I made my own homemade room spray, and it lasts longer than any store-bought spray
This homemade room spray is super simple to make and smells simply scrumptious


There is nothing better than a gorgeously scented home and I have been guilty of spending a lot of money on scented sprays in the past. In an effort to be a little more frugal, however, I wanted to try making my own – and I can't get enough.
I am always on a mission to make my home smell nice and have tried several different cleaning tips and methods in an effort to achieve the freshest-smelling space. Adding a room spray is my favorite finishing touch but I wanted to try out an all-natural spray that I could make myself for a truly personalized signature home scent.
I ended up making this scented room spray with a simple essential oil and witch hazel, and I can't believe I didn't try it sooner.
Homemade room spray
Keep reading to learn how I made my homemade room spray with only three ingredients in under five minutes.
You will need:
- A clean spray bottle: I used one of these amber glass bottles from Amazon
- Your favorite essential oil (I used vanilla, but eucalyptus, lavender, geranium, or peppermint would all work beautifully)
- Distilled water
- Unscented witch hazel: available at Walmart
Make your own room spray
There are plenty of fabulously fresh home fragrances you can invest in for your home, but nothing quite beats the satisfaction of making your own and personalizing it to your own home and your tastes. These three simple steps took me less than five minutes to do, and the results were simply scrumptious.
You can also use this mixture to make a reed diffuser if sprays aren’t quite your thing too!
1. Add essential oils to a clean spray bottle
Essential oils form the base of most scented sprays, like lavender pillow spray designed to help with sleep and homemade cleaning sprays.
To make my own scented room spray, I added 30 drops of vanilla essential oil to my clean glass spray bottle to make a spray inspired by freshly baked pastries although you could use any essential oil scent you like, or use different scents for the bathroom and entryway.
Vanilla Essential Oil | $9.99 at Amazon
I love the scent of baked goods in my home, so I opted for a vanilla-scented essential oil for my homemade room spray. This one comes highly rated on Amazon and is a great base for mixing with other scents for a personalized room fragrance too.
2. Mix with an unscented witch hazel
Witch hazel is a woodland plant that is typically used as an astringent wound cleaner, but the natural cleaner is also the perfect binding agent for scented sprays for long-lasting fragrance layering. Made from the leaf, bark, and twigs of the witch hazel plant, the solution helps bind the essential oil to the water to prevent separation.
I simply poured in the witch hazel until the bottle was half full. It is important to select an unscented witch hazel for this to prevent scents from overpowering one another. What's more, unscented witch hazel has a variety of medicinal uses, such as treating skin irritation, making it a good thing to keep in your medicine cabinet.
3. Top up the solution with water
After adding the witch hazel, I filled the second half of the bottle with distilled water (nothing fancy, it was just water that I had previously boiled and allowed to cool down completely). I then shook the bottle with the cap secured to combine it.
My verdict
Having made the spray once I am almost certain I will be making it again. Not only did it linger around my living room far longer than aerosol room sprays I would typically buy, but it is more cost-effective too especially considering that I didn't have to reapply it very frequently.
I think, in the future, I will experiment a little more with different oil blends to create a scent that is truly representative of my tastes to use in my living room and entryway before guests arrive, or after cleaning instead of burning through my candles all the time.
FAQs
How do you make a room spray last longer?
The best way to make a room spray scent hang around longer is to spray it onto linens and furniture in a room as opposed to directly into the air. Infusing your soft furnishings and window treatments will help the scent to linger rather than disperse and leave the space.
What can I use instead of room spray?
If you cannot use room sprays, for instance, if they set off your allergies, some great alternatives include potpourri, pomander balls, or essential oils in a humidifier. You could also use a simmer pot on the stove in the kitchen to infuse your home with a warm spiced scent. These methods avoid releasing small particles into the air that commonly cause allergies or respiratory flare-ups.
This homemade room spray has been a game-changer for me and my home and the added witch hazel helps to prolong its luscious scent while keeping the spray 100% natural. Will you be giving this recipe a go?
Sign up to the Homes & Gardens newsletter
Design expertise in your inbox – from inspiring decorating ideas and beautiful celebrity homes to practical gardening advice and shopping round-ups.

Chiana has been at Homes & Gardens for two years and is our resident 'queen' of non-toxic living. She spends most of her time producing content for the Solved section of the website, helping readers get the most out of their homes through clever decluttering, cleaning, and tidying tips. She was named one of Fixr's top home improvement journalists in 2024.
-
I just unlearned this key design lesson – you can actually put things in front of a window and here's how designers use this space to maximize style and function
Interior designers bust the myth on not blocking windows
-
How to grow a nutmeg tree – professional gardeners reveal the secrets behind cultivating the tropical evergreen for treasured spice
You can get two highly-prized spices from one tree if you live in a warm climate
-
Experts agree that these are the best spring scents to fragrance your home this season
I asked an expert panel of perfumers and florists to share their favorite spring scents to freshen up your interiors
-
Best essential oil diffuser 2025 – tested by a Master Perfumer for every aesthetic and budget
Refresh your interiors with fresh scents for the new season
-
5 ways to get rid of paint smell – options from the pros
Getting rid of the distinctive smell of paint isn’t easy, but there are a few tricks you can employ to get the job done…
-
Are scent beads bad for your washing machine? Here is what experts say to use instead
Laundry and appliance experts explain why scent beads may be bad for your washing machine, and what you can use instead for fresh-smelling laundry without lasting damage
-
How do I stop my vacuum cleaner from smelling?
How to stop a vacuum cleaner from smelling and mistakes to avoid
-
Bad-smelling Christmas tree? 5 expert tips to freshen up your real or artificial tree
Experts explain why a Christmas tree can smell bad, and what you can do to fix it
-
10 easy ways to make your home smell good for Christmas including festive home fragrance and themed cleaning products
We offer ten easy ways to seasonally scent your home for Christmas
-
Transform your home's ambience with the best reed diffusers – recommended by master perfumers, and tested in our homes
Find your signature scent and enjoy it for weeks