Make Your Own Home Scents from Your Pantry
Home scents are typically seasonal; certain fragrances such as variations of cinnamon spice are harder to find in the summer and spring than in the fall and winter, unless you have the luxury of having a shop that sells specialty candles and scent oils close to home. The ingredients that create these scents are, however, sold at your local supermarket year round.
Apple cinnamon spice is easier than most people think to create in your own kitchen any day of the year. All you need are two granny smith apples, and cinnamon. Cut the two apples in half and put into a baking dish. Cover the apple halves with cinnamon and bake in the oven at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes. The scent of cinnamon apple will fill your home as the apples bake. As long as there are no smokers or pet smells to take away from the scent, it will last a long time.
Cinnamon sticks simmering in a little water on top of your stove will also give you a continued release of cinnamon throughout your house. Depending on how strong you like the scent to be, simmer two to four cinnamon sticks in a sauce pan of about two cups of water to achieve a desired aroma. Cinnamon sticks can compliment other aromas too, such as vanilla. The same can be done for just about any spice in your cabinet you love the scent of allspice cookies, that aroma can be made just by adding vanilla extract and allspice into the water instead of cinnamon sticks. Experimenting with various ingredients will allow you to create scents without the expense of costly candles and specialty blended potpourri.
If you have a floral garden with rose bushes or gardenia in bloom, you can simmer those blooms in place of spices and cooking ingredients to get a floral aroma throughout your home. Placing vases of gardenia and roses also add scent into rooms that are unable to get scent from simmering the blooms in the kitchen. Gardenia tends to be very strong, so experimenting with adding more slowly as they simmer will keep you from getting an overpowering fragrance.
Furnace and air filter fresheners are pre-made and inexpensive. They provide scent to every room that has an air vent. These fresheners are about two dollars each, and can be found in the same aisle as the air filters at most retail chain stores and supermarkets. These filter fresheners work and help cover pet and smoke smells, even when you are away from home and unable to have unattended candles burning. These fresheners come in a wide variety of scents, and are long lasting. One freshener lasts 30 days. You just hang a new one onto your filter when you change it.
Scenting your living space doesn’t have to cost a lot, and experimenting with scent combinations can be fun. These are quick fixes that can be used if you don’t have time to purchase candles or potpourri before visitors arrive or if you have recently painted in your home and need to get rid of the smell. Use caution with strength and aroma if someone living in the house suffers with allergies or sinus problems.
