Rolling into this week’s topic a bit slowly, but let’s chat about air fresheners 🌸 If you’re one for scenting up your room, febreze-ing your car, or plugging in “linen and sky,” you may want to explore some more sustainable and eco friendly options. What can get you into trouble are: 1. The packaging/container of your air freshener and/or 2. The ingredients used to make it.
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For #1, it’s pretty straightforward - avoid that plastic + single use stuff like the plague! While “recycle” is part of the three Rs, it should be lowest on the list with “reduce” being your #1 goal (there’s also the five Rs of zero waste, google that if you’re curious). Plus we’ve got a bit of a recycling crisis right now 🤦‍♂️ So be a conscious consumer and don’t support it when possible!
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For #2, this one will vary between individuals. People have varying places in their sustainable journey where they will be stricter or will compromise. So, in terms of ingredients, there will be a few different options this week so you can choose what’s right for you. For example, creating a DIY essential oil diffuser would be a good option for people who are alright with consuming bamboo sticks + a good option for people who already stock up on essential oils for other purposes. If you already purchase it and have it around, using a few drops for this DIY option won’t kill ya! 🌹 Another example is baking soda - a great non-scented option to get rid of nasty odors. Baking soda has a TON of uses, so if you’re someone who’s already buying it (maybe even in bulk) for a dozen other uses around the house, this would make more sense for you! ☁️
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Regardless, if you need some odor control, there are better ways to do it than reaching for the Glade plug in or Febreze can 🙅‍♀️ Let’s dive into it to figure out how we can make a small habit change to #sustainyourshit ✨ If you have any tricks for what you do in your home, please share! 😊

Air fresheners 🌸 Some people love ‘em, some people hate ‘em. When it comes to freshening up your space, the need is usually either 1. there’s a nasty smell you want to get rid of or 2. you’re a lover of fragrances. Thankfully, for both there are DIY options! You should never need to go out and buy an aerosol can or a wall plug in when you can do it cheaper at home + control what you’re bringing into your home.
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For #1, let’s paint the scene and look at some simple solutions. Say you have a bathroom without proper ventilation 💩 or a pile of dirty gym clothes that piles up over the week 🤢 - you're in the market for a deodorizer. Many store-bought solutions will remove the odor by replacing it with another smell, but you can start to associate this “fresh” smell with those not-so-fresh situations. No one wants to smell lemon in the kitchen and immediately think of their toilet (thanks @ahi_ko for the thoughts on this 😄). Instead, use a simple double strength vinegar spray or put out a small bowl with baking soda in it. Both are simple solutions made from products with many uses. Also, both will be cheaper than buying a solution!
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For #2, you’re a lover of scents who wants the space to smell seasonally appropriate or smell like your favorite scent year-round. While you’re not necessarily trying to cover up a bad scent, don’t feel bad about wanting to do this just for your own happiness! We all want to be more mindful + sustainable, but that doesn’t mean we have to give up everything that makes us happy just to cut back. For little joys in life like this, think about a minimal DIY solution to cut back on store bought smell solutions (aerosols, plug ins, candles even). @theprairiehomestead has a great article online about DIY essential oil diffusers with tips + scent combo suggestions. This solution isn’t zero waste since you need to replace the reeds + buy the oils, so if you’re looking for a more “throw it in the compost bin when you’re done” solution, consider making some homemade potpourri to leave around the house 🥀 Both are quick, easy, and customizable.
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For #2-ers out there, do you have any favorite DIY scent combos??
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Try one out and #sustainyourshit

Air freshener recs - for those moments when you want to spice up a room or when you just need to get rid of some stank 😅
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Baby step: DIY diffuser 🌸
For this one, we linked to Paris Nikkole's DIY diffuser video. Basically there’s no need to buy a fancy electronic diffuser; you can DIY for much cheaper and control where your ingredients come from. Just reuse an old glass container with a narrow opening, find some reed sticks or bamboo skewers, and mix a carrier oil (think lighter oils like liquid coconut oil aka fractionated coco oil, almond oil, or safflower oil) with some essential oils of your choice. This option isn’t completely zero waste, and it’s impact will depend on what ingredients you use + what vessels they come in, but it’s way better than a bought plastic solution with who-knows-what in it.
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Take it up a notch: Homemade potpourri 🌹
For this, check out Snappy Livings’s list of 22 different DIY potpourri recipes. You could probably even make up a pretty decent homemade potpourri combo from found ingredients in your kitchen/garden that you need to get rid of (think old cinnamon sticks, rosemary/herbs, orange peels, etc). @gabvelez also had a great suggestion of making your own “poo-pourri” by combo-ing essential oils, rubbing alcohol, and water. Fun fact, poo-pourri is a product that people use to spray their toilet before they poo - and people will actually pay $10 for a tiny bottle. Make it yourself and save that money!! 💸
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Recommended best option: Baking soda ✨
Baking soda gets to be the “recommended” option for this week because it has SO many different uses, so if you can buy in bulk or large quantities, using it as air freshener is just one portion of this multitasking ingredient. Simply leave out some in a small bowl in the area that you’re trying to capture a bad smell (bathroom, kitchen, fridge, etc). It won’t give you a “fresh” scent, but it will take away that bad one!!
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Try one of these options out and #sustainyourshit - they’ll be friendlier to your wallet + the world compared to crappy store solutions!