This DIY air freshener spray with fabric softener would make your home smell heavenly without having to invest in commercial chemical filled sprays!
Everyone wants their home to smell good but the daily household chores sometimes affect the fragrance of your home. When you chop onions or garlic, your kitchen smells crazy which causes a bad and stubborn odor in the home. Pets and their food can also be one big reason for foul smells.
It’s not always easy to avoid these odors, especially when it becomes stubborn and spreads throughout the whole house. Chemical air fresheners aren’t the solution as they harm your health in the process of eradicating foul smell from the house. Try this DIY air freshener spray with fabric softener to get rid of foul odors in no time.
Avoid Bad Smell
According to scientists, fragrances affect your mood in a very high percentage. A bad odor can ruin your day while a pleasant smell can give you a sense of relaxation and make you feel better. To maintain the “good fragrance” in our house, we often end up spending a lot of money on commercial room sprays. They are effective yet they have many side-effects. Any commercial room spray has toxic chemicals mixed in it. These toxic chemicals can cause serious health issues like allergies or respiratory problems.
There’s an easy solution to this issue, that is to use natural ingredients to freshen up your surroundings. A homemade air freshener with fabric softener that lasts longer and doesn’t affect your health in any way is the quick solution. The fun fact about this homemade room spray recipe is that it’s inexpensive and you can create it in a few minutes easily!
You’ll Need
- Spray Bottle
- Baking Soda – 1 tbsp
- Lukewarm Water – 3 Cups
- Fabric Softener – 3 tbsp
Fabric Softener Air Freshener Spray Recipe
- Clean the spray bottle throughly under tap water. You can use a brush to clean the hard to reach areas.
- Once your spray bottle dries completely, put 3 tbsp of fabric softener into it.
- Now, add 3 cups of lukewarm water to the spray bottle. You can increase or decrease the quantities as per the size of the bottle.
- Finally, add 1 tbsp of baking soda to the bottle.
- Shake the bottle well until all the ingredients mix properly.
This is how you can create an eco-friendly Homemade DIY Air Freshener Spray with Fabric Softener using just 3 ingredients. Remember to always shake the bottle before using it. With this easy recipe, enjoy a fresh and pleasing smell all over your house. The cost of making this is equivalent to the cost of a fabric softener. And if you already have it, it’s free of cost.
Why Use a Homemade Air Freshener with Fabric Softener
Besides being a cheap and quick solution, a fabric softener air freshener will never affect the health of your family or pets in any way. Simply buy the fabric softener of your choice and follow this recipe to hit two birds with one stone! Alternatively, you can combine a few drops of your favorite essential oils in a spray bottle and spray it around your home to fill the house with a pleasant aroma. Or you can try using a diffuser to diffuse the essential oils in your surroundings.
The chemicals in the commercial air fresheners increase indoor pollution, which can eventually lead to various health issues. Certain chemicals in the air fresheners are said to increase headaches in people who suffer from migraine or cluster headache. Besides, such chemicals can hamper with the respiratory health of a person who’s already suffering from a respiratory issue. Air freshener sprays contain chemicals and toxins that might even lead to diseases like cancer, neurotoxicity, migraine, and respiratory issues from prolonged exposure to chemical filled fragrance.
How To Avoid Foul Odors
To avoid foul odors in the first place, make sure that you clean the kitchen top after every use. Train your pets to poop only outside or in some designated area. Whenever you chop garlic, onion, or other vegetable with a pungent smell, clean the chopping board immediately and discard the vegetable remains in the bin. Always cover your bin and clean it regularly to avoid flies and other insects from coming into your home.
Does this not leave a sticky residue on everything that it settles on
Yes it does! For example glass panes and mirror.
What would people suggest to clean the smell from the air, but not leave residue on leather furniture. I have been buying oil and diffusers from hsn, and the cost is crazy
So you spray carpeting, clothing and curtains
Can’t wait to try it!
