Skip the store bought chemical air fresheners and make your own natural room spray with essential oils to freshen up your home. It's eco-friendly and non-toxic, making it safe for the whole family.
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The majority of air fresheners and commercial room sprays contain synthetic chemical fragrances that are made from petroleum products. Unbelievable, right? Well, these can cause headaches, irritations and may actually be polluting your home.
Choosing a natural option to freshen up living spaces is so much better, but not readily available in supermarkets.
With this recipe, you can blend your own room sprays in just a few minutes and even create a signature blend for your home.
If you have, or still do, use sprays like Glen20, DO check out their Safety Data Sheets - For example, in the Glen20 MSDS you can clearly see it is full of chemicals that cause eye and lung irritation plus is toxic to water ways and marine life. So spraying this in the air and on surfaces does add to your toxic load.
I'm certainly not aiming to scare you but it's a huge reason I have never used products like this and a great reason to stop using them if you have been.
What You Will Need
A Glass Spray Bottle (like this one)
200 mls of Cool pre-boiled water (or distilled water)
50 mls of Witch-hazel or Vodka
15-30 drops of Essential Oils
How To Make It
>Boil the water and allow it to cool
>Use a funnel to pour the water and witch-hazel or vodka into your spray bottle
>Add your essential oils. Start with around 15 drops and test it first especially if you prefer subtle fragrances or will be using it in a small room.
(You can always add more later)
Essential oil bottles typically come with an orifice reducer which allows you to add drops into the bottle.
DO make sure your essentials oils are 100% natural
Many cheaper brands are actually synthetic fragrances that have been added and can cause headaches and other annoying side effects. Plus, if synthetic, you wont be getting all the benefits essential oils can provide.
If you're not sure which essential oils to opt for..
Lavender is fabulous in the bedroom and can be used as a linen spray too.
Citrus oils work wonders in bathrooms and kitchen to neutralise odours.
You can opt for an essential oil blend if you can't be bothered and there are some great suggestions for each room of the house in this tutorial on Making Your Own Natural Diffuser.
If you are replacing the Glen20 type sprays and would like a bit of an antibacterial boost, try this blend:
5 Drops of Eucalyptus
10 Drops of Lavender
8 Drops of Orange
You can get all three of these oils a bit cheaper in a pack (pictured below) which is ideal, because you can create a beautiful blend, as well as make individual fragrances like a lavender room & linen spray or a citrus bathroom spray.
I love this brand because they are sustainably sourced, Australian made essential oils (free from synthetics) and have recyclable packaging.
You're now set to go and spray your rooms, couch cushions, freshen up your linen, deodorise your bathroom.
I mix this up every few months and its so easy to do.
Just making this one eco-friendly swap to a natural, home made room spray is a FANTASTIC step in getting unnecessary and toxic chemicals out of your life.
It's also a step towards less waste, as you can reuse the spray bottle over and over instead of constantly purchasing throwaway containers.
Head here for DIY Green Cleaning Recipes and Tips
And if you're interested in learning a little more about synthetic fragrances, check out this article on a Netflix documentary that delves into the world of fragrances.