Natural Air Freshener

I love a great smelling house - who doesn't, right? There's nothing better than cooking something delicious in the kitchen and having the smell waft out through the entire house, and that's the idea behind this method of naturally freshening the air. It's so simple, so much better than using those commercial sprays or plug ins, and there are many different combos of scents you can use to achieve a scent that is personally appealing to you. My favorite is a citrus scent, because it just smells clean and sweet to me.

Natural Citrus Air Freshener

3-4 Oranges (any variety)

Large Saucepan or Crockpot

1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon (can also use cinnamon sticks if you have them on hand)

Water

• Cut up the oranges however you like (see, this is easy already!) I usually just quarter or 8th mine and toss them in the saucepan. Another note on the oranges - use whatever you have on hand. I like to use the ones that are starting to dry out a little, since I know no one is going to eat those. They still offer a great scent. You can also save orange peels and use a larger quantity of those, though I have not tried that yet - something to add to my "To Try" list.

• Add cinnamon to the oranges. You can also use cinnamon sticks if you have them on hand. I usually don't have any around the house, so I simply use the ground cinnamon. Add any other spices you like - cloves, pumpkin pie spice, etc... Just sprinkle some in!

• Fill saucepan with water.

• Bring the mixture just to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer on the back burner of the stove. As it simmers, the scent will begin to permeate through your home - smelling divine! You do need to check in on the mixture every so often to make sure the water has not all boiled off. This did happen to me once, and just a warning, it results in having oranges and cinnamon burned forever on the bottom of your saucepan. If the water level is getting low, you can add more water, however, the more times you dilute with more water, obviously the result will be a milder scent. 

• If you are worried about remembering to check on the saucepan mixture or if you want to simmer the ingredients without being home, there is also the option of using the crockpot instead. Simply put all ingredients in the crockpot and let simmer on high without the lid. I've even used the small size mini crockpot that is made for keeping dips warm, and it works also, but does not offer as strong of a scent.

You can experiment with any scent combos that you like - another favorite of mine is lemon, rosemary and a little splash of pure vanilla! Mmmmm...smells deliciously clean, natural and inviting!