Have you ever noticed that males of all species have a tendency to (How can I put this delicately?) be malodorous?
I’m talking from a position of knowledge and experience here; I have a husband, five sons, and two male dogs. We also have chickens and a cat. My boys tromp all over the yard without regard to the location of dog or chicken scat. I feed my family a great deal of beans. My dogs get gassy when they’re nervous.* There are ample opportunities for ‘the stink’ to arise.
*Boy, do I wish I was joking about that. Last summer we took the dogs to a family reunion in Southern Michigan. We got stuck on the Ohio Turnpike in 90°F temperatures. Our air conditioning broke and only one of the windows in the van worked. It was the window next to yours-truly’s head. So all the air exiting the van went right. past. my. face. Remember that. It will become very important to my story in mere moments. And the dogs? Well, let’s just say being stuck in traffic was as hard on their nerves as ours. Being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic in sweltering temperatures with a flatulent eighty-five pound hound dog and his equally foul-smelling and obese beagle buddy was -in a word- horrific. You could have calibrated a 30-second hourglass by timing the brief respite between ‘episodes’ from Hambone and Diggedy. I was traumatized. We all were.
I learned early on in my mother-of-many-boys career that eliminating the causes of ‘the stink’ was nearly impossible; I learned it was all about making a pleasant smelling oasis in each room. And I spent money on it. Oooh, baby, did I spend money; scented candles, gel air fresheners, room sprays, linen sprays, plug-in room deodorizers, misters, potpourri (sidebar: My mom fed boiled potpourri on a taco to my German exchange student friend in high school. But that’s a story for another time. Hi, Mom!)
When I learned that three of my babies had asthma, all that stuff went out the window. Actually, it went in the trash, but you savvy, right? All the pretty smelling stuff went buh-bye. Laundry detergent, fabric softener, cleaners? All unscented. Boo hoo. Poor me.
The allergist told me I could use essential oils in small amounts in little bowls or reed diffusers, but I found that the scent dissipated too quickly. I had to find something that smelled nice (or an inexpensive carbon filter face mask comfortable enough to wear 24/7) or risk losing what little sanity I had left. It took five years…
You’ve heard that necessity is the mother of invention? Well, I’m the mother of five little necessities and I had a perspiration. (My Dad defines ‘Perspiration’ as an inspiration that hurts.) Homemade all-natural, essential oil powered, gel based air fresheners. They met all the requirements to keep my poor asthmatic kids from doubling over and wheezing. They smelled great. They lasted a good long time. They were cheap to make. They had five ingredients you could find at any grocery or department store. And this mom was happy.
Now a word or two about essential oils: they’re pretty powerfully scented, so go easy on how much you add. You don’t want to add more than 30 drops per air freshener until you know just how strong your oil is. The basic air freshener base recipe is listed and my favorite scent combinations are given below it.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe sans photos and yakety-yakety, click here!
Homemade Essential Oil Air Fresheners
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce granulated or powdered gelatin
- 2 cups cold water, divided
- 20-30 drops of your choice of essential oil
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- optional, food coloring to tint the air freshener
Also needed:
- heat-proof jars to hold the hot gelatin liquid
- a disposable chopstick or skewer to use as a stir stick
Bring one cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the boiling water and whisk until smooth and all the gelatin is dissolved. Add the salt and the second cup of cold water and whisk. Set aside.
Add the desired amount of essential oil and food coloring, if using, to the jar(s). Quickly pour the hot liquid gelatin over the essential oil and food coloring. Stir until evenly colored.
Allow to cool, uncovered on a heat-proof surface. When it reaches room temperature, place wherever you want a lovely scent.
Sweet Basil and Lemon Air Freshener
- 20 drops Sweet Basil essential oil
- 8 drops Lemon essential oil
Rosemary Orange Air Freshener
- 25 drops Sweet Orange essential oil
- 5 drops Rosemary essential oil (The Rosemary essential oil is mighty strong stuff. Keep a light hand with this!)
