DIY Reed Diffuser – using Essential Oils
I was once that woman. The one that kept scented plug-ins in every outlet and battery operated scented sprayers in every room…yes, in the beginning of our homesteading journey I used the chemical stuff, but I swear it didn’t last long.
I remember a time when my husband would secretly gather up the plug-ins & sprayers, immediately rehoming them to the trash can. I’d then replace each and every one, swearing that they made the house smell nice.
The battle between us continued until the children began complaining of headaches, and that’s when I knew that my chemical scented plug-ins needed to go. In my defense, I used them because I was constantly trying to mask the smells found in a homesteading house ~2 dogs, a cat, sometimes a sick chicken in the bathroom, or a poultry brooder in the living room~ there were a LOT of stinky smells in our little farmhouse!
The stinky farmhouse oders didn’t last once I discovered essential oils, and soon good scents began to float through the air. Not only did the house smelling nice, our moods were lifted based on the essential oil blends we chose to incorporate in the cold air diffusers.
However, I consider myself to be a pretty practical person and the thought of placing a cold air diffuser in the bathrooms didn’t make much sense to me. What did make sense was placing reed diffusers into small spaces around the house, they worked to purify the air or simply provide a clean smell.
DIY reed diffusers are extremely easy to make, and trust me, you’ll never return to chemical fragrances for your home once you start using these.
What you will need:
- A small glass container with a narrow opening (narrow openings slow the evaporation process)
- 5-7 reed diffuser sticks (I have used both wood reeds & bamboo skewers)
- 1/4 cup carrier oil (I use fractioned coconut oil, but any light oil will work)
- 25-30 drops of essential oil (this is our homestead’s choice of essential oils)
- 1 teaspoon alcohol or vodka (this quickens the time it takes the essential oils to move through the reeds)
Instructions:
- Mix together the carrier oil, alcohol (or vodka) and essential oils into the glass container
- Place the reeds into to the essential oil mixture, flipping them every few hours to ensure the EOs have fully absorbed through the reeds
To freshen the scent flip the reeds every few days and gently swirling the essential oil mixture. Once the reeds have become fully saturated, they will need to be replaced. If your EO solution begins to loose its scent, feel free to add a few drops to freshen it, or make a new solution.
Some of our favorite Essential Oil Blends
- Bergemont + Lemongrass
- Eucalyptus + Lemon + Basil
- Lavender + Patchouli
- Grapefruit + Lemon + Rosemary
- Juniper + Lemon
- Bergemont + Ylang Ylang
I LOVE when I’m able to replace a chemical item for a natural solution, especially one that makes our farmhouse smell not so farmy! Not to mention, a reed diffuser makes a great gift and can cost less than $5 to put together! This truly does the homesteading heart (and wallet) good!
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