 Nature's Way
with Alan Hayes
Removing Bad Smells & Odours
Unpleasant odours, including the smell of stale cigarettes, will make your home unpleasant to live in. You can purchase an incredible array of products that promise to do some amazing things and usually they are expensive to buy and contain harmful chemicals. But did you know that nature has some products that will do the same thing?
The refreshing and aromatic properties of herbs and flowers, and even fruit, can be used in many different ways to keep your home smelling fragrant and fresh. They will remove stale and unwanted odours and quickly freshen up cupboards and drawers. An age-old traditional approach was to capture the delightful aroma of a pomander and keep wardrobes, cupboards and drawers' fragrant fresh all year round.
The homemade pomander, an orange stuck with cloves, was first used by Cardinal Wolsey in the Middle Ages. He would take it with him whenever he visited his parishioners, holding it near his nose to counteract the stench of the streets.
To make your pomander you will need, 1 large, thick-skinned orange, 1 jar of whole cloves, 1 tablespoon each of freshly ground cinnamon and orris root powder (available from herb specialty shops and pot-pourri suppliers). Gently knead the orange in your hands to soften the skin, and then make a ring of holes around it with a wooden skewer, pressing a clove into each hole. Continue to do this, working in circles towards one end, until the entire orange skin is covered.
Mix together the cinnamon and orris root powder and roll the orange around in it until as much of the mixture as possible clings to it. Wrap the orange in tissue paper, place in a brown paper bag, and leave it in a dry and dark airy place for three to five weeks to cure. During this time, the orange will dry out completely and shrink slightly.
After curing time, take the orange from the tissue and shake off any surplus powder. Your pomander is now ready for use. Place it in a drawer amongst precious woollens or delicate lingerie, or tie a ribbon around it and hang in a wardrobe. The scent should last for many years.
Pomanders also make effective moth deterrents, since clothes' moths dislike the fragrance of cloves.
Cupboards and drawers can also be kept smelling fresh by putting 2 to 3 drops of lavender or lemon oil on cotton-wool balls and placing them in strategic spots. To keep moths away from clothes, add lavender, lemon grass, camphor or rosemary oil to cotton-wool balls and place them between the clothes.
Stale cigarette odours, which can be offensive to nonsmokers, can be eliminated by adding a few slices of lemon to a bucket of water and leaving it in the room. If people are continually smoking, or you need to eliminate the smoke smell of an open fire or fuel heater, put half to one cup of brown vinegar in the room. This also works well in smelly cupboards, especially those that have a musty or mouldy odour.
Alan on the Web - www.itssonatural.com
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