This post came about from people always asking me,
"How can you afford to travel all over the world?".
My answer is always, "It's the little things!".
If you can save money on many of the small aspects
of your life, you would be amazed how much that
can add up. So many people spend exorbitant amounts
of money on what is wax and chemical scents in candles
and wax melts. There had to be a better answer.
What really prompted me to try something new was this
ceiling! This is the ceiling in what was my daughter's
bedroom. She loved to burn scented candles during her
later high school and college years. These were high
quality (read costly) candles from that nicely scented store
in the mall and from a company that I can only call a
candle empire. It wasn't until we cleared out the room to
paint it that we really noticed how filthy the ceiling looked
from the soot from the candles, we were shocked.
This is what it looked like after vigorous scrubbing ~ not
much better. Luckily with two coats of paint, it was
covered and looks great now but it really made me rethink
the use of scented candles in my home. Like many other
people I do like a nicely scented home and I had used reed
diffusers many times but again, every time I purchased one
the cost was from $10 to $25 and that just seemed like a
waste of money.
So I did a little research online and found out it is
extremely easy to make your own liquid for your
bottle/reed diffusers.
Everything I needed for this DIY was already in
my house:
1/4 cup hot tap water
1/4 cup alcohol (rubbing or vodka)
essential oil (I used a botanical,
non-synthetic oil)
new reeds
I recycled a bottle from a purchased diffuser
This method will evaporate faster than an oil based
method but I didn't have the proper oils in my home.
I will try that method once I have purchased the oil.
I poured the water and vodka into a plastic cup
and swirled it together. I then poured this mixture
into a glass bottle with a shallow neck.
I added 25 drops of essential oil to the jar and
swirled the liquid around. The new reeds I
purchased had straight reeds and more decorative
ones that have swirls at the end. The straight reeds
should be turned around a few times a week to add
more scent to the room.
I used a sweet orange oil that smells so clean and
beautiful. Sometimes the scents from candles or
wax melts can make me feel a bit sick but this scent
is fresh and lovely.
Give it a try! And remember, it's the little things!