Do you love to use room freshener spray? It makes your house smell great, but can be bad for your health. Learn to make all-natural room freshener that will leave your home smelling like autumn PLUS free printable labels.
This post uses affiliate links. They don’t cost you a thing and help us bring you green cleaning tutorials. Read more in Policies & Disclosures.
Full disclosure… I was addicted to store-bought room freshener for years!
I loved picking up the newest seasonal scents at the store and sprayed them all around the house after cooking a smelly meal, before company came over, or as a last step to housecleaning.
The room freshener made me feel like my home was clean and fresh…
UNTIL I began to learn more about the dangerous chemicals used in many household cleaners.
I checked out my favorite room fresheners’ rating on the Environmental Working Group consumer guide and found out that they scored a D or F for “significant hazards to health or the environment.”
WHAT?!?!
I thought my house clean and healthy… but I was spraying everything with a known health hazard.
I vowed to never use commercial air freshener again.
The All-Natural Room Freshener Formula
Homemade air freshener can be made with 3 simple ingredients: water, vodka, and essential oils.
The water allows you to disperse the scent around your home, the essential oils provide the wonderful smell, and the vodka helps the essential oils to mix completely with the water.
Psst – Don’t be afraid of using vodka to clean the house (I use it in my homemade Window Cleaner and natural Lemon Disinfectant Spray Cleaner). Vodka is a great cleaner because:
- It leaves no scent behind.
- It leaves no residue (unlike the baking soda residue from some homemade refresher sprays).
- It's a natural deodorizer that also antibacterial and anti-fungal.
- Alcohol emulsifies essential oils so cleaners do not need to be shaken before each use.
- Cheap generic vodka works as well as expensive brands for cleaning.
How to Make Room Freshener at Home
Mix together in a glass spray bottle:
- 1 cup distilled water
- ½ cup vodka (use a cheap version)
- 20 – 50 drops.essential oil of your choice
Shake to combine.
Autumn Inspired Room Freshener Scent Combinations
You can use your choice of essential oils in my room freshener recipe. Need inspiration? These are my 6 favorite autumn scent blends:
Autumn Walk
- 25 drops orange essential oil
- 10 drops rosemary essential oil
- 5 drops clove essential oil
Fall Botanical
- 10 drops rosemary essential oil
- 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops pine essential oil
Cold & Flue Season
- 10 drops rosemary essential oil
- 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 10 drops orange essential oil
- 10 drops clove essential oil
- 10 drops cinnamon essential oil
Spiced Orange
- 25 drops orange essential oil
- 10 drops cinnamon essential oil
- 10 drops clove essential oil
Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 15 drops cinnamon essential oil
- 5 drops clove essential oil
- 10 drops ginger essential oil
- 10 drops orange essential oil
Rosy Ginger
- 20 drops rose absolute essential oil
- 10 drops frankincense essential oil
- 10 drops ginger essential oil
Free Printable Labels
Love pretty labels? Download the free PDF (available in the free printable library), to dress up your bottles. Print them on full sheet labels, cut them out, and apply to your bottle.
- Download the free printable labels in the free printable library.
How to Use Room Freshener
Spray the room freshener anywhere you feel comfortable spraying water. Avoid electronic and wooden surface. I spray my carpet, fabric furniture, pet beds, curtains, and throw pillows. (*Spot test on delicate fabrics before using.)
Room Freshener Notes
- You’re don’t need to use expensive essential oils in this recipe. I love this affordable brand for my home cleaning recipes.
- This recipe stores well. You can double or triple the batch if you find a scent you love.
- Love homemade air freshener? Check out my room freshening carpet powder too!
- I store my air freshener in these glass spray bottles.
- Rubbing alcohol is not the same as vodka in this recipe. 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 these additives. In addition, rubbing alcohol smells bad when sprayed and the vodka is almost odorless allowing the essential oils to be smelled.
More Essential Oil Uses
Love essential oils? Check out these 30 clever ways to scent your home with essential oils.
Like my green cleaning tips? Sign up for my newsletter below and never miss a thing!
Bren Did Newsletter Subscribers Get Access!
Kim says
I love this room spray! I love lemon so I always add that. Just wondering though, why do you add the water? If the vodka goes away quicker could you just use vodka and the essential oils?
Thanks for all your wonderful “recipes” for cleaning.
Bren says
The water makes it into a diluted solution so you can spray the active ingredients (vodka and EOs) around to destroy the odors. I’ve never tried pure vodka with EOs but I suppose it would work… it would just cost more and might have a bit of alcohol smell.
Rhonda Teris says
Can rubbing alcohol be used for those households that are alcohol-free?
Bren says
Rubbing alcohol can be used however I prefer to avoid it because it contains artificial ingredients. (Rubbing alcohol is ethanol, water, acetone, methyl isobutyl ketone, flavoring to make it taste bad and/or artificial coloring and artificial fragrance.) In addition, rubbing alcohol smells bad when sprayed and the vodka is almost odorless allowing the essential oils to be smelled. If you want to avoid vodka, you could also try making the spray with pure witch hazel or white vinegar. Good luck!
Jackie says
I have used witch hazel with filtered water & EOs in my sprays with no problems. You just need to use the same precautions (don’t spray on wood, electronics etc).
Nancy says
I just like orange, so I tried this with orange essential oil. My house smells so good and fresh. I have tried a few of your cleaning products and am now addicted to your site. It works, it smells good, and I feel good about having these products in my house.
Bren says
Yum! Love the smell of fresh orange!