I tested 3 DIY room spray recipes to make my home smell nice this fall – and there was one clear winner

When I pictured having my own home, I thought I'd be that person who makes DIY room sprays. Somewhere between worry about the cost, time and skill needed, I put off giving it a go.

But now fall is upon us, I wasn't about to let another cozy season pass without knowing how to make my room smell nice with my own room sprays. I bit the bullet and gave three DIY room spray recipes a go.

I researched easy ones and added my own twists to each, incorporating my favorite fall fragrances. I was pleasantly surprised how affordable and easy it was to customize my own room sprays, and the bourbon rose was my winner.

1. Citrus twist DIY room spray recipe

Citrus scents are popular in many homes, especially for use in the bathroom, as smell so clean and fresh. I decided since it's fall, to combine the scent of lemon with mandarin and ginger to add extra layers of fragrance complexity as well as some warming spice.

What you'll need for a DIY citrus room spray recipe

What you'll need to make my DIY Citrus Twist room spray will cost approximate $2.50 per bottle made, though you may already have most of these at home:

• 1 spray bottle: I live in the UK and the ones I used were similar to the Cornucopia Fine Mist Spray Bottles from Target. You can also wash out a finished bottle of cleaning spray and use that.
• A few drops of essential oil: I used a ginger and mandarin one. The Orange Ginger Cardamon oil from the Eternal Essential Oils set on Amazon would be a good match.
• 1/8 cup of baking soda: Baking soda is available in many stores, such as the Arm & Hammer Baking Soda from Walmart.
• 1/2 a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice: You can grab a fresh Lemon from Walmart for around 60-70c
• 2 cups of hot water (distilled works best but filtered is a good choice too): A gallon of Distilled Water at Target is only $1.39

Method

The method to create this room spray is simple, but I had to keep reminding myself not to be too heavy handed with the essential oil. If you're working with a couple of different scents like this recipe does, it's important not to go overboard with the oil as scents can overpower each other.

Start by measuring your baking soda into a clean measuring jug such as the Pyrex 2 Cup Glass Measuring Cup from Walmart for easy pouring later, and combining it with two cups of hot water. The heat of the water will dissolve your baking soda, ensuring that bits of grit don't stay in your final room spray solution.

After your baking soda has dissolved in the hot water (you can stir it to help it happen faster), add in the juice of half of a lemon and your carefully measured drops of essential oil.

From this point you just need to let the mixture cool down to room temperature before transferring it into a spray bottle of your choice. You will have around two cups worth of your room spray, plus a little more due to the liquid from the lemon.

Make sure to always shake your room spray well before use.

My verdict on the Citrus Twist room spray recipe

Out of the three recipes I had lined up to try, I predicted that this one would bring the strongest scent into a room, as citrus cleaning products tend to be quite intense and one of people's top choices when it comes to cleaning tips. However, it was the weakest of all, and rather disappointing.

After waiting half an hour for the boiled water to cool and another 10 minutes to make it, a light scent that quickly dissipated was the result of the spray mixture. The jug of leftover mixture itself smelled amazing but when sprayed that same intense lemon with a tinge of spice didn't really fill the room.

This recipe may work better in a diffuser, but since we were hoping for a room spray, I decided to try tweaking the recipe to more of a simmer pot recipe in hopes of boosting the longevity of the lemon scent's staying power. I tried boiling slices of a whole lemon and a whole mandarin orange in water for 10 minutes, then mixed in two tablespoons of witch hazel and my drops of essential oil after the mixture cooled down. I didn't include the baking soda in my recipe tweak.

The room smelled great with the simmer pot bubbling, and the witch hazel clearly did something to assist the recipe, as the scent when sprayed in two rooms now stayed for far longer. In a small bathroom with an extractor fan the scent lingered for around an hour prominently, and the same in a medium bedroom with a closed door.

The scent was light and not at all like a lemon-scented cleaning product, with a hint of warmth from the ginger in the essential oil. If I made this again I would add in more essential oil as the oil scent seemed to be the first note to dissipate out of the spray, but the air in the rooms I sprayed smelled fresher for hours after being sprayed, despite the scent becoming subtle.

An ideal smell for a bathroom, stuffy room, or perhaps a kitchen to help cut through the smell of food. It was definitely worth tweaking the recipe and spending an extra five minutes to chop up fruit and add in witch hazel.

2. Fireside Fragrance DIY room spray recipe

When I came across an essential oil in the store called 'Smokey Fireside', I hoped it would make the perfect fall-themed DIY room spray. During my research into simple recipes, I learned creating a spray using isopropyl alcohol can make your DIY sprays last longer, so I decided to give it a try and compare it against the result of my other recipes.

What you'll need for a DIY Fireside Fragrance room spray recipe

The approximate cost per bottle for this one is $2 - $3. As with the Citrus Twist, this cost will be lower if you already have some or all of these items at home.

• 1 spray bottle
• 1 cup of water
• 1/4 cup of isopropyl alcohol (or alternatively witch hazel): Equate 70% Isopropyl Alcohol from Walmart is $2.96 for a 32 fl oz bottle, and you definitely won't need all of it.
• 20-30 drops of essential oil: My chosen fragrance 'Smokey Fireside' shares scent notes with the oils in the Woolzies Top 3 Cozy Fireside Essential Oils set on Amazon.

