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10 Natural DIY Air Fresheners That Will Make Your Home & RV Smell Amazing

This post was updated on March 15th, 2024

When you’re in the close quarters of your RV, keeping the space smelling fresh is important. An easy, quick way to add some fragrance is by using an air freshener or room spray, but don’t just get any Febreze bottle or Glade plugin from the store. They’re usually packed with chemicals that you don’t want to be breathing in. Try making some of these all-natural solutions instead – they’re easy to make, much more kid and pet-friendly, and they’ll leave your home or RV smelling lovely.

1. Orange Peel Candles

DIY air fresheners
via Pink Stripey Socks

Store-bought candles are great, but you can easily make your own at home with an orange, knife and some oil. Just slice an orange in half, remove the middle and be careful to leave the middle stem intact for your wick. You can then fill the empty cavity with any oil, like vegetable or olive oil, light it, leave it on a dish and your place will smell like citrus in no time. Check out the step-by-step directions on Instructables.

2. Homemade Air Freshener With Rice & Essential Oils

DIY air fresheners
The Homemade Experiment

Rice is absorbent, so it’s able to maintain the amazing aromas of essential oils. You can even mix and match and add in drops of whatever kind of oils you’d like – peppermint, lavender, orange, Eucalyptus or rosemary. Just stir a cup of rice with 10-20 drops, and leave some out on a dish in your home and RV. This blogger used Jasmine rice.

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3. Baking Soda Air Freshener

DIY air fresheners
via Smashed Peas and Carrots

Simple and effective, this one will only take you a few minutes to make with baking soda and essential oils. Plus, you can get creative and customize it with any scrapbooking paper you’d like. Just pour baking soda into a mason jar, stir in drops of your favorite oils, and poke enough holes in the top to allow the scent to waft throughout your home or trailer. Get the full directions here.

4. Rose & Lavender Potpourri

DIY air fresheners

Lavender and rose petals make such lovely smelling potpourri. It’s fairly simple: just mix some rose petals, orange zest and dried lavender in a bowl, add in drops of lavender oil, and lay it all out on a paper towel. Then microwave it at one minute intervals – mixing it in between – for about 2-5 minutes, until the petals are nice and crisp. Move them to a cooling rack and allow them to dry. Then leave some in a dish in your home, RV or wherever you’d like it to smell like a floral paradise. Get the full directions from Whole Foods.

5. Make a homemade room spray.

DIY air fresheners
via Handmade Mood

Essential oils can be used in even the most simple ways.  You can just add 10-40 drops of essential oils, a tablespoon of vodka, and six tablespoons of water to a spray bottle, shake it all up and use it to keep your place smelling fresh.

6. DIY Scented Wood Blocks

DIY air fresheners
via Northstory

Wood craft cubes and aromatherapy oils work wonders together. Just use a paintbrush to cover the cubes with any oil of your preference, let them sit overnight in a closed container, and leave them out in your home, RV, or even office space at work. Plus, if the scent fades, it’s an easy fix by just adding more oils and repeating the process. For a more unique wooden air freshener, this blogger shows how to also make shaped ones that you can hang from your rear view mirror.

7. Lemon and Rosemary Simmer Pot

DIY air fresheners
via Morgan Moore

Lemon and rosemary both smell wonderful, so of course simmering the two will make your place smell like heaven. Just fill up a pot on the stove 2/3 full of water, add in some sliced lemons, sprigs of fresh rosemary, and a little vanilla, and you can let it simmer for as long as you’d like, adding water as needed.

8. Make a homemade pouch.

DIY air fresheners
via Sincerely Kinsley

This charming DIY sewing project only requires a pouch made of lightweight fabric and scented oils, spices or incense cones. Get the full directions from this blog.

9. Vodka-citrus air freshener

DIY air fresheners
via Live Simply

As it turns out, you can use vodka for more things than just cocktails. It’s also an excellent DIY ingredient, especially for killing odors. This blogger’s four ingredient recipe only requires peels from 2-4 citrus fruits (like grapefruits & lemons), vodka, 20-30 drops of Germ Destroyer Synergy Essential Oil & Sweet Orange Essential Oil.

10. Grapefruit and Cinnamon Home Humidifier

DIY air fresheners
via Hello Glow

Like the lemon and rosemary, all you need for this one is a saucepan full of water and a few natural ingredients. Just throw in a few sticks of cinnamon, a peel of grapefruit, and even a shake or two of allspice or nutmeg, and leave it simmering on your stove for as long as you’d like to keep your place smelling awesome.

 

While these all will make your place smell great, they are only temporary fixes. To keep your RV and home smelling fresh, also be sure to:

  • Take the garbage out (and recycling & possibly compost) as often as possible.
  • Open windows to allow fresh air to flow in, as long as the weather permits.
  • Clean your bathroom often.
  • Vacuum and clean carpets and rugs as needed.

 

What are some ways you keep your RV smelling nice and clean? We’d love to hear your thoughts below.