How to Make A Natural Air Freshener With Essential Oils (+ 14 Room Spray Recipes)

My kids are obsessed with those plug-in room deodorizers and candles. But I can't stand the smell of most of them—they're too strong and fake. But what I do love is the smell of essential oils. It's easy as can be to make your own essential oil room sprays with just a glass spritzer bottle and water, alcohol, and essential oils. Here's how to to make your own natural air freshener with just three simple ingredients!

How to Make Essential Oil Room Sprays

Using essential oils in a spray does more than just freshen a space, it can imbue the air with aromatherapy benefits for your central nervous system so you can relax, heal, and feel more energized whenever you like [source].

Plus, you can spritz 'em wherever you want—bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, closet, your pillow, anywhere—and you never have to worry about those chemical air freshener smells or pets and children getting hurt with candles.  

Supplies

—8-ounce spray bottle
—2 tablespoons vodka
—6 tablespoons filtered water
—Essential oils (see below for specific blends)

Instructions

1. Pour the alcohol into a small spray bottle. Add the recommended number of drops of your desired essential oils.

2. Let the oils sit for 5 minutes or so, and then shake well and add the water.

3. Shake again and spritz whenever you need a little pick-me-up.

You can make the scent as strong or light as you want by altering the amount of essential oil.

I'm partial to orange and jasmine because they remind me of Hawaii (think vay-cay!). Peppermint, lavender, lemon, bergamot, cinnamon, rose, and rosemary are very nice too, but you can use just about any essential oil combination that smells good to you. I like to spritz different blends according to my mood, the season, or time of day.

If you want to scale the recipe down to use less of your essential oils, then just cut the recipe in half and use a 4-ounce spray bottle and just 1 tablespoon of vodka.

Our Favorite Essential Oil Room Spray Blends

It's fun to come up with your own special aroma spray blends. We've made summery blends and cheery room sprays to beat the winter blues, but here are a few more of our favorites. As with any essential oil blend recipe, tweak the ratios to suit your own needs and preferences.

1. Relaxing Bedroom Blend

Lavender essential oil has proven benefits as a gentle, natural anxiety-lifter and sleep aid [source]. Combine lavender with vanilla to increase your melatonin levels [source] and shift your brain into sleeping mode. Or use lavender, chamomile, and vetiver to make a soothing pillow spray.

—25 drops lavender
—10 drops vanilla
—7 drops vetiver (optional)

2. Energizing Kitchen Blend

Combine sweet orange with grapefruit or lemon for a scent that keeps you alert and energized.

—15 drops orange
—10 drops grapefruit
—10 drops lemon

3. Focus-in the-Office Blend

Try this peppermint and rosemary duo when you need to stay focused and on task.

—10 drops peppermint
—15 drops rosemary

4. Clean and Deodorize Blend

Use the natural antibacterial power of cinnamon, clove, and tea tree to freshen up a closet or bathroom.

—15 drops cinnamon
—7 drop clove
—12 drops tea tree

5. Freshen-the-Air Blend

Bring the aroma of the outdoors inside with the energizing scents of rosemary and juniper or make this uplifting combo with mint or basil.

—20 drops juniper
—15 drops rosemary
—5 drops basil (optional)

6. Mood-Boosting Blend

There's nothing like the clean, refreshing scent of citrus to make things a bit cheerier. Sweet orange oil is sunny, refreshing, and energizing, as well as relaxing. Lemon combined with eucalyptus and mint creates an invigorating aroma that's perfect for spritzing on dreary days.

—25 drops orange
—10 drops lemon
—15 drops eucalyptus
—7 drops peppermint

7. Warm Activation Blend

Spice things up with warming scents like ginger and sandalwood. Especially when combined with sweet orange oil, they become energizing instead of overpowering.

—25 drops sandalwood
—15 drops ginger
—5 drops orange

8. Breathe Easy Blend

Try a blend of eucalyptus, peppermint, and basil when you feel stuffy and congested. It can be especially helpful to open up those air passages when used with the steam in the shower.

—12 drops eucalyptus
—7 drops peppermint
—15 drops basil

9. Immune Boosting Blend

Both cinnamon and thyme oils have been specifically shown to support the immune system [source].

—10 drops cinnamon
—15 drops thyme

10. Sleep Soundly Blend

More than just a soothing blend, clary sage, chamomile, and valerian essential oils help to promote rest and encourage sleep.

—12 drops clary sage
—15 drops chamomile
—10 drops valerian

11. Tension Headache Blend

Known for their soothing effects on the body, wintergreen and lavender oils help ease tension that may lead to headaches.

—10 drops wintergreen
—15 drops lavender
—10 drops peppermint
—12 drops chamomile

12. Anti-Anxiety Blend

Sandalwood's deep, woodsy scent is often used for its grounding effects, while ylang ylang [source] and vetiver encourage relaxation [source].

—10 drops ylang ylang
—12 drops vetiver

13. Romance Blend

Nothing says romance like the sweet, earthy scents of rose, lavender, and patchouli. When you're not using this blend as a room spray, why not pour into a roller bottle and wear it as a perfume? 

—20 drops rose
—15 drops lavender
—10 drops patchouli

14. Positive Mood and Immunity Blend

Essential oils, such as lemon, lavender, and peppermint, are known for their ability to help ease anxiety, improve your mood, and boost immune function [source].

—12 drops lemon
—15 drops lavender
—5 drops peppermint

Want more ideas? Try these blends to make your house smell like spring or get into the holiday season with a Christmas scent.

Why vodka?

The vodka is an essential ingredient for the room spray. You probably know that oil and water don't mix, but adding a little alcohol fixes that incompatibility. It disperses the oil and also helps the scent to linger longer in the air.

Buy the highest proof alcohol that you can find; I often use grain alcohol. And definitely go with the cheapest, you don't need to use anything expensive (it doesn’t really matter how it tastes or if it is aged).

Avoid rubbing alcohol, however, since breathing rubbing alcohol vapors can be bad for the lungs.

The bottle

Before each use, you will need to shake the bottle of room spray a bit before you spritz so that the essential oil is evenly distributed in the liquid. I reuse or purchase little glass spritzer or spray bottles for the room spray. I get mine at the health food store or online.

Natural Air Freshener FAQ

How long do essential oil room sprays last?

Since this room spray recipe contains water, it should be refrigerated and used within two weeks.

Can I use gin instead of vodka?

I don't recommend it because gin already has a slight fragrance. Instead, you can use witch hazel in place of the alcohol. 

Do you have to use distilled water?

No, but tap water contains chemicals such as chlorine that may affect the smell of your room spray.

My spray looks cloudy, what gives?

Don't worry—ours does too! It's just what happens when you combine these particular ingredients. It doesn't affect the quality of the spray. 

Why doesn't my spray have a stronger smell?

Rooms spray scent won't linger in the air very long; they're meant for a quick air freshening boost. If your spray doesn't smell strong enough for you, just add more essential oils. 

Where did you find your bottles?

Ours are from Rail19, and you can buy them here. 

Can I use real vanilla extract instead of vanilla essential oil?

I don’t see why not, although you’ll need to experiment to find a ratio that works for you. Also, it may give your room spray a light brown color that can stain white clothing and furniture.

Can I use this in my car?

Yes, you can give your a car a spritz to freshen things up. Or try a simple natural car air freshener to keep the scent around longer.

Do you use essential oil room sprays? What's your favorite scent?

This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Gina Jansheski, a licensed, board-certified physician who has been practicing for more than 20 years. Learn more about Hello Glow's medical review board here. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.

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