How to Make a Non-toxic Air Freshener

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I like to have a nice-smelling car, but the problem for me with store-bought car air fresheners is that they are overpowering and give me a headache.

The solution I’ve found is to make my own. In this post Ill show you how you can use felt and essential oils, or phthalate-free fragrance oils, to make a non-irritating air freshener for your car or other small space.

Let’s get started!

Materials Needed for Making a Non-toxic Air Freshener

I embroidered some flowers on the felt that I used for my air freshener, but that is totally optional. With a quick Google search you can find some easy-to-follow embroidery videos, that’s how I learned and it was fun!

If you aren’t going to embroider your felt, you don’t need the embroidery floss or stitching needle. A glue gun can be used to put the air freshener together. I used both hand stitching and a glue gun to make the air freshener pictured.

I made the hanger for my air freshener out of jute twine, some bracelet making elastic or any type of string would work too.

I am a soap maker, so I have lot of high-quality, non-irritating essential and fragrance oils on hand. Use whichever you prefer and are comfortable with.

Inside the air freshener I put a piece of fragrance oil-soaked gauze that I wrapped in felt. You could use paper towel or felt alone if you want.

Inserting the pack into the air freshener

Directions for Making a Non-toxic Air Freshener

Optional: Embroider a design on a piece of craft felt with embroidery floss and a stitching needle
With scissors, cut the felt into the desired size and shape. Mine is a hexagon measuring roughly 3.5 inches x 4 inches. This will be the front of the air freshener
Using the front you made as a template, cut out another piece of felt slightly larger. This will be one half of the air freshener
Cut out another piece of felt, exactly the same size as the one you just made. This will be the back of the air freshener
Hot glue the embroidered front to one of the larger felt pieces
Stitch (or hot glue) the 2 larger pieces of felt together at the edges, leaving an opening on one side for inserting the fragrance
Soak a piece of gauze in essential or fragrance oil. I just inverted my bottle a few times to wet the gauze
Wrap the gauze in a piece of leftover felt
Place the felt-wrapped gauze into the opening you left in the air freshener
Finish stitching or hot gluing to close the opening
Cut a piece of jute twine for the hanger
Stitch or hot glue the hanger to the back of the air freshener
Hang the air freshener in your car and enjoy!