Cleaning With Herbs

Cleaning with herbs, can be a healthy, refreshing way to clean your home. Free of harsh chemicals and additives. Growing them in pots in your home can add a nice appearance to your space, or growing them in your herb gardens is nice as well in the nicer weather.

These fragrant beauties can be used in making a variety of things to help you freshen your home, and also when cleaning with herbs. Scented herb sachets make a nice addition to any room to add a refreshing aroma. Especially in closets or wardrobes.

To make these sachets you need dried herbs of your choice, a nice one to use is lavender and then a piece of organic cotton cut in a rectangle shape add dried herbs, then add a few drops of lavender essential oil as well. A selection of many different herbs and oils can be combined to get this effect

Other herbs to consider when cleaning with herbs are, horsetail, soap wort, and wood sorrel. Wood sorrel contains a large amount of oxalic acid, and an extract from this plant makes a natural bleach to use when cleaning your linens and garments.

Also horsetail can be used to make a metal polish. A bunch of stems will clean and shine metal and pewter objects. Handy for those household chores that are made of metals.

Soap wort is one of the most useful household cleaning herbs due to it's lather producing saponins. The gentle cleansing power of the saponins in the soap wort makes this ideal for making shampoo, that is used for cleaning upholstery and delicate fabrics.

For upholstery dampen a sponge with the solution, and squeeze out the surplus, or use a very soft brush. Rub the material lightly and allow to dry before reapplying if necessary. For delicate fabrics, soak in cold water, wash gently, in cool soapworts shampoo, and rinse in cold water. Always do a test on fabric first.

To make this shampoo for upholstery use,

½ oz of dried soap wort root

or two large handfuls of fresh stems

1 1/2 pints of water

Crush roots with a rolling pin, or chop fresh stems into shorter lengths. If using dried soap wort, prepare by soaking it overnight. Put into an enamel pan with water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Allow to stand until cooled, strain through a fine strainer.

Cleaning with herbs is a wonderful way to introduce scents to your space. Growing these delightful herbs in your garden or in your kitchen window sil in one of the best ways to spread fragrance around your home. Rose, lavender, and lemon balm, just to name a few of these beautiful scents. Orris root adds an interesting scent to things as well. This is derived from the root of the Florentine iris. It is made by grinding the dried root stock. It has been used in perfumery since the ancient Egyptians. It is known for it's violet scent.

I will share with you some guidelines for making some of your own refreshing potpourris, however these recipes are only suggestions, you may want to add other things to them as well to make them your own, such as citrus peel, cinnamon sticks, cloves, fennel seeds, and any other interesting combinations you may wish to come up with.

For drying herbs, you can use a frame covered in stretched out muslin. Put herbs in a single layer, keep them in a dry place, out of the sun. When they are dry and crisp, you can put them in a jar with tight fighting lids. One other way to dry herbs is with cooling racks from your kitchen's stove. These are useful items when drying, as they allow for circulation underneath for quicker drying.

To dry roots, wash and remove all dirt. Cut off tops and trim away rootlets. If the root is large slice it into strips about 2 inches long depending on the size of the root. Spread strips out on drying racks, and leave in a warm place for 10 days, turning daily.

Making your own potpourri,

Herb Garden Potpourri

6 tbsp of peppermint or spearmint dried leaves

1 tbsp of dried sage leaves

4 tbsp of dried lemon balm leaves

2 tbsp of dried marjoram leaves

½ tbsp of dried thyme leaves

2 tbsp of sea salt

2 tbsp of orris root powder

1 tbsp of dried basil leaves

1 tsp of oil or oregano, or rosemary oil

Blend all together and use around your home, put in sachets, or decorative bowls.

Flower Garden Potpourri

6 tbsp of dried lavender flowers

2 tbsp of dried chamomile flowers

4 tbsp of dried rose petals

4 tbsp of dianthus petals

2 tbsp of sea salt

2 tbsp of orris root powder

1 tsp of oil of lavender

Mix all together and place in sachets or in decorative bowls to freshen your home.

Forest Potpourri

handful of pine cones

dried lichen

2 handfuls of pine needles

2 handfuls of cedar twigs

2 tbsp of sea salt

2 tbsp of orris root powder

1 tsp of sandalwood, or cedar oil

Mix all together and put in sachet, or decorative bowls to freshen your space.

I hope you have learned some interesting and new ideas in which to start cleaning with herbs, and freshening your space. It's definitely a healthier choice to make when looking to add a touch of scent and fragrance to your home today!








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