The Best Natural Ways To Fragrance Your Home
To have it feel like spring is on its way, we need great smelling aromas that entice our senses and leave us feeling like we've taken an aromatherapy vacation. But did you know that there's no need to rely on candles, diffusers, and commercial fragrance sprays to bring about beautiful smells? There are tons of easily accessible fragrance items you may already have in your home or can purchase for a quick DIY smell-good environment. Commercial scents can be delightful, but they are also potential allergens.
According to Force of Nature, allergies and asthma are just a few toxic issues related to commercial fragrances. They often contain phthalates. These chemicals allow a scent to last for hours rather than minutes. However, phthalates come with alarming health risks, such as human reproductive and developmental toxicity, birth defects, cancer, and respiratory issues. All this being said, it certainly elevates the benefits of making your own natural fragranced aromas. Let's dive into a scented world the natural way.
Lavender is always an aroma we love
Let's start with an oldie but a goody. That would be lavender. The benefits of smelling lavender are multifaceted. According to Food52, lavender is also fantastic for sore muscles and backaches. It reports that larger sachets can be microwaved for around one minute and will come out as a smell-good heating pad for your backache. During summer, the sachets can be frozen and used on the back of the neck to ease the burden of hot temperatures. Plus, the cool sachets help soothe strained muscles. Ah, a win-win!
How to make it work in your home? Consider placing 2 parts dried lavender in a breathable sachet along with 1 part rice. The rice adds some weight to the case. Then get out some ribbon and make a bow! You're ready for spring, and may just have some party favors left over to boot! Lavender sachets are perfect for drawers that, uh, need some smell-good attention.
A sweet stove top potpourri makes it home-sweet-home
Thankfully, the stove is an ideal spot for a yummy potpourri made of edible ingredients that will simmer all day, creating a lovely scent throughout the home. Here are a few methods that should have your house guests saying, "what is that incredible smell?!" Start with rosemary, lemons, and vanilla extract. Gathering Dreams reports all you have to do is put the ingredients into the pot with water and allow to simmer. Even better? You can let the ingredients in the pot sit for a few days. This is an amazing way to fragrance a party or simply enjoy a family get-together for dinner.
There's also the delightful scent that comes from combining cinnamon, thyme, lemon, and mint in a stovetop potpourri. You'll need two lemons, a bunch of fresh thyme, fresh mint, and two cinnamon sticks. Put all the ingredients into a pot and let them simmer. It should last a few days and will smell delicious. How's that for "what's cooking?"
Release essential oils in toilet paper rolls
Have you ever wondered how to use your essential oils effectively? Get ready, there are many smell-good opportunities just waiting inside your home. Let's head to the bathroom. What to do with those toilet paper rolls just sitting there waiting to be used? Make them smell good, of course! Bustle reports that all you need to do is lightly pop each end of a Q-tip in essential oil and then stick it inside the toilet paper roll. And don't be afraid to use more than one Q-tip! After all, essential oils are natural deodorizers.
The importance of smell-good environments can't be emphasized enough. In fact, the National Center for Biotechnology Information reports that pleasant odors have therapeutic effects on people. But we all knew that already, didn't we? Indeed, there's a reason we walk into a room and sigh when it smells good. There's something in us that is drawn to the sensational qualities of aromatherapy.
Get out the vodka for this linen spray. Yes, the vodka
Who doesn't love a linen spray? Whether it be on your clothing, sheets, towels, or the fabric of your sofa, something about it smells heavenly. And it turns out that essential oils will be coming in handy again. But this time we have to grab the vodka and mix them together. No, not for a cocktail, but for a linen spray. According to Better Homes and Gardens, pour 1 tablespoon of vodka into a reusable spray bottle. Add 35 drops of essential oil and fill the bottle with distilled water. A delicious combo for sure!
As discussed, there are many benefits of aromatherapy. Smell-good scents calm people down and reduce stress. In fact, according to a controlled study published in the National Library of Medicine, kids who were exposed to aromatherapy had less stress than those who received a placebo. Now, if we could only use aromatherapy to control getting that homework done!
