The windows are open, your broom is in hand, and your herb-infused cleaning vinegar is at the ready! Even for those who don’t love housework, a deep clean can be a celebratory and satisfying seasonal ritual. While you refresh the house, why not put on a pot of stovetop potpourri made with aromatic and cleansing herbs? If you don’t have fresh herbs, dried herbs work just as well.
Aromatic herbs and fruit – think mint, citrus, lavender, thyme, and ginger – will cleanse the air and fill the house with fresh, seasonal scents without bringing any store-bought additives or chemical-filled, synthetic fragrances into your home. This is so much better for our bodies, and does more than simply masking odors with artificial fragrances!
What Is Stovetop Potpourri and How Does It Work?
Stovetop potpourri involves little more than simmering aromatic herbs and fruit in a large pot of water with the lid off, so that the plants’ volatile oils release into the air.
The volatile oils of highly scented herbs and fruit are actually the plants’ own mechanism for self-defense against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. From leafy herbs to citrus, plants evolved to produce antimicrobial terpenoids, phenols, ketones, and ethers as protection against a wide range of pathogens.
Although these phytochemicals are meant to serve the plants first and foremost, their antimicrobial properties have been borrowed by humans since antiquity and are thought to be some of the earliest forms of medicine! Humans also tend to find these distinctive aromas and flavors quite enticing and uplifting. So when we release these volatile oils into the air in our homes, the antimicrobial properties fumigate the air, slowing the growth of bacteria and fungi, freshening the house’s scent, and in my experience, moving stagnant and stuck energy.
Stovetop Potpourri for Every Season
One of my favorite things about stovetop potpourri is that you can simmer different combinations of herbs for each season. For instance, I fumigate with lavender throughout the cold and flu season to minimize the spread of pathogens (the only known side effect is that it keeps my family feeling relaxed and happy). But lavender is just as appropriate for a spring deep clean if you mix it with citrus. Or change the recipe altogether for a sun-scented mint and lemon potpourri!
Fumigating my house with stovetop potpourri is one of the first lines of defense if someone comes home not feeling well. If there is a cold brewing my house, on goes the pot of lavender. The aromatic steam wafts through the house, disinfecting the air. If you have a gathering, fumigating is a great idea. People love the smell and if someone came to the party a little sick, you help protect everyone with your aromatic steam.
There are no rules except to have fun, delight your senses, and play with different combinations. To that end, here’s a bit of inspiration:
- Spring: Mint, thyme, lemon, lavender leaf or flower, and ginger
- Summer: Rosemary, lemon balm, and citrus
- Fall: Apples, cinnamon sticks, vanilla, citrus, and whole cloves
- Winter: Evergreen sprigs, cloves, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon sticks
Herbal Stovetop Potpourri
Ingredients
- 1 gallon water
- 2 cups fresh herbs (or 1 cup dried)
Instructions
- Pour the water into a pot.
- Add the herbs to the pot.
- Leaving the lid off, bring the herbs just to the point of boiling.
- Once the tea has come to a boil, turn the heat down to the lowest setting for 15 to 30 minutes. The steam will carry anti-microbial volatile oils from the herbs into the air in your house.
Refreshing the Home with Herbs
As you dust away the cobwebs and shake out the rugs, may the fresh scents of spring drift by your side like an old friend. Whether you call this fumigation, as I sometimes do, or herbal stovetop potpourri, it’s a wonderful way to welcome plants into our lives, cleansing the air we breathe and lifting our spirits.
Beyond that, it’s another way to deepen our practice of the herbal healing arts, energizing a home culture that embraces taking care of our homes and bodies with healing herbs, honoring our innate connection to the earth and fostering a holistic lifestyle that passes this knowledge on to the next generation. All with a pot of water, a bit of fire, and the help of our favorite aromatic herbs.
Dig in deeper
If you’d like to deepen your relationship to the plants and weave a healing lifestyle with common kitchen herbs and spices, check out my course, Herbal Kitchen Remedy Solutions. In it, I’ve distilled three and a half decades of herbal insights into fun-to-watch kitchen demonstrations so you can transform your spice rack into a healing home apothecary.
Or if you’d rather explore the power of medicinal meals infused with healing herbs and spices, you’ll love my other course, My Herbal Kitchen.
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How I Clean My House with Lavender
I’d love to hear from you! Have you tried an herbal stovetop potpourri for spring cleaning? What herbs did you use, and did you notice a difference in your home? Did a family member or friend comment on the scent or energy of your home? Share in the comments!
When you’re done stewing this..Can you use this stovetop potpourri to make a cleaning solution instead of throwing it out?
If you are mindful in what you use (organic, edible herbs), you can drink it as tea. You can also use it as a foot soak.