A homemade room spray has so many benefits. Not only does it smell good, but it also helps eliminate foul odors and freshens up your home. Plus, it’s easy to make and inexpensive.
There is nothing quite like a crisp, fresh scent to greet you when you walk in your front door.
Over time, homes can begin to smell stale and musty, and while you can always open up a window to let in some fresh air, having a homemade room spray on hand can quickly freshen up an entire home in a matter of minutes.
And while I love the fresh aroma of febreze, I prefer to take a more natural route, so I came up with my own version of a homemade febreze.
Essential oil room spray
This room spray recipe below is scented with my favorite aromas, but I highly encourage you to check out the ‘room spray blends‘ section to add your personal touch to the final product.
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How to make room spray
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 5 drops of lavender essential oil
- 5 drops of geranium essential oil
- 5 drops of patchouli essential oil
- Water
- Spray bottle
Room spray recipe
- Add baking soda, lavender, geranium and patchouli to a small mixing bowl.
- Use a fork to mix well. (Mixing the oils with baking soda ahead of time will help them incorporate with the water better.)
- Add the mixture to the spray bottle and top off with water.
- Shake well before use.
Avoid using mini fine mist spray bottles to prevent potential clogging in the sprayer nozzle.
How to use room spray
Mist one to two pumps into the air, over the floor, furniture, shoes, or cars to freshen the air!
Room spray benefits
Room sprays not only smell great, but they also have a number of benefits for you and your home.
Essential oils in room sprays provide aromatherapy benefits such as promoting relaxation, improving sleep, reducing stress, and providing a healthier environment.
Homemade room sprays are not ‘in your face’ overpowering. It’s more of a gentle fragrance that slowly fades over time.
A safer alternative to candles. I love the smell of candles and even make my own beeswax candles, but let’s face it, there are instants we don’t have the time to attend to a candle and would rather release a quick burst of room freshener and be done.
Masking unpleasant odors. One of the perks of making your own febreze room spray is you can add as much fragrance as you’d like!
Room spray blends
I had fun coming up with a few different combinations, and yes, I tried them all! Choose from one of the blends below and add it to your room spray.
Orange Mint
- 5 drops of peppermint
- 5 drops of wild orange
This blend here was the prototype and has since become not only my favorite room spray blend but one of my favorite diffuser blends as well.
Peppermint and wild orange are great for promoting energy, aiding memory, and helping with concentration.
Zesty Citrus
Bergamot is a little-known oil and, in my opinion, is one of the best-smelling citrus oil out there. Pair it with the tangy scent of lime and the zesty aroma of ginger, and you have got yourself one beautiful combination.
Citrus essential oils are excellent for boosting mood, energy, and the immune system.
Ginger can help with nausea, car sickness, and even digestive issues through aromatherapy.
Field of Flowers
Please give me all the floral oils! These oils have a pleasant and calming effect making it a great bedroom blend. Lighty mist into the air above the sheets to freshen them up and promote a healthy night’s sleep.
Floral essential oils are great for calming the mind and the nervous system. A word from the wise: take a sniff of patchouli before adding to the blend. It’s a love-it or hate-it oil.
Citrus Bliss
- 5 drops of wild orange
- 5 drops of grapefruit
- 5 drops of lemon
Or try 15 drops of citrus bliss
This room spray is very uplifting, energizing, and motivating. Some citrus oils cleanse and purify the air and even kill airborne germs.
Mist this blend into the air for a natural energy boost and to freshen the air.
You can learn more about citrus essential oils with this Ultimate guide to citrus essential oils.
Air fresheners for men
While the possibilities are truly endless with this DIY room spray, I feel it’s necessary to share a few more essential oil ideas.
According to my husband, a few of the above blends are very much not manly. So if you need to freshen up a man cave or den, try using one or two of the oils listed below.
These are primarily woodsy and outdoorsy (if that is even a word) scents. I use these in his beard oil and beard balm, and he approves.
- Sandalwood
- Cedarwood
- Cypress
- Lemongrass
- White fir
- Bergamont
- Peppermint
- Eucalyptus
Common questions
Why not use conventional air fresheners? Unfortunately, many air fresheners pollute the air quality with synthetic ingredients, potentially causing skin irritation, headaches, and allergic reactions.
Will this double as a car air freshener? Yes, this recipe works great for keeping your car smelling fresh and clean. However, I would recommend cutting the number of essential oils in half so that the scent is not overpowering.
Can you use it in the bathroom? While it’s not as powerful as an actual homemade bathroom air freshener, it can certainly get the job done if needed!
