Post by SAR01 on Oct 31, 2017 19:08:36 GMT -5
photos for gift giving
Fragrant items for naturally scenting your home:
citrus -- I've tried other fruits. Some of them smell good initially, but they don't hold up for more than one use. Citrus is sturdier, longer-lasting, and gives these scent recipes freshness. Lemons and oranges are particularly fragrant and have the best staying power in these scented waters.
herbs -- Any herb can be used for making a room scent, but the ones that are sturdier and on woody twigs hold up the best. My favorites for room scents are rosemary and thyme.
pine or cedar twigs/needles -- There may be other fragrant trees that will work, too; pine and cedar are the two I've tried for their appealing, fresh fragrance.
extracts -- A touch of vanilla or almond extract improves most room fragrance mixtures. Mint extract has a nice fresh scent. You can also use whole vanilla beans instead of vanilla extract; pricey but amazingly fragrant. Amazon has a good bulk price (80% less than grocery store prices).
spices -- You can use ground or whole sweet spices. The whole spices look prettier, if your scented water will be in a location where it will be seen. I have found that cinnamon sticks and whole cloves have the most scent staying power. Cinnamon sticks can be rinsed off and reused several times. They keep on giving.
General procedure: Combine the ingredients in a 2 cup (pint) jar or container, or in a pan on the stove top. Cover them with water and heat. I'll explain different heating options further down. Keep reading.
Scent #1: Oranges, cinnamon & cloves (allspice and anise are optional). This is my favorite, both for it's wonderful aroma and for it's staying power. This scent carries into multiple rooms better, and it can be reheated to scent your rooms for several days.DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Scent #2: Lemon, rosemary, & vanilla. A similar scented water is often simmering in Williams-Sonoma stores. It has a lovely freshness to it. DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Scent #3: Lime, thyme, mint & vanilla extract. This combination has such a fresh, pleasant scent. I initially made it without the mint extract, but have found that it really kicks up the aroma.DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Scent #4: Orange, ginger (fresh or powdered), and almond extract. This is a sweet, delicious scent. DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Scent # 5: Pine or cedar twigs (or other fragrant twigs), bay leaves, and nutmeg. These scents combine for a complex aroma. If you have whole nutmeg, use a microplane to grate off the outer surface--this will release the scent. Add the whole nutmeg piece along with the gratings.
view on Amazon: Microplane
DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Here's the gang of five. Aren't they beautiful? I like to make these up in pint jars and keep them on hand in the fridge so I'm ready to start a pot of simmering scents as needed. DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Make ahead and...
...store in the fridge. Uncooked jars of scented waters will keep in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks, so you can make these ahead to have on hand. I recommend adding all of the ingredients, including the water, to the jars before refrigerating them. I've tried refrigerating the fruit/spice/herb combos in jars without the water, but they don't last as long that way.
...freeze them. I've tried freezing them both with and without the water added, and both ways work fine. I haven't tested them in the freezer longer than 2 weeks, but I'm confident that they can be frozen for a month or longer. Make sure you use freezer-safe jars like these pint wide-mouth mason jars. (Not all mason jars are freezer-safe.)
How to heat the scented mixtures
I've tried a variety of methods, and all of these work to varying degrees. Some of them provide a more powerful scent than others. Just like the air fresheners you buy, none of these will scent a whole house; but I'll show you some ways to set up individual scent sources in multiple rooms. Hopefully you already have what you need to try out one or more of these options.
Stove top method. This is by far the best way I've found to get the most powerful scent that will spread to more rooms the fastest. It's easy as can be. Simply combine the ingredients in a pot on the stove, bring them to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer. They will immediately begin to scent your kitchen and spread to other rooms. How far the scent spreads depends on the size and layout of your house. A simmering pot like this makes all four rooms on our first floor smell good. The only drawback of this method is that you have to keep a close eye on the water level. If the pan dries out, you'll be smelling burned citrus instead of sweet, fragrant citrus. NOTE: For a stronger scent, simply double or triple the recipe in a larger pot on the stove.
DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Uncovered Slow Cooker Method. This is my personal favorite. I use a mini slow cooker--the kind made for keeping dips and sauces warm. Mine only has one low heat setting. The mixture never actually bubbles and visibly steams. I leave it uncovered on my kitchen counter to slowly release scent throughout the day. It's subtle, but creates a pleasant smell in my kitchen and a hint of scent in surrounding rooms. When I'm home, I keep my mini slow cooker going. It's easy and uses very little electricity. When I fill mine in the morning, it won't dry out for an entire day. If you're concerned about accidentally letting it run dry, you can put a lamp timer on it so that it automatically shuts off at the desired time. I put a scented jar mixture in the microwave for 2 minutes to get it really hot before I add it to the slow cooker. That gives it a jump start on releasing the scent. NOTE: For a stronger scent, simply double or triple the recipe in a larger, full-size slow cooker and set it on high.
view on Amazon:
♦16 oz. mini slow cooker --holds a single batch--compact & economical--removable insert for easy cleaning; this is the size I use for regularly simmering scented water in my kitchen and is a great size for gift giving, too.
♦1-1/2 qt. small slow cooker --holds double or triple batch--removable insert for easy cleaning; the larger size doesn't have to be refilled as often.
