Introduction: Coffee Air Freshener for Your Car and Home
If you cannot function without coffee in your life, then I have an amazingly simple and powerful air freshener instructable for you. I'm not an avid coffee consumer like the Starbucks junkies out there. To be honest I prefer the $2 cup of coffee you get at the gas station over any of the designer blends you find in coffee houses. One thing I do like about Starbucks and other coffee places is the smell of coffee and how it just fills the air. So I came up with a way to enjoy the smell of coffee whenever I get into my car.
You will need:
1) A pair of old socks (One sock would work too but make sure you pick a pair without any holes in them)
2) A bag of your favorite coffee grounds or beans (I used coffee grounds but coffee beans would be the better choice because you would have no worry about leaking and they can smell fresh longer.)
3) A tall glass (optional but makes things easier)
Step 1: Sock It to Me
First, put the sock in the glass and roll the excess around the outside; the same way you put a new trash bag in a trashcan.
Step 2: Add the Java
Carefully, pour the coffee grounds (or beans) into the sock. No need to empty the entire bag; just use your best judgment.
Step 3: Tying the Knot
Tie the sock in a knot. It should not be so tight that you cause the end of the sock to stretch and therefore become more porous; which would then leak coffee grounds all over the place. Make sure you will be able to untie the knot later in case you want to add more or a different blend. Once you are done with that, all you have to do is put it where you want to smell it. I chose my car and put one under the passenger and driver seat.
Final note:
The beauty of this project is that it does not have to be pretty. But if you are looking for something pretty, then try this same thing only instead of a sock us a decorative bowl and only use coffee beans. In my office I have a bowl that used to have spare change and now its home for a half a bag of coffee beans. It makes the entire room smell amazing.
23 Comments
6 years ago
Truckers been doing this this for years in their refrigerated trailers after hauling raw meats using a can of unused coffee grounds. Keeps them from getting a resusal to load at their next shipment. Washing the trailer doesnt always take away the stench of the previous load.
14 years ago on Step 3
Personally I just don't care for the smell of coffee (I know, I'm weird) but my friends and family do! You created an awsome idea for a gift. Thanks so much for sharing!
15 years ago on Step 3
:) great tip! Did you know coffee is used to take away the smell of corpses? Undertakers at my country (Netherlands) use coffeepads (like Senseo's) in their cars, it doesn't leak and is easy to replace/refresh.
15 years ago on Introduction
I am an ICU nurse x 26 years. At the hospital I just started working at, when there is a patient whose room smells (you don't want to know how bad the smells or why) they place a wash basin with coffee grounds in the room, usually under the bed. The room doesn't smell like coffee, but it doesn't smell like other stuff either. It just smells like a normal hospital room. Don't know how or why this works, but it does. It's amazing!
15 years ago on Introduction
I used to move household goods in my younger days and we used knee high nylons filled with coffee grounds. These were hung in refrigerators and freezers if they were going to be transported in the warmer months and worked great to keep out mildew smell. They work great in my van and truck. I hang them near a sunny spot in vehicle and on warm days I am greeted with the smell of fresh brewed coffee when I open the doors.
15 years ago on Introduction
The smell of coffee mixed with the smell of old socks could be very confusing. You might want to add the part where you wash the socks first.
16 years ago on Introduction
Coffee Air Freshener :-\.. idk sounds odd (on a hot summer day the last thing i want to smell is coffee, and on a cold winter day i want to smell mint or somthing lol) idk.
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
no you want to smell christmas coffee in winter... It's cinnamon infused coffee with some other thing in it and when you cut that vaccuum sealed bag all you want to do is snort it so you can smell it all day long... ok well maybe not that great but it has really good smell and taste for making those snowball wounds hurt less. I really like this idea, I wonder could you use an air freshener, you know the little trees and make it coffee flavoured, make really high concentration coffee and soak it in or something I dont know...
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
ah, in my opinion coffee isnt very tasty, and does not smell great as an air fresh'nr
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
well, I thought it was a good suggestion for this particular instructable, which involves coffee. you can also get mint flavor extract, cinnamon, etc...
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
personal choice, I spend most of my day drinking coffee, especially as i got kicked out of school on tuesday which sucks a$$ but when i was there I brought my morning coffee in the car and finished it in first period. For mint, mint leaves would smell really nice or even mint leaves, pine needles and something else complimentary, then to keep it nice and fresh put a weight in it and hang it somewhere it could swing a bit in the car, the leaves would get bashed about and realease their smells...
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
hmm.. why'd you get kicked out of yo school?
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
several reasons... I was drinking on a school trip and got suspended for that, got seen smoking 3 times in school grounds and skyved a few days of school to catch up on art coursework, this was all in one month so they came down really hard on me...
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
that sux, but man you shouldent smoke, or drink :-\
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
why? well smoking yeah good argument there but whats the big deal about drinking?
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
well drinkings not bad, if you moderatly do so, (not drink to get trashed).
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
I don't drink to get trashed but i end up trashed as it snowballs on ya because there always someone saying 'ah have another'
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
you can buy coffee extract at the grocery store, you could probably use it for this stuff too, and add your own other flavors (perhaps a vanilla with coffee would be nice)!
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
euukkk! coffee extract :-X
Reply 16 years ago on Introduction
It's very much a "to each his own" kind of a thing. I never get tired of the smell of coffee so it works for me.