MAKING A STOVE TOP ROOM SCENTED HUMIDIFIER
Merely fill a nice sturdy pot with water and add your favorite ingredients. If you have a wood-burning stove, as do most of the folks in my neck of the woods, you can place an enameled cast-iron pot or bowl on top. Good idea in general as wood-burning stoves tend to dry the air.
Of course, since I'm focused on lemons, I suggest you base your.potpourri recipe with lemon.
The recipes below are just guidelines, you can use different amounts and mix up ingredients as you like. Experiment to find your favorite smells.
Save: Orange, lemon and lime peels, apple skins (dry them out first before storing in a container).
Directions
* Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the ingredients from your favorite recipe, boil for a few minutes, then turn the heat down to simmer all day. Top up water as needed.
Caution: Set your timer for 30 minutes so you remember to top up with water. You don’t want the pot burning dry. Do not leave the house with this left heating on the stove.
Be creative. Here are some ideas of what you can throw into your simmering pot Recipes
Recipe #1
Lemon peel
Cinnamon sticks
Apple peels
Orange rinds
Whole cloves
Apple juice
Vanilla (a few drops)
sprigs evergreen or handful pine needles
bay leaves
star anise
nutmeg
allspice
dried lavender
Fresh rosemary
# Storage: You can refrigerate your simmering recipe and reuse daily for up to one week. Just keep adding water as needed.
# Frugal Idea: For apple juice, cranberry juice, herbs and spices that are outdated, don’t throw out–just add to your simmering pot.
LIZ LEMON [Don't ask. I just love "30 ROCK"]
DECORATE WITH LEMONS
Fill bowls or vases with whole lemons to create elegant table centerpieces[1]
Dry slices of lemon to use in holiday decorations such as wreaths or garlands
How to Dry Orange or Lemon Peel at Home: It's quite easy.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
* Orange peels or lemon peels
Preparation:
In commenting upon a recipe, I mentioned that I had never seen dried orange peel in Italy and suggested people use fresh if they cannot find it.
Take a number of organically grown oranges or lemons (which should have untreated, pesticide-free skins), and use a fine-bladed paring knife to trim away just the colored part of the skin, leaving the bitter white part behind. Lay the strips skin-side down on a plate and let them dry at room temperature for 3-4 days, until they have shriveled and are no longer moist. Store the dried peel in a dark place, in a clean jar. To use, either crumble it or whirl it in a blender. You can use the powdered peel in place of extract in baking; in toppings, to flavor sugar-bowl sugar, in spice mixes (e.g. lemon, pepper, rosemary and sage as a barbecue rub), and to flavor sauces of one kind and another.
To remove strong smells from a cutting board, first wash the board in soap
and water, then scrub the surface with the face of a lemon half. or wash it in undiluted juice straight from the bottle.
To clean a microwave, place half a lemon in water and cook on high for about 5 minutes. Any food splatters in the microwave should now wipe off easily.
Use 4 - Freshen Up your Fridge
To keep your fridge odor free, lemons can be used to freshen up your fridge. Take one lemon and cut it in half. Place the lemon on a saucer and put this at the back of your fridge, the lemon will naturally absorb any bad odors.
Dab lemon juice on a cotton ball or sponge and leave it in the fridge for several hours. Make sure to toss out any malodorous items that might be causing the bad smell.
Brighten dull aluminum
Make those dull pots and pans sparkle, inside and out. Just rub the cut side of half a lemon all over them and buff with a soft cloth.
Keep insects out of the kitchen
You don't need insecticides or ant traps to ant-proof your kitchen. Just give it the lemon treatment. First squirt some lemon juice on door thresholds and windowsills. Then squeeze lemon juice into any holes or cracks where the ants are getting in. Finally, scatter small slices of lemon peel around the outdoor entrance. The ants will get the message that they aren't welcome. Lemons are also effective against roaches and fleas: Simply mix the juice of 4 lemons (along with the rinds) with 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water and wash your floors with it; then watch the fleas and roaches flee. They hate the smell.
Clean your microwave
Is the inside of your microwave caked with bits of hardened food? You can give it a good cleaning without scratching the surface with harsh cleansers or using a lot of elbow grease. Just mix 3 tablespoons lemon juice into 1 1/2 cups water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 5-10 minutes, allowing the steam to condense on the inside walls and ceiling of the oven. Then just wipe away the softened food with a dishrag.
Deodorize your garbage disposal
If your garbage disposal is beginning to make your sink smell yucky, here's an easy way to deodorize it: Save leftover lemon and orange peels and toss them down the drain. To keep it smelling fresh, repeat once every month.
