matter where the mess might be found. Citrus essential oils are even well known for killing germs and fighting against pathogens because of their all-natural antibacterial properties. This means citrus and citrus essential oil based cleaners can help you stay healthier which is more than you can say for most cleaners.
Citrus and Wool Dryer Balls For Fresh Laundry
That's right! You can use the power of citrus to freshen up your laundry with wool dryer balls! It's important to know it's safe to use essential oils on dryer balls. Before you start your dryer go ahead simple place a couple of drops of citrus on each dryer ball and get ready for the cleanest scent! We guarantee this might become part of your eco-friendly laundry routine.
Cleaning our homes is not limited to cleaning spills and also included making sure that unwanted pests do not invite themselves over. Citrus such as lemons and oranges have all natural insecticidal properties. For example there have been studies which have found at a distance of 1 meter, oil of lemon eucalyptus sprays reduced mosquito attraction by as much 60%. Citrus peels which are dried and turned into potpourri are a great way to clean and keep unwanted pests far far away from our clothing and other possessions. Do you want an all natural mothball alternative? Try citrus. What could be better than using the bright and fresh scent of citrus to keep unwanted pests away?
Citrus And Our Minds
There is evidence that the mood boosting effects of citrus are greater than simply smelling great. Aromatherapy with orange essential oil appears to reduce symptoms of both anxiety and depression. Citrus oils can help to boost physical and mental energy levels which is useful when our minds are drained and we feel that simply doing daily tasks is too much effort. Instead of reaching towards another cup of coffee which might make you jittery consider reaching for citrus instead!
Citrus oils are able to boost our mood and energy levels by working on the brain's chemical makeup and even our hormones resulting in an improved mood. Citrus has also been shown to reduce feelings of anxiety and irritability in individuals. So that feeling of wellbeing you feel when you smell citrus goes deeper than simply a nice smell or scent. The next time you are struggling with depression or anxiety you might want to consider adding citrus essential oils into your overall self care routine.
Citrus And Exercise:
When we hear the words lemon, lime, or orange we may think about kitchens and cooking. What does not first come to mind is the gym. You might ask what possible role would citrus play in a gym? The answer comes from a small study which evaluated the effect of inhaled orange essential oil on exercise in student athletes. The researchers found that people who inhaled the oil had a significant decrease in running times as well as an increase in lung function. Increasing lung function makes sense since citrus has been shown to be able to ease respiratory issues like coughs and congested sinuses. While this study needs to be repeated a few more times it leads us to the idea that we should bring citrus and citrus essential oils into the gym. And no one can deny that even if citrus does not help us run better it sure smells better than most gyms we have been to because citrus has amazing air freshening properties. Make sure to check out other essential oils we have at Seek Bamboo. Less is more, live sustainable and let us become your favorite zero waste online store!
