Homemade Essential Oil Room Spray

Store-bought room sprays come in beautiful bottles and make our rooms smell delightful, but do you know what’s actually in that room spray? Often room sprays don’t have an ingredient list; and the ones that do contain vague ingredients like “Odor Eliminator”, “Propellants”, and “Solubilizers”. What?! Luckily, I have a homemade essential oil room spray recipe that uses three simple ingredients… and you can make it in less than a minute.

 

Alright… let’s talk about bathroom odors. Not the most pleasant topic in the world, but we all know what I’m talking about, right? You can certainly try to mask the odor with aerosol sprays or plug-ins or potpourri, but (as mentioned above) those items often contain vague ingredients… or don’t disclose their ingredients at all! Instead, try making this homemade essential oil room spray made with just three simple ingredients.

What You Need to Make Homemade Room Spray with Essential Oils

 

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Ingredients Needed To Make A Homemade Room Spray with Essential Oils

• Vodka– Because water and oil don’t mix, vodka helps disperse the essential oil throughout the room spray. If you prefer an alcohol-free room spray, you can try Thayer’s witch hazel in place of the vodka, however, witch hazel tends to have a scent that can come through in the room spray. (See the FAQ section below for more information)
• Distilled Water– I strongly recommend using distilled water vs. tap water as tap water contains natural impurities that can cause bacteria growth over time
• *Essential Oil– Not sure where to buy essential oils? If you are unsure where to buy essential oils, check out this post to help you find a brand that works best for you.

Supplies Needed to Make An Essential Oil Room Spray

• Glass Measuring Cup
• 4 oz Glass Spray Bottle (These are the ones I used)- When using essential oils, it’s always best to use glass containers for storage because some essential oils will eat through plastic.

How to Make A Room Spray with Essential Oils

 

This essential oil room spray recipe could not be easier.

Start by combining 1 oz. vodka and 15 drops of essential oil* in a glass measuring cup. Below are some of my favorite essential oil combinations to use throughout the year.

For the winter months, I love combining Cinnamon (4-5 drops), Orange (6 drops), and Spruce (4-5 drops). This combination creates a warm, spicy scent, perfect for those cold winter days when you need a cozy vibe. Alternately, you can go with a blend created with these 3 oils.

During warmer months, try a combination of Lemon, Lavender, and Peppermint (5 drops of each) or Grapefruit, Lavender, and Cedarwood (5 drops each).

Just To Note: Citrus oils tend to be mild in scent and may not come through in the room spray. Combining citrus oils with other essential oils tends to bring out their scent.

*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.

Once the vodka and essential oils are mixed, add in 3 oz. distilled water (not tap water) and stir to combine.

Simply pour the mixture into a glass spray bottle and you’re done.

How easy was that?!

 

When you are ready to use the room spray, give it a little shake and spritz it into the air. You’ll immediately notice the delightful scent of whichever essential oil combination you chose to use.

Common Homemade Room Spray Questions

What is the Difference Between Using Vodka & Witch Hazel when Making A Homemade Room Spray?

If you were to ask me whether to use vodka or witch hazel when making a homemade room spray, I will (hands down) tell you to use vodka. Here’s my reasoning… Vodka has no scent so the essential oils you choose to use in your room spray shine through; which is what you want. I have actually tried making room spray with witch hazel, and unfortunately, the scent of the witch hazel came through… and it wasn’t pleasant. Granted, I used a generic witch hazel. Some have reported that, because Thayer’s witch hazel is alcohol-free (they do not extract the witch hazel using alcohol, but rather “use a unique maceration method to soak [their] witch hazel clippings in water alongside… organic Aloe Vera to create [a] proprietary Witch Hazel Aloe Vera blend.” (Source)) it doesn’t affect the scent. I have not tried this, but you are free to see if it works for you.

Do I Have to Use Distilled Water in This Essential Oil Room Spray Recipe?

I strongly suggest using distilled water when making room spray! Tap water comes with a whole bunch of impurities, which will eventually start growing bacteria. Yuck! Distilled water, on the other hand, is created from the steam of boiling water which “rids water of all those impurities [and] removes more than 99.9% of the minerals dissolved in water” (Source). This means your homemade room spray will last longer.

Can I Use Rubbing Alcohol to Make A Homemade Room Spray?

Please don’t. First of all, your room spray will smell like rubbing alcohol as it has a very strong odor, but more importantly, rubbing alcohol can irritate your nose and throat when inhaled. Stick to vodka (or witch hazel) when making homemade room spray.

How Long Does A DIY Room Spray Last?

This question, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to have a clear answer. I have read anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months. Because water is used in this recipe, the shelf life definitely is shorter than other DIY recipes. I would try to use it within 3 months (if using distilled water). Obviously, if you notice the scent changing, or something smells “off”, it’s time for a new batch.

If you don’t think you can use the full 4 oz bottle in the allotted time, you can certainly half the recipe and use a 2 oz. bottle instead.

 

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