Scenting The Whole House

• One way to provide a source of fragrance for the whole house is to use furnace filter air fresheners. These air fresheners are generally either pads scented with a liquid fragrance or flat bags filled with fragrant ingredients that attach to the disposable filter of your furnace. When the furnace blows air throughout the house, it carries the fragrance on the air and can scent every room.
  
  

Using What You Already Have

• Making your own furnace air filter air fresheners is relatively easy and can be very inexpensive. Use a safety pin or paper clip to attach a dryer sheet scented with your favorite fabric softener to your air filter. Since dryer sheets are made to release their fragrance when heated, the warm air blowing through your furnace system will activate the dryer sheet and softly scent the whole house. You can also purchase unscented dryer sheets and add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (available at health food and craft stores) to create a custom scent. This method is the least expensive; however, dryer sheets, since they are designed for single use, have to be changed frequently.
  
  

Making a Furnace Sachet

• Another way to create your own furnace filter air freshener is to create a sachet-style bag of potpourri or other naturally scented material. Using cheesecloth or muslin (available at fabric, craft and kitchen stores), either staple or sew the sides of a rectangle to create a flat bag. Fill the bag with purchased potpourri or other scented materials such as cinnamon sticks or dried flowers. Close the bag on all sides and attach to the metal grid of your furnace filter with safety pins. Check your materials for flammability and attach the bag to the filter.
  
  You can also use the bag to hold a scent pad made of folded fabric or attach the pad directly to the filter. Fold a square of muslin or other natural fiber fabric (cotton napkins work well for this) until it is several layers thick and apply several drops of essential or potpourri oil to the center of the square. Attach the square to your filter.