Gel Air Freshener

DIY Gel Air Freshener – With only a few ingredients you can make your own gel air fresheners! Decorate with some silk flowers or leaves and they are pretty enough to even give as gifts!

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So, I’m starting to accept the fact that fall is approaching. The days here are getting shorter already, the weather has been getting cooler, I have received more fall/harvest catalogs in the mail than I care to talk about and my oldest starts kindergarten next Tuesday! I suppose it’s time to trade in the grill for the crock pot, the sandals for the boots, and the fresh air for air fresheners. Do you do this, too?

My house needs to smell good year-round. I’m a candle addict and have tried every air freshener imaginable from plug-ins and reed diffusers to oil/wax tart warmers and traditional candles. If you’re averse to air fresheners we probably wouldn’t get along that well, but even so, the DIY Gel Air Fresheners I’m sharing today are made with only four ingredients (for the gel)  – one of them being distilled water.

And to welcome in fall, I thought it would be fun to throw some silk autumn leaves and berries into the jars to dress them up a little!

For those of you who love a nice smelling home like I do, I hope you enjoy this quick tutorial! Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

DIY Gel Air Fresheners

• 2 cups distilled water
• 1 oz. unflavored gelatin (equal to 4 envelopes)
• 1-2 tablespoons fragrance or essential oil
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2-3 smaller glass jars
• Silk flowers, leaves or other additions you think would be fun!

Wash your glass jars out, dry them and position your silk flowers or other “decorative items” in the jars the way you would like them. Remember that this step is totally optional! If you just want the gel only, don’t put anything else in the jars. You could always just add some food coloring to the gel if you’d like it to match a certain room, etc. Don’t be afraid to be creative!

Then, it’s time to get things started on the stove top! In a saucepan heat 1 1/2 cups of the distilled water with the salt and stir until salt is dissolved.

Next you’ll add the gelatin in, stir until that is dissolved and then remove the pan from the heat. Once the pan is removed from the burner, add the remaining 1/2 cup of distilled water and stir. Lastly, gently pour the fragrance oil in, stir again until well mixed,  and then start adding the liquid to the jars. I used some fragrance oil I had with my candle-making supplies. I made sure to pick something with a wonderful autumnish (I don’t think that’s a word) scent!

Word of caution: Be mindful of what you use to stir the liquid, as well as how you go about cleaning your sauce pan. I put gelatin in the same category as candle wax in the sense that it could do some damage to your pipes if you were to pour too much down the drain. I did use a regular spoon to stir, but I quickly wiped it off with a piece of paper toweling and did the same to the pan before placing it in the dishwasher. As an extra step, I also used filled the pan with some hot water and soap, then used a piece of paper toweling to clean the inside of the pan again. The soapy water I disposed of, outside.

It’s okay if your silk flowers stick out above the liquid. I kind of like the 3D effect. In fact, I put my berries right on top.

Here’s where you’ll need to be patient. Put the jars in a safe place and allow them to cool overnight for the gel to form properly. The next day your air fresheners will be ready to use! These are so much fun to decorate for different rooms in the house or to give as gifts to friends and family. How do you plan to decorate yours? I’d love for you to share your ideas in the comments!