Use scented reed diffusers with baby oil
Baby oil is another household staple that can be turned into a lovely smelling item when combined with the right ingredients. Plus, the oil may just moisturize your hands in the process. In this case, the delightful result of essential oils and rattan diffuser sticks will be a cool new fragranced reed diffuser. The steps are simple, according to Better Homes and Gardens. Just take out your favorite essential oil scent and add 1 teaspoon of it into a glass container. Then use baby oil to fill up the rest. Place the rattan diffuser sticks inside the mix and carefully stir. After, you can place the container on a table to fragrance the room, and — voila — you've got an original reed diffuser whipped up with just a few things.
And in the meantime, you can always use the baby oil on your skin, as it's reputed for its skin healing properties. According to Healthline, the popular product can assist with moisturizing skin as well as smoothing and plumping it by sealing in moisture. And as we all know, it's as useful for adults as for babies!
Eliminate musty smells with activated charcoal
Activated charcoal is a miracle eliminator of bad odors. It's also another great way to fragrance your home. To give the charcoal a scent boost, all you need to do is add some essential oils to activated charcoal packets. You can place them in stinky spots, such as the never-aired-out trunk in your closet or the kids' never-cleaned play areas. According to Yardbarker, to make these scented packets, all you need to do is add a few drops of essential oils to the packages. Or you can buy charcoal bags that have fragrant herbs such as lavender already inside the bags.
Activated charcoal is in itself quite interesting. It's traditionally been known as a poison treatment, but it has many uses. So what is it exactly? According to WebMD, charcoal becomes "activated charcoal" when an activating agent or gas is mixed with high temperatures to expand its surface area. It's a great item to have stocked in the pantry.
Adios stinky garbage cans!
Nothing is worse than the pesky smell of old garbage. Keep it at bay with a simple smell-good remedy. Taste of Home recommends adding five to 15 drops of essential oil onto a cotton ball and putting it in your trash can before putting in a new garbage bag. The result is a fresh-smelling kitchen that has no hint of pungent odors. And isn't that what we all want at the end of the day?
The cotton ball trick works in other places such as drawers or cupboards too. But keep in mind the oils may "leak" a little bit, so try placing them on top of something you don't mind putting at the bottom of your bin, such as thick cardboard. The oils stick to the cotton and make it a foolproof way to keep a mellow yet attractive aroma permeating in the air. Change the cotton balls every time you take out the trash to keep the scent lingering.
DIY pomander balls for a citrus boost
Remember being a child and sticking cloves into an orange during the holidays? It turns out this wasn't only child's play! These are called pomander balls. And according to Taste of Home, they're a handy way to create a pleasant aroma inside the home. All you have to do is pierce the citrus fruits with some cloves, then roll them in a spice such as cinnamon or ground nutmeg (or both.)
Of course, citrus fruits are loaded with vitamin C and lend their own sweet-smelling aromas when freshly cut as well. Plus, cloves have their own benefits too! This is one aromatherapy choice that includes healthy ingredients in addition to great smells. Netmeds reports that cloves have been used medicinally for years. They were traditionally used for digestive issues, tooth decay, and bad breath. Cloves for tooth decay? Who knew? We were just looking for something to smell good!
Create a rose potpourri
Indeed, we cannot forget the benefits of roses. They are as beautiful as they are fragrant. We've got the perfect potpourri recipe for you made of these fine flowers. Here's a list of ingredients from Gardening Dream: a dozen roses, five to 10 rosebuds, a handful of cinnamon bark, a handful of lavender stalks or 1 teaspoon of dried buds, 1 teaspoon of cloves, orange or lemon peel, and, if desired, rose essential oil. Now, for the preparation to dry the roses.
Keeping the buds intact, pull the petals from the roses. Then take sizable trays to be covered with cardboard or paper (don't use aluminum foil or waxed parchment paper.) Next, get out two trays. On the first tray, arrange the rose petals. On the second tray, place the fruit peel and buds. Place the trays in a dry and dark spot for two to three days.
Now, you'll move the rose petals, buds, cinnamon, lavender (if being used), orange peel, and cloves into a generous-sized bowl. Stir them all together carefully and add a few dashes of rose essential oil at this time if you like. Finally, you've got your potpourri! Feel free to add it into mesh bags and hang it outside doors or in the closet. These are perfect for gifts as well!
