Whoo-hoo! Home-made reed diffuser

Hello Friends,
Yes, alright, alright, I know I promised that my next blog-post would be a tour of the veggie garden, but it isn't. Why isn't it? Because I am still way behind & it's most likely going to be at least another week before I feel like showing it off. Herb garden nicely productive though.......

.....so I decided on a little bit of herbal activity to try out an idea I spotted in the Guardian recently, namely instructions on how to make a reed diffuser. This is the sort of 'room fragrance device' often received as a gift. Refills are available, which for me, was all very fine & laudable until, halfway to the counter, I noticed the price. HOW MUCH?? A modest 250ml bottle of the fragrance liquid costs between £11.50 & £14.00........which, litre for litre, is pretty much comparable with a single malt! What exactly is in this elixir? Well, I would imagine it's water, artificial parfum, a dash of preservative industrial-type alcohol & a side-helping of assorted chemicals. I could be wrong, but somehow I doubt it. In lieu of my veggie garden photos being ready to share, & because people have asked me, here are the instructions for making your own reed diffuser using recycled materials & no nasties.

You need an empty glass jar (clean & dry), a few bamboo skewers (the cheapo BBQ variety are fine), essential oil/oils of your choice and vegetable oil........

.....also a handful of fresh herbs & a ribbon or similar if you want to go a bit lah-di-dah fancypants.
OK, so this is such simplicity, even Albert Whiskers could do it (if he wanted to, of course, which he doesn't because the ten minutes it takes would intrude far too drastically into his valuable sleeping & eating time). Stuff the herbs into the glass jar. Cover them with vegetable oil. Add 20 drops of essential oil. Stand the bamboo skewers (we're calling them 'reeds' now, cos we've gone posh) in the oil. Finish with a ribbon bow, or whatever you fancy, or leave it plain if you prefer things minimal......tho' if you fall into the latter camp, you're unlikely to be farting about making one of these.......

The carrier oil does need to be unscented, as you don't want a back note of eau de chip fat. The essential oil can be anything you like - I used lavender. Ditto the fresh herbs. I picked sprigs of lavender leaves, lavender mint & lemon balm. A more floral oil such as neroli or ylang-ylang would work well, as would citrus, such as lime or grapefruit. For winter, I plan to try a green-smelling oil such as juniper with cloves, orange peel & surreptitiously acquired sprigs of pine tree. As with a bought diffuser, remember to turn the reeds regularly to keep the fragrance strong. 

So there you are. Very easy & with the added satisfaction of not having squandered £14 on a titchy bottle of chemical fragrance. If room fragrance is not your thing, then you have the satisfaction of never having wasted your time making one either. It's a win win.

Here at the People & Cats' Republic, we are still recovering from the post-election blues, but we are feeling stronger this week & proud to be one (well, three) of the 63.1%. Actually, make that two, as Albert Whiskers doesn't have a vote. As a cat-loving past MP of a Nottinghamshire constituency once told me 'if only cats could be enfranchised, my life-long position as MP would be assured'. 
So chins up, friends, & onwards. 'We are many, they are few'...........
Have a good week, all,
C x