I love scents from nature, those canned air fresher not so much. So when I came across this recipe for a natural alternative I thought I’m going to give it a try.
Natural room scents
Natural Room Scents
By Monica
Ingredients
- Citrus, sliced — lemons, oranges, limes (may use peel only, if preferred)
- Herbs — rosemary, thyme, & bay leaves
- Spices– whole cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice (optional), anise (optional); may substitute ground/powdered spices
- Ginger (fresh or powdered)
- Extracts–vanilla, almond, mint
- Pine twigs (or other fragrant twigs)
Directions
Use a pint (2 cup) jar, container, or pot to combine scent waters. Add ingredients to container, cover with water, and choose from these options:
–simmer on stove top, topping off with more water as it evaporates
–add heated mixture to a slow cooker, fondue pot, or something similar that will keep mixture heated. Preheat waters to a boil (in microwave or on stove top). As water evaporates, always top it off with HOT water to keep the temperature as high as possible. Higher heat = more fragrance.FRAGRANT COMBINATIONS:1. Orange, Cinnamon & Spice. 1 orange, 2 cinnamon sticks (or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon), 1/2 tablespoon whole cloves (or 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves), 1/2 tablespoon whole allspice (or 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice), 1 anise star (optional)2. Lemon, Rosemary & Vanilla. 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 2 lemons, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.3. Lime, Thyme, Mint & Vanilla. 3 limes, 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon mint extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla.
–simmer on stove top, topping off with more water as it evaporates
–add heated mixture to a slow cooker, fondue pot, or something similar that will keep mixture heated. Preheat waters to a boil (in microwave or on stove top). As water evaporates, always top it off with HOT water to keep the temperature as high as possible. Higher heat = more fragrance.FRAGRANT COMBINATIONS:1. Orange, Cinnamon & Spice. 1 orange, 2 cinnamon sticks (or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon), 1/2 tablespoon whole cloves (or 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves), 1/2 tablespoon whole allspice (or 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice), 1 anise star (optional)2. Lemon, Rosemary & Vanilla. 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 2 lemons, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.3. Lime, Thyme, Mint & Vanilla. 3 limes, 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon mint extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla.
4. Orange, Ginger, & Almond. 1 orange (or peel from 2 oranges), 1 4″ finger of ginger, sliced (or 1 tsp ground ginger), 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.
5. Pine, Bay Leaves, & Nutmeg. Handful of pine twigs or needles, 4 bay leaves, 1 whole nutmeg, outer layer grated into mixture.
Scented waters may be refrigerated between uses. Reuse for 2-3 days, or as long as they still have a pleasant fragrance.
I plan to give this a shot sometime soon.
See ya later, Bye!
Kim
Red Dirt Farm and Studio 
Thank you for reminding me to use what I’ve got in the yard and refrigerator for air fresheners. Sometimes we get too busy and rely on a lit candle to do the trick and miss out on so many natural God-given fragrances. Great inspiration with those combos, too. 🙂
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You are right Kim, seems we all have become so accustomed to taking the easy way out. I always say easy doesn’t make it right. xok
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Thanks for sharing, can’t wait to try these. I’m always wondering what I’m breathing in with air fresheners and scented candles. Nothing good, I’m sure.
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