Sol-U-Mel, The Multipurpose Marvel

(Please read our disclaimer)

Ever had permanent ink or marker on your favorite shirt? Or on your walls? Furniture? And the solution was to either throw the shirt away or use bleach if the shirt was white, or scrub the walls and furniture with alcohol or a dry erase marker or WD-40 or toothpaste mixed with baking soda, which then left a wall to repaint, more of a mess, and the mark was still there? Having a box full of products to “try” when life gets messy isn’t a good solution and can make it more frustrating.

Sol-U-Mel makes cleaning easier. Indeed, The Melaleuca Wellness Guide lists over 120 uses for Sol-U-Mel. It does not contain caustic chemicals or produce toxic fumes, but instead contains the highest concentration of tea tree oil (Melaleuca oil) in any cleaner available. Normally oil and water do not mix, but this amazing formula is water soluble, hence the "Sol-U" in Sol-U-Mel. It retains the properties that make tea tree oil so powerful: antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal. It also has solvent properties that help penetrate and dissolve stains and dirt.

With the holidays coming, carpet cleaning tends to be on the list of things to do, and Sol-U-Mel can help with spot cleaning or full-house carpet cleaning. In preparation for carpet cleaning, first use full-strength Sol-U-Mel to remove oil-based stains like chocolate, paint, grease, permanent markers, food stains, and gum. Pet stains should also be pre-treated with Sol-U-Mel. If a pet can smell his scent he will return to the same area. Sol-U-Mel penetrates and dissolves the pet stain so that the pet no longer needs to visit that area.

Carpets can be cleaned by mixing 1 ounce of Tough & Tender and 1 capful of Sol-U-Mel for each gallon of water in your cleaning machine reservoir. Check the color fastness of your carpet before using any cleaning product.

Holidays also mean extra washing, as Grandma’s tablecloth is taken out to use and other holiday linens are added to the table. Add 1 capful of Sol-U-Mel to your normal wash load when washing clothes that have mildew or any other type of odor. It is very effective. Some even recommend adding Sol-U-Mel to every load for additional germ protection.

From "Abscesses" to "Zona," Sol-U-Mel can make your life messes a little easier. Be sure to check out the Product Index in The Melaleuca Wellness Guide and look up all the uses for Sol-U-Mel. Here's a list of uses with page numbers:

Abscesses 87
Acne 89
Air Freshener 201
Air Purification 91
Allergic Reactions 91
Anal Fissures 93
Antiseptic 93
Ant Killer 201
Appliances 201
Asthma 96
Athlete’s Foot 98
Automobiles 202
Baby Wipes 202
Ballpoint Pen 202
Bathing 101
Bathroom – Floor 203
Bathroom – Hard Water Spots 203
Bathroom – Odors 203
Bathroom – Shower Curtain 203
Bathroom – Shower Stall 204
Bathroom – Sink 204
Bathroom – Under the Counter 204
Bathroom – Wipes 204
Bed Sores 102
Bladder Infections 104
Blinds 205
Blood Stains – Clothing 205
Boats 205
Boils 106
Broiler 206
Bronchitis 107
Bunions 108
Carpet Cleaner – Machine Mix 206
Carpet – Deodorization 207
Carpet – Spots 207
Carpet – Vacuuming 207
Cat Bites & Scratches 114
Ceilings 207
Chewing Gum 207
Chicken Pox 117
Chiggers 117
Chocolate Stains – Clothing 208
Clay Flower Pots 208
Cleaning Booster 208
Coral Cuts 123
Corns 123
Coughs 124
Crayon 209
Cuts 126
Dermatitis 129
Desks 209
Diabetic Foot Ulcerations 131
Diaper Rash 132
Diapers 209
Disinfectants 133
Driveways 210
Dust Mites 210
Emphysema 139
Fingernail Polish 211
Fire Ants 211
Floors – Scuffmarks 212
Freezer 212
Furniture – Outdoor 213
Gangrene 145
Garage Floor 213
Garbage Cans 213
Gout 147
Grease – Clothing 214
Gum 214
Hay Fever 149
Hemorrhoids 151
Hives 152
Hoarseness 153
Humidifier 215
Impetigo 155
Influenza 156
Ingrown Toenails 157
Ink Stains – Clothing & Surfaces 215
Insect Bites 157
Insect Repellent 158, 215
Jock Itch 159
Kitchen – All Purpose Cleaner 216
Kitchen – Countertops 216
Kitchen – Dishwasher 216
Kitchen – Odors 216
Kitchen – Oven 217
Kitchen – Stove 217
Labels 217
Laundry 217
Lawn Furniture 218
Lice 161
Lipstick – Clothing 219
Magic Marker 219
Measles 165
Microwave 219
Mold & Mildew 219
Mononucleosis 166
Mosquito Spray 168, 219
Nasal Congestion 170
Odors 220
Paint 220
Paronychia 178
Pet Stains 220
Piano Keys 221
Rashes 183
Refrigerator 221
Ringworm 185
Rubella 186
Scabies 187
Seborrhea 188
Shingles 189
Sinus Congestion 189
Sneezing 192
Sore Throat 193
Tar 223
Toys 223
Vaginitis 197
Walls 223
Warts 199
Wood Furniture 224
Yeast Infections 200
Zona 200

~ Richard M Barry

Sol-U-Mel Success Stories

Sol-U-Mel is my "go to" product. I don't know what I will do without it. Here are some of my uses. 1) Put 1 capful in laundry loads to remove stinky perspiration smells from socks, towels and clothes. 2) Spray my tennis shoes and gym bags and rubbish cans with Sol-U-Mel to remove smells. 3) Mop my ceramic floors with Sol-U-Mel solution (pour 1 capful in half a bucket of water). 4) Clean the cat litter box with Sol-U-Mel, and especially good in cleaning the floor in case of accidents. Removes the cat urine smell! 5) Great in cleaning and removing smells from baby accidents too. 6) Spray Sol-U-Mel on carpet before vacuuming. Helps to remove musty smells. 7) Useful soil/stain remover on clothes, carpets and upholstery. 8) Phenomenal in killing dust mites...spray in air when cleaning house, spray on mattresses and pillows. 9) Kills insects safely without using any nasty pesticides...even the huge roaches and moths in Hawaii. 10) Spray Sol-U-Mel on door sills to repel insects from entering the house. 11) Wipe down lanai furniture with Sol-U-Mel solution. 12) Spray a diluted solution of Solumel on my legs when I have mosquito bites help to quell the itching. I could go on and on. We call Sol-U-Mel our liquid gold. Thank you, Melaleuca, for a phenomenal product that is safe to use in the home!

~ Sally

Our plum tree was infested with tiny worms that came out in early spring. By midsummer the leaves would be dying. I tried conventional sprays (toxic) and nothing was working. Finally, one spring I mixed Sol-U-Mel into a garden sprayer, 1-2 TBSP per 5 gallon water. I sprayed the entire tree to the top daily for a week, then every other day for a week, then twice weekly, and finally weekly for the rest of the summer. No more bugs for the remaining years we lived there, and several great plum harvests!!

~ Karen

Sol-U-Mel is probably the most famous and multi-purpose of all the Melaleuca cleaning products. When diluted, we often use it as a deodorizer for urine or dog smells, stinky winter boots or for running shoes and knee pads after volleyball (or any other sports equipment). Do you ever get annoyed by price labels that leave a sticky mess? I used to. Now, pure Sol-U-Mel takes that away. Marks on the wall (not all that rare with kids), permanent marker, and scuff marks in the cupboards from pots, laundry booster (mix with MelaMagic for yellow collars or sweat marks), insect repellent, etc. – it's always nearby. A friend of mine has used it to remove tar from her car. It truly is LIQUID GOLD!! I often envision myself cleaning church pews or other public areas that could use a little Sol-U-Mel. You really do need to check The Melaleuca Wellness Guide for more ideas. It is often a solution to many problems.