I feel it’s important that you know that fabric softener also contains many harmful chemicals of which can cause allergies and respiratory problems. They are scented with synthetic fragrances and are in no way natural. This is a wonderful idea – I suggest that you use essential oils in place of the fabric softener. You can blend multiple oils to create your own scents. And they are all natural and safe for daily use. – I am in no way trying to be rude or anything of that nature. I just felt it important to share this info with you. Thanks
I thought the same about fabric softener…you are kind to share smart info…thx
What oils would you recommend
Jasmine, Teatree, Mint, Lemon, Orange. As an example for window cleaning l use 10 oz of water 1 TBSP White vinegar and 7 to 10 drops of Mint essential oil. Smells great and really keeps windows cleaner it seems longer. You also can mix different Essential oils and make your own scent . Example Citrus Lemon, Orange,and lime essential Oils.
What brand of essential oils?
Hold on. Check animal reactions to essential oils. I know someone whose dog almost died of essential oil diffuser with tea tree oil.
Do not use tea tree oil if you have pets. You can google what oils are unsafe for pets. Tea tree is one of them.
Remember tea tree oil is poisonous for dogs. So is peppermint. And many others. So please look them up first if you have pets.
I wanted to share that I was researching essential oils and most and I stress most are bad for cats. Many are toxic and lethal for cats. Cats cannot metabolize phenols and they produce respiratory problems in cats. They also build up in their livers which can be lethal for them. Humans are ok but not cats.
Thank you for sharing this information. Really appreciate your input and great substitutes.
Brandi, I thought the exact same thing and live with people that have multiple chemical sensitivities. Maybe using one of the new scent free fabric softeners and add essential oils. Best of both worlds
You are so right Brandi. I was just about to make the same comment. My best friend has so many allergies. Air fragrances have a strong effect on her. Even some essential oils she has to be careful about. I have to use a very slight amount of oil for the mixture if I want her to be able to visit.
Excellent advice! Thanks ????
Thank you for your excellent advice because I was wondering too.
You are very right. I concur
Thank you for your advice. I have eliminated carcinogens from my cleaning products. This is one more step towards a healthier environment. I use essentials oils all the time but never thought of using them this way.
Greatly appreciated.
Yes thank you for that bit of information I was nearly going to make some but my son has pneumonia sore sorry should I say had pneumonia and has got asthma because of it. So thanks again for kind of saving the day
Thank you Brandi Renee for that comment. The same thought came to my mind when I read fabric softener as being one of the ingredients. Good idea suggesting the use of essential oils.
I agree with both of of you. It’s no longer natural because of the fabric softener that has chemical ingredients too. Anyways thanks for the idea except we’ll just use essential oils as what you mentioned Brandi..????
Thank you Brandi for pointing this out!
Tf is the baking soda for. It spilled all over
Lmao srry
Has anyone heard of using regular rubbing alcohol with a few drops of essential oil to make a great air freshener? I’ve tried it and it works very well.
Can you share more details on how you made it? The alcohol will help not to leave back a layer on the fabric..
I’ve been using this for years, the only thing I don’t put it is baking soda. I’ve always had a very good sense of smell which during the yrs become such a big part of my daily live along with cleaning. When ur hse doesn’t smell nice then it starts me off with the cleaning. Now I’m just ‘slightly’ obsessed with smell & at 1 point I used to carry around a little squirty bottle with Lenor and water and spray it on myself, people, furniture, clothes, anywhere and everywhere! luckily everyone loves they smell of my home and me of course.
Lenor means
It’s a European version of Dawn fabric softener
A house that is truly clean will not smell bad. Masking the odors instead of the cleaning the cause of the stink will only make your home continue to smell bad and could possibly be causing health issues for your family…mold, pet odors, etc. Find that smell and get rid of foul air. Anna Habibis was correct to say that she becomes cleaning when she smells an odor. A simmer pot is probably the safest way to freshen the air in your home.
I completely agree with you Jamie!!! I, personally, do not want to mask odors. When my house is clean (I do the clean one room a day plan), which is all the time, there are no odors that need to be covered up. I do use an essential oil diffuser to diffuse different scents for mood, energy, anxiety, alertness, etc. I have one in my living room to diffuse the oil needed for the particular day, etc. I also have one in my bedroom that I put Lavender in and diffuse for about an hour 2-3 hours before going to bed (I do not want a strong scent, just the essence of the relaxation from the Lavender).
Try boiling cinnamon 2.
