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Homemade natural diy air freshener
  • Natural Home

Natural Homemade Air Freshener Recipes

Katie WellsJan 16, 2019Updated: Jul 30, 2019
Reading Time: 4 min

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Wellness Mama » Blog » Natural Home » Natural Homemade Air Freshener Recipes
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • How Natural Air Fresheners Can Affect Mood
  • Why Not All Homemade Air Fresheners Are the Same
  • Homemade Air Freshener Recipes+−
    • Where to Get Essential Oils
  • Citrus Sunshine Spice Air Freshener+−
    • Ingredients
  • Fantastic Floral Air Freshener+−
    • Ingredients
  • Walk Through the Woods Air Freshener+−
    • Ingredients
  • Earthy Grounding Blend Air Freshener+−
    • Ingredients
  • How to Make Homemade a Air Freshener with Essential Oils+−
    • Instructions
    • To Use:

Between pets, kids, and everyday life, homes can smell less than fresh sometimes. Artificially scented air fresheners don’t offer much of a solution as they just mask the smell with toxins. I frequently use these 3 methods to cleanse the air in our home, but I also like using these natural air fresheners for their inviting and refreshing scent.

How Natural Air Fresheners Can Affect Mood

Smells, whether natural or not, affect our brain and body chemistry. When something is inhaled, the molecules enter into the amygdala, a part of the brain that controls emotion. (This is why smelling a fresh batch of gingerbread cookies can remind us of Christmas). Since these molecules have direct access to the brain, it’s important to watch what is inhaled.

Artificial fragrances may smell nice, but they can cause damage. The National Resource Defense Council tested fourteen air fresheners and found that most contained chemicals known to cause hormone imbalance, birth defects, or reproductive harm.

Inhaling essential oils, on the other hand, can affect the mind and mood in a positive way. Essential oils like lavender and vetiver are calming, while citrus oils are uplifting.

Why Not All Homemade Air Fresheners Are the Same

When creating natural, homemade air freshener recipes, it’s important to have a balanced blend. Artificial fragrances rely on synthetic chemicals to create a scent that will linger. Essential oils, unfortunately, evaporate much faster due to their volatile nature.

To combat this, certain essential oils are used as “base” note oils. Their constituents are heavier and the scent lingers for longer, helping to “fix” the lighter top notes.

These homemade air freshener recipes use a blend of top, middle, and base notes to create a fragrance with a little more staying power. They still won’t last as long as their synthetic counterparts, but they have actual physical benefits and make a home smell amazing.

Homemade Air Freshener Recipes

What appeals to one person may not to another, so here are four different natural air freshener recipes to try. They’re simple enough that it’s even easy to make different ones to fit the desired mood benefits.

Where to Get Essential Oils

I typically purchase my essential oils here. They offer many organic options, bulk sizes and a 10% discount with the code WellnessMama. Plant Therapy oils are also available on Amazon at the links below in the individual recipes.

Citrus Sunshine Spice Air Freshener

This blend contains uplifting orange and lemon essential oils. Sweet orange essential oil not only uplifts the mood but also has potent anti-fungal properties. Lemon has both antibacterial and antiviral properties. Lemon further affects the mood by increasing alertness and soothing angry feelings.

Ginger, on the other hand, helps to stimulate the mind in a positive way and is commonly used to alleviate depression.

Ingredients

  • 25 drops sweet orange (or wild orange) essential oil
  • 25 drops lemon essential oil
  • 12 drops ginger essential oil
  • 2 tsp vodka
  • 4 oz spray bottle
  • distilled water

Fantastic Floral Air Freshener

Floral scents are frequently calming and help to relieve anxious feelings. Lavender is well known for its wound healing capabilities, but it’s equally as good at relieving stress and sadness. Geranium has a wide array of cleansing properties and is antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal.

Ylang ylang is the grounding base note of this natural air freshener, and is frequently used to relieve fear and anxiety.

Ingredients

  • 25 drops lavender essential oil
  • 25 drops geranium essential oil
  • 5 drops ylang ylang essential oil
  • 2 tsp vodka
  • 4 oz spray bottle
  • distilled water

Walk Through the Woods Air Freshener

This blend has a woodsy scent and a grounding effect on the mood. Juniper berry helps combat feelings of apathy, and adds a fresh note to the blend. Cypress is also used for apathy and even grieving.

Cypress cleanses the air with its antibacterial and antiviral effects, and cedarwood grounds the blend and ties it all together.

