Is It A Good Idea To Burn Cinnamon Sticks In Your Home For A Fall Aroma?

Scented smoke perfuming the air has been meaningful for millennia. Burning incense is a powerful practice for many religions, and cinnamon sticks were actually used by Romans for incense rather than for culinary purposes. Burning this pungent bark was a sacred part of funeral rituals. Today, it's hard to go wrong with cinnamon; this sweet-smelling spice transports us to cozy fall scenes with just one sniff.

There are a surprising amount of unexpected uses for cinnamon around the home. But is burning it a good idea? Lighting up sticks of cinnamon like incense is part of rituals in many cultures, but beyond any spiritual benefits, can the smoke be harmful if inhaled? There's not much scientific data available about whether this practice is hazardous to our health, but we may have enough information to decide that there are other, safer ways to perfume our home with this beloved spice. What we know about smoke inhalation in general may be enough to sway us from trying this trick.

A 2008 study in Clinical And Molecular Allergy, found that burning incense has been shown to produce more particulates than cigarette smoke, which can directly affect respiratory systems. While the makeup of cinnamon sticks and the mixture in incenses aren't the same, this may be enough reason for you to forgo burning the sticks. Plus, cinnamon earned a special mention from the professional firefighter of FireFighterNow – they advise against burning the highly flammable sticks. If used for incense, extra caution should be taken.

There are scores of ways to infuse your rooms with cinnamon's sweet scent without risk. Rather than setting sticks ablaze, fill your home with this seasonal aroma with cinnamon essential oil. See how you can use it to make your home smell like cinnamon by simply turning on the lights.

If you have a few cinnamon sticks to spare, toss a couple into a saucepan of simmering water for a homespun air freshener. Make a custom blend by adding some nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, and dehydrated orange peels. There's no need to turn on your stovetop with TikToker @Mrrice1976's air freshener formula. Steep seven or eight cinnamon sticks in a one-gallon jug of white vinegar for two or three weeks. Strain the mixture into a reed diffuser, and let fall spice fill your rooms.

You can also use cinnamon in your routine for a cleaner home. Along with getting necessary jobs done well, it leaves behind its pleasant aroma. While we enjoy the scent, there are also a handful of common pests that don't stand a chance against cinnamon.