How to make potpourri and air fresheners at home
Looking for homemade potpourri and air fresheners? Why not made one for yourself and to gift your loved one? Get in here to get complete information on How to make potpourri and air fresheners at home, natural ingredients to make potpourri at home, method to make potpourri at home and lots more.
What is Potpourri?: Potpourri is a sachet or a potli (packet) of naturally dried ingredients most commonly dried flowers and spices which is used in homes and offices for a pleasant aroma and it also helps to get rid of unpleasant smells and diseases. You can make potpourri at home also from naturally derived ingredients.Ingredients for homemade potpourri
You can use many type of natural ingredients to make Potpourri at home such as dried flowers, spices, Fruits and wood shavings as mentioned below.
Flowers used to make potpourri at home: You can use any type of flower to make potpourri at home but some most commonly used flowers are Gardenia, Geranium, Honeysuckle, Hyacinth, Jasmine, Lavender, Lilac, Marigold, Orange Blossom, Sweet Pea, Violet, Roses, mint blossoms and so on.
Herbs and spice used to make potpourri at home: Many types of Herbs and spices can be used to make potpourri at home such as Allspice, Bayleaf, Cardamom, Caraway Seed, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander, Lemon Verbena, Mace, Marjoram, Nutmeg, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, vanilla pods and so on.
Fruits used to make potpourri at home: Fruits peeling such as Orange, lime, lemon can be used to make potpourri at home as these are easily available and have very fresh smell.
Wood shavings used to make potpourri at home: You can also use wood shavings of Cedar, Cypress and Juniper tree to make a potpourri which is full of natural smell. Fixatives used to make homemade potpourri
Fixatives are the natural ingredients which used in potpourri to prevent evaporation of fragrance and make sure that any perfumes that exist will stabilize and remain for longer. There are many natural ingredients which can be used as fixative such as Muskdana or Ambrette, Asafetida, Quina or Balsamo, Cedarwood, Mastic gum, Orris Root, Patchouli, Sage, Storax, Sandalwood, Sumbul, Vetiver popularly known as khus and so on. The most common used fixatives are Orris root powder and Sandalwood which are easily available in the market. Orris root powder is made from the dried root of Iris Florentina, you can also grow it in your garden. Essential oils used to make homemade potpourri
Essential oils are also the most essential ingredient to make potpourri that will give your potpourri its lasting scent. Some of popular essential oils used to make potpourri are lavender oil, rose oil, jasmine oil, clove oil, bergamot oil, cedar oil and so on.Method to make potpourri at home
It is very easy to make potpourri at home. Here are some interesting methods or recipe to make potpourri, you can make any one of them according to your choice of fragrance and requirements.
To make the potpourri you first need to dry your ingredients here is the process to dry your potpourri ingredients at home. It takes usually 2 weeks to dry the potpourri ingredients. There are two processes for drying flowers and herbs Air Drying and hanging. Dry flowers and herbs tied in bunch by hanging them in a dark, cool place of your home where it can have sufficient amount of air. Do not over dry your ingredients as they will lose their oil and crumble very easily. Store each kind of dried ingredient in separate containers and check them on alternate days if there are any moisture than dry those more.How to make Rose and Carnation Potpourri
Dry pink rose petals and pink carnation petals (2 cups each) and sprinkle 1/2 cup orris root powder over them. Mix one spoon orris root powder and rose oil (5-6 drops) and mix it in dried petals. Add one spoon of ground cinnamon, one whole cinnamon stick, 10-12 cloves in this mixture. Store this mixture in an air tight container and leave it for approx 15-20 days till it gets required smell or aroma. You can put this mixture in open bowl or Potpourri bags and place this Potpourri in your living room or in any other room where you want it most. You can add a few drops of essential oils and mix with your hands from time to time as the fragrance diminishes.
How to make Lavender Potpourri
To make Lavender Potpourri you need dried lavender flowers (250-300 g), dried thyme, dried mint, dried basil leaves (25 g each), mixed spices such as ground cloves, caraway seeds (10 g each), 50g orris root powder and few drops of lavender oil. Mix all the above ingredients with hand and store it in air tight jar for approx one month before use. Method to make Orange Spice Potpourri
Collect 300-350 g of each Orange peel, Lemon peel, Whole Star Anise, Small Cinnamon Sticks, Whole Allspice, Whole Cloves, 100 g of Orris root and few drops of Orange or Cinnamon oil. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl with hand except the oil. Mix well and in last add oil drops and leave it for 2-3 days in a air tight jar, after 2-3 days if satisfy with the smell than put it in an open bowl or potpourri to get the wonderful aroma. This type of potpourri is ideal for bathrooms as it fill the space with wonderful and refreshing smell. Lemongrass Potpourri
To make this very refreshing lemon grass potpourri you need dried lemon peel (3 cups), dried lemon grass (2 cups), dried lemon verbena leaves (2 cups), one cup of orris root, coriander seeds (1/2 cup) and ½ cup, dried rosemary leaves, few drops of lemon oil. Mix all the ingredients and store in air tight container for 6 weeks before use.
You can make many types of Potpourri according to your preference of smell and requirements and put them in an open bowl or potpourri bags made up of satin, lace or silk. Put them in living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and drawers with sweaters, gloves, lingerie, and linens to give them a beautiful scent.