Can I use tea tree oil in my laundry, and is there a recommended way?

Question

I was hoping to just put a few drops of tea tree oil in with my softener or laundry detergent as to disinfect my laundry in fear of some bacteria. Is this okay to do and would it be better to put it in the softener or detergent or would there be a better way to go about this, like on the clothes itself? I'm just afraid if I put it on the clothes itself it wouldn't spread thoroughout the entire load, but just as much; I'm concerned if i put it in the softener or the detergent it may cause a harmful chemical reaction. Has anyone had experience with this? Or, could you suggest another way to disinfect my laundry saftely? I don't want to use bleach as not to discolor them. Thank you!

Answer 1

Tea tree oil is an excellent, natural alternative to bleach when used in the clothes washer as an anti-bacterial, antiseptic and anti-fungal. Just add a few drops to the water during the wash cycle, and swirl around before adding clothing, bedding, towels etc.

Tea tree oil fights MRSA (Staphlococcus Aureus) aka the hospital super-bug, which is resistant to most antibiotics. It can be added to bathwater to boost the immune system, used in mouthwash and also for household cleaning. It has many useful applications. Unless used neat on the skin or taken internally, it is safe and gentle. Check out the following link, looking under the
Anti-fungal section for use in clothes washing:-

http://www.answers.com/topic/tea-tree-oil

Answer 2

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RE:
Can I use tea tree oil in my laundry, and is there a recommended way?
I was hoping to just put a few drops of tea tree oil in with my softener or laundry detergent as to disinfect my laundry in fear of some bacteria. Is this okay to do and would it be better to put it in the softener or detergent or would there be a better way to go about this, like on the clothes...

Answer 3

Yes, you can. A pure tea tree oil is very concentrated, so you do not need much. You can also add it to shampoos (helps w/ dandruff too). Just a few drops will boost the cleaning power of just about anything. Tea Tree Oil has a lot of desirable qualities and uses.

• Solvent—Dissolves residue and acts as a natural cleanser and disinfectant.
• Noncaustic—Will not harshly affect most skin types.
• Aromatic–Soothing, therapeutic aroma can be used in vaporizers.
• Antiseptic—Kills germs

A company named Melaleuca actually makes a number of different cleaning products with tea tree oil, including laundry detergent ("MelaPower"). You can research their brand of tea tree oil (called MelaOil) on their site at: http://www.melaleuca.com/ps/pdf_us/US%20MelaOil%200405.pdf

I used to use it myself and was pleased with their products.

Answer 4

Here in hawaii lice is an everyday battle we use alcohol and it kills the lice and melts the glue off the eggs , I tried tee tree oil I didn't care for it we just lay the child back face up over the sink put a cloth to protect there eyes and pour the alcohol on the head fully and let it sit for 10 min then rinse , and take a bowl fill it up with alcohol... brush the tangles out with a regular brush then we take the nit comb and dip it into the alcohol and start combing out the nits if we get anything live we just dip the comb in the alcohol and they die right away. In our climate it is a battle all year trust me i used everything under the sun that people told me to try, But a hula instructor told me thats what they do for thier girls in hula and mind you most hula dancers have very long hair so far i have not seen lice on my kids i do it once then I do it again in a week plus you know all the household items have to be treated as well good luck Just wanted to let you know my experience with lice

Answer 5

Melaleuca products