Do room sprays clean the air? Most DIY linen sprays and air fresheners only provide a fragrance. This room spray recipe includes cleansing ingredients which may help clean the air.
What if I don’t have all the essential oils for the room spray? It is ok to substitute and change the blends up; in fact, I encourage it! Everyone has a different preference, and that is ok. If you don’t like or have one of the oils in the blend, simply omit it or add in a different oil.
Do I have to use a glass bottle? Yes, essential oils are very powerful and can break down plastics over time.
Homemade febreze with essential oils
I hope you enjoy this alternative air freshener recipe. You can feel good now knowing exactly what you are spraying into your home.
If you have younger children or pets, you can easily cut the recipe in half to dilute it further if you’d like.
Some of my favorite essential oils to use around kids include:
- Lavender
- Wild Orange
- Roman Chamomile
- Lemon
- Jasmine
- Rose
Again, customize a blend that you love, and be sure to share it with us in the comments! I love fresh new ideas.
If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure and look around this site. I have hundreds of recipes from cooking to cleaning and everything between. And for more posts similar to this one, check out these below.
- How to freshen a mattress
- 6 peaceful diffuser blends
- How to clean a diffuser
- DIY multi-purpose house cleaner
All Natural Febreze with Essential Oils
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 5 drops of lavender
- 5 drops of geranium
- 5 drops of patchouli
- Filtered water
Instructions
- Combine baking soda and essential oils in a small bowl. (Mixing the oils in baking soda will help it incorporate with the water better.)
- Use a funnel to transfer to the spray bottle and top off with water.
- Secure the lid and shake well.
Christopher Seay says
I have the freezer plug in diffusers. Would like to replace oils in glass bottles with all natural. Will this work in those with a new wick? Thanks!
Tina says
The citrus blend might deter animals from getting on and trying to destroy your furniture? I was informed they do not like citrus smells.
Mika says
Will the essential oils you listed that are safe for kids also be fine for an 11 month old and 3 year old?
Laura says
I personally use them around my little kids.
Anna says
I am so pleased to FINALLY find a room spray without witch hazel! I have tried another spray from another website that I wasted a lot of rose essential oil (which is extremely expensive) on to not even smell like rose but only witch hazel! Will this work for a body spray? If not, Do you have a body spray recipe? Thank you for this recipe! I really enjoy your content!
Laura says
Thank you! Yes, I have a women’s perfume post where I share roller bottles and body mist perfumes.
Susan says
Can I use a substitute for the baking soda?
Laura says
You can leave it out of the recipe.
RJ says
Can you use that mixture in a diffuser as well?
Laura says
Yes!
DeAnna says
I have long disliked the awful, musty smell emitting from my vacuum. I have a large breed dog, hard wood floors and a robovac. For awhile now I have been placing a small amount of baking soda in its path near the beginning of its route which helped to neutralize it. After reading this recipe, I added lavender blend oil with bergamot to the baking soda and oh my goodness, what a game changer, now I have a lovely smell wafting through the air! It remained for most of the day! Thank you!
Laura says
Oh wow, that is a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Mary says
Thank you for all the amazing recipes!
Could I use this spray for my bedlinen?
Thank you
Laura says
You’re welcome! Yes you can!
Gina says
Hi, Thanks for the recipe! How much water should we use for this recipe…or rather…what size spray bottle should we use with 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 15 drops essential oil?
Laura says
4-ounce spray bottle
wilhelmina says
Another great idea! You are opening my eyes to all of the wonderful things I make at home instead of buying!
Laura says
I am so glad you are enjoying all my content!
Toni says
I love how easy it is to make!! Thank you!
Amanda says
What is the purpose of the baking soda?
Laura says
It helps to keep the essential oils mixed with the water. If you take the baking soda out, be sure to shake well before each use.
Nicole says
How long does the scent linger?
lauraascher says
A few hours and then I respray.
Lisa Haigh says
This drove me bonkers. It wouldn’t spray due to the baking soda clogging it up.
lauraascher says
So sorry! Mine never clogged, you can make it without the baking soda just be sure to give it a good shake before each use to get the essential oils mixed into the water.
Sharon says
Why a glass spray bottle?
lauraascher says
It is always best to use glass when making something with essential oils because they can break down plastic overtime.
Beverly says
I’d like to have the kids at my church make these for mother’s day gifts. How much water do you add to the bottle?
lauraascher says
That is a great idea! I make mine in a 4 ounce spray bottle and after adding the essential oils and baking soda I just top it off with water to the top.