How do you "freshen up" a room and make it smell good?
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
United States
April 23, 2007 8:04am CST
I love to use the various potpourri products, etc. out there and burn candles to freshen up the scent of a room. I recently found this recipe for room freshener and think I'll give it a try. Sounds fairly inexpensive as long as I can find all the ingredients. I know most can be found in a health food store.
Citrus Mint Room Refresher
submitted by HBN Founder & President Donna Maria
This uplifting mixture will refresh your room and your spirits, naturally!
Yield: approx. 5 ounces
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Shelf Life: Indefinite
Ingredients:
4 ounces peppermint hydrosol
1 ounce distilled water
1 tablespoon grain alcohol
10 drops vegetable glycerin
45 drops lemon essential oil
Blending Procedure:
Combine all ingredients together in a glass bottle with a spray mister top.
To use, spray lightly throughout the room to refresh and uplift. You can also spray this to freshen linens and clothing, but do not use it directly on the skin. Shake well before each use.
15 people like this
33 responses
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
23 Apr 07
That sounds really good and I think I will try it:)
I'm always in need of a good "refresher " in my house since I do have quite a share of pets :)
I love citrus smell so this will be just up my alley :):)
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
24 Apr 07
That's me. With 2 new puppies, as much as I try to catch any messes, I know I'm missing some once in a while and my house is just starting to smell... I dunno... kennel like! LOL Not that bad, yet, but you know what I mean. I have a Kirby with the shampoo attachment but I've yet to figure that part out! LOL So I'm going to be reading a bit for the upcoming weekend.
2 people like this
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
29 Apr 07
OMG... my lab did that the other day to me! The puppies have been waiting until they're in the bathroom with me as I shower and they pee on the floor. He came in and evidently smelled it and peed. Needless to say it looked like a small flood! LOL I'm stuck in the shower, yelling out to the kids for someone to bring me papertowels to at least sop it up until I am out of the shower. LOL
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
24 Apr 07
I know all about the kennel like smell. It is actually starting to bother me.
I have a very old dog. She is almost 17 and sometimes we take her out and she does nothing, just to relieve herself in our washroom just as she comes in!!!! Lots oa accidents with her, but I guess that if I live to be as old as she is I will be making mistakes too LOL
The problem is that Tazz, my other dog starts doing it too. If she pees in the washroom, like any good doggie he goes and pees too. ANd he's not a small thingy like she is with small pee too LOL He is a huge black lab leaving a huge puddle!!! GRrrr
Since I don't have a back yard anymore - well we do but it's my mother in law's area so I don't use it - they are at home most of the time and the whole house has this smell.... grrr I loved them but it's really getting into my nerves. I'm even starting to avoid having friends over because of this.
WHen the weather is good I keep the windows open all the time and it's a bit better, but I can still smell it sometimes.
1 person likes this
@EdwardF (431)
• United States
24 Apr 07
We use potpourri and candles to freshen the air like you. We use Frabreeze on our couch and chairs. I don't like the smell at first, but in an hour or two, it smells real good. Your recipe looks good, but I think I'm too lazy to make it...Lol.
2 people like this
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
24 Apr 07
LOL.... well then keep buying the Febreeze!
1 person likes this
@Stiletto (4579)
•
23 Apr 07
That sounds interesting - I'll give it a try. I never use aerosol room fragrance but I burn candles and I also use oil burners. I buy a lot of stuff from the Yankee Candle range. Their "Fresh Cotton" candle just smells fab!! Occasionally I burn incense although that can be a little overpowering sometimes so it depends on my mood.
2 people like this
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
24 Apr 07
Ooooh... agreed... Yankee's fresh cotton is awesome. Also, check out the scent of their wedding candle. It is awesome too and very fresh.
1 person likes this
@icequeen (2840)
• Canada
23 Apr 07
Yeah...I use all that too. My family laughs because any kind of smell turns me off...and I hate smells that aren't nice. I always have spray in my closet...and they say I use too much...but I don't care...I need everything with a nice smell to it...
2 people like this
@lemcarmel (1)
• Fiji
30 Jan 10
try this it worked for me, add fabric softerner to water shake and spray, i spray all over the my house that was closed up for a month it smells beautiful
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
29 Apr 07
No, essential oils won't stain when sprayed in a mist with other ingredients. It's not an oil like you think, it's an extract from various plants and flowers. I'm sure it might stain pure satin or something but average carpeting and furniture fares quite fine.
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
24 Apr 07
Try one of the flameless burners that is designed to hold a yankee candle jar and heat the wax so it sends out the scent but without any flames. They plug in and can be put up higher and next to walls, etc. without the worry of flames. Just don't leave it unattended to be safe.
I'm a huge Yankee candle fan too. People say I'm crazy for paying that price but they are well worth it to me because they can smell up the whole house!
1 person likes this
@alchemistrx (2547)
• Philippines
24 Apr 07
I gotta try this one.It's a unique formulation.And it's all natural.
2 people like this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
23 Apr 07
Usually for me to freshen up a rooom I clean it as best I can first. I find that alone can really help if it's been a while since it was dusted. :) Amazing how those dust bunnies appear and then multiply. I then use Febreeze in the room. I make my own with water, fabric softener and vinegar. It works great at getting rid of the odors. I will also burn candles or incense depending on my mood. I love the oils but they can be expensive unless you get lucky and find them at the dollar store. Most around here though just have scents I don't like.
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
24 Apr 07
We have a locally owned store that carries the oils by the tons and fairly priced too. So I guess I'm lucky in that aspect!
