DIY Reed Diffuser

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!