As fall approaches, we start to pine for those wonderfully warm scents and colors to envelop us in our homes. This is the time for the aroma of baked pumpkin pie and spiced rum to spread throughout every room of your home. The bedroom should be no exception!
While playing around with some new scents and attempting to re-create those fall scents in a healthy and chemical free way, I actually discovered a fantastic method of using the ground spices instead of fragrance oils that could be harmful to your pets, your home environment and your furniture.
Here is how it's done...
First, take a small pot and add 2 cups of water and begin to boil. Add 1 tablespoon each of cinnamon, allspice, Clove, nutmeg & Ginger. (Or, you can purchase a pre-mixed jar of Pumpkin Spice from one of the popular name brands at your local grocer.) Boil for 20 minutes and then remove from heat and let it sit undisturbed till it fully cools. DO NOT put it in the refrigerator to cool. What is happening during the cooling process, is that you are allowing the natural oils from the spices to infuse the water without it separating. If you cool it down too quickly, the oils will separate and it will not be as effective.
First, take a small pot and add 2 cups of water and begin to boil. Add 1 tablespoon each of cinnamon, allspice, Clove, nutmeg & Ginger. (Or, you can purchase a pre-mixed jar of Pumpkin Spice from one of the popular name brands at your local grocer.) Boil for 20 minutes and then remove from heat and let it sit undisturbed till it fully cools. DO NOT put it in the refrigerator to cool. What is happening during the cooling process, is that you are allowing the natural oils from the spices to infuse the water without it separating. If you cool it down too quickly, the oils will separate and it will not be as effective.
Once it has completely cooled, you want to take a piece of cheese cloth to strain out all of the spices from the infused water. Once seperated, discard the spices and place the infusion into a mixing bowl. Now you are going to need some kind of dry alcohol. The best kind to use here would be vodka. Not the flavored kind and it can be cheap vodka. Stir in 1 cup of the alcohol till it's completely mixed.
Now you can pour the mixture into a spray bottle and enjoy the scents of Fall anywhere you wish!
A note towards dust mites... they hate the smell of clove, peppermint, lemongrass and citrus. It drives them away and has been proven to kill the little suckers. So if you have thick fabric upholstered couches, have a love of throw pillows and down bedding, this natural spray will kill them with the alcohol content, disinfect your sheets and repel them from coming back with these scents. Talk about a win win product ; -) !
I've tried this same method using citrus fruit rinds and herbs to make all kinds of wonderful natural linen sprays. But this one is my all time favorite. Try it today! Takes no more than 20 minutes to prep and weeks of refreshing aromatic enjoyment.
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