• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Artisan Life
  • Dot Marker Pages
  • Learning Center
  • Seasonal Printables
    • Winter Printables
    • Valentine's Day printables
    • St. Patrick's Day printables
    • Earth Day
    • Easter printables
    • Mother's Day
    • Fall printables
    • Thanksgiving Printables
    • Christmas Printables
  • Printable Calendars
  • Preschool + K
    • Alphabet Tracing Worksheets
    • Dot Marker Pages
    • Cut & Paste Crafts
    • Preschool Math
    • Fine Motor Practice Pages
    • Spanish Preschool Pages
  • Coloring Pages
  • Shop
  • Recipes
    • Healthy dessert recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Dot Marker Pages
  • Free Printables
    • Preschool worksheets
    • Free Printable Coloring Pages
    • Printable journals & planners
  • Learning Center
  • Shape Templates
  • Coloring Pages
  • St Pat's Printables
  • Desserts
  • Dot Marker Bundle
  • Shop
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Dot Marker Pages
    • Free Printables
      • Preschool worksheets
      • Free Printable Coloring Pages
      • Printable journals & planners
    • Learning Center
    • Shape Templates
    • Coloring Pages
    • St Pat's Printables
    • Desserts
    • Dot Marker Bundle
    • Shop
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » DIY Cleaning Products

    How to Make a Reed Diffuser - DIY Essential Oil Air Freshener

    Published: Aug 22, 2013 · Modified: May 29, 2020

    35 shares
    • Share

    This post may include affiliate links, which means I may make a commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. 

    The first thing I notice when I walk in a building is how it smells. Restaurants, stores, homes - my first opinion of anywhere is based on its scent. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's walked out of a restaurant that smells 'funny!'

    Various incenses, plug-ins, scent sticks, candles, etc. are popular ways to 'freshen up' a home, but a lot of these air fresheners contain loads of chemicals. Some studies say many air fresheners have harmful ingredients and others say any negative effects are conjectural. All I know is that a lot of them make me sneeze! Some of them even make my eyes literally water.

    I still like my place to smell nice, though, so I did some research into making your own reed diffusers with essential oils. This quick recipe shows you how to make your own reed diffuser for essential oils and scent your home without the chemicals!

    Easy Homemade Reed DiffuserMaterials for DIY essential oil diffuser

    • ½ cup of water mineral oil, or other clear carrier oil
    • 2 tablespoons of vodka
    • About 20 drops of essential oil(s)
    • A small jar or vase
    • A package of diffuser reeds
      • You can also find decorative reeds, and even sets with empty bottles that come with reeds
    • A measuring cup & measuring spoon

    Note: You can double, triple, etc. the recipe for a larger batch. This is for a smaller batch because the vase I originally used was quite small!

    materials for a homemade reed diffuser

    Using oil makes your diffuser last longer

    Many recipes call for using a carrier oil, such as mineral oil or almond oil. Oils do not evaporate the way water does, so this can make your diffuser go longer between fill ups. Personally, I hate accidentally knocking a diffuser over and getting oil everywhere, but my experiments revealed that (just as I suspected) water doesn't work as well. Oil just doesn't like to mix with water! The essential oil tends to coagulate into a single blob that doesn't carry up the reeds. It may still smell like lavender or what have you, but only because the scent is emanating from the container. It's your choice, but mineral oil is inexpensive and it does work better than water. Alternatively, you can use a natural clear oil, like an almond oil or fractionated coconut oil.

    Use vodka, not rubbing alcohol

    I used to recommend using 91% rubbing alcohol, but I've since learned that vodka is the healthier choice. (Only time you'll read that phrase, right?!)  The alcohol is important because it helps bind everything together and dilutes the oil to allow it to flow more freely up the reeds.

    You will need 10-20 drops of essential oil. It depends on what brand of essential oils you're using, how pure they are, and how strong the particular oil happens to be.

    This is probably where you expect a dogmatic piece about which essential oils are absolutely the best. I've used Now Foods single oils for projects like this with total success. I was a DoTerra Wellness Advocate for several years just for the discount, but now there are so many affordable, high quality oils available that I'm no longer a WA. I just get the occasional DoTerra oil on Amazon if there's anything I'm dying to have. 

    No matter what oils you're using, it's a good idea to add it a few drops at a time the first time you make a reed diffuser to get a feel for how much you need. Of course, you can mix your favorite oils to create your own custom scents!

    how to make your own reed diffuser

    How to make a reed diffuser

    1. Measure your oil or water water into a glass measuring cup, or pour the measured water into a small bowl.

    2. Add the rubbing alcohol and stir vigorously to combine. This will be difficult if you're using oil and fairly easy with water.

    adding alcohol

    3. Slowly add the essential oil(s), stirring to mix.

    4. Carefully pour the mixture into your chosen vase or jar, making sure you don't fill it to the brim.

    5. Insert the diffuser reeds.

    6. Flip the reeds in a few hours and then continue flipping them at least once a week. This helps the scent disperse more evenly.

