Friday, April 26, 2013

DIY Gel Air Fresheners

You are going to love these. They are so neat, I couldn't wait to try them! They are homemade gel air fresheners, and what's great about them is that you get to choose your own scent and they are completely natural.
 
To make your own gel air fresheners you will need:
 
2 pkg. unflavoured gelatine
2 c. water
20-30 drops essential oil
Food colouring
1 tbsp. salt
Small heat-proof container
Small jelly or jam jars work great for these air fresheners. You can buy a package of four Ball decorative jelly jars for about $5 at Wal-Mart.
 
Next you need to choose your scent. You can buy inexpensive fragrance oils in the candle section at Wal-Mart. They have many scents to choose from. You can also use essential oils (sweet orange oil smells great), but they are more expensive. You can order these online or find them at some craft stores or in your local health food store. You can also find great smelling fragrance oils at high end home interior stores.
 
Food colouring is optional. If you don't add colour your gel air fresheners will be clear, so if you want them coloured, add a few drops of food colouring of your choice.
 
Heat one cup of water in a small sauce pan to a boil, and sprinkle both packages of gelatine on top of the water. Use a whisk to mix it together until the gelatine is completely dissolved.
 
Add the food colouring, salt, and essential oil, and stir until well blended. Add remaining cup of water and stir again. Pour the mixture into the glass jar and let set until the gelatine thickens and sets. One recipe makes one gel air freshener, depending on the size of your jar.
 
Note: The salt is added as a natural preservative. These air fresheners will last for about a month with the salt added. Then you can rinse them out and make new ones. If you don't add the salt the mixture will mould much faster.

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