DIY Gelatin Air Fresheners
During the fall season, people often associate certain scents with the changing weather, holidays, and seasonal activities. These homemade air fresheners are a way to evoke a sense of nostalgia and warmth - capturing the essence of fall in any room in your home or workspace. Making these out of gelatin allows for a slow release of the scent into the air - they make perfect gifts for others or provide a fun and easy idea for a DIY activity.
This recipe makes approximately 10 4 oz jars of room freshener, but feel free to adjust the recipe for more or less.
You will need:
• 8 Packs of Gelatin
• 1 Pot and wire whisk
• 4 cups water
• 4 TBSP Salt, to protect from mold
• Essential oils - 1/2 - 1 tsp per jar
• Food coloring or natural dye
• 10 Heat resistant 4 oz jars containers, like small jars with lids
• Mason jar frogs, fabric or card stock
Place 4 cups of water in a pot and sprinkle gelatin over top. Let it sit for 1 minute and begin to heat the water on medium heat. Use a wire whisk to stir the gelatin into the water, do this slowly to reduce the risk of clumps. Remove from heat an add the salt while it’s still warm and stir until salt dissolves. If you have clumps in the gelatin, don’t worry - you can strain it once it’s cool. (I have strained mine every time I make it.). Do not forget the salt as it acts as a preservative to keep mold from forming!
Allow the gelatin mixture to cool slightly, but not set. You can either pour the gelatin mixture into your individual containers and add scents separately or create one large batch in a mixing bowl and divide it up later. It’s fun to have a variety of colors and scents, especially if you’ll be gifting them, so I generally do each jar individually.
Add the dye or colorant and scent directly to the jars and stir to combine. If doing one large batch (one color/scent) to divide between containers, add your desired essential oils directly to this mixture. I have found that I use about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of scent per jar, but you can adjust according to your preference. Place your jars on a flat surface and allow them to cool. Be sure to leave some space at the tops of your jars, especially if you will be adding decorations directly to the gelatin. (Placing them in the refrigerator will help them to set more quickly.)
If you want to add decorations inside the gelatin, you place your objects in the jar first and then pour the gelatin mixture over them. Another option is to chill gelatin in the jars for about 30 minutes before pushing the object into the gelatin so that it is somewhat “suspended”. Be creative and have fun with these!
There are so many ways to dye your gelatin!
A few options for how to dye your gelatin and listed below:
• Food coloring
• Natural food dye or gel, some even have glitter
• Vegetables with bold colors such as beets or cabbage
• Turmeric powder
How to create natural dyes with vegetables
Beet dye produces a beautiful and natural red color that can be used for dyeing fabric, yarn, Easter eggs, and these air fresheners! The process for making it is a simple method:
Ingredients and Materials:
• Beets (fresh or canned)
• Water
• Pot
• Strainer
• Bowl or container
If using fresh beets, wash them thoroughly to remove any dirt or debris. Peel the beets to expose the vibrant red flesh. Chop the beets into small pieces to increase the surface area and allow for better extraction of the dye.
Place the chopped beets in a pot and cover them with water. Use enough water to fully submerge the beets. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and let the beets simmer for about 30-60 minutes. The longer you simmer the beets, the stronger the dye will be.
Once the beets have simmered and released their color into the water, remove the pot from the heat. Carefully strain the beet mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl or container being careful not to splash the red liquid onto anything as it will stain! Let the beet dye cool to room temperature before adding it to your gelatin - you can store any excess dye in a sealed container in the refrigerator for future use.
To create purples and blues, you can use this same process with purple cabbage. Additionally, mixing turmeric powder with hot water will create another vibrant color of dye - yellows and golden orange, which are perfect for the fall season! If you mix a few drop of this yellow with a few of the red beet dye, it makes a beautiful orange.
Jar Topper Ideas:
There are many types of frogs that you can purchase for jars of all sizes. Frog allow the scent to gradually escape from your room freshener, but you could also use a piece of card stock with a design on it or some pretty, seasonal fabric. I had a lot of fun cutting out seasonal jar toppers from acrylic to fit atop these.