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Did you know that you can refill a plug-in air freshener so you can keep using the same one over and over again? It’s an easy, economical, and environmentally friendly way to scent your home and keep the air fresh.
OK, this little trick for how to refill a plug-in air freshener is definitely ground-breaking, revolutionary news in my little world. I know it’s not just our family that deals with odors from pets, sports gear, and cooking smells on a day-to-day basis, and that’s why home scent products such as scented candles, wax melts, home fragrance oil reed diffusers, linen spray, and room spray products are so popular and necessary. I always say that a home that smells clean feels clean. Bad smells never seem to take a break, so
I always like to be ready to freshen our home and make it more inviting whenever it’s needed.
I’ve become particularly fond of these plug-in air fresheners over the last little while because, unlike a candle or essential oil diffuser, they’re working all the time and adding a pleasant scent to our rooms. They’re a totally “set it and forget it” kind of aromatic air care solution as they continue to emit a lovely scent and create a beautiful, fragrant atmosphere 24/7. You plug one into the wall, and you’re good for up to a month with this type of automatic air freshener. I like to use one in my kitchen as a room freshener and odor eliminator because that’s the room that we enter first from the mudroom we usually use, and I love being welcomed to a fresh-smelling home.
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Why it Can be Better to Refill a Plug-In Air Freshener
Refilling plug-in air fresheners can be a great solution for a few different reasons. These automatic air fresheners are a convenient solution to many different odor issues, but they can also get expensive, especially if you’re using multiple plug-ins to scent the air around the house and replacing them on a monthly basis.
A DIY plug-in refill option also works well if you’re trying to be more earth-friendly in your housekeeping choices. By reusing the same glass bulb over and over again, you’re reducing your environmental footprint, especially if the scented oils and essential oils that you use for refilling are bought in large recyclable glass bottles. If you like to use the same fragrance over and over again, you can be sure that you’ll never run out.
If you’re someone who likes to have complete control over the products that you use in your home, this is an easy way to ensure that your air freshener is 100% safe to breathe, natural, and non-toxic.
I personally love the fun, seasonal scents that you get with the Bath and Body Works wallflowers, and I always have a lot of fun picking them out in store with my kids, but I like to take a balanced approach and use the fun refills only every once in awhile, and sub-in with my homemade essential oil natural air freshener refills the rest of the time.
Here’s a quick video showing you how I do it. For step-by-step instructions, just continue reading the post below the video!
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DIY Air Freshener Plug-In Refill at Home
So here’s how these air fresheners can be refilled. There are a few different popular brands of this type of scented oil bulb, such as Febreze plug-ins, Air Wick scented oil, and Glade, but they’re basically all the same in terms of general construction. The ones that I use most often are the Wallflower plug-ins from Bath and Body Works, so that’s what I’ll be using to demonstrate today.
You’ll need your empty plug-in air freshener bulb, a pair of needle-nose pliers, and some essential oil or fragrance oil such as lavender, cinnamon, or peppermint.
First, you’ll need to take the pair of needle-nose pliers to remove the wick and the little plastic wick-holding cap. Take both pieces out together and keep them together. You’ll replace them just like that when you’re done.
Once you’ve got the wick out, just add about 10-15 drops of essential oil into the bulb. You can either just do a single oil or you can mix them. Some of my Spring, Summer, or Christmas diffuser recipes would be perfect for adding to this. Maybe just add an extra few drops of each oil so you have enough in there.
Next, all you’ll need to do is fill the bulb up to the top with water.
Replace the cap and wick, plug it in, and enjoy!
So that’s how you refill a plug-in air freshener.
Do you use these types of air fresheners at home? Have you ever tried refilling them?
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.