One spring Saturday morning, Mama took a bunch of eucalyptus leaves out of the living room that she’d bought from Whole Foods. They needed a purpose.

So she dumped them in our bathroom sink, filled it up with water, and made the whole house smell like renewal. I was deep cleaning the bathtub and shower tiles that day, and it’s the best time I can remember that I’ve ever spent cleaning.

Crisp eucalyptus everywhere.

Moral of the story: If you’re ever at Whole Foods, you should get some eucalyptus. Then dump it in your bathroom sink. And fill up the sink with water. Props if you let it sit in the living room for days upon days beforehand and ponder its purpose. It makes the end result even more surprising.