We all know that smells evoke powerful memories. You can create those memories for you family by making natural air fresheners to use around your house.
There are three main categories of air freshener recipes that you can make in minutes. Pick the style and scent that suits your mood the best.
Simmering Pot Air Fresheners
A warm pot of something good on the stove always makes a house feel like a home. Steal this trick from real estate agents to give your own home a warm feel.
To make these natural air fresheners, combine ingredients in a pan with water, then simmer all day. Make sure you add more water as needed so the ingredients do not give off a burnt smell instead.
1. Grapefruit & Cinnamon Home Humidifier
Lifestyle blogger Stephanie Gerber created a warm recipe that could not be any easier. Simply take a generous piece of peel from your morning grapefruit, a stick of cinnamon, and a few shakes of allspice or nutmeg over to the stovetop and let them simmer on low while it fills your home with the warm, sweet scent.
2. Christmas Stove Potpourri
Longing for the smells of Christmas even when the season has past? Then start simmering this lovely recipe from Jamielyn, of I Heart Naptime.
She recommends combining one sliced orange, four broken cinnamon sticks, half a cup of fresh cranberries, one tablespoon of cloves, and a pinch of nutmeg with enough water to cover and simmer.
For an extra special touch, add a few sprigs of rosemary or a small piece from your Christmas tree.
3. Scent of Fall Simmering Pot
This recipe doubles as a lovely gift when you pour the fall embracing ingredients into a quart-sized mason jar. Melissa Riker, of The Happier Homemaker, suggests adding orange slices, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and apple slices to your jar before topping off with water.
Then, when you are ready for an absolutely delicious house, just pour the ingredients into your pan and let it simmer on the stove.
Related: 15 Reasons You Should Have a Himalayan Salt Lamp In Every Room
4. Lemon Vanilla Crock Pot Simmer
For a slightly safer take on the stovetop potpourri, consider this summer simmer from Angela of About A Mom. She combines sliced lemons or lemon juice with a few teaspoons of vanilla extract, ground cloves, a cinnamon stick, and a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
Over that, sprinkle four to five generous tablespoons of baking soda and then pour in four to five cups of water. The baking soda will absorb odors in your kitchen while the rest of the ingredients bring summer warmth to the rest of the house.
Homemade Spray Air Fresheners
When you need to make a room feel fresh fast, a spray is the way to go. Commercial sprays are expensive and full of unpronounceable chemicals. These four options give you ultimate flexibility on scent and exposure to potentially harmful particles.
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5. DIY Natural Air Freshener
This one is as simple as it gets. In minutes, you will be waltzing all over your home blessing Courtenay from A Creek Line House for sharing this recipe on her blog.
All you need is a spray bottle, baking soda, water, and your favorite essential oil combination. Combine, pour, shake, and spray your home to a fresh-smelling home.
6. Poo Poo Bathroom Spray
No one likes to talk about it, but if you make this spray, you will not have to. This recipe from Jennifer of I Save A to Z, combines lemon, bergamot, and orange essential oils with vegetable glycerin and distilled water to make the shame disappear under a lovely barrier of citrus.
Spray before you go and no one will know.
7. Homemade Linen Spray
The secret ingredient in this air freshener is cheap vodka. Yep. You read that right. One Essential Community recommends combining 16 ounces of vodka with 40 to 50 drops of your preferred essential oils.
Then, you can spray away stinky dog smells on the couch or sleep soundly with a lavender-scented pillow. Spicy and fresh, lemon and basil is a popular combination.
Related: 10 Ways to Use the Natural Magic of Vinegar to Clean Your Home
Passive Air Fresheners
If you are looking for another way to freshen the air in your home that does not involve spray bottles or simmering pots on your stove all day long, then these next five recipes are for you.
Once you make the, you just set them in their place and they work to make your home smell nice. They each bring something a little different to your décor or style and are endlessly adjustable to suit your lifestyle.
8. Scented Wood Blocks
A happy accident led a blogger at North Story to the discovery that essential oils and wooden blocks do mix well. There are two methods you can follow.
The first is to use a small brush and paint your scented oils onto all sides of a wooden block. Or you can put them in a jar and shake the blocks and oil around until it is well mixed. Months later you will still be enjoying the fresh-smelling fruits of your labor.
9. Spiced Citrus Pomanders
With a little time on your hands, you can make delightful hanging balls that will fill up large spaces with the wintry scent or citrus and cloves.
Inhabitat blogger Catherine Winter pushes a cup full of whole cloves into an orange for beautiful results. You can follow her example and cover the entire orange, or spend a few extra minutes and create an interesting pattern.
10. Fragrance Stones
The potential for this DIY air freshener is nearly limitless in color, form, and scent. A homemade dough of flour, cornstarch, and salt combines with essentials oils, natural coloring, and boiling water to give you endless possibilities.
Pinch off pieces of varying sizes and create your own rock shapes. How Stuff Works write Marye Audet suggests you wait for them to dry and you can begin placing them around your house to freshen the air.
11. Air Freshener and Room Deodorizer
Mason jars made a comeback and they are here to stay. This might be the fastest recipe on our list thanks to Sarah of Nature’s Nuture.
Simply fill a small mason jar halfway with baking soda and add 15 to 20 drops of your preferred scented oil. Shake it all up and then add a decorative lid with holes so the lovely smells of your oils come through to freshen the entire room.
12. Air Freshener Pouch
Sincerely Kinsey shares her steps to create divine handmade and hand-painted pouches to store scented pine cones, spices, incense, and even oil-soaked cotton balls.
If you are not handy with a sewing machine, store-bought pouches will help you accomplish the same goal. Gather your favorite scents, hide them in the bag, and store them wherever you want the good scents to spread.
Time To Make Your Own Sweet Smelling Air Freshener
Now you have several different methods for creating a pleasant smelling home. Pick one and begin experimenting to find out which scent combinations you like the best. Ask for feedback from your family as well.
You may be surprised at the enticing combinations your spouse or children may come up with; and if you are less than pleased, well, they can always keep their new air freshener in their own rooms.
These air fresheners can help you create the mood you desire for any occasion. Do not be afraid to waste a little baking soda in pursuit of your absolute favorite ones.
Once you perfect one method of air freshener, try another one. There are endless combinations of scents and you can create depth by layering them with one another.