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Cinnamon Stick Vacuum Freshener

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Cinnamon sticks are best enjoyed in a hot cider. But did you know they also make for an easy, natural and holiday pleasant addition to your cleaning chores? Just drop a couple of cinnamon sticks into your vacuum bag and the sticks will provide light odour protection via their natural scent and antimicrobial quality.

 
 

"Cinnamon's essential oils also qualify it as an "anti-microbial" food, and cinnamon has been studied for its ability to help stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi, including the commonly problematic yeast Candida. In laboratory tests, growth of yeasts that were resistant to the commonly used anti-fungal medication fluconazole was often (though not always) stopped by cinnamon extracts." [via WHFoods.com]

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How To..., green ideas, scent, air freshener, cinnamon, vacuum

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Comments (4)

You can also stick a stick (har, har) in your car as a natural air freshener. Just put it on a surface you can wipe down, in case some of the oils come off.

posted by angieinthecity on 2007-12-17 19:48:25
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It's going to be a very faint scent, as cinnamon, like most other spices, needs heat and liquid (water is okay, oil is better) to actually release any fragrance or flavor. That's why you need to warm spices in oil when making curry.

Cinnamon oil (Cinnamomum cassia) and cinnamon teas made from the bark have antibacterial properties, but just sticking a stick in a bag isn't going to do much.

posted by Palmetto on 2007-12-17 19:54:13
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Too faint to make it worthwhile. Especially when you can boil them and make a bigger impact.

posted by Sleek on 2007-12-18 09:15:46
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Powder has a much more powerful impact, due to the increased surface area. Just tap a little into your vacuum hose and suck it up.

posted by sunspot42 on 2007-12-18 14:50:33
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