1. Antiseptic and Fungicide. Tea tree oil is well known to be a natural antiseptic and fungicide. It can be used on minor cuts and abrasions and is useful for many types of skin conditions including cold sores, athletes feet, head lice, and nail infections, just to name a few.

2. Mold Growth Control. Tea tree oil is a natural cleaner because of its solvent properties and is useful in controlling mold growth. Mold is a health hazard and can invade homes, particularly in areas that are often damp due to high humidity or water damage.

3. Consumer Products. Today tea tree oil can be found in many consumer products like shampoos, hair conditioners, soaps, cosmetics, toothpastes, and even toothpicks!

4. Cleaning Solution. Wash floors and kitchen cabinets with a mix of a few drops of tea tree oil into any cleaning solution. It is advisable that the room be well ventilated, (open windows), whenever you use household chemicals, regardless if you use tea tree oil. The addition of tea tree oil to cleaning solutions can improve the cleaning power of the solution, and it adds a wonderful aromatic scent that gives the washed area that ?just cleaned? smell.

5. Insect Repellent. Another benefit to using tea tree oil to wash kitchen floors is that it makes an excellent insect repellent. To keep those unwanted pests away, also wipe down kitchen counters with a tea tree solution and you'll see positive results! Enjoy the outdoors more by warding off insects from bothering you. Add 10-20 drops of tea tree oil to citronella. Great for camping and hiking!

6. Laundry. Ever experience washing damp towels that were left too long on the floor and still had that funky mildew smell after they came out of the dryer? You could try several washes to remove the smell or you can add a few drops of tea tree oil to your wash. Towels will come out of the dryer smelling better than new!

This amazing oil is distilled from a bush that grows in Australia. Melaleuca Alternifolia Tea Tree plant has the best properties out of 100 possible species in the world. Australia also seems to have the optimum conditions for growing tea tree plants, including soil and weather. These special conditions allow tea tree plants to develop the desired constituents. Good quality tea tree oil should meet the requirements mandated by the Australian government. The oil actually has a viscosity more similar to water rather than oil. It should be bottled in a brown bottle so that ultraviolet light does not degrade the product.

Pure tea tree oil is a natural solvent that will dissolve plastic cups. However, when you mix a few drops in a water solution its solvent properties become greatly reduced and in most cases become a non-issue. If you plan on using your tea tree oil solution on fabric or fibers it is advisable to apply it to a test area first. This should be an inconspicuous spot to rule out potential problems like color fastness.

The amazing thing about tea tree oil is that you only need a little bit or just a few drops for each application. A 2-ounce bottle can last months. Always keep a bottle or two in the house along with a handbook on using tea tree oil. You'll soon find many valuable uses and solutions and wonder how you ever got along without it!