A Mason Jar And Air Freshener Beads Are All You Need For A Clean-Smelling Home

Even if you keep your house fairly clean, sometimes you may want some extra "oomph" to impress guests or enjoy a fragrant scent in your home. What if you could turn your air freshener into an attractive décor piece? Well, now you can. By utilizing an empty mason jar and some air freshener beads, you can keep your home smelling clean and mask any unsavoury odors. This is a great idea if you want your scent to be in a specific room or anywhere else you feel is an important place to put an air freshener – these hacks can go virtually anywhere.

If you want to try this out, grab an empty mason jar and some faux flowers. You can find air freshener beads at Amazon for $15.99, while faux flowers are available at Walmart for $12.99. Of course, you can play around with the scent and which flowers you choose. For example, you could experiment with a lavender or orange scent.

To create this nifty DIY air freshener jar, simply open up your air freshener beads and add some to your mason jar before slipping some faux flowers in. Start with a small amount of beads and test to see how you find the strength of the smell. If you feel more is necessary, then you can add some bit by bit until you're happy with the results. When you're done, place it anywhere you want, whether on the kitchen counter or a shelf. However, it is important to note that your nose may get used to the scent over time, and it may not necessarily mean you need to add more if the aroma isn't as strong as it once was. If guests come into your home, they should be able to smell it perfectly fine, even if you can't.

If faux flowers don't quite tickle your fancy, you can always leave the jar on its own or experiment with another type of faux greenery, such as twigs or leaves. For example, you could incorporate these Eucalyptus branches for $16.99 off Amazon, or greenery stems for $21.99. Alternatively, you could do a mix of several different varieties. Of course, it goes without saying that you shouldn't place any real flowers in there. 

In addition to beads, you could also use cotton balls and essential oils to achieve similar effects. However, while the beads smell nice, they don't come without their caveats. For example, the Environmental Health Journal highlights that scented products release volatile organic compounds into the air, contributing to indoor air pollution and potentially triggering headaches, skin irritation, or respiratory problems. While this only affected 34% of participants in a Springer Health: Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health study, these risks are something to keep in mind when deciding if you want to try this or not. If you're sensitive to scented products, then you may want to give this hack a miss, or try using less beads to edge on the side of caution.  

When you're done with your air freshener beads or want to replace them, put them in your trash. When it comes to the packaging itself, you can check if it's eligible for recycling. While there's not much research regarding this particular product and it's effect on the environment, it's always a better idea to play it safe and keep chemicals out of it if you can.