A Sweet Smelling Home

Tart Warmers
Originally uploaded by pwinn.

There are several ways to keep your home smelling nice. The first and cheapest way is to open the windows! Sometimes I like a little something extra though. I first found out about tart warmers a few years ago and was impressed at how such a little thing could make several rooms at once, smell so great. I found this cream colored tart burner at Linens and Things for $5.99. Each wax tart varies from .99 to 1.59. I recently bought 5 different kinds and they will last me all summer. Place the wax in the top of the burner, then light a tealight in the bottom section. The heat from the candle melts the wax. As soon as it is half melted I blow the candle out. By then, the whole room smells nice and lasts for several hours! When you eventually get ready to change fragrance, put the whole burner in the freezer for a few minutes and the wax will pop right out.

Mantle
Originally uploaded by pwinn.

Right now I am burning "Cherry Lemonade." The other scents I have are lemon zest, summer fresh, fresh cut roses and sweet honeysuckle. www.yankeecandle.com has some really amazing tart burners. Search for "potpourri Burners." They are out of my price range but fun to look at anyways!

Here are some homemade air fresheners using ingredients you probably already have:

"Citrus" Air Freshener
Peels of lemon, orange, lime, tangerine or grapefruit
1 pot of water
Put slices of citrus fruit peel into the pot of water. Let simmer gently for an hour or so for a citrus scent.

"Baked Goodness" Air Freshener
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or a few cloves
1 pot of water
Let simmer gently for an hour or so for a fresh baking scent.

"Easy as Apple Pie" Air Freshener
Simmer a sliced apple and a couple of cinnamon sticks in some water on your stove. The whole house will smell like apple pie.