On our recent car trip, we decided to stop for dinner and then get back on the road. A half hour later…it started…those smells! The ones where your nose hairs start burning…your gag reflex beckons and you rush to roll down all the windows and stick your entire head out of the window for fresh air.

I made a pit stop to air out the van and made them head to the bathroom to rid their body of the stench.

Yes, it was that bad!

But one thing that struck me later was, why I couldn't smell the brand new air freshener I had just added to the van before we left for our road trip? It had only been a couple of days since I had put it in!

Now I know that air fresheners can not block all of the smells (or prevent them), but the fresh smell was gone already! It did absolutely nothing to help the situation or clear the air afterward.

So I needed to find the best car air freshener with essential oils, one that would actually last, and that I could also freshen up the smell so that I didn't have to keep buying them.

Those store-bought air fresheners can be very expensive for one little item. Plus they contain all kinds of chemicals we are breathing in.

Plus, then I'd be able to customize the scent to my liking. That's just what I needed for my best car air freshener with essential oils.

Today, let me show you several easy ways to make the best car air freshener you can even customize for your family. It's easier than you think!

Plus, I've got several DIY car air freshener ideas with essential oils so you can choose which one you want to make!

Option #1: Easy Pre-made Organza Bags

Supplies Needed:

• Organza Bag (small clear fabric treat bags found at the local dollar store in the wedding or baby supply section)
• 1/4 Cup Rice (any kind of plain rice)
• Small plastic sandwich bag (for mixing only)
• Blend of Essentials Oils (I use the Young Living brand because of their purity promise)

Directions:

1. First, add your rice to the small plastic bag.
2. Next, add your blend of oils to the rice in the bag, zip close, and then mix the rice and oils very well.
3. Then, add the rice to the organza bag.
4. Finally, hang the best car air freshener in your car! It's that easy!

And the bags that I found at the local dollar store had 8 in them! That's 8 bags I could hang in my really stinky car!

Here’s A Custom Scent To Help You Focus On The Road: 

Whip out your essential oils and use: 10 Drops Orange + 5 Drops Peppermint + 5 Drops Frankincense

Organza Bag: What Does It Cost?

• Organza Bag (small clear fabric treat bags found at the local dollar store in the wedding or baby supply section) = 13¢
• 1/4 Cup Rice (any kind of plain rice) = 8¢
• Blend of Essentials Oils (I use the Young Living brand because of their purity promise)

Total Cost: 21¢ each

Note: This does not cover the cost of the essential oils used in your best car air freshener.

See how easy these best car air freshener with essential oils are to make?! On to the next one!

Option #2: Felt Shapes

The nice thing about this option is that you can lay it right on your car air vent (I weave the string through the slots in the vent to help it stay put). That way your air conditioner is pushing the scent of your DIY car air freshener ideas with essential oils right in to your car!

Supplies:

• Felt = If you don’t already have some on hand, Walmart has a Felt Sheet 12 pk for $2.88, making them just 24¢ per sheet (or you can buy single sheets at any craft store).
• Sharp Scissors
• Twin, ribbon or string
• Blend of Essentials Oils (I use the Young Living brand because of their purity promise)
• Marker, Pen or Pencil to trace
• Toys, Cookie Cutters or any other items that you can use to trace a shape onto the felt (the easier shape the better!)

Fast & Easy Directions: 

1. Decide on what shape you want to make your best car air freshener with essential oils to be.
2. Trace your shape onto the felt and cut the shape out.
3. Poke a hole into the top of the shape and add a hanging string.
4. Add your blend of essential oils and hang in your car!

Here's A Custom Scent To Help You Concentrate On The Road: 

Whip out your essential oils and use these scents: 2 Drops Orange + 1 Drop Peppermint + 2 Drops Thieves

Felt Shapes: What Does It Cost?

Supplies:

• Felt = If you don't already have some on hand, Walmart has a Felt Sheet 12 pk for $2.88, making them just 24¢ per sheet (or you can buy single sheets at any craft store).
• Twin, ribbon or string = As low as FREE if you already have them or $1 to buy twine/ribbon from the dollar store
• Blend of Essentials Oils (I use the Young Living brand because of their purity promise)

Total Cost: as low as 24¢ each

Note: This does not cover the cost of the essential oils used in your best car air freshener.

Now that you are learning how to make a homemade car air freshener, are you going to make some?

Option #3: Unfinished Wood Shapes

Supplies:

• Unfinished Wood Shapes (Found at any craft store for usually under $1. Keep a lookout at the dollar stores as they usually have some during holidays in kids' painting kits.)
  Note: It is important that the wood shapes are not painted or sealed that way the essential oils can be absorbed into them.
• Twin, ribbon or string for hanging the shape
• Blend of Essentials Oils (I use the Young Living brand because of their purity promise)
• Optional: Pens, markers, buttons, bows, smaller wood shapes, hot glue gun, and glue
• You may also need a drill and small drill bit to make a hole in your wood shape does not already have one. Fine grit sandpaper or a sanding block may be needed to clear the hole of any splinters as well.

Directions:

• First, if your wood shape does not have a hole for hanging, drill a small hole with a drill bit and drill. Make sure it is big enough to feed the twine or string through.
• Add the twine or string to the shape.
• Finally, add the essential oils and hang the best car air freshener in your car!

Get Creative:

• Color the wood shape with pens and markers. A regular marker will color the shape but not seal it that way the oils will still absorb.
• Add text with a pen or marker.
• Hot glue gun smaller wood shapes, buttons, bows.

Here's A Custom Scent To Energize You While Driving: 

Whip out your essential oils and use these to give you some extra energy: 2 Drops Lemon + 2 Drops Lavender + 2 Drops Peppermint

This is my favorite DIY car air freshener ideas with essential oils yet!

Wood Shapes: What Does It Cost?

Supplies:

• Unfinished Wood Shapes (Found at any craft store for usually under $1. Keep a lookout at the dollar stores as they usually have some during holidays in kids' painting kits.) = As low as 15¢ each
• Twin, ribbon or string for hanging the shape = As low as FREE if you already have them or $1 to buy twine/ribbon from the dollar store
• Blend of Essentials Oils (I use the Young Living brand because of their purity promise)

The heart shapes I found at Hobby Lobby during Valentine's for 40% off making the entire pack for just $1.80!

Note: This does not cover the cost of the essential oils used in your best car air freshener.

See how you can really customize these best car air freshener with essential oils? They are so fun!

Gifting The Best Car Air Freshener

While finishing up, I thought that these would be great gifts! You can make a bunch of them for less than 80¢ each!

You can even include a little vial of custom essential oil blends to go with the gift. Here are some cute little vial droppers perfect for adding the oils to these best car air freshener gifts!

• Organza Bag = 13¢
• Best Car Air Freshener = 15¢
• Vial Dropper = 51¢

Total Cost: 79¢ each

Note: This does not cover the cost of the essential oils used in your vials for the best car air freshener.

Now you are ready to make any custom scent for your best car air freshener with essential oils gifts.

And, you can refresh the scent any time you want to making them last even longer.

Plus, you won't have to keep buying those expensive car fresheners. You'll save so much money each year with these DIY car air freshener ideas with essential oils.

And when my stinky boys strike again, I now have some protection so they won't stink me out again.

I hope you enjoyed learning how to make a homemade car air freshener and make some today!

YOUR TURN: What other essential oil blends would you use for your Best Car Air Freshener? Let me know in the comments below!

More Fun Articles To Read: