Whether you are doing a fall tidy-up and prepping the nest for chilly months ahead or working through a full spring cleaning, this is the time of year for a transitional refresh. Easy DIY home deodorisers and natural air fresheners are helping to keep our home, refrigerator, cars, and more naturally smelling fresh and clean. And in a home with three pets, that’s no small task!
DIY Repurposed Mason Jar Air Fresheners
My Preferred Air Freshener Containers
Making your own air freshener? You can use any container that allows air circulation, but my jars are small mason jars with daisy cut-out lids. They’re both cute and functional. The jars are completely washable and reusable, the lids allow for good flow, and they’re a great size for tucking unobtrusively around the house and elsewhere.
Open Lid Spill Protection
Since between my clumsiness and our multiple pets there is always a chance of spillage, I’ve lined my lids with scrap pieces of open-weave fabric for a little extra spill protection without stopping airflow. You can glue these in place, but to keep things flexible and fully reusable, I simply use a little bit of poster putty. Spillage may not be a concern for some contents, but if you’ve ever spilled charcoal, then you’ll know how valuable a little bit of cloth can be. Yikes!
Natural Air Fresheners and Deoderisers
Removing or Neutralising Odours
Remove unwanted odors with baking soda or charcoal /filter carbon. The later is my favourite. It is available in the aquarium section at pet stores, and so much more effective than basic baking soda.
Adding Natural Fresh Scents
Add natural scents with scrap cedar or other scented wood chips, evergreen sprigs, floral potpourri, dried herbs and/or spices, or dried citrus. You can buy these or make your own fresh from the garden using your oven or a dehydrator. Bonus, the dehydration process will make your house smell great! It’s a great way to get a little extra goodness out of your garden.
Personally, I tend to prefer plain neutralisers to scented fresheners. Drying flowers in the dehydrator is something I do more for crafting than the scent, but the smell from the dehydrator is a definite bonus. Peel is something I only do on rare occasions. You can do lots of things with citrus peel, but if your peel isn’t so pretty this is a great use-up option (like my own scrappy peels, pictured below).
Using Essential Oils
Add or boost scents with fragrant essential oils. You can apply the scent to an absorbent carrier object in your jar (such as a wooden block or scrap of fabric) and reapply a boost whenever you wish. If oils are something you like using, be cautious that some are very hazardous to pets.
Protection Against Moisture
Protect against moisture with simple chalk or desiccant packets saved from product packages. The great thing about chalk is that you can dry it out in the sunshine or a warm oven and use it indefinitely.
Deter Pests
Protect against pests with naturally deterrent scents and/or oils, such as cedar, eucalyptus, clove, citronella, rosemary, mint, lavender and more. Find a scent combination that you enjoy and keep the bugs at bay. Again, be careful for contradictions and/or hazards, especially if you have family pets.
My Favourite Air Freshener? Plain Charcoal
What’s in my own jars right now? My hands down favourite is simple scent-free charcoal (filter carbon). I use this in the refrigerator (so much better than baking soda!) and anywhere I want to keep fresh and odour free. Because it’s unscented, it’s great for using near pet resting areas and litter boxes. Cats particularly dislike many of the strong smells in chemical or natural air fresheners.
