Life

Our Frugalista Amrita Singh loves to save money and experiment with homemade solutions. This time around she taught us how to make different scented items, and we decided as a group whether or not each one make sense.

DIY Gel Air Freshener

(made famous by TipNut.com)

Verdict? Make them!

Ingredients

2 cups water
4 packages Gelatin (plain)
1 tsp essential oils
1-2 T salt
Food Colouring

Instructions

1. Pour packets of gelatin and salt into a large glass mixing bowl.
2. Add 1 cup of boiling water, stir to dissolve .
3. Add food colouring as desired.
4. Add 1 cup cold water and stir gently to avoid air bubbles.
5. Add essential oil and give one last swish.
6. Pour gelatin into containers of your choice and let set at room temperature (or in the fridge).

The salt in this recipe is used to help combat mold, so please make sure to add it.

Scented Rocks

(made famous by make-stuff.com but adjusted over the years by others)

Verdict? Make them!

Ingredients

1 ½ cups white flour
¼ cup salt
¼ tsp cornstarch
2/3 cup water, brought to a boil
1 Tbs essential oil or blend for fragrance
2 tbs dried herbs if desired

Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.
2. Stir in fragrance oil and coloring to boiling water and pour over the dry ingredients.
3. Stir until a ball of dough is formed.
4. Knead the dough until it is smooth like pastry dough.
5. Pinch pieces of the dough off the main ball and roll into small balls. You can make them any size you like.
6. You can also roll the dough out and cut it with cookie cutters at this point.
7. Let dry completely before using or giving.

Vanilla-Cardamom Body Mist

(hopefully made "famous" by us!)

Verdict? Make it!

Ingredients

6 cardamom seeds (green)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup water

Instructions

1. Crack cardomom seeds to expose pods.
2. Put all bits of cardomom into a small saucepan with water and bring to a gentle boil, then remove from heat.
3. Let cardamom water cool completely.
4. Transfer scented water into a spray bottle.
5. Add vanilla extract, seal spray bottle and shake.
6. Adjust amount of vanilla extract to your liking.

Scented Rice Sachets

(original source unknown -- there are many different posts about them online!)

Verdict? Make them!

Ingredients

1/2 cup non-instant white rice (basmati, jasmine, long-grain, etc)
1/ tsp essential oils
Cloth bags

Instructions

1. Pour rice into a shallow and wide dish
2. Drizzle essential oils onto rice
3. Stir well so rice is coated
4. Cover loosely with papertowel and let stand at room temperature overnight to dry
5. Place scented rice into cloth bags.