If you're like me your slow cooker has a daily special place on your counter top just as the regularly used coffee pot, blender or assorted other appliances do. If not, make a special place for it and use it not just for cooking but also to refresh the air in your home! Winter is a perfect time of year to start getting into the habit of using this idea because windows and doors are closed up tight and odors inside your home become stale and/or become stinky because of certain foods being cooked.
Here is how to use your slow cooker to your air freshening advantage with items you probably already have in your kitchen. Some people use essential oils but unless you know that what is in those oils are safe for consumption, I wouldn't recommend using them if planning to also continue using the pot for cooking.
For safety sake, be sure to test how long it takes for the water to completely evaporate from your slow cooker on a day you'll be home because you are going to be leaving the lid off so evaporation is going to occur more quickly. In doing this test, you can plan accordingly for the amount of hours you can safely be away.
Okay, here is all there is to it. Turn your slow cooker on high, pour in two quarts of water, two tablespoons of baking soda, stir well, bring to a simmer then turn down to low. Now comes the fun part of adding scents! Here are some nice scent ideas plus two combinations I personally like and I am sure you can easily come up with your own favorite concoctions :-)
By Deeli from Richland, WA
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Great tip Deeli! Actually, I've seen some small crock pots (actually bought one several years ago for cooking for one) that don't cost much at all at Wal Mart. I'm thinking of getting another one and using it strictly for potpouri.
That's a great idea Deeli. Good way to get rid of some of my flavorings that I know have lost their potency to a degree.
Thanks for a great idea - I use my crock pot often, so yummy food scents drift thru my house a lot, but now I can add some holiday scents, too!
Hi Deeli thank you once again for sharing your thrifty tips for us on T/F. I think its a great idea to use a slow cooker for this idea. Thank you for this Helen xxx
I put garlic in mine. Smells good and keeps away the vampires.
A unique and great idea! It is said that smells evoke more memories than the other senses; I don't know if it is true, but I would remember a room that smelled like something wonderful was baking.
I use a mini slow cooker (holds about 1 qt) that I got next to nothing at a rummage sale. As soon as I saw it, a simmering potpourri pot was the first thing I thought. I keep it for this use only.
With such a small cooker, I use it only when I am at home to keep an eye on the liquid level. I also combine many of the ingredients you suggested, especially the spices and orange peels. One question though, what is the purpose of the baking soda? Thank you.
Hi Luann, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a ph neutralizer that aids in removing icky odors. Many 'green' cleansers and fresheners, including citrus cleaners and fresheners, also contain sodium bicarbonate so, basically, using it in the slow cooker with the other yummy smelling air freshening ingredients is a bonus :-)
Deeli, Dear. I hope you get a whole bunch of thumbs up for this one. An added hint, buy your dried spices from the Mexican aisle at the market. You can get bigger bags cheaper at the 99¢ store too.
I'm still wondering what the baking soda is for. Although it is an air purifier (hence the box in the frig or putting it into your cat's litter box), it would not evaporate into the air, but be left in the pot as the water evaporated. It would make the water in your pot slightly alkali/basic. That would neutralize acidic things like lemon or oranges that you popped in, but I am not sure why you'd want to do that. I can't figure out the chemistry of this.
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