Who doesn’t like the smell of something yummy baking or cooking? Think breakfast! Don’t you just immediately draw a deep breathe, inhaling the lovely aroma?
I love how special scents can engage all my senses and home comes to mind. I love the feeling of nostalgia when homemade air freshener is simmering away or you open that hallway closet to grab a towel and inhale that smell that makes you say “ah”, like the smell of fresh laundry.
The air freshener I’m sharing today not only makes for a deliciously eatable scent, it also brings me back to the days of Fall when I was a kid. My mom would simmer cinnamon on the stove top, a crisp breeze would be blowing outside, and the wood fire place would be crackling away down in our family room. My mom would be in a room near by, I would be snuggled up with my dog in the leather chair, and I’d sit and listen to the rustle of leaves blowing outside and all was good in the world. Yes, when I smell this, I think of comfort and the contentment of home.
These days, people think it’s just too hard to make your own air fresheners, but that is the farthest from the truth. It’s less expensive than store-bought options, and you get more for your money. This home freshener can be made in the same amount of time you can watch a television program, cook a meal, or even run to the store for one of those cans in the cleaning aisle!
Did you know that real estate agents actually sell houses trying to use home fragrance sensory? Well, I should say, they look to entice your senses with smells of warm pie in the oven with sprays or plug-ins, just to give the “essence” of home.
Why?
Because nothing gives you the warm fuzzies like a cinnamon roll hot out of the oven.
So, let’s simmer down cinnamon, spices, and enjoy the comfort of home.
Cinnamon Spice And Everything Nice Air Freshener
Ingredients
- 1/2 whole nutmeg grated
- 1/4 cup ground cinnamon or 5 whole cinnamon sticks
- 1/4 cup pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice
- 1/8 cup cloves ground
- 4 zested oranges or frontier orange peel
Instructions
- Zest and Dehydrate Orange zest in dehydrator or oven. If using the oven, use parchment or foil and bake at 230 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Watch the oranges so they don't burn.
- Mix together spices and orange zest/peel.
- Using a small sauce pan boil 3 cups water. Once at a rolling boil lower heat to simmer add spice/orange zest mixture.
- *** If using store-bought, dehydrated orange peel there is no need to bake fresh oranges.
- Simmer the air-freshener for as long as you please. This air freshener can be used over and over again. Just add water as it evaporates. Add more home freshener as needed.
Do I put It in the fridge to store or just room temp?
Hey Alex, At room temp should be fine.
Do you think this could be put into a wax melter?
Hey Alex, I don’t think so.
Hi Kristin. I just wrote a new blog post about stove top potpourri and I featured your recipe in my list.
Your Cinnamon-focused recipe is listed as my #9 recipe. You can see the whole list here: https://smartershopper.club/air-freshener-on-stove/
I credited your blog post with a link. Let me know if that’s okay.
Thanks!
Hi Curtis! Kristin is away on vacation and will be able to answer once she returns. Thanks!
I don’t really have the extra money for some of these spices. I was curious, would ground cinnamon and lemon juice heated in a pot, or in the oven work just as well?
Hey Breann, Yes, I believe those will work very well! Cinnamon sticks would be great, too.
Could u keep this in a jar or dies it have to simmer?? And would not using the pie spice or cloves drastically change the impact??
Hey Abi, You could definitely change-up the spice combo. I think you could keep this in a jar and use it like potpourri, but I haven’t personally tried this method.
So, do you simmer the whole lot, or just a tablespoon at a time, or to preference?
Hey Rachel, Just simmer a few tablespoons at a time, or to your preference :).
I like the fact that you can use this repeatedly rather than having to dump it out after one use. The only potential problem is that smelling all of these delicious scents could bring out the baker in me. 🙂 Pinned to my “Natural Christmas” board.
Thank you, Suzanne! This recipe also makes for a lovely hostess present during the holidays.
How do you store this for another use? I probably should have asked this before I’m ready for bed. 🙂
Hey Ami, This can be stored dry in a mason jar or container. Just add a few tablespoons to water as needed.
So just to clarify: How exactly do I use this? It says to simmer for as long as you want as long as there’s water, but what about simply placing some inside a cloth as a poultice and keeping it dry? Would the effect be similar, or do you *have* to have it simmering to release the scent into the room?
Absolutely jennifer! I have it in a sache ..as seem in the feature photo. It works grwat either way. I personally like how simmering it on the store disperses the fragrance throughout my home in a matter of minutes, but a poultice would work great too!
This sounds great!
Since it contains tea, I was wondering if you’ve ever steeped and drank it?
It smells amazing. I originally made this recipe with a holiday tea in mind. It was a bit strong,but smelled divine so I decided to still use it. You could always try it and see if its to your liking. If not it makes a delicious smelling sache or stove top freshener.