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Environmentally Friendly Air Fresheners Tips
Posted on Wed May 7 2008
 Boiling tricks. Boiling cinnamon sticks, lemon leaves, orange leaves, lemon rinds, orange rinds, grapefruit rinds, mints, herbs, vanilla, or cloves in water is a good way to cover up odors, help a home smell welcoming and lift your mood, as well as your guests mood. The good thing about boiling something like cinnamon sticks is that once boiled you can also drink it as tea, leaving your house with a cinnamon smells and your taste buds with the cinnamon flavor. Share some tea with your guests. If the boiled water isn’t good for tea you can use it as a facial steam to pamper your skin before your guest arrive or let the water cool down and then pour it in your garden. Homemade potpourri. Store bought potpourri is usually sprayed with synthetic perfumes and dyes that are not natural and make it smell too sweet, too strong or repugnant. Natural homemade potpourri smells better, is healthier and more environmentally friendly. There are various way to make potpourri with a variety of ingredients. For example, you can have a citrus smelling potpourri or a rose smelling potpourri. One semi-quick way to make potpourri is to grab older fruit from your fridge, slice the fruit up into slices place them on a cookie sheet. Place them in the oven set at about 170 degrees F for a few hours while you clean up the place. Turn the slices over about every hour. When dried, place the dried fruit in a jar. You can add dried flowers, pinecones, cinnamon sticks or cloves to the batch and then sprinkle with essential oils of your choice. Close the jar and then open it when guest arrive. Sprays. You can make your own air freshener sprays with natural household items. Good ingredients to use are ingredients you cook with: cinnamon sticks, vanilla extract, ginger, almond extract, vegetable oil, citrus etc. Use your imagination. There are a variety of recipes to try too. Place your mixture(s) in spray bottles. Label it well and then use whenever you need or want to. A simple mixture for examples is a mixture of water, lemon, an herb and vinegar. Note: Using citrus juice on fabrics is not usually recommended. Use around the kitchen and bathroom instead. Herbs. Hang herbs to dry. Fresh herbs taste wonderful and smell wonderful. Hang them to dry for scent and then use the dried herbs in your cooking. Boiling herbs, growing herbs and cooking with herbs makes your home smell good too. Oils and extracts. Dab essential oils or vanilla extract onto a cotton ball and then place them around your home such, in the bathroom in a small basket, in a vase of flowers, hung around the house in elegant sachet made from recycled fabric, etc. Other quick tips to try. Light eco-friendly candles. Set out dishes with vinegar and set them out over night. Set out a tiny clay pots, fill with essential oils and place them where the smell lingers. You see, there really is no reason to buy air fresheners that are bad for the environment and for your family’s health. You will save money too. If you have any tips of your own feel free to share them with us and leave them in the comments section below. CommentsLet us know what you think! |
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Opening windows for some fresh air is at the top of my list. I noticed a lot of people in newer homes don't do that too often for some reason. And that's where it would be beneficial the most since so much of the new furnishings and carpet are out-gassing.
Another idea is to put some ground clove in a dish and leave it out.
Another advantage over commercial air fresheners is that natural potpourri looks as nice as they smell. A large clear glass jar or vase can show off your cinnamon sticks,dried fruit, star anise, or whatever combination you like. Guests will probably spent dollars galore at some boutique for your pretty potpourri.