DIY Natural Room Scents
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.
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.
Cost saving tips
You can save, use and reuse a number of fragrant ingredients. These scents don't need to be expensive.
Leftover ginger -- If you ever cook with fresh ginger and end up with leftover pieces , this is a way to use them up...
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.
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.
Cost saving tips
You can save, use and reuse a number of fragrant ingredients. These scents don't need to be expensive.
Leftover ginger -- If you ever cook with fresh ginger and end up with leftover pieces , this is a way to use them up...
