Homemade Febreze for under 20p a bottle.... | The Diary of a Frugal Family (2024)

By Cassandra
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I’ve been making homemade Febreze for years now and often share in my weekly Five Frugal Things posts when I’ve made up a new batch but today, I’m going to update and reshare the original post when I told you about it for a couple of reasons. Let me tell you why…

The first reason is simply that I treated myself to a new spray bottle as the one I used to use was looking more than a bit grubby and I just wanted to show off the prettiness of it although it’s shiny white with shiny rose gold lettering on it so definitely doesn’t photo as well as I wanted it to. 😂.

And secondly, the last couple of batches that I’ve made have literally been like Summer in a bottle thanks to the fabric softener I’ve been using which is enough of a reason to re-share even without the pretty new bottle.

So without further ado, here’s how to make homemade Febreze for less than 15p a bottle!

Homemade Febreze for under 20p a bottle.... | The Diary of a Frugal Family (1)

Hands up if you like your house to smell nice and fresh! 🙋‍♀️

I always used to buy bottles of Febreze to help keep everything smelling fresh as I loved that I could just spray it around the house on fabrics, curtains and even the carpet for a quick refresh. I even used to keep the bottle behind the curtain in the living room and give everywhere a quick spritz before I went to work so I’d come home and everywhere would smell fresh.

When I had a serious look at my budget for the first time, I looked at the things I bought that weren’t essential or that I could make myself and this was one of the first things that I attempted to make a homemade version of. For less than the cost I was paying for one bottle, I discovered that I could make 20+ bottles myself using fabric softener.

Homemade Febreze for under 20p a bottle.... | The Diary of a Frugal Family (2)

This was genuinely mind-blowing to me as I’d never even considered this before and to someone who’d never been thrifty or frugal before, it was a huge lesson I quickly became a fan of making my own versions of things I’d previously spent money on regularly. Homemade Febreze was the first thing of many things that I learned to make myself and I remember how proud of myself I felt when I first shared this post!

(I’m easily pleased, I know.)

Anyway, I haven’t bought actual Febreze for years now but I’ve just had a quick look on the Asda website and it’s currently selling at £2 for 375ml which is a lot more than my homemade version works out to. My homemade Febreze costs less than 20p for the same size bottle when you use the more expensive brands of fabric softener to make it but can cost as little as 5p if you buy own-brand fabric softeners.

My homemade Febreze is almost as good as its shop-bought counterpart and even though, I could lie here and say that my homemade version is every bit as good as the real deal, I won’t because it’s not. It’s made with two ingredients and costs a fraction of the price with no scientific research going into every ingredient.

But you know what? Almost as good is good enough for me based on the amount of money I save in making my own. Homemade Febreze does exactly what it needs to do – it refreshes the fabrics in my house and leaves everywhere smelling fresh and clean.

Homemade Febreze for under 20p a bottle.... | The Diary of a Frugal Family (3)

How to make Homemade Febreze

Yield: 1 Spray Bottle

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Homemade Febreze is exactly what you need to keep your house smelling fresh and clean!

Materials

  • A Spray bottle - mine is a 500ml size
  • 50ml fabric softener
  • Hot water to fill your bottle

Instructions

    There's nothing complex about making homemade Febreze - just mix the fabric softener and the water together, give it a good shake and you're good to go.

Notes

You can use it straight away before the water cools if you want but it's just as effective when the water has cooled down, it just helps it to mix together if the waters hot when you add them to the bottle.

Based on a price of £3.00 per 1000ml for Comfort fabric softener that works out at 15p for my version of Febreze but actually, if you were to buy a cheaper fabric softener (Tesco value is 90p for 2 litres) then you’re looking at it being even cheaper – in fact, it works out at under 5p if you use the value version. Honestly though, I prefer not to use the value versions of the fabric softeners in my homemade Febreze as I don’t personally think their scent is as long-lasting as the more expensive ones and I don’t mind paying a little more knowing how much I’m saving by making my own anyway.

I also got a matching Zoflora bottle so watch this space!

