http://www.care2.com/greenliving/pumpkin-air-freshener.html
Carved Pumpkin Air Freshener
By Melissa Breyer, Producer, Care2 Green Living
We are so over commercial air fresheners and their blanket of perfumy toxins, and we’re having some serious doubts about mass-made scented candles too. But now the house smells like dogs. This autumn we are going for the old stand-bys like simmering potpourri, but also came across a sweet idea that uses hollowed-out pumpkins to create aromatic pumpkin candles. They are seasonal, safe and delicious smelling, with the added bonus of being wonderfully decorative. Learn how to make them here.
Although we’re pretty sure Martha Stewart’s house does absolutely not smell like dogs, she does provide a pretty cute pumpkin pie potpourri idea on her web site. We have expanded on that idea and are happy to have another natural and non-toxic alternative to commercial air fresheners. So, thank you to the craft mavens over at MS.
It’s a pretty simple project—if you’ve carved a pumpkin before, you have all the expertise you need:
1. Cut off the top of a medium pumpkin, clean the interior and top. (See How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds for a healthy snack)
2. Cut holes in the sides to vent. Use an apple corer. You can place the holes randomly for a mod look, or symmetrically for a more classic design. Alternatively, you could carve a jack-o-lantern.
3. Rub your favorite seasonal spices on the inside of the pumpkin top. Try cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice. You can press some cloves or star anise in the top as well, or rub on some fresh vanilla bean. (Don’t use vanilla extract—the candle flame may ignite the alcohol.)
4. Place a beeswax tea light candle in the bottom of the pumpkin.
Light and let burn. (And never leave a burning candle unattended!)
For another great pumpkin idea try our Floating Pumpkin Candles
.
For great all-natural autumn air scents, read Sweet Autumn Air Fresheners.
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8 comments
add your comment »Soy Candles
are better
than
Beeswax candles!
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Yes, the topic IS pumpkins, but in the sense we should reuse them because it's a tip on being greener, which is what this whole site's about. I find my concerns for bees to be very green! Scientific claims show bee extinction as more environmentally damaging than global warming. I feel those interested in being greener should merely consider an alternative to beeswax candles that aren't made of petroleum (there's plenty of veggie ones) just in case. I base this on things I've researched, which I suggest you do too instead of taking what I say or what anyone says or assumes, as fact. The sources I use in stating that many beekeepers take honey from the bees and replace it with the cheap white sugar, comes from not only a friend's dad (who was a kind man who cared about his bees, yet still replaced all the honey with sugar) but from PETA, and the owner of Zapatista (a socially responsible company that sells honey acquired humanely, no sugar). So yes, even very concerned beekeepers can take all the honey, and not all, but most do. Regarding royal jelly, it is a byproduct of honey that wouldn't exist without it, and the several sources I've found state it's fed only to the queen and the young. Either way, without honey they must get by on sugar, hopefully you realize how horrid the stuff is to one's health! There's many theories why bees are dying, I'm SURE pesticides play a role! But only one of many (they've a virus and are weak, there's many causes & nothing certain).
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Beeswax and vegetable based candles, burn clean , no black soot. Most candle are made of petroleum , which makes them burn black. I think these pumpkin candles are a wonderful idea! You're not wasting one bit of that pumpkin!
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hmmm.... and i thought this was about pumpkins.
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I cannot believe that beekeepers whether they are small or large producers of honey and bee products for human use would be so stupid as to do anything knowingly that would put them out of business. You can check with most of them and verify this but they are as concerned about the loss of bees and the rate at which they are dying and are doing everything in their power to stop it as the rest of the farm community is.
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Bees eat royal jelly not sugar water. Royal jelly is a secretion from workers’ glands. It is fed to the queen bee throughout her larval and adult life. It is also fed to larvae for the first two and a half days. It is a creamy milky-white color, strongly acidic, has a prudent odor and bitter taste.The queen eats only royal jelly, the worker bees eat some royal jelly and the drones eat the least amount. Royal jelly is high in protein and is rich in vitamins B, C and D.
It is the chemicals that we spray on plants, grass etc. to kill bugs.....that is what is killing the Bees too. Go Organic!!! Check out /www.insecta-inspecta.com/bees/honey/
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I have to make this comment every time I see something about beeswax candles. I LOVE them, yes, but though I used to think those who refused to eat honey were whacky, have since learned why. First off, I've heard beeswax candles actually clean the air instead of pollute it. NICE! I assume they're asked for in these green instructions because regular candles are made from petroleum and NOT green. But we have to consider that harming bees isn't exactly green either, and there's soy and other veggie candles too, so we can still be green. WooHoo! I admit I haven't been able to get info on the companies who make beeswax candles, I assume Clarks is a better company (also Ambrosia & Burts Bees, but do they do candles & honey?). Most, at least cheaper, companies extract the honey by weakening the bees and leaving them with the cheapest of white sugars. Bees fly around the world some awful amount of times for a tiny bit of honey, because THEY NEED IT to live. And then we weaken them and steal it, leaving them junk that makes them weaker. Are you aware that honey bees are dying in record #s? They're an endangered species whose function in pollinating plants is so far irreplaceable. SO, IF YOU WANT TO BE GREEN, USE SOMETHING ELSE! Thanks!
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I LOVE this idea! I usually just let my jack o'lanterns "die" outside, and its a bit sad...now I can bring them back inside and enjoy them into November!
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