Making your own natural fabric refresher spray is simple and a great way to avoid toxic chemicals that are found in many sprays.
Fabric can hold on to odors and make your home smell even when it’s clean. Things like sofas that you can’t just easily wash often need a bit of freshening.
Using a fabric refresher spray can help a lot. They usually contain ingredients to help remove odors plus a nice scent to leave the fabric smelling great.
THE PROBLEM WITH CONVENTIONAL Fabric Refreshers
The ingredients in a lot of the popular fabric refresher sprays can be problematic. One of the most popular brands has said it’s at least free of phthalates and formaldehyde but there are other ingredients that are questionable.
Benzisothiazolinone is a preservative sometimes used in these sprays. The problem is that it is very irritating to the eyes, skin, and lungs. When spraying it there is a risk you will be breathing it which can be irritating and you will likely have contact with it if you use it on things like sofas.
The MSDS sheet for Didecyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride, another ingredient in some fabric refreshers, says to avoid breathing. That doesn’t seem possible when you are spraying it in your home.
And while one brand doesn’t use phthalates, many do contain them and phthalates are a known endocrine disruptor.
Overall, the ingredients are questionable at best and it’s really easy to make your own. Plus when you make your own you get to create your own scent.
Basic Natural Fabric Refresher Spray
Natural fabric refresher spray is simple to make. It takes just a few ingredients and can be used on most fabrics in your home.
I love to use it to freshen our furniture, keep curtains fresh between washing, a lavender version is great for bedding to keep your bedroom smelling relaxing, and it’s also great if you have some clothes that need a bit of freshening up.
The vodka will act as a preservative but it’s still a good idea to use distilled water and to replace this every 3 months. Also, watch for any signs of mold or weird smells.
The vodka also helps the spray dry faster. You do want to spot test before using this but it should work on most fabrics.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Vodka
- 2 tablespoons Baking soda
- 20 drops of Essential Oils
- 2 cup Distilled Water
- Spray bottle
- Mix water, vodka, baking soda, and essential oils.
- Shake.
- Spray and see if the scent is the strength you want, add more if needed.
- That’s all! Be sure to shake before each use.
Couldn’t get a lot easier. The latest scent I made is a mix of lime, orange, and bergamot. It’s a lovely spring scent. I love to make peppermint for Christmas time and cinnamon and orange for fall.
Coming up with your own scents can be a lot of fun if you have several essential oils to play around with. I watch for good sales and stock up on essential oils so I don’t have to spend too much at once.
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Farrah
I need to go borrow/get vodka from someone so I can make this! 😀
Lisa Sharp
I have a cheap bottle of everclear just for things like this.
Claire
Hi thank you so much for the great DIY recipes! Quick question. With your linen spray you say not to use water, as with fabrics you would want this to dry fast. So how come your fabric spray has water? Thank you !
Lisa Sharp
I tend to use the linen spray right before bed so I want it to dry very fast, with this I’m just spraying to freshen up the fabric and I want it to dry fast but it doesn’t need to dry as fast. The vodka in this does help with that.
Bea
Hello, is there a certain proof level for the vodka? Does it have an “alcohol/ liquor” smell after mixing? Can you tell I’m not that knowledgeable when it comes to alcohol lol.
Lisa Sharp
Any plain vodka or everclear will work. The smell fades very quickly. It’s also less strong than rubbing alcohol to start with so I think it has a better smell.
Abby O
Thank you for this information! Can’t wait to try. Does the baking soda leave spots, and can rubbing alcohol be substituted for the vodka?
Lisa Sharp
The baking soda shouldn’t leave spots and yes you can use rubbing alcohol but it will have an odor.
Abby
Thank you, I stopped being lazy and got the vodka.
Abby
The scent is nice but I followed the instructions to a T and it left white spots on my new blue couch when I used it a few days after making it. I recommend testing first. I’ll try a batch w/o the baking soda.
Lisa Sharp
Did you shake it with each use? I’ve not had this happen but it’s always a good idea to test any product when first using it as all fabrics are a bit different.