Powerful Pine Oil

Pine oil, also called pine nut oil, is derived from the needles of the Pinus sylvestris tree. Known for being cleansing, refreshing and invigorating, pine oil has a strong, dry, woodsy smell — some even say it resembles the scent of forests and balsamic vinegar.

With a long and interesting history that stems back to use in ancient Greek civilizations, including by Hippocrates himself, pine oil is an age-old therapeutic method for cleansing, reducing pain, increasing energy and relieving stress. Pinus sylvestris trees have been a very important timber tree in Romania for centuries, and their dried bark often accumulates as waste from wood processing. Luckily through steam distillation, pine essential oil can be created even from dead, fallen pine bark.

Pine Oil Benefits

As a detoxifying ingredient and natural disinfectant, pine oil is commonly used in massage oil blends, household cleaning products and air fresheners. It can stimulate blood flow and help decrease swelling, tenderness and pain within sore muscles or joints associated with inflammation.

Pine essential oil benefits include:

• Cleansing the home of bacteria, fungi, pathogens and yeast
• Killing odors and purifying the air
• Decreasing inflammation
• Decreasing allergies
• Fighting free radicals through the presence of antioxidants, including polyphenols
• Treating muscle aches and pain
• Energizing and lifting your mood and focus

Pine oil is closely related to eucalyptus oil in terms of plant species and benefits, so they can be used somewhat interchangeably and are both considered “uplifting.” A great way to get even more benefits from pine oil is by combining it with eucalyptus or citrus oils, which all work similarly to fight inflammation, eliminate bacteria and odors, improve your mood, and heighten awareness.

15 Pine Oil Uses

1. Air Freshener

Pine oil is an excellent natural home deodorizer since it eliminates bacteria and microbials that can lead to contamination and odors. Capable of killing toxins in the air that can cause colds, the flu, headaches or skin reactions, pine oil is one of the most beneficial essential oils for improving immune function.

For pure, clean-smelling air throughout your home or even car, diffuse pine oil for 15–30 minutes using an oil differ or combine it with some water in a spray bottle and spray around your furniture, countertops, linens or car seats.

Also, try adding pine oil to a cotton ball and placing it behind your toil seats in your bathrooms to freshen the air naturally. And around Christmas, you can create a homemade “Christmas candle” by combing several drops of pine nut oil, sandalwood essential oil or cedarwood essential oil on a fire log about 30 minutes before burning in your fireplace.

2. All-Purpose Household Cleaner

To cleanse your countertops, appliances, bathroom or floors, combine several drops of pine oil and water in a spray bottle and spray on any surface before wiping down with a clean cloth.

3. Pots and Pans Scrub

For a deeper-acting cleaning scrub, combine several drops of pine oil with baking soda and stir them into a thick paste. Use a brillow sponge to scrub away mold, stains or stuck-on residue from your pots, home surfaces, car or appliances.

4. Floor Cleaner

To mop your floors and leave behind a clean smell, add ½ cup of white vinegar along with 10 drops of pine oil to a bucket and mop into wood surfaces before rinsing.

5. Glass and Mirror Cleaner

You can clean mirrors, glass or kitchen appliances by using pine nut oil along with vinegar to remove residue and leave behind shiny, clean surfaces. Also try using this method to clean your blender, dishwasher or laundry machine.

6. Carpet Cleaner

One of the best natural home deodorizers, use pine essential oil to remove odors from your carpet, mix 15–20 drops of pine essential oil with water in a bucket and then scrub into stains on your rugs. You can either use a carpet-cleaning device to steam or roll the mixture further into carpets or do so by hand. You don’t need to remove the oil from the carpets since it’s non-toxic and will continue to kill odor-causing bacteria and add a fresh scent to your home in the process.

7. Garbage Can Purifier

Douse a cotton ball with two drops each of lemon oil and pine oil, and then place the cotton balls at the bottom of your trashcans to help decrease bacteria and odors.

8. Shoe Smell Reducer

To get rid of shoe or foot odors, add a few drops of pine oil and tea tree oil to the bottom of shoes to freshen them up and kill bacteria.

9. Anti-Inflammatory

Pine oil has been used to fight free radical damage and chronic inflammatory responses that can lead to pain or swelling and even contribute to chronic diseases, including arthritis and cancer. To take pine oil as a supplement, you can add one to two drops to tea or hot water with lemon.