# Accidental basil air freshener **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 16, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidental-basil-air-freshener/557357 "2010-10-16T16:32:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidental-basil-air-freshener/557357/1 "2010-10-16T16:32:55Z")
Yummm. Last time I vacuumed I got some basil leaves that had fallen off of Aerogarden onto the floor. I didn’t think anything more about it. But just now when I started to vacuum I noticed a distinctive aroma. I guess the leaves had dried out to that perfect point where they are pulverizable, but still retain a lot of nice oils. My carpet and apartment have I nice Pestoey smell right now. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidental-basil-air-freshener/557357/2 "2010-10-16T18:09:53Z")
I’ve had that happen with a bottle of vanilla. I had it on the counter because I was using it, but it got knocked off hard enough that the cap broke and vanilla leaked into the heating register on the floor. It smelled great and lasted quite a while. It’s a shame vanilla is too expensive to use as an air freshener. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidental-basil-air-freshener/557357/3 "2010-10-16T18:50:42Z")
Months and months ago I vacuumed up after breaking a jar of curry powder. I still get a faint whiff each time I vacuum. It’s a bagless machine. I wonder if it will ever be all gone. I much prefer the idea of a pestoey house to a Febreeze fake floral one. ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidental-basil-air-freshener/557357/4 "2010-10-16T20:03:07Z")
I occasionally sprinkle a little cinnamon into my vacuum bags on purpose to get that effect. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidental-basil-air-freshener/557357/5 "2010-10-16T20:49:49Z")
I haven’t owned dogs in years, but I still have the same vacuum cleaner. Although we’ve of course changed bags and wiped out the interior as best we could, it smells like my pugs are here with us every time I vacuum. And they smell like they could use a bath. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accidental-basil-air-freshener/557357/6 "2010-10-16T21:35:51Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > I haven’t owned dogs in years, but I still have the same vacuum cleaner. Although we’ve of course changed bags and wiped out the interior as best we could, it smells like my pugs are here with us every time I vacuum. And they smell like they could use a bath. That’s the reason most of the abandoned vacuums my husband picks up from the curb don’t stay with us long.