Finding a house without at least one air freshener is about as rare as spotting a unicorn or a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. It simply does not exist. We all have them, and I can guarantee that in every cabinet below a sink in your house you’ll find a bottle of air freshener. Sometimes we just need a fragrant spritz to bust through a block of stale air, or other times a heavy blast is required to mask some rather unpleasant odors – if you have pets, you know what I’m talking about. But an unfortunate side effect with most of these common household air freshener bottles is the amount of aerosol that emits into your air space. Who wants to breathe that in?
Thankfully, we have a few suggestions on how to create your own air freshener that is all natural, kid and pet friendly, and so much better for the environment.
Spray Bottle Method
No need to worry about the hassle of compressing air into a thin metal canister, quite simply all you need to do for this method is to gather a few suggested ingredients, pour them into a generic spray bottle – you can find them in the cleaning isle at your local grocery or hardware store – shake well and start spraying!
Deodorizing Spray – Perfect for those with pets:
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons vodka, rubbing alcohol, or real vanilla extract
- 4 drops tea tree essential oil
- 8 drops lemon essential oil
- 6 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Tea Tree Eucalyptus – Say goodbye to your winter cabin fever with some fresh, clean air:
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons vodka or rubbing alcohol
- 4 drops tea tree oil
- 6 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 5 drops lemon essential oil
Boil Method
Remember walking into Grandma’s kitchen just before a big dinner and having a sensory overload with all those wonderful aromas? Boiling your ingredients on your stove top will achieve similar results throughout the year for special occasions, or if you’re just looking to bring your kitchen to life. This is a perfect method to use just before a dinner party or a gathering of friends and family.
The steps are:
- Mix ingredients into a pan over the stove with 2 quarts of water.
- Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer.
- Continue to add water as the existing water will evaporate.
- Monitor the stove.
And here are some seasonal recipes to try:
Lemon Rosemary – Summertime is in the air:
- 2 lemons
- 2 stalks rosemary
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cinnamon Pumpkin Pie – Home for the holidays:
- 3 cups Hot Water
- 6 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 tbsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 2 tsp. Whole Cloves
- 1 small Orange, sliced
Give these options a try or experiment with some of your favorite scents and let us know how they work out for you. It’s all just a part of taking one stride at a time toward greener living. If you found these tips interesting, check out our weekly Green Tips or follow us on Facebook for more information on our best practices for green cleaning with the homes we care for and service.
