DIY Air Freshener Refills

We've been sick. Like really, really sick. And now the really sick part is over but the cold, sore throat and cough that will be lingering for 3-5 weeks has begun.

What does this have to do with air freshener refills? I know you're wondering!

Well, a lot actually. You can infuse your house with easy aromatherapy that can make you feel better and make your house smell great at the same time.

I got the idea from here, and then I saw something similar on Pinterest. But, I knew I could not only make these for less, make them healthy for my family to breathe and smell good, I could also make them to suit any needs we may need to address in the medicinal department as well.

This is a great article on essential oils that are beneficial for coughs and colds, and since they almost all recommend steam inhalation as a method of use, I thought why not add them to an air freshener so you are breathing it in as you're around the house?

Even if you aren't choosing to make these refills for healing purposes, there is another very important reason to make them. There are chemicals called VOCs in most of these fragrance oils. They are volatile organic compounds and should not be inhaled. Most paints are now VOC free. Here is some more information on VOCs and their side effects.

Now, on to the fun stuff~ how we make our own!

It's really simple, first you remove the wick from your bottle. Mine had a little nail though it so I just used pliers and popped off the plastic lid. Just be careful, you're going to want the lid to re-use so don't muck it up.

Now take it over to the sink and wash it out really well. I added a drop of dish soap, a little water and put my finger over the hole and shook. Rinse it out really well. Pick out your essential oil, and fill the bottle 1/3 - 1/2 full of oil.

Then fill it the rest of the way with water, leaving a bit of head space so there is room for your wick.

Plug it back into your wall plug-in and plug it in! That's all there is to it :)

Now a couple things:

• Check the flash point of your essential oil before you use it. I know these plug ins use a very small amount of heat to defuse the oil, but better safe than sorry.
• Try to use scents in the same scent family. If you purchased an orange plug-in try to stick with the citrus family. I mixed peppermint with the original gingerbread spice plug-in and it made our house smell like skunk :p
• Scents like lavender, lemon and chamomile are soothing to smell and make your house smell fresh.

Lastly, don't do anything you aren't comfortable with. If you don't think re-using these and making your own refills is a good idea, then by all means don't. It's just an idea that I saw and that has worked well for me. Your results may vary.