How to Make Your Own Car Freshener: 5 Simple Ways

Great music and traffic-free lanes on a cool day are ingredients to an enjoyable road trip. Aside from these, the smell of your cabin can also add to the satisfaction of sitting comfortably behind the wheel.

You’ll find a lot of air fresheners in your local store or gas station, but did you know that you only need a few household items to make one yourself?

5 DIY Car Air Fresheners You Can Make at Home

Check out these five DIY-friendly ideas you can try when making your own car air freshener.

Felt-Based Air Freshener

Felt is a highly porous and absorbent material that makes a great air freshener for your car. It also gives you the creative freedom to design your DIY freshener in any way that you want.

To make this freshener, all you need is felt paper, essential oil, glue, a pair of scissors, string, and a design template.

Make several copies of the design template to create layers. Once they’re glued together, put a few drops of essential oil onto the felt, and cut a hole on top to place the string.

Using herbs is another option you can try when making felt-based air fresheners. Stuff some herbs between two pieces of felt before sewing them together and hanging them in the cabin.

To refresh, simply crumple the freshener to crush the herbs until they release their scent.

Clothespin Air Freshener

Clothespins aren’t the first things that come to mind when talking about DIY air fresheners for cars, but they actually make a great alternative for store-bought fresheners, too.

Clothespins can be clamped directly to the air vents and act as minimalist air fresheners because they don’t take up much space or obstruct your view unlike those that hang from your rearview mirror.

To make this type of air freshener, put a couple of clothespins in a resealable bag and add a few drops of essential oil. Take one out and clip it onto the vents, and store the bag somewhere in the cabin.

Wax Air Freshener

Making a wax air freshener is arguably the simplest thing to do on this list.

All you need are a couple of scented wax cubes and a mason jar, and you have your own air freshener!

Clay Disc Air Freshener

Molding clay discs is another fun way to make your own car air freshener.

Put a few drops of essential oil onto the clay until everything is absorbed before molding it into your desired shape.

Clay discs are air-dried, which means you don’t need to cure them the same way as traditional clay. Simply leave it out in the open for a few minutes and you should have a dry and scented clay figure.

Muslin Bag Air Freshener

Muslin bags are small drawstring pouches that are made from organic cotton or recycled textiles. So if you’re someone who prefers taking the zero-waste route, you might want to try making this air freshener.

To make a muslin bag air freshener, grab a couple of aroma beads and put it in a jar along with a few drops of essential oil. It might take a few minutes for the beads to absorb the oil.

Once that’s done, you can transfer the beads into the muslin bag. You can use a clothespin to hang the bag in front of the air conditioning vents.

Why You Need a Car Air Freshener

While it’s true that an air freshener isn’t exactly a must-have for every car owner, having one does provide certain benefits.

Air Fresheners are Especially Important for Car Owners with Pets

As much as we love our furry friends, there’s no denying that they can have an unpleasant odor after spending a day outdoors.

Air fresheners can help mask these unwanted scents, making your trip home more comfortable.

Air Fresheners Make Car Rides More Refreshing

Sitting through hours of traffic is enough to make you jump out of your seat and simply walk home, and unpleasant odors will only make the situation worse.

Having an air freshener hanging around the A/C vent might make your car ride less unbearable, and before you know it, you’re pulling up on your driveway and turning the ignition off.

Air Fresheners Can Disinfect Your Cabin, Too

A lot of air fresheners come with disinfecting properties that can kill the germs and bacteria that make their way inside the car as you enter. An air freshener can also help improve your cabin’s air quality.

Air Fresheners Can Improve Your Mood

Scents can directly affect a person’s mood. This is why lavender is associated with reducing stress and anxiety, and frankincense is used to improve the quality of sleep.

The next time you’re in a bumper-to-bumper situation, you might want to go for an air freshener with calming scents like chamomile, lemon, and rose.

Air Fresheners Help Keep Your Car Clean

Air fresheners shouldn’t be used as a substitute for a deep clean or a regular car wash because it only helps with the cabin’s scent. However, they still neutralize unwanted odors associated with trash and other things inside your car.

Key Takeaways

Making your own car freshener is a simple task that you can do with a few basic things. Making one yourself is a great way to add a personal touch to your car, and it won’t cost you too much money.

Although they aren’t a necessity to some, air fresheners offer a couple of benefits that make your daily drives less of a chore.

Air fresheners can help improve your mood and the quality of air inside the cabin, as well as act as a disinfectant that kills germs and bacteria that come from the environment.

Overall, having an air freshener makes your car rides more refreshing and even helps you endure unwanted traffic situations.