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Who doesn’t enjoy the glorious scents of potpourri gifts at work and in our home, which give us that little bit of luxury. But were you aware that it was once necessary for everyday life?

Potpourri came about from and were created in castles. Castles were designed with defense against arrows and rocks and thus had very narrow windows. The small windows would usually cause the dampness of the castle to reek from poor ventilation. Most castles would eventually begin to stink from the mildew and trapped air.

Castle dwellers started using heavily scented herbs to hide the horrible castle smell the perforated every room. If they did not, the rooms would end up smelling really bad and be undesirable to live in. The oils in the herbs would eventually evaporate and the herbs themselves would begin to rot, so frequent cleaning was needed.

Usually, castles had a room in the bottom that was used to create potpourri. Herbs and spices were combined with brandy in these really large rooms which usually contained mixing containers. The mixtures would usually give off a very wonderful scent. Many of these fragrances would have seasonal appeal and be used accordingly. Many of the mixing containers would sit for years before the smell would evolve and the creator would deem it ready.

 

Once the potpourri mixtures had attained the right scent, it would be sent to different parts of the castle, and to different rooms to be used as a pleasant aroma that masked the dingy smell of the castle itself. Occasional refreshing was needed to help the potpourri last for many years or even about a decade. All that was needed was a little added alcohol to help with the evaporation of the aroma into the area of the castle. At night, the potpourri containers would be capped to help preserve the aromas.

If you are interested in making potpourri, then search for free potpourri gift catalogs or just potpourri catalogs.

 

 


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