Homemade Gel Air Freshener

This is one of my favorite things to make because it's so easy and smells so good!  I love having my house smell good but I hate worrying about a candle burning with a little one running around.  You can always buy gel air fresheners at the store but these homemade ones are way better for a few different reasons.  You can control the amount of scent that generates, they are so inexpensive to make, and you don't have to worry about what's inside that gel (if you use natural scented oils) when someone sticks their finger in to play with it or thinks it's some form of food.

1.) The first thing you want to do is buy a couple glass jars or glass candle holders.  I bought some 7 ounce glass candle holder jars with lid at JoAnn Fabrics for $1 each.

2.) Add whatever color food coloring you want your gel to be in the glass.  I must warn you, don't try to make a fancy color like I did, you only need about 2 drops or else you will get a dark color that looks black even though you swore you were trying to make a pretty royal purple.  

3.) Add the scented oil.  The amount depends on you and how strong you want your air freshener to smell.  I usually add roughly 3 teaspoons to each 7oz jar.  I love a stronger scent and also the fragrance I use is a stronger smelling fragrance.

4.) Next you want to get 1 1/2 cups of water boiling.  Once it starts to boil, whisk in 4 envelopes of Gelatine.  Once that's dissolved, add in 1/2 cup of cold water and 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt, whisk until the salt dissolves.  The salt is VERY important, without it you will have a moldy mess in a few days.

5.) Lastly, you want to pour your hot liquid mixture into the jars with the food coloring and oil.  You need to stir it to make sure everything is mixed in together, I like to use a disposable plastic knife.

You want to let the air freshener sit for about 12 hours so it has time to turn into a gel.  Once you have your gel air freshener you can place them anywhere you would like or hand them out as gifts.  My 7oz jar usually last for 3-4 weeks.