~ Annette

I started using Melaleuca less than a year ago. I have two boys who play hockey. In the past using store bought laundry detergent I would have to wash their stuff at least 5 times to have only some of the hockey stink come out. I went to get their stuff out of their bags to clean it one day and literally thought I was going to get sick from the stench that came out of the bag (if any of you are hockey parents you know what I am talking about). I put it in the washing machine (trying not to breathe) put the MelaPower and Sol-U-Mel (1 capful) in. When the wash cycle was done I went to check and smell it. To my total amazement there was no hockey smell. Seriously! I actually took a piece out and made the boys and my husband smell it. They were shocked that it only took 1 wash cycle and ALL the hockey stink was gone. I then sprayed out the bags with the Sol-U-Mel and all the smell disappeared. I cannot live without the Sol-U-Mel. It is AMAZING!!!!

~ Marla

I love Sol-U-Mel and its many uses. I use it in the laundry and as a deodorizer but I have to say it is the best for carpet cleaning. My husband worked as a meat cutter and would come home and walk into the spare bedroom with his work shoes, and the traffic area became so black and dirty. I had tried other cleaners before Melaleuca but it never got the traffic area clean. I mixed up the solution out of the RM Barry Melaleuca Wellness Guide for carpet machines. Mix 1 ounce of Tough & Tender and 1 capful of Sol-U-Mel in 1 gallon of water. It worked like a charm. My carpet looked like new, and I didn't have to replace the carpet. Win-Win.

~ Renee

I was so excited to share my story when I saw Sol-U-Mel as the topic for favorite uses. I can't talk about this product enough. Ask my friends, LOL. Our house was on the market for sale and one Sunday the realtor called for a very short notice showing. I had not cleaned well all week so needless to say, I went into panic, crazy mode. I hid things in all the right places but you just can't hide dirt. I was in the kitchen and grabbed the first Melaleuca cleaning bottle I could find. It was Sol-U-Mel. I had a commercial stove and stainless hood that was covered in grease and dust. I sprayed the Sol-U-Mel and wiped. To my amazement, my hood looked like new (it was 18 years old). Seriously NEW! It was so shiny you could see the scratches (not in a bad way). After seeing how well that worked I tried it on the faucet in the kitchen, perfect! Then to the bathroom, It left the faucets gorgeous, sparkling, and brand new. This is my go-to product when I want to demo to someone new just how amazing Melaleuca products are. This is an absolute must for every household. Try it; you'll be amazed at the incredible results. It has lots of other uses too, of course. It is great on the carpet when my old dog has accidents. Gets rid of odors, stains (even old ones), safe on carpet (always test first but I have used it on colored carpets without any problem). It's awesome, awesome, awesome!!!!!

~ Ellen

Oh my gosh! If in doubt...USE SOL-U-MEL...I have taken it to a friend to get rid of ants and it worked. I use it as my go-to carpet cleaner. I used it to chase away the mosquitoes at the lake. Not to mention the bottle I have by the cat's litter box. It is a life saver to cut the odor down dramatically.

Also The Melaleuca Wellness Guide was a miracle for my friend when she had burned her hand on a 425 degree pan...your burn solution saved her weeks of healing time. She has lupus and anything severe takes so long to heal. Your solution was great!

~ Arnette

My favorite Sol-U-Mel story: My youngest son spilled red finger nail polish on the carpeting of the floor of our relatively new vehicle. We were camping for an extended weekend in the hot summer heat. I just kept it covered with shoes, sweatshirt, etc, so that my husband would not see it! When we arrived home the next day I took Sol-U-Mel and a damp cloth and went to work to see if I could remove or even lighten the stain! To my surprise and extreme happiness, the Sol-U-Mel completely removed the dried-on finger nail polish! Thank you Melaleuca!

