Natural Air Freshener

[Cuilidh]

I hate the nauseous smells of even the least smelly (offensive) of the air fresheners available so made this up today.  Very quick, very easy.

Get a spray bottle at the ready (I bought a couple of these bottles with the atomiser top (fifth row down, third from the left) from this site).  The quantities don't quite fill the bottle, so you might like to use a little more of everything.

Fill a measuring cup with:

1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup white alcohol (gin or vodka is good for this)
20 drops total of your favourite essential oil, or blend of a couple you like.
Pour into spray bottle.
Done.
Shake and spray.

I got this recipe from Alexx Stuart's blog, and I have since discovered that you don't need the alcohol, but I put it in anyway. The hardest part was deciding which essential oils to use - in the end I used a blend.

[achookwoman]

Marina,  thanks for posting this recipe.  Was wondering what the alcohol does. 

[Cornish Cream]

Looks good Marina.I'll give it a go when I have finished my branded spray.

[judydawn]

Thanks Marina, easy as.  Links are dangerous, I just spent 1/2 hour checking them out    Will get back to them later.

[Cuilidh]

Marina,  thanks for posting this recipe.  Was wondering what the alcohol does. 

I'm not sure myself, Chookie, especially as you can also make it without the alcohol, my suspicion is that it may have something to do with the longevity of the mixture.  I sprayed some about the office this morning and the eyes of one of my colleagues lit up when I said I had put gin in it - she made a grab for the bottle and took off ... haven't seen her since ... but there is a strange hiccuping sound coming from the workshop!

Judy, you are right, both of those sites are dangerous ... especially the one with the wonderful bottles and jars.

[CreamPuff63]

...or just use an  existing empty toilet atomizer bottle 

[Cuilidh]

... no reason why not, CP, I just didn't have any available (and, besides, I liked the looks of the ones of the bottle site ... any excuse to buy something from there, really)

[droverjess]

Quote from the website linked to this thread about the alcohol, a commentor asked if they could leave it out.

"3/4 cup of water would be fine Debra. I find the alcohol helps the scent last longer, which is why it’s in mine, in case you wondered "


And "
Nice combos. Love rose geranium too! The alcohol helps preserve and carry the oils but isn’t essential if you want to skip it "

[meganjane]

Yes, the alcohol makes the scent last longer and helps it emulsify in the water. If you use just water, you'll have to shake it each time. You can add a few drops of scent free detergent (if you can find such a thing!) to help the emulsification.

I've been making my own natural room scents for ages. My favourite blends are: rose geranium & peppermint, patchouli, yang-ylang & black pepper, fennel, patchouli & spearmint and loads of others. You can also make your own hand sanitizer with the same sort of recipe. The EO's to use are: clove bud, rosemary, thyme, cypress, peppermint, & eucalyptus. This is also good for getting rid of mould in the shower recess. I'm still working on the actual amounts of each, I'll check back in when I have it.

Also, Thieves Blend is a good disinfectant blend. Just google it.