I dont know about you, but for me cleaning the house is akin to painting the Forth Bridge. It’s a never ending job that causes me to be in a state of non stop guilt. As you know I work full time and with my daughter out at college I have to ask my mum to help out during the week to let Bruce out for a walk whilst the house is empty during the working week. No matter how much I try to get done at the weekend, it’s never enough to have a spotless house – in fact I am always amazed if I drop in to see a friend unexpectedly and find almost everything clean, tidy and in its rightful place, just how on earth does that happen! I swear that even overnight things appear to jump out of cupboards and off shelves ready for me to tidy away again. My mum is of a certain age that she doesnt work anymore and seems to have forgotten the plight of the working mother, always happy to point out a ceiling cobweb that she had noticed the day before ”and is still there Julie” - although to be fair, I do remember her often ironing at 10pm when she was working. To be honest, I can always find much more interesting things to do after I’ve had my tea and the hands of the clock are approaching 7pm than starting to get the dust removed and the hoover out or the iron warmed up.

So on this note I have been interested to read recent articles that cleaning products have for some while been upping their ante on the fragrance front. Apparently we have been a little too blase about the standard lemon or pine household fragrances of old for far too long, and so the supermarket shelves bulge and groan with an enormous array of products such as washing up liquids that all more or less do the same job, but now we have a choice of winter spices, pomegranate & passionflower, tea tree & peppermint, green tea, apple blossom - in fact you could almost name any aroma and find it on the aisle ready to brighten your mood AND your dishes.

The happier you are – the cleaner your house (so goes the theory) and so manufacturers vie for our attention with the biggest brightest fragranced products enticing you to pop into your shopping trolley.

I have to admit to never buying a product without taking the top off (off the product, not off me!!) and smelling it first. The fragrance rather than the brand name usually has the sway factor for me, but I have yet to find the aroma that would really lift my mood whilst washing the pots. I am, however the eternal optimist, and so my quest continues to find that elusive smell that will elevate my mood so much that I will dance around the house every night duster in hand, smile on my face .

PS..If you find it before me, please let me know

And to finish off here is a little poem, penned by my own fair hand, that kind of sums up my cleaning regime!

Time for dusting, mopping and sweeping

Wiping and swiping, completely spring cleaning,

Cupboards are wiped and the kitchen is gleaming

then the alarm clock goes off – Oh no, I’m just dreaming!

We have had quite a few enquiries over the past week or so regarding lavender essential oil. Although many people of a certain age (a-hem, myself included!) still associate the memory of grandmothers and overwashed slightly discoloured cotton handkerchiefs with this particular essential oil, it does seem to be enjoying a resurgance across Britain.
To be fair, the thought of musty old lavender is now a far flung memory as the new updated versions, sometimes blended with other fabulous oils such as orange blossom or sage leaf have well and truly rendered lavender, one of the star players in aromachology products.
Supermarket shelves now bulge with a plethora of products containing mood enhancing essential oils. These are all designed to make the daily chore of cleaning the home a more pleasant experience. The emotional attachment to desirable scents mean fragrance can become a key source of differentiation in the consumers choice of product – after all smell is an evocative sense that allows consumers to feel relaxed, self confident and more connected with nature.
Lavender has been documented throughout history for well over 2,500 years, making its debut with the Egyptians who used it in the mummification process, as perfume oil for the Romans, and is even mentioned in the bible as the oil of choice for the annointing of the feet of Jesus. During the Great Plague in London in the 17th century, grave robbers used to wear a band of entwined lavender stems on each wrist to resist infection, and to be fair they rarely contracted the disease.
Lavender is a unique fragrance which is produced by the combination of 180 different constituents and is widely used throughout the perfume industry to add a top middle or base note to commercial products.
And finally – just in case i still haven’t grabbed the attention of the male readers, Ruud van Nistelroy advocates the use of lavender oil and it has been said that he annoints his boots with it prior to sleep!
Please feel free to request any further information on essential oil usage in any type of end product.