simmering pots and diffuser reeds....any experience with these??

[ProudGrandma]

So, I have been on a journey to figure out how to put nice smells into my home without the use of toxic candles and candle melts.   

My research has most recently taken me to simmering pots and 100% pure essential oil reed diffusers. 

I ordered some reed diffusers to try, they aren't here yet....so in the meantime I am playing around with simmering pots. As much as I want to try fall scents (cloves, cinnamon etc), I am sticking with more summery ones...like citrus and other fruits.  I don't have flowers right now, but I could consider that too. 

But I am still not getting the strong aroma that I desire...but it very well could be that citrus is just a milder scent...and my room might be too big (I am using a small crockpot in my livingroom space).

If you have any experience with these at all, will you share your wisdom?

Thanks. 

 

[Arcadia]

34 minutes ago, kfeusse said:

But I am still not getting the strong aroma that I desire...but it very well could be that citrus is just a milder scent...and my room might be too big (I am using a small crockpot in my livingroom space).

I have never used a crockpot as a simmering pot. Cooking soup/stew in a small pot (without lid) on low heat would be sufficient for the smell to reach the furthest end of my living room from the stove. My air fryer is also unintentionally great for diffusing smells so if I am cooking something with lemon juice or slices, my living room would smell of lemons. How about baking something with citrus fruits? 
 

ETA:

Mine is an open floor plan and the living room is next to the kitchen, separated only by a bar counter. 

Edited July 24, 2023 by Arcadia

[Pawz4me]

I've never had any luck with the small crock pots for scent. I've tried three and none seemed to get anywhere near hot enough to give off a decent scent. You had to stick your nose an inch above the pot to kinda sorta maybe get a nice whiff.

The kitchen in our current house is closed off enough that even a briskly simmering pot on the stove isn't enough to waft nice scents much beyond the kitchen and dining room. Our former house was very open but also fairly large. So again, the scent didn't seem to travel far.

I've tried a few reed diffusers. The ones that work give off a nice scent but again--it doesn't go far, so you need quite a few of them scattered around. Some of the ones I tried didn't do anything at all because the reeds wouldn't absorb the oil. Also, you have to remember to flip the reeds every few days, being careful to not let any essential oil drip on furniture since it can ruin the finish.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Pawz4me

[ProudGrandma]

12 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

I've never had any luck with the small crock pots for scent. I've tried three and none seemed to get anywhere near hot enough to give off a decent scent. You had to stick your nose an inch above the pot to kinda sorta maybe get a nice whiff.

The kitchen in our current house is closed off enough that even a briskly simmering pot on the stove isn't enough to waft nice scents much beyond the kitchen and dining room. Our former house was very open but also fairly large. So again, the scent didn't seem to travel far.

I've tried a few reed diffusers. The ones that work give off a nice scent but again--it doesn't go far, so you need quite a few of them scattered around. Some of the ones I tried didn't do anything at all because the reeds wouldn't absorb the oil. Also, you have to remember to flip the reeds every few days, being careful to not let any essential oil drip on furniture since it can ruin the finish.

Do they make electric simmer pots....or just the tiny crockpots.?  

My kitchen is next to my living/dining room...however, there is just a door way not an open floor plan.  But I also didn't want to keep my stove on all day...thus why I thought about the crockpot...hmmm...or don't you keep them going all day? 

I knew that about the reed diffusers (the turning of the reeds), but I didn't think about getting oil everywhere....ugh!  

I am beginning to wonder if I am just traveling down a road of disappointment.  

[itsheresomewhere]

Cast iron humidifier pot is an excellent pot for diffusing.  It holds the heat better so you can turn off the stove and still have smell.  For summer-  try lemon, basil and rosemary in the pot.  Roll the lemon around a few times before cutting it and kind of hand crush but not much the herbs.   

[Arcadia]

I had a very old body shop essential oil diffuser that uses tea lights that looks similar to this. I put it at one corner of my living room and the smell does diffuse well enough for me.

Maybe look for one that runs on electricity? Something like this

https://www.worldmarket.com/p/white-ceramic-aromatherapy-ultrasonic-diffuser-613768.html?store=store78

[Corraleno]

I've had mixed luck with reed diffusers, I think it depends a lot on the scent. I bought a couple bottles of Vanilla Pumpkin diffuser oil last fall that I added reeds to and miraculously both of those are still going strong — I just had to move one of them from the powder room to the entry hall, because DS kept leaving the bathroom door closed and the scent would be overpowering when you opened the door. But I'm pretty sure that is a synthetic scent. I also have some Capris Blue diffuser reed sets in the Volcano scent, and I don't find the throw to be that great; it will scent a bathroom but not a whole bedroom, which is a bummer because it's expensive and it's my absolute favorite scent.

I have also used an electric mist type diffuser with pure essential oils, and that works great as long as it's on, but when you turn it off the scent doesn't last that long — although that could be because I always use citrusy scents in that one, and citrus scents tend to be rather fugitive. (That's true in perfumes, too, they're always a top note and disappear quickly, with the woody, spicy scents lasting the longest.)

I also have an electric candle warmer that I most often use with those little Trader Joe's soy wax candles that come in a tin. They never burn all the way down, so I just melt the remaining wax and keep all the leftovers in one tin that sits on the candle warmer. That works pretty well in the kitchen, but again I mostly buy those in spice-based scents rather than citrusy ones. 

[KungFuPanda]

I like to simmer various combinations of citrus, cardamom, star anise, and vanilla. Sometimes I use my small dip crockpot and sometimes I just simmer on the stove and set the pot on the ‘keep warm’ burner. I’ve been known to do a lap with my pot to spread the scent. A fan would probably work better. 

[ProudGrandma]

22 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

I like to simmer various combinations of citrus, cardamom, star anise, and vanilla. Sometimes I use my small dip crockpot and sometimes I just simmer on the stove and set the pot on the ‘keep warm’ burner. I’ve been known to do a lap with my pot to spread the scent. A fan would probably work better. 

I never considered a fan...hmmm...