DIY Air Freshener Jars with Essential Oils for a Fresh Home

Refresh your home with these simple, non-toxic and natural air freshener jars with essential oils. These fragrant jars will absorb odours and keep your closets and dresser drawers smelling fresh for up to a month. No toxic ingredients or chemicals necessary. Read on to learn how to make your own safely-scented DIY deodorizer jars. Also, learn why you should avoid chemical-laden air-freshening products in your home.

If you’ve ever opened your closets or clothing drawers to a less than pleasant scent, you will love these simple, easy-to-make DIY air freshener jars for deodorizing closets and other spaces in your home.

You can use these scent-filled jars in areas of your home prone to unpleasant or musty odours, such as under your bathroom sink or near your kitchen garbage can.

The problem with with many commercial air deodorizers or fresheners

Many commercial air fresheners or deodorizers contain harmful chemicals that can negatively affect your overall health. The chemicals in these products, specifically formaldehyde and phthalates, can cause headaches, rashes, throat irritation and dizziness in some people¹.

These chemical compounds are also called volatile organic compounds or VOCs. VOCs have been linked to a number of health issues, including both respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological problems. Long term exposure to these chemicals has also been linked to asthma and cancer².

Formaldehyde, which is often used in many commercial and household air fresheners and cleaners, is also found in a variety of home furnishings, household paints and textiles. This can make it difficult to completely avoid formaldehyde in your home, but limiting your exposure is important due to its adverse affects.

Phthalates are also potentially problematic volatile organic compounds. Phthalates help distribute fragrances, but they can also disrupt your body’s hormone levels which will have a negative affect on your overall health and well-being.

Another concern associated with commercial air freshening products is that manufacturers are not required to list the product’s ingredients on the label. This leaves us, as consumers, unaware of exactly what’s in many air-freshening and deodorizing products.

Even products labelled as “all-natural” can potentially contain volatile organic compounds.

Homemade air freshening products allow a lot more control over what deodorizers you are using in your home. Of course there’s nothing better than simply opening a window and letting some fresh air into your space but due to weather conditions, this is not always possible year round.

Ingredients for homemade air freshener jars

Baking soda

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a natural green cleaning staple. It’s both eco-friendly and affordable, and as a mild abrasive, it’s good for scouring sinks and bathtubs.

And as you may have already read, baking soda is known for its ability to absorb and neutralize unpleasant odours. This of course led me to wonder if the baking soda would simply absorb the smell of the essential oils and lavender.

I will assume it does to some to degree, but if you add enough essential oils and dried lavender, the fresh scent of your air freshening jar will tend to linger a lot longer.

Benefits of lavender essential oil and dried lavender

The scent of lavender has been shown to promote relaxation and sleep³. Various studies have also indicated that lavender has also both a soothing and calming effect which makes it an ideal herb or essential oil to use in your bedroom.

Additionally, lavender repels moths which makes it beneficial for use in linen closets, clothing closets and in dresser drawers.

I used both dried lavender buds and lavender essential oil in this recipe to maximize its benefits and to promote a longer lasting scent.

Overall, lavender is a very versatile oil or herb that can be used in a variety of DIY cleaning recipes and hacks. My lavender lemon glass cleaner spray for mirrors and windows is an example of a DIY cleaning recipe that contains lavender essential oil.

Dried lavender can also be used in your DIY bath and body products, such as in my ultra-moisturizing milk and honey floral bath soak which also contains a variety of dried flowers.

Eucalyptus

Euccalyptus also boosts a fresh clean scent that helps neutralize bad odours in your home. I added a simple sprig of eucalyptus to these handy deodorizing jars, but you can also add a handful of dried eucalyptus leaves to your jars if you prefer.

Eucalyptus essential oil is made from the steam distilled leaves of the eucalyptus tree, an evergreen tree indigenous to Australia. Like many essential oils, eucalyptus oil has both antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.

It can also be added to your jars in combination or in lieu of the lavender, if you prefer the scent of eucalyptus over lavender.

The vapour of eucalyptus essential oil also acts as a natural decongestant when inhaled, which is why it’s often a popular home remedy for colds and congestion.

How to make mason jar air fresheners

To begin, place the baking soda in a large bowl.

Next, add the dried lavender and/or dried eucalyptus and your essential oils. Mix well.

Transfer to small mason jars or larger wide-mouthed jars, if you prefer.

Using your mason jar lid insert as a guide, trace and then cut a circular piece of paper out of brown paper or a paper grocery or lunch bag. You can use any kind of paper for this step, such as card stock or wrapping paper.

Next, use a needle to poke holes in the paper circle. I put my paper circle down on carpet to poke the holes, but placing it on an old board and towel will work as well. It needs something to keep it flat or the paper circle can crease or tear.

Glue the circular piece of paper to the bottom of your jar or simply screw the lid on with the paper securely in place, making sure not to rip your paper.

You can use your jars as is, or add raffia ribbon along with a sprig of dried flowers or eucalyptus. This looks rather nice if your deodorizing jar is visible in a linen closet, or it you opt to place the jar on a desk or countertop.

Recipe notes

• The fresh aroma of these scented jars should last up to a month but you can always add more essential oils to prolong the scent.
• I used paper inserts made from a grocery bag to save money, but you can also buy pretty mason jar inserts with pre-made holes, such as these ones.
• For use in a car, you can opt to put the air freshener mixture into a sachet pouch or compostable tea bag instead of a mason jar.
• As always, please take care with the use of essential oils in the presence of small children and pets. And always purchase essential oils from reputable sources and companies to ensure that the oils are authentic and pure.

More essential oil combinations for deodorizer jars

If you don’t like the smell of lavender or eucalyptus, you can use another combination of essential oils for your homemade air fresheners. Other suggestions include:

• Ylang-ylang and grapefruit essential oils for a crisp, fruity scent
• Cedarwood and balsam fir essential oils for a herbaceous, woodsy fragrance
• Rose essential oil and vanilla oleoresin for a warm floral aroma
• Sweet orange, lime and vanilla oleoresin for a fresh tropical scent

More recipes for a non-toxic home

For more ways to safely scent and naturally deodorize your home, try these recipes:

• DIY Vodka Room Spray
• Chocolate and Roses Room Spray
• Holiday Room Sprays with Essential Oils
• Homemade Deodorizing Air Freshener DIY by Soap Deli News Blog
• DIY Hanging Air Freshener with Essential Oils by Everything Pretty

And if you’re looking for more green cleaning cleaning recipes:

• Homemade Disinfecting Wipes
• DIY Rose Petal-Infused Cleaning Spray
• DIY Glass Cleaner without Rubbing Alcohol

For even more non-toxic ideas for your home, follow us on Pinterest! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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