For any outdoorsy person, tiki torches are essential in their yards. Something that most tiki torch users have complained about is the rather expensive fuels that you need to buy.
The great thing about citronella oil is that it also serves as an insect repellent.
You’ll learn in this article how to make citronella oil for tiki torches. You’ll also find out the benefits of the oil and some of the other uses that might be useful to you.
How to Make Citronella Oil?
The process of making citronella oil is actually quite simple. It does require a lot of patience, though.
Tips Before Creating the Oil
There are a couple of things though that you need to be careful off before starting.
When you’re cutting the leaves and stems, make sure you do that in the morning. The reason is that the oils inside the stems are at their peak during the day.
It’s best to store the finished oils in a dark and dry place. Citronella oil has a shelf life of up to 6 months.
You shouldn’t try to eat the oil or to ingest it, it can be toxic for your system when taken in huge quantities. When it’s blended in the food they use small portions that are safe for the human body.
What You’ll Need
- 1 cup of olive oil
- ¼ ounces of nard grass or citronella leaves and stems
- Slow cooker or stovetop
- Cheesecloth or coffee filter
Extracting the Oil
You’d need to follow some steps carefully to get the best results.
Step 1
Mix the leaves, stem, and olive oil together. Make sure that the oil and nard grass is mixed thoroughly.
Step 2
Place the leaves and oil mixture in the slow cooker. You’d need to cook it on low for 4 to 8 hours. If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can use a pot on the oven with the lowest temperature setting.
Just be careful as the leaves might start to crisp up sooner than expected. When that happens, turn off the heat.
Once the time is up, you’d need to let it sit until it reaches room temperature.
Step 3
Strain the mixture with the cheesecloth or coffee filter. The result is your pure citronella oil. You can throw away the stems and leaves.
Step 4
Repeat the process again. This time, replace the olive oil with your strained citronella oil.
There aren’t a number of times you’d need to do this process. It mainly depends on each person’s preference and how strong they want the scent.
Store the oil in a dark jar in a cabinet or any dark area.
Ready-Made Citronella Oil for Tiki Torches
If you’re not really into DIY projects or want to shorten the process a bit. You can buy citronella essential oil. Although it’s budget-friendly, you’ll still get much more oil at the same cost if you make it at home.
How to Use Citronella Oil in Tiki Torches
Now that you’ve created your citronella oil, let’s see how you can use it for your tiki torches.
Ingredients
- Citronella oil
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Place 1 cup of vegetable oil in a bowl
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of citronella oil *
- Mix the oils together well until it’s incorporated well
- Place the oil mixture in your tiki torch **
* The amount of citronella oil you use depends on how strong you want the scent to be.
** Depending on how many tiki torches you have, you might want to create another batch.
Another Option
Again, there’s a simpler way if you want to save time. You can buy a pre-made citronella oil fuel. This one can fill up to 8 tiki torches. It’s affordable and will last around 5 hours for each 12-ounce fill.
What is Citronella Oil?
In one of the previous articles, we’ve talked about tiki torches and discussed citronella oil briefly. Let’s dig a bit deeper into citronella oil and it’s benefits.
The History of Citronella Oil
Citronella is a type of essential oil that originated in Asia. It has a lemon-like scent, and that’s where the French name came from. It means ‘Lemon Balm’.
It’s extracted from the Asian herb that comes from the Cymbopogon family. It’s oftentimes mistaken for the lemongrass plant.
That’s because they look so similar to each other. Although they are different, they do come from the same family and are considered to be ‘cousins’.
To try and differentiate between citronella and lemongrass, you’ll find that lemongrass has an off-white pseudostem. However, Citronella is red.
For the past years, this essential oil has been used as an ingredient in different countries like China, Indonesia, and even Sri Lanka.
Since this oil is non-toxic, it has also been used in soaps, lotions, sprays, candles, cosmetic products, and more.
The Benefits of Citronella Oil
Citronella oil comes with numerous benefits. It’s most commonly used in aromatherapy and it stops the spread of bacteria and repels mosquitoes.
Another advantage of citronella oil is that it helps in easing stress and anxiety. It also helps those with insomnia sleep better.
Citronella oil is an ingredient you’ll find in some creams and lotions. It aids in treating rashes and infections and stops odor-causing bacteria.
You can also use citronella oil to clean your house. It has active ingredients that kill antifungal bacteria, thus controlling mildew and mold. It also helps in deodorizing the surrounding air in bathrooms and kitchens.
Based on a study, citronella oil may treat skin diseases like acne and eczema
What it mainly stands out for, though, is its insect-repelling properties. Back in 2011, a review proved that citronella oil can keep mosquitos away for 3 hours or a bit more. It also serves as a great relief from insect bites.
Safety Concerns to Keep in Mind
If you’re pregnant and/or breastfeeding there isn’t a clear result on whether it’s safe for you or not. To stay on the safe side don’t use it on your skin or in food. It’s safe to use as fuel though.
Here are other tips to consider:
- Keep citronella oil away from your kids as may cause poisoning if it’s ingested.
- Always test patches if you plan on using citronella oil for your skin to avoid allergies.
- Don’t consume citronella oil in large amounts.
Is It a Good Idea to Use Citronella Oil as Fuel?
Believe it or not, citronella oil is the most common insect repellent fuel used nowadays for tiki torches.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the oil is non-toxic. Thus making it safe when you’re planning on barbecuing or eating in the yard as the fumes come out.
The downside of using citronella oil as fuel though is that it doesn’t last for long. It’ll repel mosquitos somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes.
That’s because of the small quantity of citronella oil in the fuel and the fact that it’s burning. It’s best to keep refilling your tiki torch every 45 minutes to stay on the safe side.
Also, remember when you’re refiling if you accidentally spill on the outer part of the torch, wait until the oil completely evaporates. Otherwise, you’ll end up lighting the whole torch on fire.
It’s also a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher nearby.