Fresh House

Here is an idea for how to make your house smell really wonderful. I do it sometimes just because, but it is also really good for after you've cooked fish (you can use the peels from any lemons you've squeezed) or burnt something in the oven, or fried something in oil.


Just take a couple of lemons or oranges and slice them up, put them in a pot of water, and add a whole cinnamon stick, some cloves, some grated nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, or whatever else smells good in your spice cupboard (a few chunks of fresh ginger or a vanilla bean would also be great). Bring to a boil, close all your windows and doors, and let the steam fill your home.

If you don't have whole lemons or oranges, or if you happen to have some already-squeezed peels, those will work just as well. In fact, you can save any orange or lemon peels when you have them leftover from juice or another recipe, and freeze them to use this way in the future. I don't have an in sink disposal, but I have heard that putting a couple of citrus peels through one will do wonders for its smell.