Method

All that is needed for this homemade room spray is to combine everything together in any order and shake it up. As I was putting in the essential oil drops I felt sceptical that the spray would turn out well because going from using two or three drops in the Citrus Twist DIY room spray to 30 here seemed like a huge leap. However, since the recipe contains alcohol, I hoped the the fragrance of the essential oils would help balance the smells.

It truly did sound like the quickest room spray recipe ever as well, so I was keen to see how it would turn out.

My verdict on the Fireside Fragrance DIY room spray recipe

This recipe was the quickest to make at only five minutes. For the little time and effort it needed, the DIY room spray was nice, emitting a subtle spiced woody scent, but it didn't stay in the air for much more than 10 minutes.

I tried adding in more drops of essential oil which barely helped, but after some experimenting I discovered that the aroma seemed to work better as a DIY linen spray, lasting subtly for over an hour when sprayed onto a throw pillow. I can imagine this solution being sprayed onto living room curtains to make your home smell like fall. However, unless you use quite a bit of it, it will be extremely subtle, though pleasant.

The recipe may have worked better using witch hazel or perhaps a stronger, more expensive brand of essential oil. Or alternatively, if you want to make a reed diffuser, allowing this subtle mixture to consistently enter your space will keep its scent in the room.

3. Bourbon Rose DIY room spray recipe

The roses in my garden are still clinging onto the last of the sunshine before autumn takes over, so it felt like a great time to try out a natural rose home fragrance. Adding in hints of bourbon and vanilla through essential oils sounded like the ideal cozy home fragrance combination.

What you'll need for a DIY Bourbon Rose room spray recipe

Approximate cost is $2 worth of ingredients per bottle. If you have fresh rose petals in your yard to use, you don't need to work them into your overall cost. However, if you don't, or yours aren't blooming at the moment, pick up a cheap bouquet of roses from your local store.

• 1 spray bottle
• Fresh rose petals: You can used two level tablespoons of dried petals instead but a handful of fresh ones will create a better fragrance. It will be more affordable to buy them in-store for a few dollars instead as online shops tend to sell display or gift bouquets.
• 2 tablespoons of witch hazel: Available at Walmart
• 3 drops of essential oil: I chose bourbon vanilla. The Craft Premium Fragrance Oil from Amazon comes with two great scents, one of which matches mine perfectly. But if you would rather opt for a super strong one, the Pure Vanilla Essential Oil from Amazon should do the trick.

Method

The method for a spray using flower petals tends to take longer to create than other recipes as you need to patiently let the aroma of the plant infuse with boiling water, and then allow your liquid adequate time to cool down. But when it comes to tricks people with nice-smelling homes always use, I'm more than willing to put the time aside.

Start by boiling a handful of rose petals in water on a stove for around 10 minutes. Your water should start to take on a yellow-ish hue by the time it has finished boiling. The petals will also appear translucent.

Next, strain out the petals from your rose water and add the solution into a clean measuring jug. Then, into this mixture, stir in two tablespoons of witch hazel. It's optional to add in essential oils but if you wish to do so like I did, add those drops in at this stage as well.

Once the mixture has had time to cool down to room temperature, pour it into a spray bottle. Shake it well before use.

My verdict on the Bourbon Rose DIY room spray recipe

By far this spray is my favorite, and one I plan to keep hold of to use again and again. It's sweet, light and easy on the nose. I tested the spray out in a small bathroom with an extractor fan as well as in my bedroom with the door closed. Even with the extractor fan, the rose-bourbon-vanilla combo stayed in the bathroom prominently for around an hour and a half, and subtly for a couple of hours after that.

The smell stayed present in the bedroom prominently for hours but on some scale for the majority of the day. I recommend fragrance-layering some essential oil drops into this spray even though it's optional as the notes of bourbon and vanilla really did come through without overpowering the rose.

Waiting half an hour for the water the rose petals boiled in to cool down at first felt like a long time. However, for the result it will give you, it's definitely worth the forty-five minutes it took in total with boiling and making to have this room spray. I'm excited to make this again and to experiment with different essential oil add-ins.

My conclusion

My main takeaway from my first-time DIY room spray making experience would be:

• Don't doubt all-natural ingredients such as witch hazel until you've tried them. You may be pleasantly surprised and those sorts of recipes have been around historically for a long time for good reason.
• If you're experimenting with different scents, try to find cheap ones to test out like I did. However, if you know what you want, invest in a bottle at a higher price point. My set of six essential oils was around $6, but spending money on one better oil would be worth it for a scent that may last longer in the air. The Campo Manifest Pure Essential Oil Kit from Anthropologie comes with some great scents including lime, mandarin, ceder wood and mulberry.
• Don't be afraid to tweak recipes you find online if they aren't working for you, so long as it isn't a safety hazard. If you desire a stronger scent, add in more essential oil more natural ingredients such as a second lemon or handful of rose petals.

Now you have unlocked the key to creating your own simple room sprays, why not start thinking about which rooms you want to use them in, as well as other tips to have nice-smelling rooms? These things that people with nice-smelling mud rooms always do are easy to incorporate into your life and will banish any shoe-related odors in a flash.