DIY Car Freshener | How to Make A Car Smell Good Naturally

My son plays football and keeps his sweaty football pads in the car. The second you step inside, it smells like something died. It’s so bad! I am not a fan of the tree car fresheners you find at the gas station. Their scent is “fake smelling” and overwhelmingly strong. Instead, I make my own DIY Car Freshener with essential oils to naturally make our car smell good.

 

Envision yourself in your car or van… or SUV or truck; whatever you happen to drive. You are sitting in a traffic jam. You haven’t moved in 17 minutes… and you’re late. You have little ones in the back seat playing a game of “MOM! He touched my side”. You take a deep breath and smell old fries and sweaty gym socks. Okay. Clearly, I am terrible with meditation exercises.

I have no cure for traffic jams or screaming children, but I do have an idea for naturally freshening your car.

What You Need To Make A DIY Car Freshener

 

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Ingredients Needed to Make A Homemade Car Freshener

• Carrier Oil– Whatever you have is fine: canola, olive, almond, etc
• Essential Oil*– If you are looking for a calming scent, lavender might be a good one to start with… or a blend like Stress Easy. Not sure where to buy essential oils? Check out this post.

Supplies Needed to Make A Car Freshener

• Thin Wooden Ornament (If you have a difficult time finding an ornament, you can use a thin wooden shape, often found in craft stores, and create a hole with a hammer and nail.)
• Twine
• Small Glass Dish– Ceramic is also fine to use
• Small Paintbrush
• Sandwich Size Ziploc Bag

*I link to essential oil brands I believe provide high quality oils and are transparent with their testing (in other words, the company publicly provides GC/MS results). I also try to link to the essential oil that will give you the “biggest bang for your buck” (often times buying a 30ml bottle of oil means greater savings per ml than purchasing a 10ml bottle). I provide more information on where to buy essential oils so you can choose a brand you feel is right for you.

How to Make A DIY Car Freshener

This is one of the easiest DIYs ever.

Start by threading a piece of twine through the hole in your ornament and tie it to make a loop. If the ornament does not have a pre-drilled hole, simply make one using a hammer and nail.

Add 1 Tablespoon of carrier oil to a small glass or ceramic bowl; then add 15 drops of essential oil and stir. (Make sure to use a glass or ceramic bowl as some essential oils eat away at plastic). Using a small paintbrush, generously brush the oil mixture onto the wood ornament.

 

Place the ornament into a Ziploc bag to allow the wood to absorb the oil for a few hours (or overnight).

 

You can then use a small Command hook and hang the DIY car freshener in front of the air vent to allow the scent to fill the car. Essential oils do not last forever, so when the scent starts to fade, add a couple drops of essential oil directly to the wood. No need to paint it on each time.

Please check local laws as some areas do not allow you to hang anything from your rearview mirror.

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Common Question About Making Your Own Car Freshener

How Can I Eliminate Odors from A Car?

The DIY Car Freshener above is meant to freshen your car. If you want to eliminate odors in your car, I would suggest our DIY Air Freshener. This recipe uses baking soda (or fresh coffee grounds) to eliminate odors by absorbing them. If you choose to go with the air freshener, simply place it into a cup holder or another area that will securely hold the jar.

Are There Essential Oils I Should Avoid when Making A Homemade Car Freshener?

While you can certainly use any essential oil of your choosing, I would avoid citrus oils by themselves. Citrus oils are know for their fresh scent, however, they evaporate quickly so the scent doesn’t last long. If you want to use a citrus oil, pair it with another oil to help bring out its scent. Below are a few essential oils that are known as “top notes” (which I grabbed from our tutorial on how to make perfume). While “top note” essential oils smell amazing, they may not last long and you’ll find yourself constantly needing to add more drops to the freshener.

 

Are There Benefits to Making My Own DIY Car Freshener?

According to Little Trees, the maker of the tree car fresheners you find at the gas station, they use “fragrance ingredients approved by the International Fragrance Association”. I’m actually impressed they disclose which fragrance ingredients they use in each of their car fresheners as many companies choose not to do so, as they are considered proprietary. Just know the International Fragrance Association has approved more than 3,600 ingredients that can be used to make “fragrance”. That is a lot of ingredients! I have worked hard to make as many cleaning recipes and personal care recipes as I can because I like knowing exactly what’s in them. When you make your own car freshener, you know the ingredients used are safe and natural.

 

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