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Homemade Air Freshener Can Freshen up the Holidays
©By Deborah S. Tukua, author of Citrus, Morning, Noon & Night: A Citrus Cookbook
available at www.hollycreekbooks or www.farmersalmanac.com
Before you put away your holiday gifts in the hall closet, take a deep breath in there. Does the closet smell musty? If so, you may want to spruce it up with a pomander ball -- a natural home air freshener made from a citrus fruit.
Oranges, lemons, limes or kumquats can be studded with aromatic spices and hung in closets or pantries to add a fresh fragrance. They also repel moths. And they’re an easy-to-make gift.
To craft your own pomander ball, you’ll need these supplies:
- A thin-skinned orange or other citrus fruit – this serves as the ball form and adds a sweet fragrance.
- Whole cloves – these stud the orange and ward off moths.
- A small nail or darning needle – for pricking holes in the orange.
- A blend of ground spices - 2 t. ground nutmeg, 2 t. ground cinnamon and 2 t. orris root powder (a necessary fixative, it’s available where craft supplies are sold). Mix these together in a bowl.
- A paper bag
- A ribbon
- Several pins
Instructions:
1. Roll the orange (or other citrus fruit) on a counter-top or in your hands to soften the skin. This will help the cloves penetrate the surface.
- Pierce holes in the orange with a darning needle or small nail.
- Insert whole cloves into the skin of the orange in a desired pattern. Leave about 1/8” between cloves to allow for shrinkage as the orange dries.
- Roll the studded fruit in the bowl containing the ground spice blend until the surface of the orange is completely coated. (The remaining powder blend can be saved and reused.)
- Transfer the fruit pomander to a paper bag. Place it in a dark, dry place for three weeks. The orange will shrink slightly and harden once it’s dried.
- To hang the pomander, make a loop of decorative ribbon and affix it to the ball with pins.
- Hang the ball in a closet or pantry.
- The pomander will last and last. To freshen the scent, lightly brush with an aromatic oil such as orange and cloves.