Fresh Pine Scent Air Freshener
- 25 drops Fir Pine essential oil
- 3 drops Lemon essential oil
- 2 drops Sweet Orange essential oil
- 1 drop Bergamot essential oil
Pure Lavender Air Freshener
- 30 drops of Lavender essential oil
Essence of Provençe Air Freshener
- 20 drops Lavender essential oil
- 5 drops Thyme essential oil
- 2 drops Lemon essential oil
~~~
This year, if we have to take the dogs on another road trip, I’m prepared; I’ll just cram one of these up each nostril and pray.
Reader's Thoughts...
April says
This worked wonderfully! Thank you!
Erika Kennedy says
LOL I love your story how you got stuck in the traffic with the dogs. I was in almost the same situation last month. I will remember it for the rest of my life! Thank you for sharing such an interesting article! Greetings!
Rebecca says
I wonder if it would help with preventing mold by using distilled water. It wouldn’t matter with the water that is heated but it would the cold water that is added. I know that makes cleaners, laundry detergents and room sprays last longer. Just a thought.
Jo says
My gelatin air fresheners look and smell lovely but the oil is floating on the top! Any suggestions as to why. Thx.
Pam says
Gelatin is from pig’s hooves. Ew.
Joe says
Hi, where did you find the nice glass jars in the picture? They look nicer than any I can locate. Thanks.
Rebecca says
Hi Joe- Those are from The Dollar Store, believe it or not!
RAY says
help! email me at . alphonsisray@yahoo.com
Christe says
Help!! I made these last night and followed the directions exactly as listed. I used salt rather than vodka. The problem is that they are still totally liquid hours after they have cooled. First, is there anyway to fix the batch I already made, rather than just throwing them away? Second , any idea what I could have done incorrectly to cause this to happen?
Thanks!
Rebecca says
That sounds to me like you got a bum batch of gelatine. I’m sorry!!
Elizabeth says
I loved the look and smell, but mine grew mold?
Rebecca says
It seems to be a common problem. Did you use the vodka or salt in the mixture?
Delores Sehn says
Put the solution into a tall vase with a narrow opening. Place several wooden skewers in the opening & use it like a reed diffuser.
Makesscents2me says
How long do the gelatin air fresheners normally hold their scent?
Nikki says
Unfortunately the fragrance only lasted a couple of days and after a week the gel lost clarity and became dry.
Kelly says
I noticed that in the comments section, you mention using vodka rather than salt. How much vodka? I also found that the oils floated to the top of the gelatin after stirring. I would like to try vodka to see if that helps. I remember that my mom used to make lavender water by first adding vodka to the essential oil in order for it to mix with the water rather than float on the top. Thanks.
Nikki says
Vodka or Ethanol (Alcohol) will help solubilize the essential oils. Mix essential oils in Vodka or Alcohol before adding to water.
I am looking forward to trying this recipe. Will update with feedback 🙂
Nikki says
Made two recipes using salt in one and Alcohol (Vodka) in the other. Pre-mixing the essential oils with alcohol works well but made the gel cloudy. Seems like salt works better for this recipe, gel was nice and clear but fragrance only lasted for a couple of days (maybe).
Nancy Philbrook says
Great idea!! I reposted it on the website Aromatherapy and Essential Oils where we are trying to build a community of sharing.
Micki says
How long does the scent last on average?
Rebecca says
There are so many variables it’s almost impossible to answer that, unfortunately. It depends first of all on the strength of the essential oils you’re using. Second, it depends on the size container you use. Third, it depends on the time of year it’s out. Fourth, it depends on the airflow in the area where it’s placed. Finally, it depends on the relative humidity of your house. That’s a really long-winded way of saying I don’t know. 😀
Shelby says
I have made about 20 of these! Almost all turned out perfectly, except one scent I made. I used a different brand fragrance oil in this one, and it did not set up as nicely as the others. All other factors were the same, I used Knox gelatin, and vodka to prevent mold. It is my assumption that different oils may cause the watery consistency. These are cheap enough to make, so I suggest experimenting with different oils until you are satisfied! Hope this helps 🙂
Debbie says
I too was wondering how many jars 1 recipe would make, say if baby food size jars….2, 3 etc. Thank you ahead of time, so I know how many jars to purchase and how to adjust recipe!!
