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:

1. It leaves no scent behind.
2. It leaves no residue (unlike the baking soda residue from some homemade refresher sprays).
3. It's a natural deodorizer that also antibacterial and anti-fungal.
4. Alcohol emulsifies essential oils so cleaners do not need to be shaken before each use.
5. 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!