My wife read of a country air freshener. Its called a "pomander". Take a cirus (orange, lemon, lime, tangerine etc.) and insert closely positioned cloves in various designs and suspend by a length of ribbon in a window and it will fill the place with the aroma of cirus and cloves. It will become lightweight as the fruit dries and can be used year round. Could make a nice gift during the holidays. We are trying one now and it is very fragrent. Will know in a couple days if it draws fruit flies (I think the cloves may prevent that).

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), December 06, 2000

Answers

Historically a "freshner" for the closet but would work great as a ornament for your tree, also.If flys a concern Put it where it's plenty hot to get it to dry quicker.But you should not have fly problems,either way.

I use cinnamon and cloves as part of my 18th century mothballs.Also,Misting with a little water will help to revive the smell, a while down the road.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), December 06, 2000.

Hey, Sharon...please share your recipe for 18th century moth balls! I have LOTS of wool fleece and roving and yarn and material, and live in constant fear of moths. The chemical moth balls stink and make me feel ill. We do 18th century reenactments, and I am a spinner.

Asd for the ppomanders, I remember my Mom making several when I was a kid, and the fragrance lasted for years in her sweater drawer. The orange got withery and dried-up, but that was all.

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), December 06, 2000.

Glad to.Just use a mixture of dried moth repelling herbs like lavender,artmesias,such as sweet annie,southernwood,silverking artemesia,dried orange lemon or other citrus peels,cinnamon,cloves,tansymint,rosemary.

Make a mixture out of what ever you like or have on hand.Go ahead and experiment! I put in fenugreek pods cause I liked the smell and I had them, but some didn't like it too much.

Use squares of fabric abt like a quilting square-in fact just like one,I got a box of them as an auction so I used them up this was.

Put a dab,maybe a tablespoon of mixture in the fabric square and secure the top with a small rubberband.You can put a little ribbon around italso, if it's for a gift or to put on the tree.You can use lacey fabric for this as well,but put mixture in plastic wrap then in lace,then punch holes in plastic with needle to release fragrance.

Fun & quick to make and much better smelling than mothballs.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), December 06, 2000.

Leann- forgot to say I got the recipe from Bertha Reppert- HERBS with CONFIDENCE.Also love her A Heritage of Herbs book.She Has a shop in Mechanicsburg PA.

I'm a big heirloom gardener and love oldtimey things.My friend where I take some of my crafts owns a craft shop now called The Keeping Room, of period reproductions and old things forgotten as her shop name says. She worked at the Mountain Homeplace here in E KY.She was their spinner, also.

I like chatting on old things-heck I'm getting pretty close to be an old thing myself.So chat away if you have the inclination.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), December 06, 2000.

I also put fresh cedar shavings in my moth repellant bags with the herbs. I got really industrious one winter and sewed a couple dozen 2" x 6" muslin bags just for that purpose. I used the chaining technique as for machine piecing quilts and it didn't take long. I got lazy though and quit renewing the herbs/cedar chips when I found a mixture of cedar oil, eucalyptus, orange oil and pennyroyal oil. Now, every spring when I put away my winter clothing, I dab about 5 drops on each bag to put in the drawers.

Now if someone could tell me how to make an herbal mouse repellant. I found one in a box with some loom parts that I'd padded with a woolen afghan I crocheted for my grandmother back in '65 or '66. He'd made a wonderful nest of it. I think I can salvage the yarn but not repair the damage. I did show said mouse to the cat. Cat caught the mouse but took it into the house proper then let it escape. Gee, thanks, cat.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), December 07, 2000.

I just can't take those oils-I guess bc they are petroleum based and I'm allergic to that.Some of the herbs bother me too like sweet annie and lavender,so I skip them, for myself.Cedar would also be good to add if you like that smell.

tansy is suppose to repel mice.

Camomile and santolina can also be used in mothbags.Dried foliage of marigold also.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), December 07, 2000.

Sharon, Whats tansy?

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), December 07, 2000.

Tansy is an Euorpean introduction,found sometimes as an escapee from the old gardens.Herb catalogues have the seed.Both Common and fernleaf tansy are available.I noticed fernleaf is the one I see in the older folks gardens here in KY.One of the historical herbs.Perennial,and it spreads! I keep mine in part shade to contol it's bossy tendency.

Also has been eaten ,historically,but is suppose to be harmful in quanity.I also dry the flowers for my crafts.

You want a sprig?It stays pretty well green for me all year.Mine is common tansy. I could send some in the spring if you like.I'd hate to now bc of the possibility of freezing in transit.Where are you ? If not too far away sprigs travel just fine in a baggie and padded mailer.I didn't save seed from that ,or I'd send you some.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), December 07, 2000.

Thank you Sharon.....I LOVE lavender, and just bought four jars of rosemary for .49 cents a jar, for use in oinments (it's cheap at Big Lots!). I have whole cloves and cinnamon sticks; so I am well on my way!

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), December 07, 2000.