Homemade Air Freshener Spray

Forget commercial air fresheners. They’re full of toxins. This Homemade Air Freshener with just 3 ingredients. It’s simple, non-toxic and all natural.

Closeup of lavender flowers with a glass spray bottle, lemons, and essential oils

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We all have a spot in our home that’s an odor magnet. It could be a shoe closet, hamper, bathroom, garbage can, a musty closet or a diaper pail. Whatever the case, this Homemade Air Freshener Spray works great!

Our odor spot is our bathroom trash can. Maybe it’s the combination of the moisture of the shower/bath and the high traffic the bathroom gets from my family of five. But it ALWAYS stinks. Can you relate?

Store Bought Air Fresheners

I used to buy air fresheners from the store thinking they would help to get rid of the odors. And I thought they did until I did more research.

Here’s what I found… those store-bought air fresheners don’t deodorize they just mask the smells in your home with toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde (a known carcinogen – which means it’s known to cause cancer), synthetic fragrances (that can cause allergies, asthma and other respiratory illnesses), and phthalates (which are linked to hormone disruption and male reproductive system birth defects).1

What?! The very thing we think is cleaning and purifying our air is actually making us sick? YES!

It doesn’t matter if it’s an aerosol air freshener, candle, plug-in air freshener, or spray air freshener. Because we all spend most of our time indoors (at home, work, or school) we’re exposed to these toxics more than ever.

Why Make Air Freshener?

Closeup of glass spray bottle, witch hazel, lavender, lemons and essential oils

It’s actually very easy to make your own natural DIY air freshener. In fact, this recipe has just three ingredients that you probably already have in your home. This can be used to spray on linens, shoes, garbage cans, diaper pails or pretty much anywhere you want to eliminate odors.

Vodka or rubbing alcohol is used in this air freshener recipe as it dissipates quickly and doesn’t leave a residue on furniture or upholstery. It also helps to clear odors from the air and fabrics.

This DIY Air Freshener recipe is great for small spray bottles too. Keep it in the car to freshener the air on the go.

Ingredients to Use

  • Witch hazel helps to keep the water in this air freshener purified so it’ll last about a month
  • Lavender essential oil provides a relaxing and calming scent, which is great for linens and closets.
  • Lemon essential oil provides a refreshing scent, which is great for kitchens and bathrooms.

What Essential Oils to Use?

You can use a combination of essential oils to provide the natural scent in this recipe, including:

Find out how to buy essential oils at wholesale, and get a starter kit for 60% off retail prices. It’s the best deal around and a great way to get started with essential oils.

How to Make This Homemade Air Freshener – Step by Step

Step by step tutorial on how to make DIY Air Freshener Spray

1. Fill spray bottle with 1 cup water and 1/4 cup witch hazel.

2. Add 5-7 drops Lemon essential oil and 5-7 drops Lavender essential oil.

3. Place spray nozzle on and close. Shake the bottle for a few seconds before each use.

Top-view of glass spray bottle, lavender flowers, lemons and essential oils

Where To Use This Homemade Air Fresher

In Your Guest Room

Spritz it around your guest room before friends or family arrive to stay over. You could also leave the bottle itself in the room so your guests can use it freshen things up throughout their stay.

On Upholstery

Spray on upholstered furniture, decor, and drapes after dusting to keep them smelling fresh.

In The Bathroom

Leave a bottle in the bathroom to use as a natural alternative to synthetic air fresheners. You can also spray this directly into the toilet before using it to help prevent unpleasant bathroom odors.

On Your Clothes

Freshen up clothes that have been in your drawers for a while with a spritz of this!

On The Road

Use it in your hotel room or in the car, to make it smell a bit more like home.

In The Shower

You can even take your spray into the shower with you! The lemon and lavender oils will can help you feel more centered and even help open up your airways.

Top Tips for This Homemade Air Freshener

  • Keep in a small bottle, to use on the go.
  • Make sure to the shake the bottle for a few seconds before each use.
  • You can spritz some of the homemade air freshener into the toilet before each use, to keep the bathroom smelling fresh.
  • This homemade air freshener lasts about a month.

How to Get Started with Essential Oils

More DIY Recipes

Did you try this? Don’t forget to rate it and comment below to let me know how it went. You can also FOLLOW ME on FacebookInstagram and Pinterest.

7-Day Decluttering Challenge

Looking for more ways to declutter your home? Join my FREE 7-Day Decluttering Challenge! You’ll get a free printable workbook you can use to declutter for good.

I’ll go more in-depth on how to declutter every room in your home, including bedrooms, living and family rooms, closets, and bathrooms.

I’ll also show you how to deal with the emotions that often come up when you’re decluttering and simple strategies you can use to overcome them.

DIY Air Freshener Spray in a bottle

DIY Air Freshener

Don’t Mess With Mama
Forget commercial air fresheners. They’re full of toxins. Make your own DIY Air Freshener with just 3 ingredients. It’s simple, non-toxic and all natural.
4.63 from 8 votes
Prep Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

  • Fill spray bottle with water and witch hazel.
  • Add essential oils and cover with spray nozzle.
  • Shake the bottle for a few seconds before each use. 

Notes

Other essential oil combinations for this recipe:
  • 5-7 drops Thieves + 5-7 drops Orange = Pumpkin Spice
  • 5-7 drops Eucalyptus + 5-7 drops Peppermint = Minty Clean
  • 5-7 drops Lemongrass + 5-7 drops Lemon = Lemon Zest
Vodka can be used in place of witch hazel. It’s actually a nice alternative because it dissipates faster than water. 
Keyword cleaner, diy, household
Tried this recipe?Mention @dontmesswithmama on Instagram

Sources

  1. Your Best Air Freshener Isn’t An Air Freshener, Environmental Working Group

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19 Comments

  1. I’m a little confused about why/when to add Witch Hazel or Vodka. And when the mix ultimately goes “bad” what does this mean. Does it become unsafe? And is it okay if room sprays land on your skin? Thank you!!