♦on-off lamp timer --for auto shut-off
Fragrant items for naturally scenting your home:
citrus -- I've tried other fruits. Some of them smell good initially, but they don't hold up for more than one use. Citrus is sturdier, longer-lasting, and gives these scent recipes freshness. Lemons and oranges are particularly fragrant and have the best staying power in these scented waters.
herbs -- Any herb can be used for making a room scent, but the ones that are sturdier and on woody twigs hold up the best. My favorites for room scents are rosemary and thyme.
pine or cedar twigs/needles -- There may be other fragrant trees that will work, too; pine and cedar are the two I've tried for their appealing, fresh fragrance.
extracts -- A touch of vanilla or almond extract improves most room fragrance mixtures. Mint extract has a nice fresh scent. You can also use whole vanilla beans instead of vanilla extract; pricey but amazingly fragrant. Amazon has a good bulk price (80% less than grocery store prices).
spices -- You can use ground or whole sweet spices. The whole spices look prettier, if your scented water will be in a location where it will be seen. I have found that cinnamon sticks and whole cloves have the most scent staying power. Cinnamon sticks can be rinsed off and reused several times. They keep on giving.
General procedure: Combine the ingredients in a 2 cup (pint) jar or container, or in a pan on the stove top. Cover them with water and heat. I'll explain different heating options further down. Keep reading.
Scent #1: Oranges, cinnamon & cloves (allspice and anise are optional). This is my favorite, both for it's wonderful aroma and for it's staying power. This scent carries into multiple rooms better, and it can be reheated to scent your rooms for several days.DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Scent #2: Lemon, rosemary, & vanilla. A similar scented water is often simmering in Williams-Sonoma stores. It has a lovely freshness to it. DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Scent #3: Lime, thyme, mint & vanilla extract. This combination has such a fresh, pleasant scent. I initially made it without the mint extract, but have found that it really kicks up the aroma.DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Scent #4: Orange, ginger (fresh or powdered), and almond extract. This is a sweet, delicious scent. DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Scent # 5: Pine or cedar twigs (or other fragrant twigs), bay leaves, and nutmeg. These scents combine for a complex aroma. If you have whole nutmeg, use a microplane to grate off the outer surface--this will release the scent. Add the whole nutmeg piece along with the gratings.
view on Amazon: Microplane
DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Here's the gang of five. Aren't they beautiful? I like to make these up in pint jars and keep them on hand in the fridge so I'm ready to start a pot of simmering scents as needed. DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Make ahead and...
...store in the fridge. Uncooked jars of scented waters will keep in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks, so you can make these ahead to have on hand. I recommend adding all of the ingredients, including the water, to the jars before refrigerating them. I've tried refrigerating the fruit/spice/herb combos in jars without the water, but they don't last as long that way.
...freeze them. I've tried freezing them both with and without the water added, and both ways work fine. I haven't tested them in the freezer longer than 2 weeks, but I'm confident that they can be frozen for a month or longer. Make sure you use freezer-safe jars like these pint wide-mouth mason jars. (Not all mason jars are freezer-safe.)
How to heat the scented mixtures
I've tried a variety of methods, and all of these work to varying degrees. Some of them provide a more powerful scent than others. Just like the air fresheners you buy, none of these will scent a whole house; but I'll show you some ways to set up individual scent sources in multiple rooms. Hopefully you already have what you need to try out one or more of these options.
Stove top method. This is by far the best way I've found to get the most powerful scent that will spread to more rooms the fastest. It's easy as can be. Simply combine the ingredients in a pot on the stove, bring them to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer. They will immediately begin to scent your kitchen and spread to other rooms. How far the scent spreads depends on the size and layout of your house. A simmering pot like this makes all four rooms on our first floor smell good. The only drawback of this method is that you have to keep a close eye on the water level. If the pan dries out, you'll be smelling burned citrus instead of sweet, fragrant citrus. NOTE: For a stronger scent, simply double or triple the recipe in a larger pot on the stove.
DIY Natural Room Scents. Add fragrance to your home using simmering waters infused with spices, herbs, & fruit. Directions at: www.theyummylife.com/Natural_Room_Scents
Uncovered Slow Cooker Method. This is my personal favorite. I use a mini slow cooker--the kind made for keeping dips and sauces warm. Mine only has one low heat setting. The mixture never actually bubbles and visibly steams. I leave it uncovered on my kitchen counter to slowly release scent throughout the day. It's subtle, but creates a pleasant smell in my kitchen and a hint of scent in surrounding rooms. When I'm home, I keep my mini slow cooker going. It's easy and uses very little electricity. When I fill mine in the morning, it won't dry out for an entire day. If you're concerned about accidentally letting it run dry, you can put a lamp timer on it so that it automatically shuts off at the desired time. I put a scented jar mixture in the microwave for 2 minutes to get it really hot before I add it to the slow cooker. That gives it a jump start on releasing the scent. NOTE: For a stronger scent, simply double or triple the recipe in a larger, full-size slow cooker and set it on high.
view on Amazon:
♦16 oz. mini slow cooker --holds a single batch--compact & economical--removable insert for easy cleaning; this is the size I use for regularly simmering scented water in my kitchen and is a great size for gift giving, too.
♦1-1/2 qt. small slow cooker --holds double or triple batch--removable insert for easy cleaning; the larger size doesn't have to be refilled as often.
♦on-off lamp timer --for auto shut-off