Frugal Friday

Today's Frugal tip: how to save yourself about $60+ per year. Do you use Febreeze? I used to. I don't know of anyone that doesn't really. Dog odors, their car, smelly bathrooms, teenager rooms...you know what I'm talking about. That stuff is EXPENSIVE! Don't you get tired of paying nearly $6 per bottle? I sure did.

About 5 months ago I started scouring the internet for DIY Febreeze & boy oh boy did I find some interesting recipes, under names like "ghetto Febreeze" (that one makes me laugh every time & pretty much what we call ours here!). Here are some of the recipes I wrangled & bookmarked, so you can choose:

1) From Instructables - trigger bottle, 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol or vodka, essential oil of your choice, water - fill bottle with ingredients...the website calls for 30 drops of oil adding up as your sniffer prefers. I've used this one, but only about 1/2 the oil (a mix of lemongrass & lavender) & rubbing alcohol instead of vodka. It's good & it works. The alcohol smell IS a bit strong at first but quickly dissipates in the air.

2) From EcoMOMicalme - spray bottle, funnel, 1 cup baking soda, essential oil of your choice, water - using the funnel add baking soda to bottle, mix in warm water to fill the bottle, & add 10-12 drops of essential oil. Shake to use. The baking soda is your odor destroyer & the oil will give you the pleasant smell that you're craving. She offers a "not so green version" on this link as well.

3) From Curbly - spray bottle, 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 1-2 teaspoons fabric softener.

4) From TipNut (I love this place!) - they offer four recipes here to choose from & I'm currently using recipe # 2

5) From HomemadeMamas - 2 cups warm water, 1/2 liquid fabric softener, 1 teaspoon baking soda

6) From Sarbear's Journey - 32oz spray bottle, 2 cups fabric softener, 3 tablespoons alcohol, water to fill

7) From Keeper of the Home - 2 recipes to choose from; one green using vinegar, water & essential oil, the second "semi green" using an eco-friendly fabric softener from your local health food grocery store & water.

Several options & I hope you find one that you like using. With the two that I use (#2 from TipNut & recipe #1 from Instructables) I have figured that my cost per month is LESS than 30¢ with either recipe so I only spend around $3 a year to de-stinkify my house...and with 4 males here it needs a LOT of it {shudder}. A little research, a need to save money, & willingness to try something new can yield some very pleasant results!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!