I wanna know.......what do YOU use TTO for??

Tara

disinfectant cleaner: distilled water, Dr ronner's Peppermint soap, a little vinegar, and TTO -- Boy does it make my bathroom smell fresh & clean!

I put a few drops in my cleaner too for disinfectant. I'm interested to see what other mamas use it for, I wish I had more ideas :)

:thumbsup:

OMG what DONT I use Tea Tree Oil for.

Cleaning wounds, cuts, scrapes, etc....

chigger bites-most insect bites that itch combined with plantian leaves.

Cleaning for sure. I wipe my toilet outside with it and use it with borax to clean the inside.

Oral gargle

When the family has been sick, I add a few drops to my dish soap to wash my dishes in.
Cleaning counters.
Wiping doorknobs.

Making antibacterial salves

I create some soaps that I use tea tree in.

A few drops in a homeade baby wipe solution for antibacterial action.

That is all I can think of off the top of my head.

I use it for a few things too.

disinfectant

add a few drops in my homemade wipes solution

add a few drops in the washer when I wash the cloth diapers

if someone has been sick I had a few drops to the washer when I wash clothes

add a few drops in the washer when I wash the cloth diapers

if someone has been sick I had a few drops to the washer when I wash clothes>>>


I wonder if a few drops really makes a difference in that amount of water? Im honestly curious :)
I wonder how a person could find out the amount needed to disinfect per water amount.

Here's what I remember about TTO and disinfecting diapers:

Here's links on actual concentrations required for an antimicrobial effect:

http://www.avro.co.za/teatreeoil/teatreeoil_extracts.html (see chart at the bottom of the page)

http://www.rirdc.gov.au/comp00/tto2.html (see the last two abstracts)

To kill fungi such as candida (yeast), a concentration of .06-1% is required, and e. coli (bacteria present in feces) requires .2%. Other microorganisms required similar concentrations of TTO (0.2-2.0 %)

Now, doing the math shows that for a front loader, to achieve a concentration of .2% would require approximately 1/4 cup of TTO! To get 1% concentration would require 1.25 cups!

The amounts are even higher for a top loader .2% requires the addition of almost 3/4 c TTO, and a concentration of 1% requires 3.5 cups!

I think you CAN get enough of a concentration in a spray bottle but you need an awful lot to disinfect in the washing machine!

Ann

Since I read that it could be used to get rid of skin tags I started using it on a mole of mine that has gotten larger and uglier after having the kids and it has made a HUGE difference. Greatly reduced the size and has made it more rounder so it looks more sexy again. I just dab it on straight once or twice a day and that's it.

And there is a water soluable type just fyi.
I'm sure people know this but JIC! :)

warts, face, skin fungus, diaper wipe solution, kitchen and bathroom cleaner, to pressure wash the house, excema, acne, ummmm i know there are more but i cant think of them right now lol

Cleaning, mostly. I do straight vinegar and tto on the toilet, sinks, counters, and door handles, toilet handles, etc. I put a couple of drops in the cup of baking soda I use to scrub the tub.

It helps *so* much when I put it neat on canker sores, and I gargle with tto salt water for sore throats--very effective.

I use it when I wash our dog; a couple of drops in the shampoo.

That's really about it.

I think organicmama said this, but we first got it from mil for bug bites. My dh is allergic and gets a bad reaction from almost anything that bites :( So for those ugly puss-weeping swollen bites, that's what we used it for! Then I found here and use it for soaking mama pads in (couple drops in the bucket overnight, with the water), clean the bathroom, etc.

Nice to see all the replies!

:D

jessica

Cuts & scrapes, gargling when sick (cold symptoms), in my hair for psoriasis, baby wipes and acne.

My mom used it on my sister's scalp to get rid of a lice infestation. Blech- gives me the creepy crawlies. Her head was scabbed over and it healed it.

I highly suggest it for cuts & scrapes. It helps reduce/eliminate scarring.

Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that! At our preschool they dab some on each of the kids when lice is going around - it works like a charm as a preventative and cure.