One of the best things about a clean home is a crisp, fresh scent. It’s so nice to walk into a room and smell lavender, lemon and fir. This is especially true in areas where people spend a lot of time, like the living room. Natural ingredients are perfect for freshening a room.
The Natural Carpet Refresher is made with baking soda and cornstarch, which absorb odors. The recipe also contains washing soda, which can help get rid of carpet stains. A mixture of lavender 40/42 essential oil and lemon essential oil add a relaxing citrus scent. To use, lightly sprinkle the powder on a carpet or rug, let sit for 5-10 minutes, vacuum and enjoy the pleasant aroma!
Like any cleaning product, make sure to keep it away from children and pets. You don’t want anybody walking on the rug or carpet after the product has been sprinkled on. Make sure to vacuum the powder up thoroughly – in our tests we went over the carpet twice to be extra careful. In addition, you should test a small area of your rug or carpet with the powder before covering the entire surface. The amount of essential oil in this recipe is quite small, but you want to make sure it will not leave any oil marks on your floor before using. In addition, you can download and print these free Natural Cleaning Labels to give your products a professional look.
What You’ll Need:
2 Tall 8 oz. Plastic Bail Jars
2 cups Baking Soda
1/4 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup Cornstarch
3 mL Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
3 mL Lemon Essential Oil
Droppers
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ONE: In a mixing bowl, add the baking soda and washing soda. Washing soda can cause skin irritation, so we recommend wearing gloves and long sleeves when working with it. It can also irritate the nose and throat, so you can wear a mask if you like. If necessary, sift the baking soda through a fine mesh strainer to remove any clumps.
TWO: Add the cornstarch and mix the powders together.
THREE: Add the lemon and lavender essential oils and use a whisk or your hands to thoroughly mix the oils into the dry powders. Make sure to blend well! You don’t want any oil chunks in the mixture that could transfer to your carpet.
FOUR: Place the mixture into jars to store. When you’re ready to use, sprinkle a small amount of the powder onto your carpet or rug. Allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes to help absorb odors. Make sure children and pets are nowhere near the area, as the mixture could be irritating if it comes in contact with the skin or if it’s ingested. Then, thoroughly vacuum the carpet to suck up the powder.
NOTE: You should test the mixture on a small area of the rug or carpet to be sure you are happy with the results. In our tests, the essential oils did not stain rugs or carpet, but I suggest a small test to ensure you’re happy with the results on your floor.
Wax tarts are another great way to make your home smell fresh in between cleanings. These melts are scented with lavender 40/42 essential oil and fir needle essential oil. The lavender has a light floral, earthy scent and the fir is a traditional pine scent. You can use the tarts one at a time, or pop both in the warmer for a fresh blend. Best of all, wax tarts are easy to create and make great gifts.
What You’ll Need:
Lotus Blossom Wax Tart Mold
Pine Cone Wax Tart Mold
Spiral Flowers Tealight Warmer
10.4 oz. EcoSoya Advanced Soy Wax
.7 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
.7 oz. Fir Needle Essential Oil, Siberian
Purple Wax Dye Block
Hunter Green Wax Dye Block
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ONE: In a heat-safe container, melt 10.4 ounces of EcoSoya Advanced Soy Wax in the microwave on 30 second bursts until completely liquid. Split the wax evenly between two containers. To one container, add shavings of the Purple Wax Dye Block and stir with a spoon to fully incorporate.
TWO: To test the color, dip a cold spoon into the wax. This allows you to see what the wax will look like after it cools and hardens. Read more about the spoon trick here. If necessary, add more Purple Wax Dye Block until a purple hue is achieved.
THREE: To the other container, add shavings of the Hunter Green Wax Dye Block and stir with a spoon to fully incorporate. Test the color with another cold spoon. If necessary, add more shavings until a green color is achieved.
FOUR: To the green container, add the fir needle essential oil. To the purple container, add the lavender 40/42 essential oil. Stir both containers to fully combine the essential oil.
FIVE: Let the wax cool to around 140 ° F so it doesn’t warp the plastic mold. Pour the purple wax into the Lotus Blossom Mold.
SIX: Pour the green wax into the Pine Cone Wax Tart Mold. Set both molds aside and let fully cool and harden. This will take several hours.
SEVEN: Once the wax has hardened, remove them from the mold. Place them in a tealight warmer and enjoy!
What’s your favorite way to freshen up your living space?
- 2 Tall 8 oz. Plastic Bail Jars
- 2 cups Baking Soda
- ¼ cup Washing Soda
- ¼ cup Cornstarch
- 3 mL Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
- 3 mL Lemon Essential Oil
- Droppers
- In a mixing bowl, add the baking soda and washing soda. Washing soda can cause skin irritation, so we recommend wearing gloves and long sleeves when working with it. It can also irritate the nose and throat, so you can wear a mask if you like. If necessary, sift the baking soda through a fine mesh strainer to remove any clumps.
- Add the cornstarch and mix the powders together.
- Add the lemon and lavender essential oils and use a whisk or your hands to thoroughly mix the oils into the dry powders. Place the mixture into jars to store. When you’re ready to use, sprinkle a small amount of the powder onto your carpet or rug. Allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes to help absorb odors. Make sure children and pets are nowhere near the area, as the mixture could be irritating if it comes in contact with the skin or if it’s ingested. Then, thoroughly vacuum the carpet to suck up the powder.
