I have two dogs, three children, and a husband and sometimes in our muggy maritime weather our home can get a little musty smelling. Febreze does not cut it. I find that it will freshen but the smell only lasts a few hours and with our very humid environment, Febreze does not dry. So I came up with this great home-made Febreze. It really works. I use it in my vehicles as well. All you need are some few simple products that you should already have in your home.
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Febreze can cost up to 8.00 a bottle. Try this homemade fabric refresher. It works great on pet smells too. Just use an empty spray bottle, add a cup of water, 1 tsp baking soda, and one tablespoon of fabric softener. Shake well. Spray clothes, furniture, and carpets. It works wonders. I love the stuff.
Mix with 1-2 cups of hot water, enough hot water to fill spray bottle. Shake bottle well and wait till crystals dissolve. This makes your home smell wonderful.
With 3 dogs and 5 kids, it's hard to keep stuff smelling nice. Febreeze is about $8-10 dollars a bottle, so I make my own.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Does anyone have a recipe for homemade Febreze?
By judy oliver from Ontario, Canada
Homemade Febreze
1 cup of water
1 Tbs of fabric softener (Downy Lavender)
1 Tbs of rubbing alcohol
Mixed in a spray bottle.
How do you make homemade Febreze?
By Angella
Don't. Febreze just masks the smell despite what their amazing animations depict. You know what I mean when you have that one item, that despite being sprayed a million times, still smells. Invest in a steam cleaner. A portable one. Maybe 30 or 40 bucks. It won't leave your home smelling like flowers (candles or plug ins are a good solution) but it'll destroy the odours and most importantly, it'll actually clean plus sanitize as a bonus.
They're great for cleaning furniture as they penetrate deep down. You'll save a bundle on dry cleaning on it's own. I mean, you will have to actually dry clean items once in a while but I can wear a suit 7 or 8 times before I take it in because I steam the pants/jacket once I get home so it's fresh before I even stick it back in the closet.
Remember to keep the actually steam cleaner itself clean too. The water from your tap will leave calcium build-up and eventually start to smell. CLR once in a while will deal with that problem nicely.
I have a sample of Febreze; how can I make it myself?
By Mary G.
I use diluted fabric softener in a spray bottle. It works great and makes lots. I use a Downy scent I bought on sale.
I have a small laundry shop business and I use only Downy for making clothes smell good, but the problem is the smell of the clothes lasts only 2 to 3 hours.
By Gretch from Philippines, Dipolog City Zambo del Norte
If you're looking for a really cheap, but effective alternative to Febreeze, try this:
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I love using Febreze Fabric Freshener but have found it to be quite expensive when used constantly. So, I decided to make my own Fabric Freshener and it is less costly.
A nice and inexpensive olfactory treat is to 'scent freshen' clothing. All you have to do is make a spray bottle mixture of two cups water with 6 or more drops of your favorite essential oil.
What is the recipe for do-it-yourself fabric freshener? the store bought ones are so expensive and super smelly. I saw one with vinegar, water and something else. I forget the amounts of each.
Make your own fabric freshener by pouring 4 fluid ounces of concentrated fabric softener into a spray bottle and dilute it with warm water. Wait for the solution to cool and then spray to make things smell nice and fresh.
