Some apartment complexes do not want residents using candles for fear that the place may catch fire. While renters are not typically pyromaniacs, pleasing your landlord is important. This leaves you with a dilemma: how should you scent your apartment? Fortunately, there are natural, flame-free ways to keep your apartment smelling nice over the holiday season. Use mulling spices to create a unique and inviting home fragrance.
Simple and Inexpensive
Many store-bought home fragrance products are dramatically overpriced. Candles and plugins can end up costing you more money than a scented home is worth. Using mulling spices, on the other hand, is incredibly cost effective. Not only that, but a quick trip to the grocery store will get you everything you need, if you don’t have some of it in your apartment already. Some companies have put together premixed mulling spices that only cost a couple dollars.
Cozy and Nostalgic
The scent mulling spices create is rich and deep. Many associate it with the holidays since the items are readily available during that season. Cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and ginger can typically be found in such baked goods as pumpkin pie. As soon as the fragrance permeates your home, you’ll start remembering those evenings spent around the table with friends and family.
What You’ll Need
When you head to the grocery store to pick up your home fragrance needs, you’ll want to be sure some of the following staples are on the list: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, citrus fruit of some kind and vanilla bean. Be sure the spices you procure are whole. A few extra things to play around with are almond extract and ginger.
How to Scent Your Apartment
Fill a large pot with water halfway and place it over the stove. Add the various components and let the water heat. It can boil, but does not have to in order to work. Make sure the water doesn’t spill over the edge of the pot. Keep the stove on low heat as this will sit for hours. Also, remember to turn off the burner before going to bed. You can experiment with the amount of spices you add to your concoction. Take some out and add others to come up with your favorite blends. Don’t be afraid to get creative with it. Take a look in your pantry or spice rack for inspiration.
You can also use a crock pot to scent your apartment with mulling spices. The good thing about this method is that you don’t have to monitor a crock pot as closely as a stove top. You can even leave the house for a little while without fearing the consequences.
Other Benefits
Using mulling spices to scent your apartment is inexpensive and simple. It creates a sense of nostalgia around the holidays, but there are other reasons to give it a go. The winter months can be especially hard on your skin as the air is so dry. Putting mulling spices in heated water humidifies your apartment. As the scent of the holidays wafts through the room, steam from the heated water is released into the air. You won’t have to worry about dry, cracked skin.