Do you love to use air freshener? It smells great, but can be bad for your health. Learn to make all-natural homemade air freshener that will leave your home smelling sweet.
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I love a fresh smelling room and used to be a store-bought room freshener addict. A quick spritz after cooking a meal, before company came over, or as a last step to housecleaning made me feel like my home was clean and fresh. I was spraying it ALL THE TIME…
Until I began to learn more about the toxic chemicals in many household products. I checked out my favorite Febreze’s ratings on the Environmental Working Group consumer guide and found out that most of their products score a D or F for “significant hazards to health or the environment.”
I was shocked to find out what was I spraying around my home and decided to never use commercial air freshener.
Dangerous Homemade Alternatives
Online recipes for homemade fresheners usually contain a dangerous mixture of fabric softener and water. This mixture replaces one health hazard with another health hazard!
Both commercial air freshener and homemade air freshener with fabric softener can:
- Act as hormone disruptors.
- Cause asthma to develop in healthy people.
- Cause cancer in humans.
All-Natural Room Refresher
The best homemade room refresher is simple: water, vodka, and essential oils.
I often use vodka to clean around my house (it's in my homemade Window Cleaner and natural Lemon Disinfectant Spray Cleaner). Vodka is a great cleaner because:
- It leaves no scent when used in natural cleaners.
- It leaves no residue (like the baking soda found in some homemade refresher sprays).
- It is naturally antibacterial, anti-fungal, and it's a natural deodorizer.
- Alcohol emulsifies essential oils into an evenly diluted spray that does not need shaking.
- Cheap generic vodka cleans as well as more expensive brands.
Room Refresher Recipe
Mix together in a glass spray bottle mix:
- 1 cup distilled water
- ½ cup vodka (use a bottom shelf, cheap version)
- 10 drops to ½ tsp. essential oil of your choice
Shake to combine.
Room Freshener Scent Combinations
Start with 5-10 drops of essential oil and add more until the desired level of scent is reached. My favorite scent combinations:
- Zen Spa – 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil, 5 drops lavender essential oil
- Sleepy Time/Relaxation – 10 drops lavender essential oil, 5 drops vanilla essential oil
- Floral Dream – 8 drops ylang ylang or lavender essential oil, 8 drops jasmine essential oil
Free Printable Labels
Dress up your homemade cleaner with a free printable label or vinyl sticker (see the 2 options below). Both DIY versions are available to download in my free printable library.
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Green Floor Cleaning for Better Indoor Air Quality
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This sounds like a great idea! Where can you buy essential oils?
Good question, Dawn. I get some at a natural/health food store, some at the drugstore and some online at Amazon.com. They are lots of sources. I look for the words therapeutic or cosmetic grade to ensure they are natural, not knockoff chemicals. Here’s a link that gives some more tips on choosing EOs.
I made this fabric refresher this week using wild orange essential oil. It works really well. My husband got excited when I told him I needed to buy cheap vodka for the house. I never realized he was so into natural cleaning products 😉
Whatever gets him on board with natural cleaning, LOL! I hope you like the fabric refresher! My new favorite is eucalyptus and lavender, very spa like!
i love this idea–it’s so simple and I love that it’s non toxic. I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Krista! I love simple cleaners that I feel good about using around my family. Let me know how you like it!
This is a great idea! I love using essential oils but have never tried to make a air freshener spray before. This is something I’ll definitely have to try! 🙂
Thanks Michelle! I also use EO to clean. I hope you like the spray!
Great idea! I never knew that about vodka. I’ll have to give this recipe a try now.. thanks for sharing!
Could this work well as a cleaner for windows, counter tops, etc? I’m pretty sure it would, but wanted to ask you before trying it.
Yes, you can use it on counter tops, etc. You might want to reduce the amount of essential oils. Have you seen my Window Cleaner recipe?
Thanks for sharing. I really would like to drop Febreze. I think I’ll try grapefruit EO.
Grapefruit would smell great! Since citrus EO is energizing it would give you a great pick me up too.
