DIY Dried Flower Potpourri & Bath Soaks: An Old Tradition Made Simple

Before scented candles and plug-in air fresheners, there was potpourri — and the word itself tells you exactly what it originally was. It's a tradition worth reviving properly, not as a bowl of stale department-store filler, but as a genuinely fragrant, customizable way to use dried flower petals around the house or in the bath.

In practice, modern potpourri is simply a mix of dried flower petals combined with a fixative like orris root and a few drops of essential oil — no fermenting crock required — and the same dried petals can be sealed into a small muslin bag to make a simple bath soak.

The French Origins of Potpourri

"Pot pourri" is French for "rotten pot," which sounds unappealing until you know the process: in 17th- and 18th-century France, partially dried flower petals were layered with salt in a covered crock and left to partially ferment for several weeks, a technique that actually preserved scent more effectively than fully drying petals from the start. The lid would be lifted whenever a room needed freshening. The version most people picture today — a decorative bowl of fully dried petals, spices, and dried citrus — is a gentler, less pungent descendant that became especially popular in Victorian England, where potpourri jars were a fixture of the well-appointed parlor.

How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri at Home

Our bulk box of dried flower petals, sold as a 25-cup set, is the easiest starting point: it's already dried and mixed, so there's no fermenting crock required. Toss the petals with a fixative like a tablespoon of orris root powder per cup of petals (this helps the scent last far longer), then add a few drops of an essential oil that complements the petals' natural tones — lavender, citrus, or clove all work well for a fall-leaning blend. Store the mix in a sealed jar for a week to let the scent settle, then display it in an open bowl or basket.

A Simple Bath Soak Recipe

The same petals make an easy bath soak: fill a muslin drawstring bag or a knotted square of cheesecloth with a half-cup of dried petals, a tablespoon of Epsom salt, and a few drops of oil, then drop the whole bag into a warm bath and let it steep like a tea bag. It scents the water without leaving petals clogging the drain, and the little bag can be reused two or three times before the scent fades.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does "potpourri" actually mean, and does it need to smell "rotten"?
A: No — "pot pourri" is French for "rotten pot," referencing the original 17th-century French method of partially fermenting petals with salt, but the dried-petal potpourri most people make today has nothing to do with that original fermenting process.

Q: What is a fixative, and do I really need one?
A: A fixative like orris root powder binds to the fragrance oils in potpourri and slows their evaporation, so adding about a tablespoon per cup of dried petals will noticeably extend how long the scent lasts.

Q: Can I use the same dried petals for both potpourri and a bath soak?
A: Yes — the same bulk dried petals work for both; for a bath soak, fill a muslin bag with a half-cup of petals, a tablespoon of Epsom salt, and a few drops of essential oil, then steep it in the water like a tea bag.

Q: How many times can a dried flower bath soak bag be reused?
A: A single muslin bag can typically be reused two to three times before the scent fades noticeably.

Shop the bulk dried flower petal box to start your own batch.