Homemade Air Freshener

I'm sure you can image the odors I encounter working in a home child care. I need some sort of air freshener available at all times. I have used commercially made sprays and even Lysol in the past. Over the past few years I have been working on eliminating chemicals as much as I can. After a lot of trial and error, I found something I really love and that works!

In a spray bottle (the big pink-topped ones are from Family Dollar at $1.25 each), drip 15 drops of lime oil and 15 drops of orange oil. Fill with RO or other purified water. That's it!

I get the lime oil and orange oil at a health food store for around $5 for a one-ounce bottle. That sounds like a lot, but these bottles have lasted over a year (and I use a lot of spray). You can also find the oils online.

You could use whatever scented oils that you like. I tried everything from lavender to clove oils, and found citrus smells clean to me. I had to find something that didn't mix bad with the poop smell (have you smelled the flower stuff in the bathroom? It smells like poop and flowers--eewww).

When parents arrive just after I've changed a messy diaper and have sprayed the citrus spray, they always say, "It smells so clean in here." I smile and think they should have arrived a few minutes sooner.

I keep spray bottles of this all over the house (one in the bathroom, near the changing table, in the bedroom, living room, kitchen) handy for a quick "freshen-up". I'm happy to spray something that is safe for children, pets and everyone and chemical-free!

Orange Oil