    7. Enjoy your new diffuser!

    homemade reed diffuser for essential oils

    You could use any jar or vase you'd like, but, ideally, you should use one with a narrow neck because wide, open necks encourage fast evaporation. If you already have a jar from a previously purchased diffuser, why not reuse it? As a last word of advise, make sure you buy diffuser reeds, not bamboo skewers. I've heard you can use the bamboo skewers and they just don't work as well, but I got my diffuser reeds for $2 at Pier One Imports. Since I already had everything else I needed to make the reed diffuser, that means this project cost me a meager $2! Now that's pretty awesome, especially since purchased diffusers usually cost $14-$18 in stores near me.

    If a reed diffuser isn't your style, it's easy to make your own diffuser with water beads, too!

    Do you make your own air fresheners? I know there are lots of natural ways to deodorize a home. What's your favorite?

    Natasha of The Artisan Life logo

    More Related Posts

    [pt_view id=“15d429e15n"]

    [catlist search="tutorial" numberposts=4 orderby=rand excludeposts=this]

    More DIY Cleaning Products

    • diy natural goo gone
      Homemade Adhesive Remover - Natural and Nontoxic!
    • non-toxic carpet powder recipes
      Homemade Carpet Powder - Easy, Non-Toxic DIY Carpet Powder Recipe
    • DIY aura cleansing spray recipe for clearing negative energy #positivevibes #auracleansing #essentialoils #essentialoilspray
      DIY Aura Cleansing Spray for Clearing Negative Energy - DIY Smokeless Smudge Spray
    • Text "naturally fresh homemade frebreze fabric spray" with a picture of a blue glass spray bottle
      Non-Toxic Homemade Febreze Without Fabric Softener - DIY Febreze Recipe
    35 shares
    • Share
    text "access hundreds of printables now"

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Krista @ the happy housie

      August 28, 2013 at 11:05 am

      This is a seriously great idea! I totally notice smells too...great solution:)

      We would love for you to link up at our new mega-party Work it Wednesday if you haven't already. Each link will be shown on 4 blogs! Work it Wednesday

      - Krista @ the happy housie

      Reply
      • Natashalh

        August 28, 2013 at 3:42 pm

        Thanks for inviting me to the party - I hadn't heard of it! And thank you, too, for stopping by.

        Reply
    2. Michelle

      August 25, 2013 at 12:22 am

      Another great way to diffuse essential oils and there are so many combinations. I personally like wild orange and peppermint for a pick-me-up. Thanks for linking up at My Favorite Posts Show Off Weekend Party!

      Michelle @ On A Wing And A Prayer

      Reply
      • Natashalh

        August 25, 2013 at 11:42 am

        That's a cool scent combination I've never thought of! Thanks for stopping by.

        Reply
    « Older Comments
    Newer Comments »

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Text "Hello! I'm Natasha!" with an image of a woman a blue shirt

    Hi, I’m Natasha! I'm so glad you're here.

    I'm a former classroom teacher with a Masters of the Arts in Teaching turned homeschooler. I share educational & planner printables for busy parents and teachers. Simplify your life when you discover how to instantly access 700+ printables here!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • text "free printable emotions coloring pages for kids" with a preview of three emotions and feelings coloring pages
      Free Printable Emotions and Feelings Coloring Pages
    • text "free printable beach animals coloring pages" with a preview of three beach animal coloring sheets
      Bold Easy Beach Animals Coloring Pages
    • A collection of three printable alphabet coloring pages featuring letters and associated images, designed for teaching letter sounds and learning letters.
      Free Printable Alphabet Coloring Pages A-Z
    • A collection of three printable worksheets designed for kindergarten morning work, featuring activities such as tracing, counting, and basic addition, ideal for morning math and homeschooling.
      Free Printable Kindergarten Morning Worksheets A-Z

    The Artisan Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

    The Artisan Life also uses affiliate links for other sites. For a full look at my policy, please visit its page here.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Save Time

    • Join the Learning Center for quick & easy access to hundreds of printables

    Contact

    • Contact

    If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly here: natashalh(at)stalkingthewildsnark(dot)com. I do not accept guest posts and will not respond to unsolicited requests for guest posts or links. Stock images by Depositphotos

    COPYRIGHT © 2012 – 2025 The Artisan Life · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED