Monday, May 07, 2012

Homemade Gel Air Fresheners

I'm always tinkering around the house, making things that I would otherwise have to go and buy at the store.

One of my favorite things on earth are air fresheners, so I try different making different ones, back in February I made one using Baking Soda and a few drops of essential oil.  That one is still going strong for me and actually resides in my son's bedroom.


The one I made today is a gel based freshener using gelatin, food coloring and your favorite essential oil.

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I made two.  A blue one scented with the Rain scent oil.

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And a red one scented with Jasmine, which aside from being my daughter's name, is one of my favorite scents on earth.

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These are really easy to make.  I first came across them on Instructables site, which I love, they have so many DIY projects available.

This will literally take you about 5 minutes and it works SO well, so give it a try and let me know what you think.

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Homemade Gel Air Fresheners

2 cups water
4 envelopes Gelatin (plain) (In other words, a whole 1oz box)
15 to 20 drops Essential Oil (adjust to personal preference)
1 to 2 TBS salt
Food Coloring



In a small pot, bring 1 cup water to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in the gelatine and salt (do NOT omit the salt, it is there to prevent molding), stir well until dissolved, then add 1 cup of cold water.  Set aside.

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Add the drops of essential oil and the food coloring to the bottom of the mason jars you're using.  I actually want to buy tiny ones like the baby food jars, to make smaller gels. 

Pour the gelatine into the jars and using a stick or chopstick, stir well until combined.  Let it cool down complete.

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I leave mine open with just the metal ring on.  If I want to close it I just add the inner lid and DONE!

These last me about 3 weeks or so, depending on how strong the essential oil is. 
The salt in this recipe is used to help combat mold, please make sure to add it.

EDIT:  I added the gelatin amount.  I thought I had it up there but I guess I didn't.  You are going to use a box of gelatin (1 oz), so use all 4 packets in there.   I am sorry if I confused anyone, I'm used to saying packets instead of envelopes LOL 

9 comments:

Lois Christensen said...

This looks great! Going to try!

Elise said...

I came across your blog from a friend of mine and I am loving it! I loved this post. It seems really simple- definitely going to try it!

Jennifer said...

Hi Sandra,

For the gelatin, do you mean 4 envelopes? Or 4 boxes? I ave some 4-ounce envelopes. Is that the same as what you used?

Sarah said...

What a cool thing to make! :)

Nancy said...

Very neat idea, I'm going to have to try this!

Christina said...

It's great because you know what ingredients that go into them and also they look way prettier then the store bought one's.

Amy @ Heritage Homemaker said...

OH MY!!! These are going on my "Sunday Share" this week :-)

Locked and Loaded said...

How to you re-freshen the gel air fresherners after a couple of weeks?

Unknown said...

Ever tried adding glittery... I've read that you can but when I tried it all the glitter settled to.the bottom. any suggestions?