I love the fresh smell, but I did see it leaves marks on glass etc. What I use it for is prior to vacuuming I spray all my carpets lightly with the fine mist, wait about 15 minutes, then vacuum. I instantly noticed how it aided in removing the pet hair from my carpets. For this, it’s a win win! House smells great and keeps a handle on pet hair. Thanks for the recipe!
Mixing essential oils maye cause a health issue. The mix may cause dizziness and it may harm babies and your pets. If you don’t know what you are doing don’t mix the oil, stick to just one oil at a time.
I can’t seem to find a good spray bottle. The ones I buy only have one mode Stream. I would appreciate anyone suggesting where to buy them. I need one for my hair as well.
Thanking you in advance for your help and kindness.
the dollar store or walmart usually have good spray bottles
I suggest you try Sally’s Beauty. They have professional beauty products which include spray bottles.
I get mine at the dollar stores. They usually have several sizes available.
The other thing about using Fabric Softener, my old washing machine did not dispense the fabric softener correctly, so, the fabric softener would get directly on my clothes and leave an oil spot. I got to where I had to check each and every item as I took it out of the wash to determine if I needed to wash it again in clear water after scrubbing the oil spot. Needless to say, I now have a new washing machine. I would not want to use this recipe as I do not want oil spots on my cloth furniture, my curtains, my throws, pillows, rugs, etc.
I have tried this. Trust me, you don’t want to let the mist settle on wood furniture. Little pink dots all over where it took off the finish. Grrr.
I’ve been using this for years, but without the baking powder. And some of the issues people have raised I’ve never had any of these problems. I use it on my windows, my wood table, sofa, carpets and clothes. Maybe it depends of which softener you use.
What softener do you use? Even with the issues people have listed, I’d love to try it, especially on my carpets. And you just use the softener and water?
THANK YOU!
If you have pets, you don’t want them getting this on their feet and then licking their feet. Could be toxic for sure!! Many diffuser oils are toxic to pets also!! Always be cautious!!
My dog has been licking his paws all the time, he never did it before. I am so worried and don’t know what to do or what is causing him to do it! If you have any idea what it is or what I need to clean his paws with I would really appreciate it!
I simmer a small amount of cloves/ground cloves on my stove in about 3 cups (or more) of water & it smells great. Adjust the amount of cloves to your preference. I am also going to try simmering cut up lemons or orange peels to see how that works. Pets have become quite ill (respiratory issues) from essential oils & I would also wonder how they would be affected from the fabric softener spray
(on their paws) as well.
Oh My Goodness; you women are so petty. Either use it or move on. Your house is probably dirty and stank. GET SOME BUSINESS ABOUT YOURSELF.
????
You people a f’ing monsters. Your parents should have drowned you when they had the opportunity. Nobody cares about your better ideas! Congratulate the person for taking the time to provide an idea and post it. Don’t like it move on! Quit bashing other ppl’s shit and write your post if your so brilliant! FML! YOU PPL ARE ASSHOLES IN MY EYES!
Thank you, Paul!!!
Some people just need to bitch about everything.
I bet all these ppl are OLD ppl. They have old agers grumpy disease……
STFU !!!!!
Read it and weep….
Thank you!! I completely agree!! If you have “better ideas” go make your own post….
Paul, in reading your reply, I think you might have been a little TOO harsh, ” parents should have drowned you when they had the opportunity”Jeesus, although you might have had a legitimate gripe, I seriously think you might have taken it a little too far. Everyone should welcome constructive criticism, but, coming in hot like that, you overplayed it…..just saying.
How to make Anti Smoke Repellent Spray which can remove the cigarette smoke from the room.
Does anyone help me how to make this spray.
Vinegar in a spray bottle, full strength or you can dilute it a little with water, a bit of lemon juice to it you get a slight lingering of the lemon when the vinegar smell leaves.
I’d like to know also
I’d like to know to please!
I love this freshener.
However, the smell does not linger
shoo that was all rather shocking to read, the various comments and then some….!!
Quick question the essential oil diffusers – do you add water and then essential oils to that or just burn the oils over direct flame?
The question was/is HOW DO YOU GET CIG ODOR OUT OF HOME?