Let’s be honest. As a mom of three, I experience some … shall we say, “interesting” scents around our home on a daily basis. From dirty laundry to bathrooms to the garbage can, my nose is often assaulted with the normal smells of an active household.
But I don’t like using heavily-scented commercial air fresheners. For one thing (one really BIG thing), I don’t like spraying or putting toxic chemicals around the people I love the most. And another thing: sometimes those fake smells really, really bother my head and eyes, and can cause allergy flare-ups, too. So, here’s a 5-minute all-natural fix you can customize using your favorite jars and natural scents!
The baking soda absorbs and neutralizes unpleasant odors, and the essential oil adds some uplifting aromatherapy to any room or corner of your home. (These are great for small spaces, like bathrooms, closets, small bedrooms and laundry rooms.) And the canning jars, well, they just look vintage-y cool.
This super-easy project takes about 5 minutes (or less, seriously). Really, the most difficult part is deciding on the jar and the scent you want to use. I chose 4 oz. jelly jars, half-pint wide mouth jars and blue half-pint jars and went with lavender, peppermint and tea tree essential oils.
You’ll need:
- pint or half pint jars with lids and bands (wide mouth or regular mouth, your choice)
- pure baking soda
- essential oil
- hammer and screwdriver
- fork
Step 1: Be sure lid and band are tight on your jar. Use the screwdriver and hammer to make several holes in the top of the lid. Remove lid and band and set aside.
Step 2: Fill jar about halfway with baking soda.
Step 3: Add 5-10 drops of essential oil, depending on how strong you want the fragrance to be.
Step 4: Fluff baking soda with the fork until essential oil is blended in.
Step 5: Replace lid and band and place anywhere in your home for soft fragrance.
Tip: When scent begins to fade, give the jar a gentle shake or simply add a few more drops of essential oil.
Note: For freshening fabrics and larger areas, we recommend this spray. In fact, it works so well it’s kept in every bathroom of our office and warehouse facility. It smells fresh and wonderful and contains NO artificial chemicals, period – just water and natural extracts of lime, pine needle, aniseed, clove and cedarwood.
Here’s another great way to get rid of household odors naturally:
