Gel air fresheners are a great way to give your home a lovely scent while masking unappealing pet and cooking odors. Although you can buy gel air fresheners at a variety of outlets, the best way to get the scent you want is to make your own. Although you can use gelatin to make homemade gel air fresheners, the quality of the finished product is not high. It's far better to make gel air fresheners using air freshener gel base available from your local craft store. These odorless, colorless bases can be customized with whatever scent you choose and can be made quickly and easily using a microwave. Here's how to make gel air fresheners custom scented by you:
Ingredients needed:
- Air freshener gel base (available at craft stores)
- Food coloring in colors of your choice
- Essential oils in fragrances of your choice
- Heat safe glass measuring cup
- Jars with holes punched in the top
Gather your ingredients
A trip to your local craft store should yield most of the ingredients you need. For the jars, you can use almost any size from baby food jars up to large jars in a size that would hold pasta sauce. Use a hammer and ice pick to make holes in the lid of the jar to allow the fragrance to escape. If you can't find essential oils at your local craft store, most natural food markets will carry them.
Melt the air freshener gel base
Add the air freshener gel base to your heat resistant cup and heat it in the microwave on medium heat for a minute. (or follow instructions on the container). If not completely melted, reheat it until it's completely liquid.
Add color
Use an eye dropper to drop food coloring into the heated gel until you achieve the desired color.
Add fragrance
Using an eyedropper, add ten to twenty drops of essential oil based on your preference. You may have to experiment to find the concentration of fragrance that's right for you. Don't be afraid to mix essential oils to create completely new fragrances.
Package your fragrance gel
Pour your scented, colored fragrance gel into the glass jars. Allow the fragrance gel to cool until firm to the touch.
Decorate your jars
Once the gel has firmed, place the lids on the jars. The holes hammered into the jars will allow the fragrance to diffuse and fill the room with scent. You can decorate the jars in any way you wish. Try tying them with raffia, pretty ribbon, unusual cording or glue on dry or silk flowers. Wrap the jars with beads on wire or any other decorations you wish.
Enjoy your custom, homemade gel air fresheners!