Also, in case you’re wondering about the spray bottle – I bought mine from an Etsy seller called Brown Owl Gifts and they’re great quality so I’m planning on buying a few more for my other homemade cleaning products when I figure out what I want. They’re £4.99 each with P&P on top so I think I paid about £13 for the two of them which I don’t think is bad at all although obviously, any old spray bottle will do as it’s what’s inside that counts. 😇

Don’t miss out on future posts like this – receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address here and hitting subscribe. You can also follow me on Twitter or BlogLovinand I’d love to see you over on my Facebook page and on Instagram. If you’re interested, you can find out more about me here and while I’ve got your attention, if you’re wondering why some of my posts lately are a little bit less frugal then have a read of this post. 😉

Do your future self a favour – Pin my homemade Febreze recipe for later:

Homemade Febreze for under 20p a bottle.... | The Diary of a Frugal Family (4)

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FAQs

How do you make Febreze with alcohol and baking soda? ›

Instead, try this homemade Febreze recipe! Get your spray bottle, and drop in ¼ cup of baking soda. Add a little bit of warm distilled or filtered water and shake, then add 3 teaspoons of isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Then fill the rest with distilled or filtered water.

How to make a natural version of Febreze? ›

Room spray recipe
  1. Add baking soda, lavender, geranium and patchouli to a small mixing bowl.
  2. Use a fork to mix well. (Mixing the oils with baking soda ahead of time will help them incorporate with the water better.)
  3. Add the mixture to the spray bottle and top off with water.
  4. Shake well before use.
Jul 1, 2022

How to make fabric deodorizer spray? ›

In a spray bottle (specifically this one), Amaro combines half a cup of water, a quarter cup of alcohol, and some fabric softener. She says in the video to use less softener for a lighter scent and more for a stronger scent. Then spray on your couch, take a whiff, and enjoy.

What is a substitute for Febreze fabric refresher? ›

Pour ½ c (118 ml) of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. Vinegar is a natural deodorizer that also helps kill germs and bacteria. Just measure out ½ cup (118 ml) of white vinegar and ½ cup (118 ml) of rubbing alcohol and add them to a clean spray bottle.

What does baking soda and rubbing alcohol do? ›

Baking Soda is also a miraculous deodorizer owing to its ability to absorb unsavory smells, not just cover them up. Rubbing Alcohol: Another super powerful disinfectant, rubbing or isopropyl alcohol is a solvent.

How to deodorize fabric naturally? ›

Common choices are white vinegar, baking soda, or essential oils. Add them to the washing machine during the rinse cycle or use them as a pre-soak treatment. Air drying clothes after washing can also help eliminate odors. Hang them outside or in a well-ventilated area for natural air circulation.

What are the ingredients in Febreze? ›

water, alcohol denat., polyethylene glycol monophenyl ether, hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin, fragrances, PEG-11 methyl ether dimethicone, PEI-700, didecyldimonium chloride, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil, sodium citrate, sodium maleate, benzisothiazolinone. Contains fragrance allergen(s).

How to make natural air freshener? ›

Add about 25 drops of your favorite essential oil to 2 tablespoons of baking soda and stir to combine. Lemon and lavender are great choices, but eucalyptus is my favorite because of the refreshing scent. Pour the baking soda and essential oil mix into the water and stir. Then funnel the water into your spray bottle.

How do you make Febreze with downy fabric softener? ›

The fabric softener to water ratio should be 25/75. Or in case of actually following the recipe, it would be 75/25. Close up your spray bottle, shake the mixture up a bit, and you have your own Homemade Febreze!! Now go make your home smell better.

How do you make fabric refresher with alcohol? ›

They are perfect for your homemade fabric spray! Depending on the size of your bottle, you boil an appropriate amount of water. I always go for a 65% Vodka to 35% water. If you're going for witch hazel or rubbing alcohol I would say a 50 -50 mix would work perfectly fine!

How do you make disinfectant spray with baking soda? ›

All-Purpose Cleaner: Combine 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon dishwashing liquid, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 2 cups hot water in a spray bottle and shake well. Add essential oil for fragrance if desired and add 1 teaspoon borax for extra cleaning power.

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