Tips on Spring Cleaning: Herbal Rug Fragrance

By Louise

Makes enough for an 8- by 11-foot rug

When our living-room rug smells musty, I hear about it right away from my husband, who does his morning exercises on it. Here’s a simple herbal solution. (If fleas are a problem in your house, add 2 cups of chopped, dried orange peel or pennyroyal leaf to the recipe.)

• 3 cups dried lavender flowers or leaves
• 2 cups dried rosemary leaves
• 3 pounds baking soda

1. In a large glass, earthenware, or stainless-steel bowl, blend the lavender flowers, rosemary leaves, and baking soda.

2. Sprinkle the mix over a freshly vacuumed rug and leave overnight. Then vacuum again.

Louise Gruenberg gardens as much as possible and cleans house as little as possible in her Oak Park, Illinois, home. She also writes and teaches about herbs. Due to popular demand for reprints of this article, it has been reprinted from our February/March 1997 issue with the author’s permission.

Click here for the original article, Tips on Spring Cleaning the Home.