Use pine cones with essential oils
Ah, just the aroma of fresh pine cones is enough to take us right into the crisp mountains where pine trees dot the hills. Do you know that wintery smell? It can be transferred into your home as well. Bustle reports that adding essential oils such as cinnamon to pine cones will create a great aroma. They only need 1 or 2 drops per cone. An added benefit? The pine cones themselves are coveted for their essential oil scent. According to Organic Facts, the pine cone, pine needles, resin, and bark have medicinal properties. For example, the innermost bark can be dried and consumed. In fact, it's regarded as having valuable nutrients.
Cinnamon essential oil is also popular for its aromatic soothing capabilities and medicinal benefits. Indeed, according to Wendy Polisi, cinnamon essential oil can help with digestive issues and even reduce flu and cold symptoms. It also can support symptoms of diabetes and create a healthy inflammation response. Thank you pine cones and cinnamon!
Deodorize with baking soda
Listen folks, baking soda is an incredible thing. It helps deodorize, disinfect and clean like nobody's business. And when it comes to carpets, it is a fantastic option for lifting stains. Many people are tossing out the harsh chemicals found in many cleaning agents and opting for great alternatives such as baking soda. Artsy Chicks Rule reports that you can easily add essential oils to the baking soda to make it a smell-good sifter. Just add 20 to 30 drops of undiluted essential oil to 1 cup of baking soda and mix it well. Then store it in a sifter shaker bottle. Voila! A deodorizer for your carpets that should keep them smelling sharp for a substantial period of time.
Now, a word about baking soda, according to Live Science. It offers an effective yet gentle abrasive to get things sparkling clean without leaving marks behind. And as a base, baking soda will get rid of sticky residue, grease, and of course, dirt.
Easy peasy gel air fresheners
Okay, this makes for a cute decorative item in the home too! According to Bustle, all we need to create a gel air freshener is 2 cups of water, salt, packets of gelatin, essential oil, and a mason jar. Off we go! For every 2 cups of water, mix 10 drops of essential oil and then combine in a bowl with packets of gelatin and salt. Once the mixture dissolves, put it in a mason jar and wait for it to harden. Easy!
If you want it to be even more attractive, add some food flavoring for color. You can even consider adding some flower petals. It turns out that gelatin is another fascinating item with a lot of history. According to What's Cooking America, gelatin originates from a protein produced from collagen that comes from boiling animal bones. Yes! Who knew? The French were the first to use gelatin while cooking.
Coffee 'wakes up' the house with a delicious aroma
Oh yes, the smell of coffee first thing in the morning. Need we say more? There's just nothing like it. The aroma fills up the kitchen and often wafts throughout the home. It is simply a delight. It doesn't matter if it's a latte or a strong sip of espresso; it does the aromatic trick time and again. So, we wondered, can we fragrance our home to smell like the morning java? The answer is a caffeinated yes! There's not too much to do. According to Get Green Be Well, you're going to need either 2/3 cup of leftover coffee grinds, fresh ground coffee, or whole coffee beans. Then you'll need 2 to 3 cinnamon sticks, 6 cups of filtered water, and 2 tablespoons of molasses.
Next, you'll need to prepare the smell-good treat. Fill a pot with water, combine the ingredients, and bring the pot to a simmer. Leave it simmering on the stove for about two hours, checking periodically if there is enough water to cover all ingredients. When it's done simmering, pour out the water, and inhale. You have your natural fragrance.
That incredible spa smell? Yes, you can replicate it
Alright, we all know that incredible spa smell. The kind that welcomes you the moment you enter the sanctuary of a spa. The entrance evokes a sigh and seemingly envelops you. This is normally when you start wondering if you should have booked a longer treatment. There's a reason we feel "called" back to the spa besides the benefits of a facial or massage. When a sweet aroma wafts in each spa room, we feel cozy inside and instantly relaxed.
So how can we duplicate it in our own homes? The answer is found in those amazing essential oils. In fact, Unexpectedly Domestic reports that most spas use a combo of eucalyptus and lavender in an essential oil diffuser to obtain that "spa smell." So how to replicate it? The blog recommends 2 drops of peppermint, 5 drops of eucalyptus, 3 drops of orange, and 5 drops of lavender into an oil diffuser to capture the ambiance of the spa.