The Essential Oil Hack That'll Keep Your Bathroom Smelling Fresh

Essential oils can be an excellent and simple way to enhance not just the cleanliness of a bathroom but also the way it smells. It's super simple to make this work, too, especially if you use the essential oil toilet paper hack. All it takes is your favorite essential oil scent and a roll of toilet paper. A few drops on the toilet paper roll allows the scent to flow through the entire room every time someone takes a few sheets off. While this is a very simple and basic process, there are a few things to remember before investing in essential oils for the bathroom.

Essential oils are considered safe for the most part because they are highly concentrated oils derived from plants. While high-quality products are natural, they can be toxic if large amounts of them are ingested. That's not likely to occur in the bathroom, but some people who may be sensitive could suffer skin irritation or burns to their skin if too much is applied (via Children's Hospital of Philadelphia). If you plan to use essential oils in the bathroom as a type of aromatherapy, you can do a couple of simple things to reduce this risk.

The first step is to select the best essential oil for this room of your home. Many essential oils are quite effective at killing germs like lemongrass and eucalyptus. Some, like lavender, also promote a sense of relaxation which may be what you need before heading to bed at night. When choosing the scent, be sure to look for the scent you really enjoy — and you'll likely smell it several times a day.

For a bright, invigorating smell, choose a citrus essential oil, such as orange or lemon. Grapefruit offers a powerful punch that's just slightly different, making it a bit more interesting overall. If you want a soothing scent, choose lavender, as the soft, subtle undertones can help calm the central nervous system. For a crisp, bright, and clean smell, consider using peppermint essential oils. You'll need just a small amount to liven up the space.

Another option is to purchase an essential oil spa product combining several essential oils. Combinations of scents like eucalyptus and bergamot can create a more luxurious, higher-end scent that's quite alluring. Most floral scents can create a pretty, light scent, too. You can also change it up throughout the year, such as using a pine scent in the winter months to create a sense of holiday cheer. Incorporate rosemary oil around Thanksgiving and lemon in the summer.

With your essential oil selected, the next step in this process is to apply a small amount of that essential oil to the interior of the toilet paper tube. You just need a couple of drops of the essential oil since most are very potent. If the oil doesn't come with a dropper, it's best to purchase an eyedropper for this. You don't want to cover the toilet paper with essential oil and increase the risk of skin irritation.

Instead, you just want a small drop or two on the interior of the toilet paper roll. You can do this to several rolls you store in your bathroom, but remember that the scent will infiltrate the space, and depending on how much you use, it could quickly become overpowering. Avoid diffusers or misted products since these will spray too much of the essential oil into the cardboard tube and increase the risk of too much getting onto the toilet paper.

If you are using essential oils to clean your bathroom, be careful mixing too many scents in the same space. Be sure the scents selected work well together, or you could overwhelm anyone that steps into that room. You'll also want to store the bottle of essential oils out of the way of children.