Falun is a pretty esoteric French household product. I first came across it at a garden fête and quickly got addicted. I buy a few tubs of it per year and in between, I make my own from scented sand.
So what is it? Falun is a type of absorbent limestone. Sold in the form of rough sand, manufacturers impregnate it with fragrance. You can use it for all sorts of things – sprinkling on floors or carpets to freshen them prior to vacuuming; in small jars or tubs in your wardrobes as a moth repellent, and at the bottom of ashtrays, if you smoke, to kill that ashtray smell stone dead.
As it comes, in the pot, it’s very strong. I often decant about a tablespoon into a tub of bicarb and use it that way instead – it’s more than enough to scent the house.
One time when I ran out and couldn’t get to the garden fête, I made my own instead. Since we holiday in Brittany every year, I brought back about a kilo of fine sand from the beach. I washed this multiple times, then soaked it in essential oils, using the cheapest I could find – usually citronella and lavendin. It has pretty much the same effect as falun, although the sand is not as absorbent.
You can order falun from Histoire de Rose and it’s also sometimes available on Amazon.