Sweet Autumn Air Fresheners
by Cait Johnson, author of Witch in the Kitchen (Inner Traditions,
2001).

We offer many fun, inexpensive, luscious-smelling ideas for making
your home smell homey, cosy, and sweet, safely. It's all right here:

Try a Simmering Potpourri

1. Home heating dries out the air, which can lead to sinus problems,
dry skin, and more. But this handy air-freshener restores humidity
while making your home smell absolutely divine. Just pop a tablespoon
or more of ground cinnamon in a pan of simmering water and keep
adding water as it boils away.
2. Another variation: 1 cup of apple cider or orange juice added to
the water, and ground cloves instead of or in addition to the ground
cinnamon.

Essential Oil Fixes

1. Dab a drop of your favorite pure essential oil on a cool light
bulb. When you turn on the light, the scent will fill the room.
2. Add 10 drops of your favorite pure essential oil to a spritz
bottle filled with water and shake vigorously, then use to spritz
furniture and curtains, or simply spray upward in the center of the
room. (Make sure the spray doesn't affect the color of fabrics: test
a swatch that doesn't show before you try this.)
3. Essential oil added to a bowl of dried flowers, leaves, or
seedpods makes a lovely potpourri. When the scent disappears, simply
refresh with a few more drops of oil. (Favorite autumn blends include
cinnamon, sandalwood, and orange or clove and orange.) Place the
bowls at key spots in your home so the fragrance can waft about.
4. A few drops of essential oil added to a bowl of water may be place
on a radiator or on top of the fridge, where the warmth will cause
the scent to spread nicely.

Herbs, Spices, and more

1. A small dish filled with ground cinnamon will make the surrounding
area smell sweet.
2. Some of us like to use a coffee-grinder to grind allspice or
cloves before company comes. The fragrance is simply luscious, and
the spices can be used in baking or simply placed in a dish.
3. A small dish with pure vanilla extract in it will neutralize
unpleasant odors and add a sweet fragrance of its own. (Vanilla is
anti-depressant, too.)
4. Try burning smudge sticks or small dishes of sage, thyme,
rosemary, or juniper. These are all traditional purifiers, with
antimicrobial properties. They also smell lovely when burned. (But do
be careful of fire hazards.)

Beeswax Candles

Try burning beeswax candles. Recent research has shown that beeswax
candles actually remove impurities from the air, and they add a sweet
honey fragrance of their own.

Helpful Hints:
Please be sure to use pure essential oils, not fragrance oils.

when I was 10-13 we lived in a house with a cast iron wood stove for heating. �Mom would take broken christmas tree branches and put them in a pot of water kept on the stove.

Of course it was later discovered that the reason I got strep throat every year is that I am allergic to some ever greens. :roll:

I can't remember where I got this recipe from and I think it's supposed to be more of a yule fragrance.
I mix up a jar (depends on you how big of a jar and how much of each ingredient you use).
cinnamon sticks
dried orange peel (another great way to recycle or compost those peelings)
whole cloves
whole allspice
You only need about a tbsp for a small simmering pot.
I did some experimenting and found that a few individual red pine needles, only a few, added a country cabin fragrance into the mix also.

 You can always tell when someone has a cold in this house cause I have an old enamelware pot that I use for my simmering, and during cold/stuffy head season it filling the house with camphor and eucalyptus. need to find some more cajeput to add back into it. It's good for the coughs. (It's like a homemade version of Vicks)

Also here's a tip. Use those new candle warmers. fill a small jar with water, half will be ok, as they don't get very hot, add any of the above simmer stuffies, and oh look, portable simmers! (OK now too early for brain fart ideas guys!  LOL)

You know studies show that the sense of smell can bring about memory recall faster than any other sense?

Ok one more brainfart tip.

using the simmering technique you prefer, find inspiration from your cookbook. Not only yuor sweet spices/herbs can be used, but to inspire a tai feeling, find a tai recipe, pick out the 'smells' and simmer away. (Ok who wants to be the guineapig and give this one a try? LOL)