How To: Make an Inexpensive, DIY Reed Diffuser

How To: Make an Inexpensive, DIY Reed Diffuser

By: Chrisjob

You can pick up all you want, but the true indicator of how clean a home really is? The way it smells. During spring cleaning season, we wait for the days where it's warm enough to open the windows and air out the house, and do some serious scrubbing to get rid of the worst odor offenders. And when all's back to
neutral, it's time to fill your home with a fresh, clean scent.

Most chemical-based air fresheners are 1) bad for you 2) bad for the earth, and 3) don't actually make your house smell better, they just add more pollutants to mask the smells and trick you into thinking they're doing something

I love the idea of making my own diffuser oil, cause I can whip it up in small batches, and eventually, during produce season, I'd like to experiment with making my own essential oils. Until then, mixing up my own solution using a purchase essential oil is still way less expensive.

• Small vase or glass bottle
• Mineral oil 
• Vodka
• Diffuser reeds
• Essential oil

Any container will work. The best have wider base and a small openning at the top to discourage evaporation. Mineral oil can be found at the pharmacy, and the vodka can be as cheap as you'd like, just make sure its not diluted. Although they may look similar, diffuser reeds are not the same as bamboo skewers. They might work in a pinch, but you can find the reeds for a dollar or two, and they're much more efficient.

The mineral oil is used as a non-evaporating base to hold the essential oils. Start by pouring a 1/4 cup of oil into a measuring cup. Then, add 2-3 tablespoon of vodka. This won't mix naturally, so stir throughly to emulsify them. The vodka thins the oils to get it to the right consistency to move up the reeds.

Next, add the essential oil to the mixture. Your ratio should be around 75% base to 25% essential oil. Stir thoroughly.
Then just pour everything into your container, and insert 5-6 reeds. After a few hours, flip the reeds over, and continue to flip every few days.
With the cost of the vase, reeds, and oil, I spent maybe $5.00, and I'll be able to keep whipping up refills for just a dollar or two. Excellent!