Homemade Air Freshener Gel

Intro: Homemade Air Freshener Gel

I wanted to share my experience with making these easy and useful Air Freshener Gels.  A relatively low cost Do-It-Yourself room air freshener, you may have all the ingredients already!

I keep one in each vehicle and at my desk at work.

The total time it takes to make is about five to six (5-6) minutes and then twenty-four (24) hours to solidify.

Materials & Equipment:

• Three (3) to four (4) jars, capable of holding 1/2-cup of fluid each.  I used four (4) clean and recycled baby food jars, and each jar holds 1/2-cup of mixture.
• Food Coloring
• Essential Oil or Room Fragrance drops (Can be purchased at a craft store, but I found one on sale for $2 at Wal-mart.)
• Two (2) cups of water, divided into two 1-cup amounts
• Four (4) envelopes unflavored gelatine (one 1-oz box)
• One (1) tablespoon of salt
• Kitchen equipment such as a whisk, a pan to boil the water and spoons (plastic or metal) to mix the concoction

Prepare:

• Pour a few drops of food coloring of your choice into each jar.
• Next, pour one (1) teaspoon (minimum) of essential oil into each jar.  You may want to add more if you desire a stronger scent emanating from the end result.  I did not use more than two teaspoons and was pleased with the one teaspoon result.

Boil and Mix:

• Bring one (1) cup of water to a boil.
• Add all four (4) envelopes of gelatine to the boiling water and whisk until dissolved.  (I estimate it dissolved in about a minute.)
• After the gelatine dissolves, add the remaining cup of water and then the salt.
• After the salt dissolves, remove the pan from the heat and pour into the prepared jars.  Try pouring the mixture into the jars within a few minutes of removing the pan off of the heat.
• NOTE: Please be careful as the mixture will be very hot!  My husband held the pot with a steady hand for the photo.  However the second time I did this by myself, I made a mess everywhere and spilled the gelatine mixture on the counter.  You may want to use a funnel to put the gelatine mixture in the jars.
• I used a broken clothespin to stir the gelatinous combination, but suggest using plastic spoons.  Use them quickly as the heat from the water could make them melt slightly.

Let the now fragrant gel mix solidify at room temperature for at least 24-hours.
Can you believe that's it?

The scent and solid mixture will disintegrate over time.  The one in my car has lasted over a month.  The one in my bathroom has lasted over a month but probably will be ready to clean out in another week.  I estimate that one jar would last from four to six (4-6) good weeks of scent dispersion. Make sure the lid is off the container to enjoy!

Thanks for reading and I hope you post pictures of your gels.
The original Pinterest pin for this is here: DIY Air Fresheners.

Comments

[sekhar.tripuramallu]

Hi

I made this gel air freshner as you said.

I kept the jars with the prepared liquid in fridze for 6 hours, they are solidified.

But when I took them out, they turn into liquid after some time.

Do I need to add more gelatin powder to the liquid.

Please guide me thru [e-mail]

[Mchanrugg]

I would think its the refrigeration and then bringing it back to room temp that caused it to liquefy. Try again but this time let it gel at room temp. Its kinda like thickening gravy or whatever with cornstarch.....its great till you refrigerate ....then its watery!

[jscheibly1]

did you get any insight on how to fix this problem?

get back to me @ [e-mail]

[SamuelB60]

I studied a good bit of chemistry back in college... Now, I did not do anything with gelatin, but we did have labs where things had to set at room temperature SLOWLY because freezing or rapid cooling in a fridge would "shock" the substance and make it fragile or susceptible to quick degradation. I'm thinking that the previous commenter had a poor result because they put it in the fridge. Try letting it set at room temperature for 24 hours and you may have more desirable results.

[SamuelB60]

I studied a good bit of chemistry back in college... Now, I did not do anything with gelatin, but we did have labs where things had to set at room temperature SLOWLY because freezing or rapid cooling in a fridge would "shock" the substance and make it fragile or susceptible to quick degradation. I'm thinking that the previous commenter had a poor result because they put it in the fridge. Try letting it set at room temperature for 24 hours and you may have more desirable results.

[Pangloss2]

I bought some gel air fresheners from Scentsy and they seem to be evaporating as the days go by. I want to make my own in the future. Will these evaporate with time or just lose their scent after 4-6 weeks? Thanks!

[KumarA67]

It was really good. Great Ideas, I am looking forward to try them. Here's one more excellent idea that I just found, it uses fabric softener to make air freshener- https://cradiori.com/diy-air-freshener-spray-homemade-air-freshener-spray-with-fabric-softener/. I will surely try this idea. Thanks!

[Margarita316]

Exelente

[Jonathanrimbaud81]

I make these myself, but being a guy the more feminine scents I found essential oil in didnt do it for me. So i use the knock off colognes from the dollar store. They are inexpensive and now my whole bedroom smells like Light Blue by D&G. Love it.

[TeresaH84]

Use the spicey or woodsy essential oils. Like pine or clove or cedarwood.

[DebH67]

I wonder if you could use peppermint to deter spiders & mice. And your room would smell good too!

[TauseefN]

Smells good . I used gelatin powder salt perfume

[TauseefN]

I made this , the smell is okay.

[y2y]

Gelatine is not so popular in my country but Agar agar are available at almost every grocery stores, can I used it instead? Also did you ever experient such mushroom or algae grow over the gel?

[sannwi]

Yes y2y :) I actually just watched a video from a guy that made his with Agar :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DSyc7165LM

[jscheibly1]

i am trying to make these for xmas gifts for everyone, with their favorite scent, and their favorite flower to put in there. Im still trying to get down how to make the fake flowers i put in the jar visible if i use food coloring, so far blues or turquoise is too dark to make out any decorations in the jar. any suggestions?

Also, is it just me or does the gelatine smell terribly when heating it up and mixing it?

another thing, any creative ideas on how to decorate the jars for gifts? ive tried etching on them, using decorative tape to tape the o-ring of the lid of the jar. but the etching doesnt stay and the tape just makes the whole thing look cheap and home made.

[LoriP49]

You could glue a flower in before you add the liquid. Maybe tacky glue - be sure it is very dry before adding liquid because its hot of course.
You could do layers of colors using the same scent throughout using no color at the bottom so you can see the flower. Too add on layers you probably have to let the one completely set then add the next very cautiously so as not to mix.
As to decoration, the jars are so small and with a flower inside there really isn't room - BUT you said you tried to etch the outside. How about doing some decorative etched cut out on the top? Just be sure to put something plastic between jar and top when jel is done so the scent does not escape.
You could even put like a fabric square tied with a ribbon on the top as part of a gift basket - put the scent on the bottom or a tag.

[MissEvitts]

I know Christmas is over, but I'm going to answer your questions anyway.

You don't have to use food colouring at all. If you really want to though, dilute it with water first. i.e. mix colouring and water half and half, then use a single drop of that mix.

It's not just you, gelatine smells disgusting.

I don't know what style you want, or what an o ring is, but if you do a google image search for "decorate gift jar" you'll get millions of results. Most of them are on pinterest though...

[BettsSheppard12]

I havent made these yet, but i am going to fairly soon, and the melting issue, i would think maybe take a long air tight sandwhich bag an fill with water, freeze then wrap around the jar and place in a shallow bowl might help keep it from heating and keep from get all liquity. Just an idea

[angela2125]

when I let mix solidify do leave the lid on are off?