Polish chrome
Get rid of mineral deposits and polish chrome faucets and other tarnished chrome. Simply rub lemon rind over the chrome and watch it shine! Rinse well and dry with a soft cloth. Clean tarnished brass
Say good-bye to tarnish on brass, copper, or stainless steel. Make a paste of lemon juice and salt (or substitute baking soda or cream of tartar for the salt) and coat the affected area. Let it stay on for 5 minutes. Then wash in warm water, rinse, and polish dry. Use the same mixture to clean metal kitchen sinks too. Apply the paste, scrub gently, and rinse.
Grill fish on top of lemon slices to prevent the fish from sticking to the grill[1]
Remove garlic, onion, or fish odor from your hands by rubbing them with a piece of lemon coated in salt[2][3]
Rid your hands or clothes of stains from berries, beets, or ink with lemon and salt[2][4]
Clean copper pots or remove rust stains with half a lemon dipped in salt[1][3]
Mix lemon juice and baking soda for an effective stain remover[3]
Keep insects away from stored clothing using dried lemon rind[4]
Get rid of ants. Squirt some lemon juice into holes and cracks where the ants are coming in. Place small pieces of lemon rinds or peels around the house.
Get rid of roaches and fleas. Wash your floor with the juice of 4 lemons in about half a gallon of water.
Get rid of moths. Hang a sachet of dry lemon rind in the closet to get rid of moths.
Get rid of mothball smell. Now that you can use lemon to get rid of moths, you won't need those mothballs anymore ... but how do you get rid of the lingering mothball smell? Lemon to the rescue (again!) - simply wash the drawers and closet with a solution of lemon juice in water.
Make a paste of lemon juice and baking soda. Rub the solution on your aluminum pans, then buff and watch them shine
soak your delicates in a mixture of lemon juice and baking soda for at least half an hour before washing.
Remove unsightly underarm stains
Avoid expensive dry-cleaning bills. You can remove unsightly underarm stains from shirts and blouses simply by scrubbing them with a mixture of equal parts lemon juice (or white vinegar) and water.
Boost laundry detergent
To remove rust and mineral discolorations from cotton T-shirts and briefs, pour 1 cup lemon juice into the washer during the wash cycle. The natural bleaching action of the juice will zap the stains and leave the clothes smelling fresh.
Rid clothes of mildew
You unpack the clothes you've stored for the season and discover that some of the garments are stained with mildew. To get rid of mildew on clothes, make a paste of lemon juice and salt and rub it on the affected area, then dry the clothes in sunlight. Repeat the process until the stain is gone. This works well for rust stains on clothes too.
Whiten clothes
Diluted or straight, lemon juice is a safe and effective fabric whitener when added to your wash water. Your clothes will also come out smelling lemon-fresh.
There are those, however, who do not like the lemon scent and that is a good thing. Ants, roaches, fleas and moths loathe lemon. According to Cluebert, a sachet of dried lemon rinds in a closet might save coats and sweaters from munching moths, and squirting lemon juice in and around areas where the ants come marching in should halt further parades.
As for deterring roaches and fleas, add the juice of four lemons mixed to a gallon of water and wash the floor.
Containing citric acid and low pH levels, lemons are a natural choice for cleaning, deodorizing and disinfecting around the house
Use Them to Clean Your…
Countertops: Dip the cut side of a lemon half in baking soda to tackle countertops; wipe with a wet sponge and dry. Don’t use on delicate stone, like marble, or stainless steel (it may discolor).
Cutting boards: To remove tough food stains from light wood and plastic cutting boards, slice a lemon in half, squeeze onto the soiled surface, rub, and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing.
Dishes: To increase the grease-cutting power of your dishwashing detergent, add a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Faucets: Combat lime scale by rubbing lemon juice onto the taps and letting it sit overnight. Wipe with a damp cloth.
Garbage disposal: Cut a lemon in half, then run both pieces through the disposal. “The lemon cleans it and makes it smell great,” says Linda Mason Hunter, a coauthor of Green Clean ($17, amazon.com).
Grout: Spilled morning coffee on your tile countertop or backsplash? Here’s how to tackle grout stains: Add lemon juice to 1 or 2 teaspoons cream of tartar (an acidic salt that acts as a natural bleaching agent) to make a paste. Apply with a toothbrush, then rinse.
Hands: When you touch raw fish, the smell can linger on your fingers. Rub your hands with lemon juice, which will neutralize the odor.
Laundry: To brighten whites, add 1/2 cup lemon juice to the rinse cycle for a normal-size load.
Plastic food-storage containers: To bleach stains from tomato soup and other acidic foods on dishwasher-safe items, rub lemon juice on the spots, let dry in a sunny place, then wash as usual.
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