Friday, 4 April 2014

1000 Flowers for the Planet - # 166 Use Natural Air Fresheners

1000 Flowers for the Planet - # 166 Use Natural Air Fresheners


One way to fill your home with a beautiful odour is to boil some natural ingredients from the pantry. Things such as cinnamon sticks, lemon leaves or rinds, orange leaves or rinds, grapefruit rinds, mint, herbs, vanilla pods or cloves can be added to a pot of water and boiled for several hours. Try a mix of a few things and have fun experimenting. Homemade potpourri is another lovely, natural way to make the house smell pleasant, but ensure you don’t buy commercial potpourri as it contains synthetic perfumes, which would defeat our purpose. Make your own with dried citrus or dried rose petals with a touch of essential oil (which you’ve also ensured is the real deal) and put it in pretty bowls at various points around your home. Check the internet for plenty of recipes for making potpourri at home.
One special area that often requires attention is the loo, and this is where a spray is most useful. Make your own using the aforementioned boiling technique and your favourite smells and keep handy in a spray bottle that is well-labelled.
If you love growing herbs, try hanging them to dry and their presence will fill your home with their pleasant aroma – then you can cook with them too.
Oils and extracts – that are the real deal – can be dabbed onto a cotton ball and placed around the home. Try some in a small basket in the bathroom, a vase in the kitchen or lounge room, or hang them in pretty organza bags.
There are many different ideas on the internet – all you need to do is take the time to find a recipe that suits you and your needs. Be careful about essential oils and ensure they are 100% natural, because the aim is to keep chemicals, and therefore toxins, out of your environment. It will be better for the planet and save you some money too.

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