Sharon says
Wow glad I read the posts. Can u use like jello I was thinking it would give me a more of a cherry scent?
Megan Chaney says
I’ve tried another recipe and it didn’t turn out well. I was left with runny goop at the top. What size jars did you use for this one? And did you use 20-30 drops essential oil per jar?
Rebecca says
Gelatin and oil sometimes behave oddly together, depending on both ingredients. I used baby food jars and jelly jars and I used about 20 drops per jar.
Shannon Huey says
I did this exact thing with jelly jars and 20 drops and it is very runny. I don’t think it hardened at all. Is it suppose to be gel-like? I just don’t know what I could have done wrong.
Rebecca says
It is supposed to be jelly like. I’m confused, because you’re not the only one to have had issue like this but they turn out perfectly for me every time I’ve made them (about 10 now…) let me see what I can figure out.
Coreena says
Same here with the runny air fresheners. I have tried 3 times to make these. I have been using Now Foods Beef Gelatin Powder, not Knox. Does that matter?
Rebecca says
Wow! I’ve never heard of that kind of gelatine. I’ve only tested this with Knox from a packet and bulk Knox. I’d say do an experiment where you try to gel up an equivalent amount of plain water and see if it works.
Rachel says
I made these and they turned out great the only problem is when you make them in advance they start to mold. I covered mine with press and seal wrap and after letting them sit around they started to mold. How do I stop them from molding when I want to keep some on hand for gifts. Maybe I should have only made a couple at a time.
Marlena says
Did you make sure to add the salt or vodka? My guess is that vodka would last longer but I haven’t tested that theory yet.
Also, the press-n-seal would seal in moisture and retain heat which creates the perfect environment for mold. Maybe try putting the covered jars in the fridge. I would also experiment with putting a small hole in the plastic to allow for some air circulation, or even using a paper muffin liner instead of the plastic wrap. Good luck 🙂
Danielle says
How many air fresheners will this recipe make? I notice that there are four in the picture, but I’m only looking to make one.
Tracy says
Boo! I bought brand new gelatin and followed the recipe exactly but mine are not setting up at all. My kitchen smells good, but onto plan B for Christmas gifts……
Rebecca says
Don’t toss it yet! Try reheating it and adding the same amount of gelatin again. I’m wondering whether some folks are having trouble because of a different brand of gelatin. The one I get, I get in bulk from an Amish store. I’m working on a hunch here.
Tracy says
I came back to say they actually have firmed up – took much longer than I expected so I am sorry to have posted so soon! My kitchen still smells great and I still have some gifts to give away! I used knox unflavored gelatin, salt, water and lavender oil. I did check the expiration date of my gelatin to make sure I wasn’t using anything that was expired. Again, sorry for the rush to post initially, patience is not my virtue!
Mary Jo says
Hi
I made the homemade essential oils following your directions. I found that one of my jars had mildew all over the top. Has this happened to you? Did I do something wrong?
Rebecca says
Mary Jo- It seems to be an intermittent problem for people. Did you use vodka as a mold retardant? Also, are you certain it was mildew and not just a gelatin skin? Sometimes gelatin sets up oddly like that.
Tracy says
I only have 2 boys, 2 birds (stink) and one overpowering husband. Hubby is on a high fiber diet due to a medical condition and “OH BOY” can he clear a room. I have only met one other person that had a more pungent scent, my cousin. If he blew wind we would have to pull the car over and air out. LOL We have all sorts of airborne allergies so I am careful what I spray. I am terribly allergic to lilies, which tends to be a base for most perfumes and air fresheners. I am so happy to be trying this, I just got my Essential oils yesterday and can’t wait to get into another project!!