How To Utilise Homemade Room Freshener Recipes?
We may be clinging to the last days of summer, but we all know that we’ll be spending more time indoors soon. And since we’re celebrating the arrival of a new season and the holidays, I’ve got a great do-it-yourself room freshener that will turn your house into a cheerier environment.
It’s unusual to come across all-natural or environmentally friendly air fresheners and fragrances for the home. Home fragrances that are free of chemicals and poisons are actually the exception rather than the rule.
Why would we want to have something in our houses that we wouldn’t want to have on our bodies? We’re not going to settle for the toxins and chemicals that are out there; instead, we’re going to make these DIY natural room fresheners that are fun and simple to make.
4 Harmful Ingredients to Avoid
I fully support doing away with the conventional air fresheners and their hazardous chemicals. We think that’s a resounding yes, especially considering that several of these poisons are established cancer-generators with far-reaching consequences.
What, then, exactly are we bringing into our homes when we spray them with store-bought air fresheners?
#1: Phthalates
This chemical is widely used despite being known to alter hormone function. The trouble is in the correlation between these disorders and serious health problems like asthma, developmental delays, infertility, and even breast cancer.
#2: Benzene
Benzene is a staple in many recipes. No, it’s not limited to air fresheners alone. Despite being a known carcinogen, it is utilised as a precursor in the production of many common consumer goods. Long-term exposure hazards aside, it also causes short-term problems with concentration, heart rate regulation, dizziness, and the digestive system.
#3: Toluene
Have you ever walked into a place with a strong aroma and had a sudden and severe headache? It may be related to the irritant effects of toluene. We don’t take kindly to toluene, which has been linked to mental fogginess, nervousness, sleeplessness, and skin inflammation.
#4: Formaldehyde
Some household scents do, in fact, have this embalming preservative. This phenomenon is much more widespread than most of us realise. Whatever its intended application, it has the potential to inflict painful and difficult side effects on our skin, eyes, and lungs. Studies have also found a relationship between prolonged exposure and cancer.
If those were our only options for room fresheners, we would gladly abandon the concept altogether. Those of us who have a fixation on smells can now turn to a substitute.
DIY Room Freshener Recipes
Because we appreciate a good do-it-yourself project, we’ve compiled a list of seasonal and emotionally appropriate DIY room freshener options for you to choose from. Here are some of our favourite do-it-yourself (DIY) methods for enhancing the aroma of your house.
Baking Soda-Based
There is no better deodorizer than baking soda. Not content to only mask bad smells, it actually removes them from the air. This air purifier is effective against even the most pungent odours, such as fish and garlic.
To implement this strategy, we’ll need a fine misting spray bottle, some water, some baking soda, and the essential oils of your choice. Prepare the bottle with enough water to fill a couple of glasses.
Afterward, we’ll combine a few drops of essential oils with two to three teaspoons of baking soda. Lavender is great for creating a relaxing environment, rosemary is great for creating a rooted one, and neroli or citrus is great for creating an upbeat one.
If you want to add water, wait until everything else is thoroughly combined. Next, give everything a good shake to mix it up. Whenever possible, spray the air, but be careful around sensitive items.
PRO TIP: no spray bottle on hand? Combine baking soda and aromatic oils in an open container for use as a permanent room freshener. For more flavour and aroma, sprinkle on some citrus zest, flower petals, or ground up herbs.
Stovetop Potpourri
This cooktop fragrance option is a quick and easy method to fill the area with a comforting aroma, making the house feel more like a home. To begin, we round up our preferred ingredients and a pot (and a stove).
Depending on our current state of mind and the time of year, we each have a few go-to choices. In the fall and winter, you can enjoy the benefits of spices like clove, cinnamon, and fresh ginger. Wintertime is a good time to enjoy the calming effects of rosemary, peppermint, and apple. During the warmer months, use ingredients like fresh citrus segments and thyme, or flowers like rose petals and lavender.
As soon as we’ve decided on our components, we’ll fill our pot with several cups of water or fruit juice (like apple or pear). The fragrance ingredients are added next. Put the thermostat on low and wait for the room to fill up. At the very least once an hour, check on this and add water as necessary.
Vanilla Lovers
To our surprise, one of our favourite sweets also doubles as a sneaky air freshener around the house. Since alcohol is used to make most vanilla extracts, this homemade alternative already has a fragrant scent.
We combine 1 cup of water with 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol. From here, we mix in 20-30 drops of our favourite essential oil combos. Vanilla pairs well with florals, citrus, and woodsy fragrances like lavender and chamomile. Then, in an instant, we have a new spray of air freshener. It can be used and stored conveniently anywhere in the home.
In place of baking soda, salt can be used as a very effective air freshener. Simply combine a generous number of essential oils with crushed sea salt and mix well. Then, put it in an attractive dish for display and let the aroma fill the room.
Crafty Comfort
This is a slightly more advanced do-it-yourself project, but the payoff is great! For this room freshener undertaking, we’ll need jars with caps. We also require salt, water, essential oils, agar agar (a vegan thickener), and salt.
We’ll start by slowly boiling a cup of water. We’ll take it off the stove and stir in a couple of tablespoons of salt and several drops of essential oils.
We add the agar agar while continuing to stir. As soon as that is well blended, we will add another cup of water, but this time it will be chilly.
Gently stir, then transfer to jars. Don’t touch them for at least two days. The overwhelming aromas will gradually fade. After that, use them indoors and out, partially covered, to generate a warm and welcoming mood.
Where to Use Your Room Freshener?
Where should you put your homemade air freshener now that you’ve made it? We find them particularly useful in the kitchen and bathroom, two spaces where unpleasant odours can quickly permeate the air.
To complement the cosy atmosphere of our kitchens and living spaces, we often enjoy making potpourri on the stovetop. In a damp cellar or storage closet, a baking soda-based air freshener works wonders. Finally, we enjoy using a calming touch to our nightly routines by spraying our homemade vanilla freshener near our beds.
