Homemade Fabric Refresher Spray Like Febreze

I love deodorizing sprays like Febreze, particularly for those days when you walk in the house and can smell everything that just happened in the last 24 hours and some that were even further back than that.

What I don't like is the price!  Depending on where you shop and whether you have coupons, the price is between $3.00 and $5.00 for one bottle.  

There's a much less expensive alternative that works just as well, and you can make it from ingredients you probably have sitting around.  I love using these homemade versions to spray around the house, on the carpets, couches, bedding, and to just randomly squirt throughout a room.

Here are my two versions.  

Homemade Febreze

1 part liquid fabric softener (I like Gain) 

1 part isopropyl or rubbing alcohol  

2 parts water 

Homemade Febreze Recipe #2 

1 part liquid fabric softener  

1 part isopropyl or rubbing alcohol 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

2 parts water 

I use 1/2 cup Gain, 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol, and 1 cup water, but I have made a larger quantity using the same ratios.

Mix well and pour into spray bottle, then spritz wherever odors are evident.

NOTES:
The rubbing alcohol is needed to perform two functions.  The first is to act as an antibacterial.  The second is that it allows the water in the solution to evaporate faster so that splotches of water, resulting in  water circles, are not left on items sprayed.

For the second recipe, the baking soda is, again, optional.  In my experience, it can leave a white, powdery residue on items when dry, but it does help with deodorizing properties.

I hope this economical version is pleasing, and I'd love to know what has worked for you. 

How to Get Rid of That Oniony Smell on Your Hands and on Your Breath

Onions make great and tasty additions to recipes.  A hamburger or hot dog loaded with onions is yummy!  Unfortunately, dealing with the onion odor is another story.  How many times have we avoided onions because we didn't want bad breath or didn't want the smell on our hands?

There's a trick to decreasing the smell, and it's as close as your kitchen sink.  Well, more like your kitchen faucet, especially if it's stainless steel. This works best if it's done immediately after working with onions.  It works for fish and garlic, too.  

Once you're finished handling these items, wet your hands rub them hands over the stainless steel of the kitchen faucet.  Voila!  The vast majority of the onion smell should be neutralized. 

It doesn't have to be the faucet.  Anything stainless steel will work such as a saucepan, the blade of a knife (watch out for cuts), and some places even make these blobs of stainless steel that look like a bar of soap to use for this.  

How do you get rid of onion breath?  Same concept, except use a stainless steel spoon. Place it in your mouth with the bowl of the spoon facing down so that your tongue cups into the bowl and the bottom of the spoon fits against the roof of your mouth.  Let it sit there for a bit, remove the spoon, then swish with water and spit.  I recommend brushing your teeth or chewing gum at this time to get any lingering food particles from inside your mouth. 

For both tricks, it may not take away all the oniony smell, especially onion breath, but it should reduce it significantly.  If you still have the odor, you can do it again.  It will at least make you easier to live with!

The cool thing is this works for garlic and fish, too!