How to Make Air Freshener Shapes

How to Make Air Freshener Shapes

Written by
Cindy Novack
Published on
June 8, 2021 at 11:33:33 AM PDT June 8, 2021 at 11:33:33 AM PDTth, June 8, 2021 at 11:33:33 AM PDT

Our air freshener paper and shapes are easy to use and can be decorated with paint, marker, pen, ink, candle dye, embossed, heat transferred, stained etc. The possibilities are endless!


This absorbent, industrial grade paper is the same type that's used by major car air freshener companies at a fraction of the price. The paper and shapes feel like stiff felt, are an off-white color and approx 1/10 inches thick. It can be cut with a sturdy pair of scissors or paper cutter. The finished air fresheners should not be greasy and will provide a strong scent throw.


Watch us talk about these shapes and provide a demo of adding fragrance oil to them!


Here's what you can make with our air freshener shapes:


Car Air Fresheners

Closet Fresheners

Scented Christmas Tree Ornaments

Scented Holiday Greeting Cards

Diaper Pail Fresheners

Scented Party Invitations for Candle and Soap Home Parties

Decorative, fragrant accents tied on gift package bows

Scented Shower Invitations and Birth Announcements

Wedding Favors and/or Place Cards

Locker Fresheners

Scented Picture Frames

Fragranced Magnets


Here's some ideas!


Make air fresheners to match the scents in your existing product lines for an easy, inexpensive add-on sale item.

Great inexpensive, innovative filler item in gift baskets and sets!

Use small pieces (we suggest cutting sheets into 1 inch - 1.5 inch squares) for sniffy samples of your scent offerings to leave with/mail to potential wholesale accounts

Use fragranced shapes (leave some unpackaged!) on your craft show display to make your booth smell wonderful - great for shows where lit candles/potpourri pots aren't allowed. Leave some in the bathroom to inspire potential shoppers.

Hot glue (or rubber cement) a small piece to the lid of jar candles, then add a few drops of fragrance oil for an instant scent sample - customers won't have to open jars to smell your scents!

Simple, quick-to-make item for your fundraisers and home parties (home party guests could customize their own freshener on the spot, then take it home!)

Easily personalized with names, scent names, dates, etc. using appropriate markers or rubber stamp pads.

Also a cool activity for kids, birthday parties, Sunday school, assisted living residents or adult day-care.


Instructions:


1. You will first need to determine if your air freshener will need to be scented before or after you decorate it. To do this you will need to make a sample air freshener with the material that you intend to use and then brush your fragrance onto the decorated portion. We have found the results to vary depending on the product used to decorate the paper. Once you have made sure that your design will not become altered once it is exposed the the fragrance oil - proceed to step 2.


2. Decorate your shape with paint, marker, rubber stamp, iron-on etc. (see more ideas below).


3. You can either brush your fragrance onto the air freshener shape with an inexpensive paint brush or spray it on and hang to dry.


4. Once the oil has soaked into the air freshener shape, punch a hole and use ribbon, string raffia etc. to make a tie on.


5. Package your finished product into a flat cello bag and seal with a label, card etc.


Decorating ideas!


Please always test on a scrap of material to determine compatibility with the decorating materials you want to use, so you don't waste valuable time and supplies. Just be sure not to cover TOO much of the surface of the material - or you'll block the scent throw! (HINT - we've gotten around that in some cases by HIGHLY scenting one side, and decorating the other.) For best results, always allow the material to dry completely after coloring/painting/stamping, then add the fragrance. Here are a few of the ways you can decorate it:


RUBBER STAMP

Use stamp pads made to be permanent on fabric.


DRAW or WRITE

Use markers, paint pens, gel pens, etc. - ***NOTE*** Alcohol-based markers sometimes do NOT work! Markers that are promoted as chemical-resistant have the best chance of standing up to the fragrance oil without running or bleeding.


COLOR

With crayons for a home-spun, handmade look - great project for even the smallest child!


PAINT

Watercolor paints create an abstract look, or use tempera or poster paints for a quick way to get a solid color. And the best part is - they wash up with soap and water, so the kids can have fun and it's still easy for you to clean up!


DYE

Brush on either water-based soap dye or food color, diluted slightly with water if needed to produce the desired color. Don't soak material in the dye mixture - it will take forever to dry, and decrease the amount of fragrance oil the material will hold! If water is used, the material may have a slight tendency to curl as it dries - if you see this starting, simply place a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper over the material, then set something heavy (book, canned goods, etc.) on top of it ... it will take longer to dry this way, but the end product will remain flat. ***NOTE*** Mix your liquid candle dyes with the fragrance oil, then painted it on or dip it to get interesting results. This method creates an uneven, primitive texture that looks really cool! As always, experiment first before making large batches.


SPATTER

Use paints or dye solution (see above) using an old toothbrush! Make sure to do this in the sink or an old cardboard box so the coloring doesn't fly everywhere.


SPRAY

Place the shape in a large bowl or pan with the candle dye and fragrance solution (as described above).


SPRAY PAINT

One brand reported to work very well by one of our customers is FloraLife, which is made for use with silk flowers/fabric.


ADHERE

Decorations on the material (after testing for compatibility with your fragrance oil!) with a hot glue gun or ModPodge. Suggestions include bits of beaded trim, ribbon, gold braid, rickrack, sequins, beads, rhinestones, small mirrored disks, charms - the sky's the limit!


SPARKLE

up the material by drawing borders or designs with washable glitter glue. You can also use spray adhesive, or brush lightly with ModPodge (you can thin it with a few drops of water), then sprinkle with glitter.


SNOW

Frost areas of the material by using brush-on fake snow to create winter scenes - our customers have used Delta brand with beautiful results.


DECOUPAGE

the material using small cutouts from fabric, applied with ModPodge.


IRON ON your favorite photos, clip art, and logos using ink jet transfer paper. Print images with your home inkjet printer, then iron them on to the material. The fragrance will soak through transfer into the absorbent center of the material. (TEST first with your printer and desired fragrance oil to ensure compatibility before making multiple fresheners.) Laser printer transfers DO NOT work with this material.


As with any soap or candle crafting project, TESTING is fun and the key to great results. Results can vary, depending on the combination of decorating materials and fragrance oils, and unfortunately we cannot guarantee how the material will react with your chosen materials. We've found, though, that the experimenting and testing process is the fun part!