Lemon & cinnamon stove simmer

DIY home air freshener

There are two types of people in this world: People who know what a stove simmer is and those who don't. I didn't used to, but you hang around Pinterest long enough and you start to pick up a few things. Stove simmers are when you simmer herbs, fruit peels, spices, and extracts in water on the stove, as a natural air freshener. 

I'll give it to you straight. Adam and I live in a sometimes-musty-smelling apartment. It's old. Ventilation is the worst. There is most likely mold wreaking havoc inside all the walls, even though everything looks adorable on the surface. Point being, there are days when I walk in and curse that old apartment smell. So I finally turned to Pinterest and stove simmers. This one's my favorite, because I usually have all of the ingredients on hand. 

- - - - - - - 

LEMON & CINNAMON STOVE SIMMER

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

1/2 of a lemon, sliced 

2-3 cinnamon sticks

1-2 TBS mulling spices (or extra cinnamon sticks) 

dash of vanilla 

water

WHAT YOU'LL DO

1. Fill a medium pot 1/2 to 3/4 full of water. Add the sliced lemon, cinnamon sticks, mulling spices, and vanilla. Bring to a simmer on the stove. Allow to simmer uncovered until a fresh scent fills the air. 

2. Check on the pot every 20-30 minutes, adding more water as needed. *Note: Do not leave unattended for hours on end — I accidentally did this once and ended up with a burnt mess.

3. If you keep adding water to the pot, the simmer can go on for hours or even days. Just cover the pot overnight and bring it back to a simmer the next day! 

- - - - - - - 

This simmer will inevitably have people asking you what smells so good and ooh-ing and aah-ing and thinking you're all kinds of special because you do things like make homemade stove simmers as air fresheners. But friends, there's really nothing all that special about the process! If I can do it, you can do it. What is special, however, is how delicious your once-musty apartment will smell in no-time!