Here’s how to mix a blend of your favorite scents and spray your way to a fresher home. Scented sprays can bring potentially harmful compounds like benzene1, formaldehyde2, toluene, m,p-xylene1, and phthalates into your home, so if you are going with store-bought, read the brand’s materials carefully and look for transparent blends that explain what ingredients are being used and why. For example, many brands list essential oils’ specific compounds, so you can better identify any potential irritant—this is a good thing and can help users understand if the product is right for them. Making your own blend is a good way to ensure you’re avoiding ingredients you don’t feel comfortable with and not accidentally spraying your home up and down with something that could disrupt hormones or aggravate allergies. DIY sprays are also cheap, easy to make, low-waste (you’ll save on plastic packaging by using reusable glass bottles), and endlessly customizable. Blends without preservatives will not last as long and should be used up quickly—hence the smaller size of this recipe. The one caveat is that since this spray will be coming in contact with your skin, essential oil authority and founder of Osmia Organics Sarah Villafranco recommends avoiding oils that are minty (spearmint, peppermint) or hot (cinnamon, thyme), as they may cause irritation. Taking suggestions? Here are some functional-yet-fragrant combinations that essential oil experts adore. Feel free to adjust the number of drops depending on the size of your spray bottle when you’re recreating at home. Just try to keep the ratios more or less consistent. For particularly smelly clothes, you can give the spray some more oomph using cedarwood. Cohen says to add 20 drops or so for a calming, grounding fragrance that also packs a cleaning punch3. “Skip the pillowcases and spray the headboard instead, since sleeping with your face (especially the eye area) in contact with essential oils can be irritating for many skin types,” Villafranco recommends. Some oils like German chamomile, spikenard, and tansy come in bright hues that could leave a mark. If you’re not sure what colors your oils are, spray on a small test patch of fabric first to be on the safe side. You can also use your spray as an air freshener. When shopping for one, the first step is to look at the fragrance ingredients (typically essential oils). Of course, avoid any notes that cause you irritation—for example some love florals, while others find them too pungent. From there, you can check out the other ingredients used; these are things like emulsifiers and preservatives. There are many good options on the market, like sodium benzoate, citric acid, and potassium sorbate for preservatives and Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate and Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate for emulsifiers. (Don’t let the long names scare you!) Finally, many brands also list out the essential oil compounds, per new regulations in some states; these are things like linalool and benzyl alcohol. Check out our favorite pillow mists here. Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She’s spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.
