11 Natural Recipes to Make Your Home Smell Great

The best thing about these natural recipes is that you can play around with different smells and combinations that suit you and your family’s preferences.

Going into shops that sell heavily fragranced products makes my head hurt. All of those artificial scents contain so many terrible ingredients, cost a lot of money, and let’s face it, smell like piss.

Here are 11 ways to make your house smell beautiful without the toxic ingredients. Most recipes call for essential oil. Try to buy the best essential oils you can afford and try to avoid fragrance oils.

1. Home Made Air Freshener

Materials

1. A spray bottle (glass or plastic)
2. Distilled or filtered water
3. Rubbing alcohol or vodka
4. Essential oils of your choice

Method

1. Combine 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup alcohol
2. add 10-20 drops (depending on how strong you want the scent to be) of essential oil(s)

Shake the mixture before spraying. The alcohol helps the spray evaporate more quickly.

2. Scented Reed Diffuser 

Materials

1. A small glass bottle or narrow vase
2. 5-10 bamboo skewers
3. A carrier oil (sweet almond, safflower, or jojoba oil are light and can easily travel up the skewers)
4. Essential oils of your choice.

Method

1. Put 1/4 cup of carrier oil in the bottle/vase and add 15-25 drops of essential oil.
2. Stir the oils together with a skewer, and then place the rest of the skewers in the bottle/vase.

You will be able to notice the scent after couple of hours as the oil travels up the skewers

3. Bathroom Air Freshener

Materials

1. Mason/canning jar (you don’t need a lid)
2. 1/2 cup baking soda (this helps to absorb any unwanted smells)
3. A piece of cloth to cover the jar and a rubber band
4. 15-25 drops of essential oils of your choice.

Method

1. Fill the mason jar with baking soda and then add the essential oils.
2. Place the cloth over the jar and secure with the rubber band.

Just shake the jar now and then to release more scent.

4. Scented Wood Blocks

Materials

1. Wood blocks
2. Essential Oils
3. Carrier oil
4. Small paint brushes

Method

1. Put a few drops of essential oil into a carrier oil.
2. Paint the blocks with the oil.
3. Pop them into an airtight container with some extra oil.
4. Shake the container to make sure all blocks are coated and then let it sit overnight.
5. You can use the blocks as a decorative feature in a small bowl or put them in a little cloth bag and pop them in your drawers or cupboards.
6. Refresh your wood blocks by repeating the process with new oil when the scent fades.

5. Scented Light Bulbs

Let’s skip the usual and why not try out this scented light bulb?

Dab a couple of drops of essential oil on a (switched off and cool) light bulb. When you turn the light on, the heat from the bulb will slowly release the fragrance into the air.

6. Scented Toilet Paper Rolls

Place a couple of drops of essential oil inside your cardboard toilet paper roll and keep your toilet smelling nice.

7. Scents on the Stove

You can’t leave this one unattended, but you can also freshen the air by simmering a little spice like cinnamon or some cut up citrus fruits in some water on the stove.

8. Clothespin Air Freshener

This one’s a nifty idea for your car.

Materials

1. Wooden laundry peg
2. Essential oils

Method

1. Place 5-10 drops of essential oils on the peg.
2. Clip onto the air vent in your vehicle.

9. Couch / Carpet / Shoe Freshener

Materials

1. Distilled water
2. 1 tablespoon of baking soda
3. Spray bottle
4. 5-6 drops of essential oil

Method

1. Put the baking soda into a small dish and add the essential oils. Mix well with a spoon.
2. Use a small funnel to transfer the baking soda into the spray bottle and then fill it to the top with water.
3. Shake well to mix the baking soda and water. Spray lightly onto fabric, carpets, and shoes.

10. Scented Vinegar

White vinegar is a really cheap and simple deodoriser. Put out a small bowl filled with vinegar out on the kitchen bench for a few hours to get rid of old cooking smells.

You can also make your own naturally citrus vinegar. Check out the recipe here.

11.  DIY Scented Potpourri

Dry your own flowers, herbs, fruits and leaves to use for potpourri by laying them out on a baking sheet and putting it into 95-degree oven and baking until the mix is brittle, but not crumbling apart. Spray the dried mix them with a few drops of essential oils in some water and then pop everything into a pretty jar or bowl.

Ditch the artificial products and start making your own eco-friendly homemade scents to make your home always fresh and energizing.

Do you have more recipes to suggest? Tell us in the comments.