If you want to improve the “freshness factor” of your home’s aroma, and do it with health in mind, eliminate the store-bought, chemical-loaded commercial air fresheners and go for “natural.” Chances are you’ll have most, if not all the ingredients right in your kitchen!
Simmer your Way to Freshness:
Fill a small simmering potpourri crock (find at a garage sales or thrift stores) half-full with water. Next add a few cloves, a couple dashes of cinnamon, and a dabble of extract (vanilla, orange, etc). Citrus peels are another great ingredient.
Plug in the crock and you have a warm comfortable smell wafting throughout your home that isn't overly pungent or chemical-laden, like some of those expensive wall-outlet units. (Be careful to watch the water level, as the heat causes evaporation. You don't want this to run dry.)
If you don't have a potpourri crock, any crockpot works. You may also simmer homemade scents in a small saucepan on the stove (but again, watch the water level).
An Inexpensive Recipe Using Ingredients You Probably Have on Hand:
4 cinnamon sticks broken into pieces
1 tsp. imitation vanilla
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger or 1 medium piece of crystallized ginger
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil (helps with binding the scents and rapid water absorption)
Mix together and enjoy.
Another Idea Called “Easy as Apple Pie”:
Simmer a sliced apple and a couple of cinnamon sticks in some water on your stove. The whole house will smell like apple pie.
“Out, Out Bad Smell!”:
To quickly get rid of odors (especially fish), simply heat some white vinegar on the stove (DON'T boil!), and after about 30 minutes, remove it. The slight vinegar smell dissipates quickly and takes any odors with it.
MORE Toxin-less Air Fresheners:
Scented rocks make a great air freshener. Mix 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup flour in a bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon of a favorite essential oil and 2/3 cup boiling water and a few drops of a food coloring to create a desired shade. Blend all ingredients, form into balls, let dry. Display in an open bowl and breathe!
Mix 1/4 cup baking soda with water in a spray bottle. Shake well and spray. The baking soda absorbs the odor. You can also add a little scent if you want. (Try vanilla extract.)
Spray undiluted white vinegar in the air. The smell evaporates quickl, taking odors with it. OR, place a bowl of vinegar on the counter and let it sit for a few hours. OR, dampen a towel with vinegar and wave it through the air. OR, pour a little white vinegar on an old washrag and wipe the walls down lightly with it. As soon as it's dry, the place smells clean and "sweet.”
Save any citrus peels and spices that are too old to use. Boil them in a pot with a little hot water. They make the house smell lovely for next to nothing. (You can grind up cinnamon sticks for cinnamon and save the bits that are too big for your spice bottle for use in the simmer pot.)
If you burn scented candles, save any wax bits left over and add them to a wax potpourri burner. If you mix scented and unscented, they will last longer.
You can put fancy soaps in your drawers to freshen your clothes. You can also do this with the scented perfume ads from magazines.
Open a window, as air inside is usually more polluted than air outside.
Bake. It makes the house smell good and you get something to eat as well.
Put essential oils in a light bulb ring. You could also add them to a vaporizer.
Dilute your essential oils (or old perfumes) in a spray bottle, put on the finest setting, and mist your rooms with it. This also works on sheets, pillowcases, and towels.
For the bathroom, dampen a cotton swab with your favorite perfume or cologne and swab the inside of a toilet paper roll. Each time the toilet paper is rolled, a fresh scent will fill the room.
Another way to purify the air is to dampen a cotton ball with pure vanilla extract, place in a dish and set in odorous area of the house.
Your OWN Gel Air Freshener
2 cups Concentrated Potpourri Liquid
4 envelops Knox gelatin
1 tablespoon salt (to deter molding)
Heat 1 cup potpourri until almost boiling. Remove from heat. Add 4 envelopes Knox Gelatin and 1 tablespoon salt. Stir until dissolved. Add remaining 1 cup potpourri. Pour into clean jars and allow to set. If in a hurry, lightly cover and refrigerate them to speed the process. Add food coloring if desired.
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