This post was most recently updated on May 18th, 2015
Well, it seems I just cannot stay away from y’all! I’ve got another fun and super helpful tip for you from the Farm …
You know how when someone “goes to the bathroom” in your house and even though you might have air fresheners or sprays or incense or what-have-you in there, the stink just sort of … lingers? Yeah, me, too. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, though. Everybody poops. But nobody wants anybody else to know that they poop. Am I right? And whatever the commercials might tell you, the only thing that could possibly be worse than the “bathroom odor” is the smell of “bathroom odor” tinged with ‘fresh meadow’ … or ‘summer wind’ or ‘pine forest’ or whatever the manufacturer of said air freshening spray/gel/stick/plug-in/wax tart/candle decides to call their supposed stink-erasing product. The truth is that those products might make the rest of your house smell nice but they just do not work in the bathroom.
Y’all may have heard of a revolutionary bathroom product that does actually work. It’s called Poo Pourri and it’s a spray that you spritz on the water in the toilet bowl before any “business” is conducted. The ingredients in the product form a barrier that prevents unpleasant odors from ever rising to the surface, so to speak, making the whole bathroom experience more enjoyable. It’s a good product and works great. But it’s expensive as all get out. And I’m super cheap. Which is not such a great combination. Kind of like the smell of ‘poop meadows’, you know?
In my constant search for more affordable ways to provide my family with the luxury I crave, I decided to figure out a way to make my own bathroom fragrance pre-spray. And guess what? It was so easy and so inexpensive that I had to share it with all y’all, that’s what!
So the main ingredient in the ultra pricey foo foo toilet water – what makes the name brand spray so effective – is essential oil. Yep, the same essential oil I talked about here. When I realized this, I knew making my own spray would be a snap.
First, I tested my theory by asking everyone in my family to drop a couple drops of essential oil into the toilet before they did their thing. And from the Daddy Dog on down to the 6 year old, the result was amazing. No smell. No, “I have to wait for the bathroom to clear out before I can go take my bath.” No, “Oh my Lord! What the heck happened in here?!” Yay! The problem with this particular method, however, was that certain members of my family … ie, my children … were not so careful with the number of drops of oil that went into the water. A 15 ml. bottle of essential oil disappeared pretty quickly.
Since I knew the oil was effective, I thought a spray bottle delivery system would be the way to go. I had a 3 oz. Spray bottle that I’d picked up in the travel section of the Wal Mart a while back so I filled it with water and added about 20 drops of essential oil. I put it in the bathroom and expected the fresh life to continue. But it didn’t. At least not every time. As it turns out, the problem was that the essential oils were separating from the water in the spray bottle, and unless it was shaken prior to each use (something only the grown ups remembered to do), the only thing getting sprayed into the toilet was … water. Not such an effective barrier against icky aromas.
After a little more research I decided to try adding some rubbing alcohol to the mix. When I mixed up my next batch, I added about 2 teaspoons of alcohol, 30-40 drops of essential oil and distilled water to my bottle. The alcohol keeps the oils from separating from the water and makes shaking before each use unnecessary. Which is great since none of my kids give themselves enough time before they really have to go to waste precious seconds shaking a spray bottle.
Now we have a fresh and happy bathroom and I continue to experiment with different oils. So far, I’ve really liked a citrus blend mixed with spearmint – it’s fresh and light, but strong enough to do what it needs to do. I have steered away from flowery oils like rose or geranium, partially because they can be expensive, but also because I just don’t like flowery smells in the bathroom. It seems wrong somehow. But you should use what you love because … well, you love it.
The final recipe that I put in the Household Formula Binder for posterity is as follows:
- 2 teaspoons rubbing alcohol
- 30-40 drops essential oil
- 2-3 oz. Distilled water
Mix it together, spritz about 4 sprays into the toilet before you go and enjoy the moment. Namaste, y’all!
