If you’re looking for a natural way to fill your home with amazing aromas and fruity fragrances, a DIY air freshener is the perfect way to do it. If you’re like me, you don’t want you and your family to be breathing in toxic chemicals, which is why essential oils are like a gift from heaven – they’re completely natural, very fragrant, and a little goes a long way (a triple threat)!
While artificial plug-in air fresheners can sound tempting with delicious names like “warm peach cobbler” and “tropical island breeze,” they are hardly natural and can be irritating to the lungs, eyes, and throat in those who are sensitive. Thankfully, there’s an alternative, and I’ll show you how to make it in four easy steps. Once you’re done, you’ll want to make a diffuser for every room!
Before you start, you’ll need the following items for your DIY air freshener:
- Glass diffuser bottle
- Fabric ribbon or stickers
- Five or six diffuser reeds
- 1 TBSP vodka
- ¼ cup of safflower oil
- 2 teaspoons of essential oils (your choice!)
- Small glass bowl for mixing
- Small funnel
Step 1: Customize Your Glass Bottle
This part can be optional, but I think it’s nice to add custom colors, patterns, or designs to the bottle so that it matches the décor or the theme colors for your upcoming party. You can use ribbon to tie a chic bow or stickers to add a unique accent.
I chose neutral-colored stickers since they make a subtle statement, and they’re super easy to apply. (It only took about 60 seconds.) Now you can start working on your oil mixture, which will automatically turn into a free aromatherapy session. (You’re welcome.)
Step 2: Mix the Ingredients
In the small glass bowl, mix the safflower oil, vodka, and essential oils. I usually eyeball these types of things without too much trouble, but if you feel better using measuring cups and spoons, go for it!
For the essential oil portion, the sky’s the limit! Since I love citrus, I mixed together sweet orange, lemongrass, and Persian lime essential oils for a fresh, crisp scent (a similar scent like the one that I used for my mason jar bug repellent). I put about 10-15 drops of each, which equals roughly 2 teaspoons. Once those ingredients are mixed thoroughly, grab your funnel and move onto the next step!
Step 3: Pour the Oil Mixture into the Glass Bottle
Using a funnel isn’t absolutely necessary if you have a larger diffuser bottle with really tall reeds, but if you have a very small bottle like mine (and don’t have eagle-eye precision), it’s probably best to use one so that you don’t have an oil spill.
Slowly pour all of the oil mixture into the bottle, and take a whiff (smells heavenly)!
Step 4: Soak the Reeds
Now take your diffuser reeds and dip them into the bottle. Be sure to move them around so that they’re fully coated, then let them sit for about five minutes.
Now flip the reeds over (so that the soaked ends are sticking out of the top of the bottle), and place your air freshener diffuser in any room that could use a little pick-me-up!
(Pro Tip: Be sure to flip the reeds every five to seven days to keep the scent going!)
Making your own DIY air freshener is not only quick and easy, but the options are endless. At Christmas time, you can use peppermint, ginger, and pine essential oils. For your Thanksgiving gathering, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange essential oils are sure to be a crowd pleaser.
What are some of your favorite essential oil blends? Please share them in the comments below. We’d love to hear (and smell) your creative mixtures!
