Are you wasting money in the air freshener aisle?
Creating DIY dog barriers for your homemade essential oils, humidifiers, furniture cleaning
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Every Sunday morning, my dog knows Sweeper Sundays are coming. She steps into the dining room, watches me open the back door to shake out the rugs, sweep the floor and grab her brushes from a cabinet hook. Although she still seems to think a dog brush is an opp, she grumbles and (im)patiently lets me brush her with the two-sided dog brush, making sure to get under her armpit area and under her tail. (Fleas love to hide in inconspicuous places. Regardless of the topical ointment applied every 30 days, I’m still paranoid.) After brushing her teeth, I fix her breakfast and conquer the rest of my home — starting with brushing, washing and vacuuming my couches and all rugs, along with the dog couch.
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When I’m finished making sure my couches smell fresh, are fur-free and use Febreze to top it all off, I’m satisfied. But I swear it feels like I run out of Febreze as soon as I buy it. Sure, I have air freshener plug-ins, love incense and votive candles, and always have a three-wick candle nearby. But pet owners know there’s something about furniture that will just smell like “dog” if it’s not kept clean. And while Junee somehow always smells like a mix of Honeycomb and lemons (no matter what dog shampoo I use), if she rolls around in the grass, she reeks.
Pet dander (tiny flecks of skin shed by animals with fur or feathers) happens. It is a natural part of any animal’s life cycle, including hypoallergenic dogs and short-haired dogs. Even in a no-pets-on-furniture household, dogs will be dogs. Plus, I’ve watched my dog lick her crate carpet like it’s ice cream immediately after I vacuum the rug inside, re-marking her territory.
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So what do pet owners do to keep their homes neat and smelling nice? (Honeycomb and lemonade aren’t a bad combination, by the way. It’s kinda pleasant.) Green cleaning helped me more than commercial products when it comes to keeping my condo clean. And I’ve also come across a few money-saving, aroma-friendly cleaning hacks that have kept me out of the air freshener aisles.
Making your own do-it-yourself humidifier to freshen the home
First, with spring allergy season in full effect, learning to make homemade humidifiers came in handy for avoiding a muggy home. There are five types to choose from.
Finding the right plants to increase humidity in the spring
If you’re not clear which plants work well together (with step three), indoor plants with large leaves are the way to go for transpiration. Invest in areca palms, Boston ferns, spider plants, peace lilies, calatheas, rubber plants or dracaenas. (Side note: Although plant websites regularly talk about how easy peace lilies are to maintain, the black thumb in me came out immediately and mine died within months. I’ve mastered Monstera tropical plants, dracaena corn plants and arrowhead plants though.)
Make your own essential oils instead of store-bought versions
All you’ll need to make your own essential oils is the following:
Fresh or dried plant (ex. lavender, rosemary, citrus peels, eucalyptus)
Large, lidded pot
Heat-resistant bowl
Distilled water
Ice cubes
Sterilized glass jar or bottle for storage
Dropper
Steps to create homemade essential oils
After you’ve washed your plants to make sure they’re dirt-free and debris-free, chop or crush them into smaller pieces (about one inch).
Place the heat-resistant bowl in the center of a pot.
Add the plants in the bowl.
Pour enough distilled water around the bowl and in the pot but not in the center of the bowl.
Place the lid on the pot upside down (curved side facing the plant bowl), and bring the water to a simmer. (Note: The rising steam from the simmering pot will condense on the lid. It will then drip into the center of the bowl.)
Put ice cubes on the upside-down lid. (The cold ice cubes with hot steam helps to create condensation.)
Continue this DIY essential oil making process for up to 45 minutes.
Use a dropper to transfer the essential oils (which will separate itself from the water in the bowl) into a sterilized glass jar.
Store the homemade essential oils in a cool, dark place (ex. cabinet).
Creating DIY barriers to avoid pet (and children) spills
Now you’ve got your DIY humidifier and your homemade essential oils. However, there’s that other obstacle. How do you keep your dog (or a curious kid) from knocking over these DIY cleaners while you’re using them — or before they can dry on your furniture? Here are DIY barriers I’ve created to keep my home clean and free from pet accidents.