10 Around the Home Perfume Hacks

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Most of us have at least a bottle or two (perhaps more) of perfume around the house. Perhaps we’ve switched scent, or maybe we started using a new bottle before the last one was finished. Rather than leaving these bottles to gather dust on the shelf or dresser, we can put them to good use. With these 10 DIY tricks, you can be sure that not a drop of valuable scent is wasted.

1. Air freshener/Vaporizer

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Pour a few drops of your favorite perfume into a vaporizer to diffuse a hint of your scent into an entire room. If you own multiple bottles of perfumes, you can choose a fragrance perfect for the mood. If you don’t own a vaporizer, you can just boil a little water and pour in a few drops of perfume—the scented steam will work just as well. You can also mix a little distilled water and scent in a spray bottle and use it as a sprayable air freshener (good for the house or the car).

2. Dresser or drawer sachet

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Dab a little bit of your favorite scent onto a few cotton balls or a clean cloth and then put these into a small cotton bag (it needs to be a breathable fabric). Put the scented sachet in a dresser drawer or in your closet. This will eliminate stubborn odors—especially if you keep your dirty laundry and your clean clothes in the same place. Decorate your scented sachets and they make great gifts.

3. Linen Spray

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Mix a little bit of your favorite scent and some distilled water in a spray bottle. If you iron your sheets, spray the mixture on the sheets while you do so. This will set the scent into the fabric nicely. Alternatively, mist your sheets when you put them on your bed. We all love getting into bed when the sheets are clean and crisp; adding our scent to this makes it a next-level pleasure.

4. DIY scented lotion

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Using scented lotion can mask our signature scent (especially if the latter is one of the subtler varieties of perfume). To make your scent an all-over experience, mix in a liberal amount of your perfume into a bottle of unscented lotion. To get the mixture just right, you might want to experiment with a small bottle or two first. Carry a bottle of your scented moisturizer with you for when you want to refresh your scent and moisturize at the same time.

5. Potpourri

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Some of those who have experimented with potpourri have found the lingering scent less than appealing. Still, you might enjoy potpourri as a design feature. By combining your scent with the dried mixture you can keep the room smelling fresh and clean for days at a time. The trick is to start with unscented potpourri—you can find this at most craft stores. Add just a few drops of perfume to the mixture and freshen it up once a week or so.

6. Car freshener

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Fragrance your own car freshener. Keep a bottle of air freshener (a mixture of your signature scent and distilled water) in the glove box or console and freshen up the air whenever it starts to get stale. You can also hang a sachet on the mirror or just leave it sitting on the dashboard. Take inspiration from the things around you or that you like; fury dice, small bunches of dried flowers, luggage tags and don’t forget to top up the scent fairly regularly.

7. Shoe deodorizer

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If you lead an active lifestyle, chances are you’ve got a pair of runners or two that smell like the inside of your gym bag. Spray the inside of your shoes with a mixture of distilled water and perfume, or make a pair of scented sachets that you can leave in your shoes in between uses. Not only will your shoes smell better, so will your feet.

8. Scented Cosmetic Powder

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Turn your cosmetic powder into a vehicle for your signature scent. Spray a little bit of perfume on the powder, leaving plenty of time for it to dry before you apply it. It shouldn’t be a powerful scent; rather, it should be subtle—just a trace of scent will make a noticeable difference. If any of your other cosmetics are scented, be sure that the smells work together well.

9. DIY scented bath oil

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One of the best parts of visiting the spa is the blissful scented baths. Turn your bath at home into a spa-like soaker tub. Find a good unscented bath oil and add as many drops as you need to turn your bathroom into a heavenly scented soaker’s paradise. Use some of the oil on your skin and you’ll smell and feel fantastic when you step out of the tub.

10. Bulb fragrance diffuser

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Bulb fragrance diffusers turn you home’s lightbulbs into a heat source to diffuse essential oils. The effect is similar to the vaporizer, but substantially less expensive. Mix a few drops of your perfume with an unscented or lightly scented essential oil to add your signature fragrance to any room.

With these simple tricks your signature scent will follow you almost everywhere you go. Remember, your perfume is much more than a body spray. It has all kinds of household applications. Put it to work and you’ll never waste a drop again.

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