Sunday, September 30, 2012

I Made a Pomander!

I've been searching online for recipes for homemade air fresheners and saw several recommendations for pomanders. Honestly, I had never heard of them before but evidently they have been used for centuries to freshen the air and keep moths away. Who knew!

I just happened to have both oranges and cloves on hand so I figured I would give it a try:


Very Basic Ingredients
You just stick them in there!
Voila!










At this point I wrapped some dental floss around it and tied it off to hang it.


A few things to note:

  • It took about 1/4 cup of cloves to do this one.
  • You can do this with lemons, limes, or apples.
  • The cloves can be a little sharp! Protect your fingers with a little peice of cloth or a glove.
  • You are supposed to put this in a cool, dry place for 4-6 weeks to dry it out, at which point you would hang it in a closet or cabinet. My little pomander is already strung up on some dental floss and hanging in my bathroom as I write this. I will probably try to make a few more and dry them out properly but I was too excited to see how this would work.
  • Breathing in the scent of the cloves for the amount of time it took to do this got to be a little overwhelming. If you are sensitive to smells you should make sure you do this in a well venilated area.
This is only the very basic thing you can do. I've seen several different examples using different spices, designs (with ribbons!), and techniques. Get creative! These will make great holiday decorations with some various colored ribbons and spices. I would love to see what everyone else comes up with so please feel free to share!





7 comments:

  1. My mom used to make these in the fall and I had completely forgotten. I think I will have to make some now that you've reminded me! Thanks!

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  2. I've always wanted to do this! I just may have to buy some cloves at the store this week!

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  3. I love doing this in the fall/winter! Makes the house smell wonderful!

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  4. Thanks everyone, for stopping by! My bathroom is really smelling good now =)

    Jenny K - You should! I have never bought cloves before but I saw a recipe a couple of months back that called for them. I have no idea what that recipe was but I'm glad I got them now! I think I'm gonna try some lemons and limes next and see what other spices might go good with them.

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  5. I do this every year at right before thanksgiving...It truly is highly scented..I love it!

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