Homemade Air Freshener Without Essential Oils (Shelf Stable!)

Lately, there’s been a growing number of people who are looking for all-natural household recipes that do not require essential oils. These homemade air freshener recipes are exactly what you need to give your home a warm and comforting scent without using oils or diffusers! You can even make these recipes with ingredients that you already have in your kitchen. Keep reading to see how to make a shelf-stable homemade air freshener without essential oils, below!

Basics of Homemade Air Fresheners

Making your own air freshener doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. You can create shelf stable air freshener sprays with simple household items such as vinegar, vanilla extract, herbs, and more!

Not only is this a an easily available option versus essential oils, but it’s also more natural as it utilizes plants in their organic form. And of course, these air freshener recipes are artificial fragrance free, while still being fully customizable.

Supplies Needed

To make a homemade air freshener spray without essential oils, you’ll be infusing either vinegar or extracts as the base of your spray. To do this, you’ll need the following supplies:

• A mason jar with lid.
• A funnel.
• A cheesecloth for straining.
• A room spray bottle.
• Distilled water, plus your choice of either extracts or vinegar as a base. Find out the pros and cons of each below.
• Ingredients to scent your spray. This could be produce such as oranges, spices such as cinnamon sticks, extracts such as vanilla extract, and more. Recipes of scent combinations are below.

How to Make a Homemade Air Freshener, Step-By-Step

Optionally infuse your own vinegar or extract. Directions for this are below.

Add all ingredients to your spray bottle.

Swirl to combine, and enjoy!

How to Make a Shelf Stable Air Freshener Spray

There are two natural options for stabilizing your spray so that it stays preserved for months at room temperature.

Option 1: Using Extracts

You can use alcohol-based extracts for stabilizing your room spray. The alcohol in the extract slows or prevents the growth of microbes your spray, meaning that you can store it at room temperature without it spoiling. Common options for this include herbal extracts, vanilla extract, and more.

The Pros of Using Extracts

• The extracts can be purchased pre-made so that you do not have to make your own.
• The smell of the extract is generally pleasant, as opposed to other methods that could carry a pungent smell with it.

The Cons of Using Extracts

• If you are purchasing pre-made extracts, you may be limited on your scent options.

The Basic Recipe

You can make a very simple room spray by simply mixing 1 part alcohol-based extract and 1 part distilled water.

To Infuse Your Own Extracts:

1. Gather herbs, produce, or spices that you would like to infuse into the extract. Wash and chop all of these, and place them into a mason jar.
2. Pour a simple alcohol-based extract, such as vanilla extract, over the top of the ingredients in the mason jar.
3. Place the lid on the jar, and store in a cool and dark place for a few weeks.
4. Strain through cheese cloth or other fine mesh before using to make a homemade air freshener without essential oils!

Option 2: Using Vinegar

Unlike alcohol extracts, there are not very many pre-made options for infused vinegars. Therefore, to get a good scent variety, you will need to infuse your own herbs, produce, and/or spices into your vinegar. This makes it fully customizable!

The Pros of Using Vinegar

• You are not limited in your scent options.
• Vinegar is phenomenal at absorbing and neutralizing odors in the air, rather than just adding a layer of pleasant scent on top of the unwanted odors.

The Pros of Using Vinegar

• Because vinegar has such a strong and sour scent on its own, you may still smell the vinegar in the spray even after infusing it.

The Basic Recipe

You can make a very simple room spray by simply mixing 1 part infused vinegar and 1 part distilled water. You can optionally add extracts as well.

To Infuse Vinegar:

1. Gather herbs, produce, or spices that you would like to infuse into the vinegar. Wash and chop all of these, and place them into a mason jar.
2. Pour distilled white vinegar over the top of the ingredients in the mason jar.
3. Place the lid on the jar, and store in a cool and dark place for a few weeks.
4. Strain through cheese cloth or other fine mesh before using to make a homemade air freshener without essential oils!

Air Freshener Scents by Season

Each recipe makes approximately 4 fl. oz of spray. For the extract options, be sure to use alcohol-based extracts, as those are the ones that will remain shelf stable.

Spring

• Oranges & Cream
  • Vinegar Based: 1/4 cup orange infused vinegar, 1/4 cup distilled water, 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
  • Extract Based: 1/8 cup orange extract, 1/8 cup vanilla extract, 1/4 cup distilled water

• Spring Clean
  • Vinegar Based: 1/4 cup lemon and fresh mint infused vinegar, 1/4 cup distilled water
  • Extract Based: 1/8 cup lemon extract, 1/8 cup peppermint extract, 1/4 cup distilled water

Summer

• Berry Berry Mint
  • Vinegar Based: 1/4 cup strawberry, mint, and basil infused vinegar, 1/4 cup distilled water
  • Extract Based: 1/8 cup strawberry extract, 1 tbsp. basil extract, 1 tbsp. mint extract, 1/4 cup distilled water

• Lemon Blueberry
  • Vinegar Based: 1/4 cup lemon and blueberry infused vinegar, 1/4 cup distilled water
  • Extract Based: 1/8 cup lemon extract, 1/8 cup blueberry extract, 1/4 cup distilled water

Fall

• Orange Cinnamon Autumn
  • Vinegar Based: 1/4 cup cinnamon and orange infused vinegar, 1/4 cup distilled water, 1 tbsp. vanilla extract.
  • Extract Based: 1/8 cup vanilla extract, 1/8 cup orange extract, 1 tbsp. cinnamon extract, 1/4 cup distilled water

• Apple Pie
  • Vinegar Based: 1/4 cup apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove infused vinegar (or apple cider vinegar infused with spices), 1 tbsp. vanilla extract, 1/4 cup distilled water
  • Extract Based: 1/8 cup vanilla extract, 1/8 cup apple extract, 1 tbsp. cinnamon extract, 1/4 cup distilled water

Winter

• Icy Winter Morning
  • Vinegar Based: 1/4 cup mint infused vinegar, 1/4 cup distilled water, 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
  • Extract Based: 1/4 cup vanilla extract, 1 tbsp. mint extract, 1/4 cup distilled water

• Cookies & Christmas Trees
  • Vinegar Based: 1/4 cup rosemary and cinnamon infused vinegar, 1 tbsp. vanilla extract, 1/4 cup distilled water
  • Extract Based: 1/4 cup vanilla extract, 1 tbsp. rosemary extract, 1 tbsp. cinnamon extract, 1/4 cup distilled water

How long is homemade spray good for?

Both alcohol extract and vinegar-based sprays have a room temperature shelf life of approximately 3-6 months.

How much extract is needed to preserve a water based spray?

The ethyl alcohol content must be at least 15% of the final product to preserve it. Since pre-made extracts have an ethyl alcohol content of at least 35% inside the bottle, this means that the ratio of an extract to water must be at least 1:1 to preserve the spray.

How much vinegar is needed to preserve a water based spray?

The vinegar content must be at least 50% of the final product to preserve it. This means that the ratio of vinegar to water must be at least 1:1 to keep the spray shelf stable.

Other Options for Adding Pleasant Scents to Your Home

• DIY Odor Absorbing Jars: Find a recipe for how to make these jars within the post how to make your house smell good naturally.
• Stovetop Simmers: Scroll to the bottom of the how to make your house smell good naturally post for seasonal stovetop simmer recipes.
• Homemade Candles: These homemade beeswax candles are beautiful and smell amazing and sweet, even without adding essential oils.

More Like This…

• How to Make Your House Smell Good Naturally
• Homemade Bug Spray (Without Essential Oils)
• Non-Toxic Homemade Cleaners That Actually Work

Be sure to pin the recipe for later!