3 Stovetop Potpourri Ideas That Will Make Your Home Smell Like Spring
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These easy stovetop potpourris are the perfect natural homemade scent that will bring the smell of spring into your home!
Can you believe it? It’s almost Spring outside, and the daffodils in my garden are trying to come out from under the snow we had last week!
I’ve been in love with simmering pots lately, also called stovetop potpourri. I love homemade scents, they are so much fun to make, smell amazing, and look very pretty!
What is a stovetop potpourri?
A stovetop potpourri is a mix of edible ingredients (normally fruit, spices, and herbs) that you can keep simmering away on your stove for hours. You just need to simply replenish the water as it cooks down. It’s a natural homemade scent that will make your apartment smell absolutely amazing. It’s a much cheaper alternative to scented candles, and it’s a 100% natural air freshener. And you will probably have most of the ingredients at home or in your garden.
This simple DIY project will make your entire home smell so fresh. It will last throughout the day, even after you have stopped using the simmering pot.
If the air in your home is quite dry, simmering pots will also help you to add moisture to the air.
But be sure to keep your simmer pot on low heat and replenish it with water frequently!
I made 3 variations that smell of spring and fresh air! And with spring cleaning around the corner in the next few weeks, these stop top potpourri ideas are perfect to make your home smell fresh!
3 Stovetop Potpourri Ideas
Lemon And Rosemary Stovetop Potpourri
This is one of my favorite spring smells, and it’s also very similar to the famous scent you smell at Williams Sonoma stores!
You just need 3 simple ingredients: fresh lemons, rosemary, and vanilla extract.
Ingredients
- 2 lemons sliced
- A bunch of rosemary
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Place all the ingredients into a pot and fill it with water and simmer. Add more water as needed. You can use the same pot and ingredients for a couple of days.
Lime, Mint, Ginger, And Thyme Stovetop Potpourri
This version is very refreshing, and the citrus smell mixed with mint, ginger, and thyme is just perfect for spring.
If you don’t want to use your stovetop potpourri straight away, you can add all the ingredients in a mason jar and store them for a couple of days in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Ingredients
- 3 limes
- A bunch of fresh mint
- A bunch of fresh thyme
- Some ginger finely sliced
Instructions
As above, place all the ingredients into a pot and fill it with water and simmer. Add more water as needed. You can use the same pot and ingredients for a couple of days.
Lemon, Cinnamon, Mint, And Thyme Stovetop Potpourri
This homemade scent is spicy and warm but fresh at the same time. It’s the perfect aroma to help you with the transition from winter to spring.
Ingredients
- 2 lemons
- A bunch of fresh mint
- A bunch of fresh thyme
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
Place all the ingredients into a pot and fill with water and simmer. Add more water as needed. You can use the same pot and ingredients for a couple of days.
These are just some of my favorite combinations. You can try any fruit, spice, or herb mix you have around!
3 Spring Stovetop Potpourri Ideas
Ingredients
Lemon And Rosemary Stove Top Potpourri
- 2 lemons sliced
- A bunch of rosemary
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Lime, Mint, Ginger, And Thyme Stove Top Potpourri
- 3 limes
- A bunch of fresh mint
- A bunch of fresh thyme
- Some ginger finely sliced
Lemon, Cinnamon, Mint, And Thyme Stove Top Potpourri
- 2 lemons
- A bunch of fresh mint
- A bunch of fresh thyme
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into a pot and fill with water and simmer. Add more water as needed. You can use the same pot and ingredients for a couple of days.
Hey! I’m going to test this out at home this Easter weekend and can’t wait. Hoping to use it for a women’s event at our church in a few weeks, but we don’t have a stovetop option. Has this ever worked with a crockpot?
Hey Megan,
Yes, it will work in a crockpot 🙂
These scents have been a game changer for my very old, musty and recently stinky house – thank you so much for sharing😊
I have been spring scrubbing whilst the lemon, rosemary & vanilla simmers away.
I had a recent disaster where I went out to cut the grass and forgot about some beans I had simmering on the stove. I only noticed when I took off the ear muffs and heard the smoke alarm. The stench was awful, but these scents (along with scrubbing walls etc have made such a difference. **Nb, keep an eye on all pots so they don’t boil dry and burn – some of us have learn the hard way😵💫😵💫😁
Thanks so much, Fionn!
The lime, mint, ginger recipe rocked my world! I have my own herb garden so getting those weren’t too tricky, and the smell was immediate and potent (in a good way). We had just had our floors refinished and were desperate to smell something different than polyurethane. Thanks for this recipe, and this will be a staple moving forward!
Thanks Ameliak 🙂 Glad you liked it!
This looks so good! What a great way to naturally give your home a nice scent!
Thanks, Suzanne!
Can I use a slow cooker for these recipes too?
Yes, As long as you don’t keep the lid on!
I have a lot of dried lemons that were given to me. Could I use those?
Hi Rosemary, you could try but they might not have the same strong aroma of fresh lemons!
I made up stovetop potpourri as gifts, and used dried citrus. They were a big hit, and I got requests for more. It takes a bit longer forthe scent to kick in because they have to rehydrate. If you don’t have other uses for the dried lemons, I’d definitely give it a shot.
Hi Jennifer, Thanks for the tip on using dried citrus for stovetop potpourri gifts. I’ll consider trying it out.
Hi Sara. I just wrote a new blog post about stove top potpourri and I featured your recipe in my list.
Your Lemon Mint recipe is listed as my #5 favorite recipe. You can see the whole list here: https://smartershopper.club/air-freshener-on-stove/
I credited your blog post with a link. Let me know if that’s okay.
Thanks.
Thanks for including me, Curtis 🙂
Of course, it’s ok!
What do you do to save it for a few days after you’re done?
You can put it in the fridge for a day or 2 but the smell is good on the day you make it. It doesn’t really smell like much if you keep it in the fridge and try to use it a day later.
What size of pot are you using?
Hey Carry, I am using an 8 inch 3-quart pot!
Omgosh, Sara!
Speaking of spring…….. I can’t believe it’s almost spring!! It feels like I just met you yesterday (and we met somewhere in Nov.) Holy… time seriously flies by! Where did it go???
Anyway, I do love the scent of the fresh spring air. As usual, pics are gorgeous and I’m sure this smells amazing!! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this. I would love to try it if I have time!
Thank you! I know! Time flies!!! I can’t believe it. I am so happy we met 😉