- Lotus Blossom Wax Tart Mold
- Pine Cone Wax Tart Mold
- Spiral Flowers Tealight Warmer
- 10.4 oz. EcoSoya Advanced Soy Wax
- .7 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
- .7 oz. Fir Needle Essential Oil, Siberian
- Purple Wax Dye Block
- Hunter Green Wax Dye Block
- In a heat-safe container, melt 10.4 ounces of EcoSoya Advanced Soy Wax in the microwave on 20 second bursts until completely liquid. Split the wax evenly between two containers. To one container, add shavings of the Purple Wax Dye Block and stir with a spoon to fully incorporate.
- To test the color, dip a cold spoon into the wax. This allows you to see what the wax will look like after it cools and hardens. If necessary, add more Purple Wax Dye Block until a purple hue is achieved.
- To the other container, add shavings of the Hunter Green Wax Dye Block and stir with a spoon to fully incorporate. Test the color with another cold spoon. If necessary, add more shavings until a green color is achieved.
- To the green container, add the fir needle essential oil. To the purple container, add the lavender 40/42 essential oil. Stir both containers to fully combine the essential oil.
- Let the wax cool to around 140 ° F so it doesn’t warp the plastic mold. Pour the purple wax into the Lotus Blossom Mold.
- Pour the green wax into the Pine Cone Wax Tart Mold. Set both molds aside and let fully cool and harden. This will take several hours.
- Once the wax has hardened, place them in a tealight warmer and enjoy!
WHEN MAKING THESE CAN YOU USE FRAGRANCE OIL?
Absolutely! You can use any fragrance you like for the wax tarts. We do recommend a small test wax tart to make sure the fragrance smells nice when it’s warmed. As for the carpet freshener, make sure to test it on an area of the carpet to make sure the fragrance doesn’t color or stain the carpet at all. 🙂
Fragrance oils: https://www.brambleberry.com/Fragrance-Oils-C161.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
If I don’t have washing soda, is there a way to make my own?
Baking soda on its own helps absorb odors, so you can try this recipe without washing soda! I would recommend making a small test batch to see how it works on your carpet without the washing soda. Because you’re adding less powder, I would also recommend adding a mL less of the essential oil so it’s not too strong. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Can you do this without the cornstarch?
Hi Cassandra!
We haven’t tested this recipe without the cornstarch so I’m not entirely sure! We added the cornstarch to help absorb odors. I think it would be OK to leave it out. I would recommend making a small test batch and giving it a try on the carpet to see what you think. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
hi there,,,how many tart molds do u get if it makes 8? do i have to buy extra molds?
Hi B!
The wax tart recipe fills up two molds! Each mold has 8 cavities, so you will get a total of 16 wax tarts. If you’d like more, you can buy extra molds. You can also make them in batches, and reuse the same molds. 🙂
Pine Cone Wax Tart Mold: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pine-Cone-Wax-Tart-P5558.aspx
Lotus Blossom Wax Tart Mold: https://www.brambleberry.com/Lotus-Blossom-Wax-Tart-Mold-P5557.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Do you find you need to cure your wax tarts for maximum scent throw?
Hi Mary!
We like to let our wax tarts sit for 1-2 days to fully set up. We find that gives us really nice scent throw!
Get more candle and wax tart tips in this post: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/home-crafts/candles-q/
It can also help to use our candle and soap scents. They’re specifically formulated for candles and wax tarts, so the scent fills the room nicely. 🙂
Candle and soap scents: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/home-crafts/candles-q/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
hi,,,how many wax molds does it make?
Hi there!
This recipe makes 16 wax tarts total! The Lotus Blossom and Pine Cone Wax Tart Molds both have 8 cavities that hold .65 oz. of wax each. 🙂
Lotus Blossom Wax Tart Mold: https://www.brambleberry.com/Lotus-Blossom-Wax-Tart-Mold-P5557.aspx
Pine Cone Wax Tart Mold: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pine-Cone-Wax-Tart-P5558.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thank you for sharing these recipes!! I have been using a homemade carpet fresh for years. I just wanted to say that I have a Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner. It’s a water filtration system, so the washing soda would probably cause a bubbly mess! I haven’t tried it, so I’m not certain. I think we can agree that washing soda plus water equals bubbles which would not be good with a Rainbow. I wasn’t sure if you were familiar with this type of vacuum, so I figured I would post. You are my Guru, thank you so much for all that you do for handmade bath and body people like myself.
Thanks,
Nancy
Hi Nancy!
You’re welcome, thanks for your comment! I think you’re right – washing soda may bubble with the water filtration system. I would recommend leaving it out of this recipe with the Rainbow vacuum, and trying a small amount of it on your carpet to see how it works. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Great recipes, thank you for sharing your lovely creations. Do you have any recipe(s) for making liquid potpourri which goes into the electric potpourri pot?
Hi LC!
You’re welcome, thanks so much for your sweet comment! We have a recipe for Lavender and Orange Simmering Potpourri you may like. It smells amazing. 🙂
Lavender and Orange Simmering Potpourri: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/natural-cleaners-for-the-kitchen-free-label-template/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
The amount of essential oils for wax tarts shows 0.7 oz. in one place and 0.4 oz. in another.
Thanks for catching that Martina! It has been updated 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry