How to Sterilize Household Surfaces With Lavender

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Lavender is an herb often thought of for its soothing qualities. However, there are many more uses for lavender than just its calming scent. You can actually use lavender to sterilize common household surfaces. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you want to use lavender to sterilize and disinfect your home.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Bottle of essential lavender oil
Distilled water
Rubbing alcohol

Step1

Purchase a bottle of lavender essential oil from your local health food store. Lavender oil is very potent so be careful to avoid direct contact with your skin. Read all instructions thoroughly.

Step2

Fill a spray bottle with distilled water, leaving room for the amount of lavender oil you wish to use. Some resources recommend adding rubbing alcohol or vodka to the mix to discourage separation of oil and water. The bottle of essential oil should have dilution recommendations printed on it. One tsp. essential oil per quart of water is a common ratio. Add 2 oz. of vodka or rubbing alcohol if desired.

Step3

Shake the bottle to mix all the components of the mixture. You can store the solution for a few weeks, just remember to shake it up well before using each time.

Step4

Spray household surfaces with the lavender water. This is great to use in the kitchen and the bathroom. You can also add a few drops to your dishwasher cycle to sterilize dishes and cutlery.

Step5

Allow surfaces to air dry. There is no need to wipe or rinse your surfaces after spraying with lavender water. The solution is all natural and not harmful. Letting the surfaces air dry allows time for the solution to perform its disinfecting work.

Tips & Warnings

You can also use lavender water as a disinfectant for the air in sick rooms. Simply spray the solution in the center of the room to disinfect and create a calming scent.
Be careful that the essential oil of lavender doesn't make direct contact with your skin. It is very potent and can irritate the skin.
Each brand of lavender essential oil will vary, so be sure to follow the manufacturer's dilution instructions carefully.