any ideas about making air freshners ?

[umeali]

Hello members .
I am new here and still in the battle field to find perfect recipes ,someone approached me and asked "can i make air fresheners for them ?
i need help and ideas for them but not sprays ,something else .Please help and guide me .Thanks in advance

 

[lsg]

Are you looking for info on solid or gel air fresheners?

 

[penelopejane]

You can add FO or EO scent to wax and hang them in a wardrobe.
Not sure if that's what you are after?

 

[Seawolfe]

Ive always thought these clay diffusers were a cute idea:
http://www.mommypotamus.com/make-diffuser-necklace-essential-oils/
I've also seen pretty wood carvings soaked in scent at the Christkindlesmarkt in Berlin - they were shaped like fruit etc... That was quite a good idea as well.

 

[lsg]

There are also aroma beads.

http://www.bittercreeksouth.com/aroma_beads_instructions.htm

 

[LilyJo]

You can buy (not sure where but I know they used to be available in the UK) air freshener blanks that you soak fragrance into - think of super charged blotting paper I think. They can then be hung up.

I have a suspician that you can die cut shapes yourself to make them but not entirely sure of whcih paper would be best.

Other option could be simmering granules, a similar basis to aroma beads.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

There is also sticks sat in a bottle that diffuses scent - not the best in places where it can be knocked over

 

[DeeAnna]

Instead of heavy paper, you can use wool felt. If you want a freshener for a small space -- car or closet -- you can do what LilyJo suggested, except use handmade wool felt or small sewn ornaments stuffed with wool. Put a hanging loop on the ornament. Hearts are popular: http://www.themagiconions.com/2014/...ks-make-perfect-needle-felted-hearts-diy.html

Another alternative that's a little easier -- I loosely stuff a small plastic jar with brightly colored wool fiber and add essential oils (or fragrance oils) to the wool. PET plastic jars are EO safe, based on my experience. You have to experiment to find out how much liquid can be added without getting any free liquid in the jar -- don't want to create a spill problem. Cap the jar, let the wool absorb the liquid for a day or two, then uncap to use. Value added tip -- you can also sell small squeeze bottles of the fragrance so the user can refresh the scent as it fades.

Edit: I think it's going to be tough to make an air freshener that will stink ... um ... fragrance a large area without getting into the use of a heat source or a spraying mechanism. Many commercial air fresheners have a small heater that causes the scent to evaporate quickly from an absorbent wick. Or some kind of aerosol dispenser on a timer that spritzes scent every so often.

 

[earlene]

Did they say what kind they had in mind, or do they care? Some people like sprays and some hate them. I actually use many different kinds alternating between sprays, pot-pourri infused with fragrance, simmering pots, heated wax scents, etc. etc. I really like a little unglazed clay pot (tiny actually) that I fill will fragrance, cork the top and hang it in my small bathroom. Something like that really only works in a small space. I like the heated wax tarts, but I prefer the electric warmer to the candle-heated type (I have both). I also like incense, but not the ashes I have to clean up, so don't use it very often. So just in my experience there are so many times of air fresheners out there, I'd want to know what they would specifically prefer.

Here are a couple of links about homemade air fresheners that might give you some ideas.

http://www.viralnova.com/diy-air-fresheners/

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/06/homemade-air-fresheners.html

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2016/03/how-to-make-your-own-gel-air-fresheners.html

 

[Susie]

Earlene-you are a font of useful links! Thank you so much! I am definitely going to make some to give to my friend that uses artificial ones that kill my allergies!

 

[DeeAnna]

I like scents in the air in limited amounts -- a closet or bathroom or sometimes around my desk. But not all over the house and not all the time. I recently stayed overnight in a local guest cabin, and the owners had one of those plug-in commercial air fresheners running in the cabin. I had to unplug the dang thing, open the windows in sub-freezing weather, turn the bathroom vent fan on, and wait for the place to air out. Ugh.

I wish the OP would come back and clarify what this person really wants for this air freshener idea. I'd like to know too.

Edit: I have a caution about the shake-n-spray air freshener. Vodka and citrus essential oils can damage wood finishes, so it's imperative to watch where one sprays this stuff. Don't ask me why I know this. I also prefer to solubilize the essential oils into the vodka-water mixture by using some polysorbate 80. That eliminates the need to shake and the possibility of getting a high dose of EOs in the air one time and less the next time.

 

[earlene]

Good point, DeeAnna.

Personally I wouldn't make anything with vodka anyway for a couple of reasons, and especially if it could end up in the hands of a minor, which it could if given to other people.

I have used those plug-in scent thingies, but you are so right about some of the scents being cloying! Fragrance is such a personal thing.

And opening windows and doors in sub-zero weather to air out the joint, been there too. More often than not, for me it's in cheap motels. Less about cloying air fresheners than about just plain nasty air. Fresh air is so nice, even if it is cold.

A funny story. My granddaughter and I were seeking overnight lodging in Roswell, NM one night and I pulled into the parking lot of a motel on the main drag through town. It looked familiar and I thought we'd probably stayed there before. When I mentioned that to her, my granddaughter said, 'Grandma that's the one that smells so bad we couldn't sleep.' I was glad she reminded me, because it had been just horrible. We ended up staying at a very nice, but pricey hotel that night. But no need to air out the joint.

 

[IrishLass]

I make my air fresheners out of a mixture of corn cob pellets and crushed walnut shells (both bought at the pet store down the bedding aisle). Once the FO has completely absorbed into them, I place them in those colorful gauze sachet/drawstring bags that one can find at any craft store.

Basically, what I do is this: I measure out 3 tbsp. of the corn cob pellets and mix them with 1 tbsp. of the crushed walnut shells into a clean jar. Then I add 5 mLs of FO to the jar and mix it around well until evenly distributed. Then I cover the jar and place it in a cool dark place for about 3 days or so, giving the jar a good shake whenever I think about it. Usually after 3 days, the FO has completely absorbed. Once that happens, I stuff one of the drawstring bags with it and hang it up by the string on a nail in a room, or on the rearview mirror of my car, etc... I make sure that I hang it up instead of setting it directly down where it will have direct contact on things such as wood furniture or countertops, etc... because I want to prevent any possibility of the FO marring such surfaces. If you set it down somewhere instead of hanging it up, make sure it's sitting in a little glass bowl or something like that.


IrishLass

 

[Susie]

I really need to do something better in my car, right now I have a piece of paper towel clipped to the vent. I normally just use whatever I soaped with last to go on a bit of paper towel (the last bit in the pipette, normally).

 

[BattleGnome]

I've seen Pinterest posts about using a wooden clothes clip (brain fart on name) with a few drops of eo on it, but I'd worry about the fragrance eventually eating away at the wood. There are car diffusers that plug into the cigarette lighter. I've only seen them advertised on Pinterest but haven't actually looked for them elsewhere.