Today I’m sharing an easy, all-natural tutorial that you can follow to make your own deodorizing bags at home. All you need is 2 simple ingredients that are probably already in your kitchen.
This homemade deodorizer recipe is perfect for deodorizing your shoes, freshen up your closets, your kitchen, absorbing odors in your trash can or even your refrigerator.
And the best part is that these deodorizing bags are made using only natural ingredients.
The inspiration for this DIY tutorial comes from the book Cleaning Hacks that I received for review, and which has become my new cleaning bible.
There was one specific hack that made my creative fingers itch. It ticks all the boxes I like: this DIY is frugal, quick and efficient.
The base of this recipe is baking soda. And you all know that there’s no shortage of baking soda in my house!
The reason why baking soda works so well in this deodorizing recipe is because it has the ability to absorb odors from its environment.
According to Cleaning Hacks, sprinkling baking soda around your house can help you get rid of nasty smells. Add a couple drops of essential oils and your house smells fresh all day long!
Inspired by this idea, I decided to put my own spin on this amazing hack.
To easily carry them from one place to the next I put the deodorizing powder in a pretty bag and tied it all together with a bow.
This DIY bag could not be easier. It’s basically a square cut out of scrap fabric. Hold onto the ends and tie them together with a piece of string. Done!
Natural Fragrances for your Home
Essential oils are very popular to scent your house, as difusers and purifiers are on the rise.
But I wanted to go a little bit more ‘crunchy’, and use items from my kitchen instead.
Dried orange zest
The first version I made was with dried orange zest. The zest of citrus fruits is very fragrant. And if you dry it first you can keep it for a very, very long time.
I like to dry my own citrus zest. You have to remove it to eat your orange anyways, and it only ends up in the thrash.
You can dry the peels yourself in an oven at 215 F (100 C). Check every 15 minutes until they look completely dry.
If that’s just one crunchy step too far for you, there’s always the option to buy dried oranges or zest.
By the way, this works great with all types of sweet-swelling citrus fruits, like grapefruit, lemon and lime.
Coffee beans
As an alternative for the zesty scent of citrus I made another version with coffee beans.
When I visited a coffee roasting company, I remember very clearly that they said to never store coffee beans in an open container in your fridge.
Just like baking soda, coffee beans absorb the odors around them.
The beans add a delicious coffee aroma to the deodorizing bags and help the baking soda in eliminating other odors surrounding the bag.
500+ Cleaning Hacks in 1 Book
Now, let’s talk about the book that inspired this DIY tutorial.
This book is written by Sarah Flowers from sarahblooms.com and was published on the same date as my book DIY Beauty.
So when my publisher asked me if any of the other books from Simon & Schuster caught my eye, this was on my want-list.
They offered to send it to me for free to review, and it fulfilled all my expectations.
The cover says that inside you’ll find “500+ Unexpected ways to make your house sparkle”. And it sure delivers that.
The book contains 652 tips to be exact. These are not all DIY hacks, but also include general tips and advise.
The tips cover pretty much every inch of your house. From how to shine your car lights, to how you can easily pick up glitter, and easily remove pet hair from your furniture.
And the best part, it’s full of natural, easy and affordable DIY hacks to make your own cleaning products at home.
What I like about the book ‘Cleaning Hacks’:
- The list of hacks seems endless. In other words, you get a lot of bang for your buck.
- The book combines hacks with recipe ideas to make your own products at home.
- It covers all areas of your house, leaving not a single nook or cranny unclean.
- The emphasis is on affordable and quick hacks, with ingredients you most likely already have at home.
I’ve already made a batch of orange infused vinegar, and I can’t imagine going without my homemade disinfectant spray anymore.
Now I have these cute deodorizer bags to add to my zero-waste cleaning collection!
DIY Deodorizing Bags Tutorial
Materials
- Fabric Squares (10x10 inches | 25x25 cm)
- Piece of string
- 6 tablespoons baking soda
- 4 tablespoons dried orange zest and/or coffee beans
Instructions
- Gather your materials. Find a fabric you can cut a square out of. You can use old (clean) handkerchiefs, tshirts, fabric scraps, etc. Don't worry too much about the size you can make the bags smaller or larger to your preference.
- Scoop 3 tablespoons of baking soda in the middle of each square (if you're making the same size deodorizing bags as me). Add about 2 tablespoons of your fragrance ingredients to each heap. I added 2 tablespoons of crushed dry orange zest to one bag and 2 tablespoons of coffee beans to the other. Dry coffee grounds will work too.
- Lift the four corners of the square up and pinch them together. This creates a bag. Tie the ends together with a piece of string, a ribbon or a piece of tape.
.
Notes
Make sure to use a close knit fabric, otherwise the fine baking soda powder will fall through (ask me how I know).
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you like this DIY than don’t forget to put a pin on it!
