These homemade air fresheners are super easy and cheap to make. A great safe substitute for burning scented candles.
You may have already made these simple scent gelatin air fresheners. I wanted to give them a try and I'll say that they did not disappoint.
I love a good scented candle but anytime you are burning something there can be a safety issue. Especially if you have a curious pet that loves to stick its nose in everything.
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FYI: The Image above shows some lids with holes in them. That's because the jars linked below actually come with both regular lids (no holes) and lids with holes. The holes were meant to be used with straws for drinking. I just liked the size and price of these jars but will probably not use the lids with holes. They offer extra protection from spills but not enough fragrance.
Homemade Air Fresheners
Supplies
- 4 small glass jars with lids (8 0z)
- 4 Packets of Unflavored Gelatin
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons of table salt
- 1 teaspoon in each jar (approx. 100 drops) fragrance oil or essential oil
- food coloring (optional) - I only used one drop in each jar.
or essential oil 
How to Make Gel Air Fresheners
- Place the water in a saucepan
- Sprinkle the gelatin packets on top
- Heat and stir until the gelatin is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and stir in salt.
- Carefully pour the gelatin into small jars.
- Add your fragrance and color.
- Cover the jar with a lid and let sit for 24 hours.
- Remove lid and enjoy.
A couple of notes:
- I used 1/2 teaspoon or about 50 drops of fragrance oil. I wanted to give one to my daughter and she said her and her roommates are enjoying floral scents. They are a little harder to come by in essential oils, so I opted for fragrance oils. They smell great but are not as fragrant as I'd like, so I'm suggesting that you double this amount and use a whole teaspoon or 100 drops of fragrance oil.
- The gelatin seems to have some bubbles on the top, so I use a fine spray mist of isopropyl alcohol to tame them. This is a trick I learned with making melt and pour soap and worked well in this application too.
- I placed the pressed flowers near the top but made sure to add some additional gelatin on top. Not that it really matters because the gelatin will dissipate and the flower will eventually show up. I think it would be fun to try placing the flowers on the bottom or sides of the jars too.
- Be careful as the liquid gelatin is very hot. You can use your everyday pots to make the gelatin but I suggest using a plastic spoon for stirring the fragrance and food coloring.
- I'm not sure how long these will last. My research says up to a month. I'll come back and update this post.
This is another great way to use your pressed flowers. I think any dried flower would work. Dare I suggest silks?
These homemade air fresheners would be great for college because most ban candles in dorm rooms.
Just another fun DIY project that would make a great gift.
Homemade Air Fresheners Made with Gelatin and Fragrance Oils
Equipment
Materials
- 4 small glass jars with lids 8 0z
- 4 Packets of Unflavored Gelatin
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons of table salt
- 1 teaspoon in each jar approx. 100 drops fragrance oil or essential oil
- food coloring optional
Instructions
- Place the water in a saucepan.
- Sprinkle the gelatin packets on top.
- Heat and stir until the gelatin is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and stir in salt.
- Carefully pour the gelatin into small jars.
- Add your fragrance and color.
- Cover the jar with a lid and let sit for 24 hours.
- Remove lid and enjoy.
Ranee Grush
Does this only last one month after making them? What about keeping them in a cool dry room when used?
Patti Estep
Ranee, I haven't found them to last very long. They evaporate pretty quickly. If you keep them closed they last a little longer but you may end up with mold growing on them.
Michael
Just made the gel air fresheners. It went just like the instructions said.
Linda
I made these a few weeks ago and now I’m finding mould covering the tops of the gel. Has this happened to anyone else??
Maggie
The mold happened to mine, too. How can we keep that from happen?
Patti Estep
I found some recipes use a little bit of Vodka to help with mold. You may want to increase the scent if you do.
John Birch-Coad
I made these but instead of salt I used a small amount (1/4 teaspoon) of potassium sorbate which acts as a mould inhibitor.
Patti Estep
Great idea John. Thanks for sharing.
Porsche
Where do you purchase the potassium sorbate.
lyn bennett
What size are the gelatin sachets? I have a tin of gelatin.
Patti Estep
Lyn if you are talking about the envelopes I used then I found this from the manufacturer: 1 pouch is about 2 1/2 teaspoons (7g) unflavoured gelatine. If a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon, use 1 pouch of unflavoured gelatine. Each pouch will gel 2 cups (500mL) of liquid and up to 1 1/2 (375mL) cups of solids. Hope that helps.
Rachel
Do you think this could work with agar instead of gelatin? I love this idea but don't like to use animal based products.
Patti Estep
I never actually heard of agar Rachel so I have no idea if it will work. But, I say it's worth a try. Let me know how it turns out, and thanks for sharing this idea.
Carri
Kosher gelatin is vegetarian friendly
Julie Briones
VERY cool, Patti! Love the colors, and the flowers! I think using faux flowers is a great idea! This would be really fun to do with older kids, too!
Patti Estep
Thanks, Julie. Yes, they would be a great project for older kids. Actually, so many of my DIYs are very kid friendly. I hope you get a chance to try this one.
Carole West
I like the addition of the dried flower, great idea! This would actually be great for me because I'm really about lighting a candle and walking away. To jazz up for Christmas add glitter, love this idea.