Ingredients

  • 15 drops juniper berry essential oil
  • 15 drops cypress essential oil
  • 20 drops cedarwood essential oil
  • 2 tsp vodka
  • 4 oz spray bottle
  • distilled water

Earthy Grounding Blend Air Freshener

Patchouli is infamously known as the scent of hippies, but it’s so much more than that. Patchouli is antifungal and antibacterial, helping to purify the air. Grapefruit is also cleansing and helps to uplift the mood. Finally, clary sage is often used when there are feelings of depression or apathy and helps balance the mood.

Ingredients

  • 8 drops patchouli essential oil
  • 30 drops grapefruit essential oil
  • 15 drops clary sage essential oil
  • 2 tsp vodka
  • 4 oz spray bottle
  • distilled water

How to Make Homemade a Air Freshener with Essential Oils

It’s pretty simple … only two quick steps!

Instructions

  1. Add the essential oils and vodka to the spray bottle and swirl gently to combine.
  2. Add distilled water until the spray bottle is almost full, then cap tightly and shake to combine.

Alternately- these all make amazing diffuser blends. I review my favorite diffusers here.

To Use:

  • Shake well before use and liberally spray into the air. Aim as high as possible, as the mist will fall through the air, releasing its scent as it does.
  • These natural air fresheners can also be sprayed on most linens and upholstery to freshen them. If there’s any concern about damage occurring, test an inconspicuous piece of fabric first.

Want to freshen your closet, drawers, and gym bag too? Try these DIY drawer sachets with essential oils and herbs.

What do you do to freshen the air in your home? What are your favorite air freshener scents?

Sources
  • Shirley Price. Practical Aromatherapy. Thorsons, 2000.
  • NRDC Issue Paper. “Clearing the Air: Hidden Hazards of Air Fresheners.” September 2007.
Category: Natural Home

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife and mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

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Reader Interactions

Discussion (50 Comments)

  1. Rebecca

    October 15, 2017 at 9:52 AM

    Hi, I’d love to try these air fresheners, but I’ve read that essential oils can be very dangerous to cats. Are these recipes safe to use around cats? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      October 15, 2017 at 8:46 PM

      There’s a lot of debate on using essential oils with cats. From my understanding, a few essential oils are safe for use around cats, but I would err on the side of caution.

      Reply
  2. Beth

    October 15, 2017 at 9:44 AM

    Please keep in mind if you have cats that some essential oils are very toxic to them.

    Reply
  3. Leslie

    October 15, 2017 at 9:25 AM

    If you use in a nebulizing diffuser do you still add the vodka and water?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      October 15, 2017 at 8:48 PM

      Just the water.

      Reply
  4. Sarah U

    October 12, 2017 at 2:33 PM

    What’s the purpose of the vodka? Can I make it without it? That’s not something we have in our house.

    Reply
  5. Rebecca

    October 12, 2017 at 1:13 PM

    Thanks for responding! I will try some of the alternative options as we simply can’t do the vodka here.

    Reply
  6. Dalia

    October 12, 2017 at 10:21 AM

    Can you use Witch Hazel instead of alcohol? I have a baby in the home and don’t guess it’s okay for him to inhale alcohol.

    Reply
    • Katie - Wellness Mama

      October 12, 2017 at 11:01 AM

      It’s such a small amount of vodka that I wouldn’t worry about inhalation, but check with your pediatrician if you’re concerned…

      Reply
      • Dalia

        October 12, 2017 at 4:43 PM

        Thanks! I use Plant Therapy too, and love that they have a Kid Safe line! I’ll have to try some of these air fresheners for my bathroom.

        Reply
  7. Renee

    October 12, 2017 at 10:17 AM

    Is there any way to make these without the vodka? Not something we choose to have in our home or even purchase.

    Reply
    • Katie - Wellness Mama

      October 12, 2017 at 10:59 AM

      Vodka works best which is why I use it in my recipes (and I’ve tried using multiple substances to test other options). It is possible to use rubbing alcohol but it is so potent that when you mix with the essential oils it can overpower the scent. Witch hazel is another option, but it doesn’t work as well as the vodka either.

      Reply
      • Kirstin

        October 15, 2017 at 8:56 AM

        Unfortunately, witch hazel doesn’t work well in a homemade reed diffuser, either.

        Reply
  8. Laura

    October 12, 2017 at 10:04 AM

    What would be a substitution for the vodka?

    Reply
  9. Laura

    October 12, 2017 at 9:04 AM

    Why the vodka? Can you leave it out?

    Reply
    • Katie - Wellness Mama

      October 12, 2017 at 11:04 AM

      It’s possible to use rubbing alcohol or witch hazel but neither work as well as the vodka…

      Reply
  10. Jennifer

    October 11, 2017 at 10:45 AM

    Could you substitute rubbing alcohol or cooking sherry for the vodka? Are these safe to diffuse around cats?

    Reply
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