Thursday’s tip: Natural air fresheners

By mudlark • March 8th, 2007

I love having a pleasant-smelling home, but I’m appalled at how air fresheners work. They use fake scents to trick your nose, and they actually have chemicals that attack your olfactory sense and render it useless for a period of time. It’s pretty awful when you think about it. It’s like nasal fraud… So what to do? With a few things in your kitchen, you can create your own natural scents at home.

Have a small crock pot? If not, a small pot on the stove on the lowest setting would work fine too. Place lemon wedges, orange slices (peel on), a few apple slices, and a couple cloves and a cinnamon stick in it. As it warms up you’ll get a nice homey scent that resonates throughout the home. If this is too holiday-ish for you (orange and cloves are often associated with Christmas), you can just use a few mint leaves with water. Or combine any combination of the above – alter it based on what you have on hand. Add some variation with lime wedges, or even a couple of herbal tea bags!