Could you use rubbing alcohol instead of vodka! I’m Mormon, and although I have no problem buying the vodka, it would take me a long time to actually use up a bottle just using it in the air freshener.
Yes, you could use rubbing alcohol but it will have an unpleasant odor and does not rate well on the EWG scale. If you are concerned about green cleaning I would use white vinegar. It will have a bit of a vinegar smell but it will dry without any odor. You could also look for a mini bottle of vodka if you are not opposed to buying alcohol. I do not drink the vodka I buy for cleaning, I use it in the Room Refresher, Spray Starch, Glass Cleaner, and Foot & Shoe Deodorizer.
I use vodka in my roller bottles too. Itll keep a long, long time. I have lots of different roller bottle blends and even singles to roll on. I make different scented room sprays too, one for the bathroom, one lavender, one citrus…
Great ideas, Hélène.
Depending on The amount he needs, you could always buy the small bottles that they have at liquor stores. I bought one to make a natural deodorant years ago because I don’t drink and I didn’t need very much
Thanks for the tip! I clean with vodka a lot so I buy a big cheap bottle for about $10 and store them under the sink with my cleaning supplies.
Wow cant wait to try these, I havent made an air freshener spray in a while now. Thanks for the printables as well!
You’re welcome! Thanks for the kind words!
1. Is it okay to use a plastic spray bottle? Will the EO break down the plastic? 2. Would Witch Hazel be as effective as vodka?
Rosemary, if you want to use a plastic spray bottle I would mix a very small batch and use it up right away. The EO will break down the plastic if it is stored in a plastic bottle. I have never used witch hazel as a room deodorizer, it has a very strong odor and is not a deodorizer (it’s astringent) . I use vodka because it does not smell. If you do not want to use vodak and do not mind a subtle odor I would use white vinegar.
Get glass ones on amazon. Not too pricey if u buy six at a time of the 4oz ones.
I love, love, love this spray. I have almost given up on a homemade air freshener that actually works. Thank you for this recipe.
Thanks Katy! I love it too. I am so glad it works well for you.
This recipe looks awesome! Already bought the vodka! My car smells like my dog and i want to use this on the floor fabric behind the back seat, but I have leather seats. If some accidentaly gets on my seats, do you think it can cause any damage to the leather? Also, do u think this can be used on hard surfaces as a sanitizer?
Thank you!!!
Thanks Tiffany! I have not used the spray on leather so I am not certain of the results. I frequently spray it in my living room near my leather chair and have had no issues. Yes, it can also be used on hard surfaces as a sanitizer. I would stick to no-porous surfaces such as ceramic tile or countertops. I would not use it on wood. Hope this helps!
Why not alcohol instead of vodka?
Elena, I assume you are asking about rubbing alcohol? I prefer to use vodka because it is simply water and ethanol. Rubbing alcohol is ethanol, water, acetone, methyl isobutyl ketone, flavoring to make it taste bad and/or artificial coloring and artificial fragrance. I prefer to avoid all the additives in rubbing alcohol. In addition, rubbing alcohol smells bad when sprayed and the vodka is almost odorless allowing the essential oils to be smelled.
Rubbing alcohol is not usually ethanol. It’s more commonly isopropyl alcohol and is not suitable for consumption. Isopropyl alcohol is a bacteriostatic, and is used in labs at a 70% concentration, so if you wish to use rubbing alcohol in place of the vodka that is okay but make sure it is at around a 70% concentration in your final solution (meaning usually you have to buy the special 91% isopropyl alcohol rubbing alcohol at the drugstore and dilute). 70% has been found to be the most effective concentration of isopropyl alcohol. Source: clinical diagnostics lab tech (lots of bodily fluids 🙂 )
Thanks for the comments, Nicole! Yes rubbing alcohol contains isopropyl alcohol and/or ethanol plus additives, the mixture is sometime referred to as denatured alcohol. I prefer to use vodka since it does not contain any of the additives found in rubbing alcohol.
Excited to try this! What brand are your spray bottles? And where did u get them?
Thanks Ashley! I actually make my own glass spray bottles. You can read the tutorial here.
