Homemade Air Freshener Recipes Putting the D(IY) In Deodorizing

One of the major reasons we make our own natural cleaning recipes (including air fresheners) is the cost savings. Buying store-bought options can add up quickly—especially if you’re refreshing multiple rooms on the regular. Making your own homemade air freshener is not only natural and safe alternative but also significantly cheaper.

Below we’ve run the numbers of the costs of making each of the 3 DIY air freshener recipes versus the average store-bought price to illustrate how much you’ll actually save.

1. DIY Air Freshener Spray (Per 8 oz batch)

• Water – Free
• Vodka or Rubbing Alcohol (2 tbsp) – $0.10 (From a $10 bottle, ~50 uses)
• Essential Oils (20 drops) – $0.75 (From a $10 bottle, ~300 drops)

Total Cost per Batch: $0.85

2. DIY Gel Air Freshener (Per 8 oz batch)

• Water (1/2 cup) – Free
• Unflavored Gelatin (1 tbsp) – $0.20 (From a $3 box, ~75 uses)
• Table Salt (1.5 tsp) – $0.05 (From a $1 container, ~100 uses)
• Essential Oils (10 drops) – $0.50 (From a $10 bottle, ~300 drops)
• Dried Flowers or Botanicals (Optional) – ~$0.20 (Varies based on source)

Total Cost per Batch: $0.75

3. DIY Baking Soda Air Freshener (Per 8 oz batch)

• Baking Soda (1/2 cup) – $0.10 (From a $1 box, ~10 uses)
• Essential Oils (10 drops) – $0.50 (From a $10 bottle, ~300 drops)
• Dried Botanicals (Optional) – ~$0.20 (Varies based on source)

Total Cost per Batch: $0.60

4. Store-Bought Air Fresheners

For our cost comparison, we looked at popular store-bought air fresheners, like Glade PlugIns Scented Oil Refills ($5.99 for a two-pack), Febreze Air Mist ($3.99 for an 8.8 oz spray), and the Air Wick Essential Mist Diffuser Kit ($11.99 with a refill).

These products are certainly convenient but are way more expensive than our DIY alternatives. All of which cost less than $1 to make, so compared to Febreze ($3.99 per bottle), it is 78.7% less, saving you $37.68 per year if you use 1 bottle per month. Against Air Wick Essential Mist ($11.99 per bottle), the homemade version is 92.91% cheaper, which is $133.68 in annual savings. That’s a big cut in costs while avoiding synthetic chemicals and unnecessary packaging!