@angelofdeath (345)
• Philippines
24 Apr 07
oh i have to give that recipe a try. it sounds real refreshing. as for me, what i do to freshen up my room is to turn on the electric fan and put a cotton with perfume or any refreshing cologne in the fan so the scents mixes up with the air. that's it.
i have also tried this before, when we used to have no airconditioning. what i did was to place ice cubes on a plastic and place it hanging on the electric fan. after some seconds, it would feel like you have an aircon in your room. however, it could be quite messy because the ice would continue to melt down and the floor would get wet so what i do is to place a super-absorbent rag to absorb the meltdowns.
2 people like this
@cabergren (1181)
• United States
23 Apr 07
Thanks for the great tips on making rooms smell fresh. With winter and not being able to open any windows my house does feel so stale. I also burn the candles, oils, and incense. It also helps to make a room smell fresh. Thanks.
@twilight021 (2059)
• United States
23 Apr 07
I am a fresh room fanatic. I hate it when I walk into my apartment and it smells funky. Because of that I am addicted to products like febreeze, air freshners, scented candles, insense and room sprays.
I'd love to hear how it goes making your own. I have tried it before but have never had great results. Of course I have never tried the recipe you have listed so maybe I just haven't hit the right formula yet. It sounds much cheaper to make your own rather than buying it.
Another tip I head is that if you place charcole brickets like they type you grill with) in a bowl somewhere in the room they will help to absorbe icky oders. I haven't tried that either, but really want to.
2 people like this
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
24 Apr 07
Charcoal really works in basements to kill musty scents. I do know that works from a friend who has a big old house with a wet basement.
Renuzit has a spray, similar to Febreeze that the dollar general stores around here carry and it rocks! Very strong and stays for a long time too! I honestly think it's better then Febreeze. And I'm a Febreeze freak too!
@Gemmygirl1 (2867)
• Australia
23 Apr 07
I might have to give that a try :)
I usually use an oil burner - a little scented oil in the top with a little tea light candle underneath & it makes a gorgeous scent throughout the house. The oil is cheap to buy & since you put water in the oil burner & only add in a couple drops of the scented oil - you can make it last quite a long time.
I do love smelly things though, i also burn incense sticks as well as the incense cones underneath a dragon statue so it looks like the dragon is blowing smoke out his nose - it's really cute!
Another good thing is lavendar - it's impossible to kill a lavendar plant (well almost) so if you plant one & let it grow BIG, then you can just take then little ends & bring them inside - put them in to a pot & they do a great job of making the house smell nice! Very cheap!
2 people like this
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
24 Apr 07
I keep saying I'm going to grow lavender! I should do it! I have used the oils but in diffusers on top of a light bulb. For some reason they keep falling off the bulbs though and I end up no really using them.
@ryanphil01 (4182)
• Philippines
24 Apr 07
i want my bedroom smells good all the time. i always use environment-friendly aromatic candles with the lemon scent. sometimes i want the smell of some essential oils dispersed throughout the room specially during our precious moments with my partner. it enhances your feelings, you know.
don't worry i'm gonna tell my partner to try your formula, too.
@skbadhan (879)
• India
24 Apr 07
hi live in a very nice place in the ranges of dhauladhar mountains of northen himalyas where i feel fragrance in nature so i need not to do all kinds of things so as to make my room smell good though i sometimes uses jasmine flavored room freshner during parties ect i like to put some in door plants in my living room so as to recollect nature feel otherwise there is a lotof greanry surrounding my house
@loved1 (5328)
• United States
23 Apr 07
I use vinegar in most cleaning tasks, which helps remove unwanted odors. I also burn candles and use the plug-in type air fresheners in certain rooms. The room freshener recipe sounds interesting and inexpensive to make. I might just have to give it a try.
2 people like this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
23 Apr 07
As I always, day and night, have simmering potpourri going in my home I love it when my house smells nice. So I think I will give your recipe a try. Thanks!
2 people like this
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
23 Apr 07
I prefer to buy things already made-- saves me the time and then I won't mess them up making some god awful smell- : ) I have a very sensitive nose so I tend to stick to smells that I already know-
I love febreze-- It is always on hand in my house- I use it all the time- I have a scentstories in my living room- I just tap it and it goes for 2 hours- I love the variety of it- I also use febreze fabris refresher and spray the furniture-- curtains- rugs in the kitchen and living room- beds- bedroom curtains. Plus we use glade plug in scented oil.. I love apple cinnamon!
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
23 Apr 07
I am a sucker for a room with a light scent, not overwhelming like one is attempting to cover somthing! I particularly like Yankee candles but they are so expensive that I don't burn one often. I have an oil burner and a tart burner that I use routinely.
2 people like this
@Sissygrl (10912)
• Canada
23 Apr 07
I tend to use the air wick products, The kind you plug into the wall. I really love the lavander and chamomile kind. it seems to be the strongest one, i can pluf it in in the bathroom and i can smell it in the living room and surprisingly it isn't that strong even in the bathroom. I also use fabreeze on some stuff that i know the baby wont be eating. i dont know how good that kind of stuff would be for a baby to ingest. they say its safe for pets, but doesn't say anything about babies!!
2 people like this
@kitkat1 (1227)
• Canada
23 Apr 07
I love things like you do the potpourri and candles and incense that type of stuff. I have also been conducting my own inventions as well and i am going to share them with you as they are inexpensive and really neat to experiment with you can come up with alot of different scents. I have a pot that i use just for my simmering ideas. I like to take citrus peel like lemon oranges tangerines and little lemon juice and you can use kitchen spices let nugmeg or cinnimon or cloves. Put them in you simmering pot with some water and heat to a boil then turn down to low so it simmers. Also where it is natural it is less likely to effect allergies and asthma which is a concern in my family. I hope you give this a try you will have fun with it i do and dont be afraid to give the rediculous a try i do all the time never no what might be in your kitchen cabinet that will become your next new scent. Have a good day my friend.
2 people like this