We are an “alcohol free” home. Any substitute for the vodka?
Leigh, you can use white vinegar or witch hazel in place of vodka. The vinegar may smell a bit at first, but it dries odorless leaving just the essential oil fragrance.
Sounds great! Where do you get your spray bottles?
Kristin, I actually make my own spray bottles! You can get the instructions here: DIY Glass Spray Bottles.
Found this post today and was just wondering if it is possible to use any of the many different “flavored” vodkas, such as lemon if you wanted your spray to have a lemon scent? Anybody try this?
I’ve never tried using flavored vodka, but I think it may be better to use essential oils which are used for aromatherapy. The vodkas are flavored for taste not scent. You might not get as much aroma from the flavored vodka.
I’m excited to try this, but I’m wondering how big a batch to make. How long does this usually keep? I made way too much natural body scrub once and it went rancid.
Since this is just water, vodka and essential oils it will not go bad. I make the full batch every few months and store it under my kitchen sink or bathroom counter. If you use a dark colored bottle it will help keep the essential oils smelling their best. If you have doubts just make a small batch by cutting the ingredients in half or thirds.
Do you have to use distilled water? Regular tap water wouldn’t work?
You can use either distilled or regular tap water in this recipe.
Will the essential oils stain fabrics?
I have never had a problem with staining, you should spot test if you have concerns about certain fabrics.
I’m probably being overly skeptical and I know you’ve said it multiple times but I’m so nervous spraying vodka on my couch lol the vodka really has no smell when mixed with water and the EO’s? I just don’t want my house to smell like I spilt some booze everywhere.
Vodka has a very faint odor, so when diluted and mixed with essential oils you smell only the essential oils. Think of it this way, vodka is ethanol. Ethanol is the alcohol that is used for making perfume. Whe you spray on perfume you don’t smell like alcohol. If you have doubts I would spray it on a towel first and then decide how you like the smell before smelling it on your furniture.
Hi! Could you infuse the vodka like the vinegar with lemons?
Yes, I do that in my Lemon Disinfectant Spray Cleaner.
I use vinegar , water and tea tree oil , I do have a plastic spray bottle and have not yet had a problem with it .
Not only is it a great room refreshing combination but I also use it as a disenfecrant spray on counters and where food is prepped .
I get my tea tree oil at Costco , comes in a large bottle for under $15.00 canadian , lasts a long time . I use it with coconut oil for healing all sorts of bumps and bruses, it has a lovely aroma and doesn’t hang around after the job is done . ☺
Great tips, Leslie. Thanks for sharing.
I’m loving your ideas and will be making some soon. My question is about pets. There are many essential oils that are very toxic to cats. The reading I’ve done says that they don’t have the right enzymes in their livers to filter out toxins that the oils have. Therefore, things like tea tree and juniper will make them sick. Do you happen to know of any that are safe for cats?
Christine, I am not a pet/cat expert so I don’t want to give you inccorrect advice. This site is written by a vet and might help: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/05/14/dr-shelton-on-pets-essential-oils.aspx . Hope this answers your question! -Bren
I love this and want to try it! Does the vodka or essential oils leave any stains on carpet or cloth?
Thanks, Ana. I successfully used the homemade air freshener for years with no stains (I spray it on carpet, couches, throw pillows, etc). If you have delicate fabrics (silk, satin, etc) you should spot test. Hope this helps! -Bren
Is this recipe safe to use around the house when you have pets? I have an 11-year-old dog that loves to smell any and everything. I don’t plan to spray it on him but to spread it around the house, he might start to lick it.
Also, do you have a recipe for a pet odors? It’s more for the air then for furniture or carpet.
If you dog does a lot of licking you want to make sure the essential oil you choose is safe for pets. You can read more here. You can also use just the water and vodka. This is the recipe I use for air freshener as well. Good luck!
How long does the smell of eo lasts? I have been trying severalc combinations but they dont last too long, could you help?
It should last for a few hours but will not last as long as a artificial scent. Have you seen my post about scenting your home with essential oils?