~ Mickey

Sol-U-Mel. Oh my gosh! So many uses for this wonderful product! We have allergies in our family, especially allergies to dust mites! We dilute the Sol-U-Mel and spray our mattresses and pillows weekly to kill dust mites, and it certainly alleviates our allergies! We also use Sol-U-Mel to clean our kitty litter box, and what a great odor-eliminator and cleaner! A friend also shared how the Sol-U-Mel cleaned her car and removed the odor when her daughter had a bathroom accident in the car, and nothing else she tried from the grocery store had worked. To kill those huge roaches that we have in Hawaii, spray them with Sol-U-Mel and it kills them in a "non-toxic" way. My son also uses the diluted Sol-U-Mel to clean his bowling ball. Whenever I travel, I take a small bottle of Sol-U-Mel with me, and spray the hotel beds and carpets, just as a preventative in case of bed bugs. I can go on and on about this wonderful product, Sol-U-Mel!

~ Sally

I recently started using Melaleuca products since quality and health are a priority when it comes to my animals and my children. I have been in the kennel business and a hobby breeder of Champion English Springer Spaniels for more than 25 years. We know how important cleaning products and diet are to the health of our pets. I fell in love with Sol-U-Mel for cleaning up around the puppies. No worries about chemicals. Sol-U-Mel smells great and works great at cleaning and disinfecting. I even take a mixed spray bottle with me when traveling with the pups to spray down any new areas we visit. I am daily loving Melaleuca products.

~ Sue

I can't believe I'm telling you this: our seventh child was born in our car on the way to the midwife. It was 4am when we returned home - exhausted but delighted with our newest bundle. We slept all morning and late the following afternoon my husband went outside to survey the damage done to the vehicle. He came back in and said "It's awful - we HAVE to get it detailed." I didn't know which was worse - paying for the professional detailing or having to explain to the guys WHY there was blood etc. all over the inside of the car. 45 minutes later my husband came in the house with the Sol-U-Mel bottle and said "everything's fine. Sol-U-Mel took care of it." Wow - really? No paying for professional detailing, no weird explanations to a stranger - just a powerful, POWERFUL amazing natural cleaner.

~ Kim

Sol-U-Mel. I was getting frustrated at removing some very old vinyl wall border from my son's room. The top layer peeled off easily leaving the hard to remove paper backing. I watched all these videos online about scoring the wall and spraying harsh chemicals. I was about to rent a steamer, then I remembered my Sol-U-Mel! No scoring required. I just sprayed it on to soak the paper. Left for a few seconds, and then with the aid of a plastic putty knife, it came off easily and left a very clean wall. I even diluted my previously diluted Sol-U-Mel by half again and it still worked. Now I have to clean the rest of the wall to match!

~ Yolanda

I am a relatively new customer to Melaleuca and was introduced to the products by a family member. I love everything, but one of my favorite items is Sol-U-Mel. My home is partial brick and partial wood, and every summer I have a problem with Carpenter Bees drilling holes in the wood section of my home. I was told that you can use Sol-U-Mel for bug bites, fire ants, etc, etc. so I decided to see if it would work on those rotten Carpenter Bees! Low and behold it did! I sprayed the water diluted Sol-U-Mel into the holes that they were creating in the side of my house and they sure didn't like it! That was a month ago, and I have periodically done it several more times...THEY ARE GONE, never to return I hope! If they do, I will be using my trusty weapon SOL-U-MEL on them. The best part is that I didn't need to use the horrible chemicals to get rid of them that are typically used and so hazardous to our health! Thank you Melaleuca and thank you Sol-U-Mel!

~ Barbara

I compost and keep a container in my kitchen for vegetable scraps. I have had to quit before because of the little fruit flies that come out every time you open the container to put more in. I got the idea to soak a paper towel in Sol-U-Mel and clip it to the lid. This has worked wonders. I'm not sure why it works but it does. No more fruit flies. I change out the paper towel when I empty the container or it begins to dry.

~ Ginny