This DIY Toilet Spray Keeps Bathrooms Smelling Fresh
A few years back, I received an email from a reader asking if I knew how to make a homemade version of the popular “Poo-Pourri” bathroom spray. If you’re not familiar with this particular product, it’s a spray designed to prevent bathroom odors using a proprietary blend of deodorizing essential oils.
What sets an essential oil bathroom spray like this apart from any other air freshener for bathrooms is that you spray it directly into your toilet bowl. The essential oils form a thin film on top of the water, which acts as a vapor barrier that effectively traps and contains odors. Pretty neat, right?
I was sure I could create a DIY Poo Pourri spray that worked just as well as the name-brand variety, so I did just that!
To put it to the test, I gave a bottle of my homemade essential oil bathroom spray to a friend who put it in the men’s bathroom at his office. A couple of weeks later, he informed me that all of the guys at his office said they wanted a bottle they could use at home, which is about the highest praise I could have hoped for!
Not only does this spray effectively eliminate unpleasant bathroom odors, but it couldn’t be easier to make either. Here’s how you can whip up a batch of what I’m calling my “No. 2 toilet spray”!
How To Make A DIY ‘No. 2’ Toilet Deodorizer Spray
You’ll need:
- 50 drops Simple Clean Essential Oil Blend
- 4 ounces witch hazel
- Small spray bottle
Related: This One Versatile Cleaning Ingredient Can Make 7 Useful DIYs
Directions:
Remove the spray top from the bottle and add the essential oil, using a small funnel if necessary.
Fill the rest of the bottle with witch hazel, then replace the spray top and shake to combine.
I even made the label available as a free PDF so that you can use it too! Download the label using the button in the download box below.
No. 2 Spray Label
Download a label for your No. 2 Spray here! Just print it out, cut it down to size, and apply it to your spray bottle.
How To Use Your No. 2 Toilet Odor Spray
Shake the bottle well before each use, and spray 3-5 times directly into the toilet bowl before you “go.” The oils will create a vapor barrier that will trap offensive odors—it doesn’t get much easier than that!
Praise for the No. 2 Toilet Spray and Simple Clean
I’m not the only one who loves this spray! Just check out these 5-star reviews:
My first attempt at making my own No. 2 Spray and it was successful. Won’t buy the store bought stuff again!
Allison D.
This works great at leaving a pleasant aroma in the bathroom. I used you recipe for the odor eliminator and will be back for the oil blend as needed. Thank you Jillee!!!
Dolores J.
My sister said 1-2 drops in the toilet and throw away your air sprays..She was RIGHT! Took away bad odors. What a great fragrance in the room.
Randye U.
Simple Clean blend is one of my favorites for using all over my house! It’s a blend of lemon, cedarwood, lemongrass, balsam fir, cypress, sweet orange, pine, and tea tree essential oils. It has a great combination of grease-cutting and purifying properties for cleaning your home, and it also just smells fantastic.
Click here to see seven other easy ways to use it, including my favorite DIY all-purpose cleaning spray.
Jillee’s Simple Clean all-purpose cleaning spray recipe smells fantastic and cleans so well. The whole room is freshened up after just wiping down the kitchen counter. This has become my “go to” essential oil blend
Sandra
Hubby loves Simple Clean! I knew I would love it, but it totally took me by surprise when my Hubby came in and said what are you using? It smells great!! Thank you, Jillee, so much! Winning his approval was totally worth the sale!
Debi
I love this blend that really is simple and clean. I have used other brands with a blend similar to this and they have all been too strong. This is perfect!
Kimberly
Still not totally convinced? It might help to know that Simple Clean is backed by my 100% money-back guarantee. If you’re not completely satisfied for any reason, just contact me within 90 days to receive a full refund. So there’s absolutely no risk in trying it out!
More Bathroom Tips & Odor Solutions
Do you have any tips or tricks for avoiding unpleasant bathroom odors?
DIY Toilet Deodorizer Spray (aka Homemade “Poo-Pourri”)
Equipment
- 4-ounce spray bottle
- Small funnel optional
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Witch hazel
- 50 drops Simple Clean Essential Oil Blend or other essential oils
Instructions
- Add the essential oils to your empty spray bottle, with the help of a small funnel if needed.
- Fill the bottle to just shy of full with witch hazel.
- Screw the sprayer onto the bottle and shake to combine.
- Shake the bottle before each use to combat natural separation.
I just use the bottle that it came in. I had bought one before I found out how to make it myself and then just use the same bottle!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you so much for the free pdf for making one’s own label. That’s super helpful
Please log in or create a free account to comment.many of your recipes call for “drops” of your essential oils. But your essential oils are all sold in quanities of ml (milliliters). It would be helpful of adding approximate drops each bottle of your essential oils contains to give us an idea how much of any bottle will last relative to amount needed. i.e. google says: 10ml = a 10 ml dropper bottle should have between 150 and 300 drops with an average of 225.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi! What a great recipe! Thanks for sharing :) I was reading the comments and saw someone talking about replacing witch hazel with glycerine, what would the glycerine be used for?
Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do you have to use a glass bottle for the No. 2 mixture?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I really miss the days when you posted the essential oils for your DIY posts rather than them just being a platform for you to sell your product line. Can you please post the essential oil elements and proportions?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Susan, I am sorry you feel this way. I try to share a variety of diy recipes and store-bought products. I do not promote a product unless I use it myself and truly believe in it and support the use of it. If I do make money off of the product, it is very little and in some cases I do not make anything. As I do use many homemade products, sometimes I come across a product that I really love and want to share it with my readers.
Thank you for sharing your opinion. I have had a dream of launching my own line of essential oils for a long time. I put extensive research into choosing the highest quality oils that would be associated with my name. Prior to launching my line, I would always recommend the brand that I used. I actually feature and recommend many different brand and products in all of my posts. I do this because over time, many people have written and asked what products and brands I use. In this post, the brand of this essential oil blend is my brand. There is never an obligation for anyone to purchase any of the recommended products. I have several other cleaning and beauty recipes that do not include something that I sell. If you notice, I feature specific brands such as Borax, Arm and Hammer Washing Soda and Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap. This is no different than mentioning my brand of Simple Clean Blend. I hope this gives you a better understanding of why I used my Essential Oil Blend.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A lot of the oils on Jillees product pages are custom-made, just like if you were to go to Etsy. Rather than have readers bombarded with a bunch of popup ads while reading her super helpful and often times money saving articles, she has to find other ways to support this website. A website that YOU just visited for free. It costs a lot of money to run a site like this. I applaud the entrepreneurial spirit in her and her team and look forward to her daily emails.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi! I tried the brand witch hazel listed in this post last week and it smelled awful. Is it supposed to smell that way or did I get a bad bottle? It was the first time I’ve tried using witch hazel so I’m curious. Thank you!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.i use wooden matches. the sulpher on the match head expels most unpleasant odors immediately. the sulpher smell itself dissipates quickly. very, very cheap option AND EFFECTIVE.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I agree with peggy. Striking a match or two takes care of most unpleasant odors.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Having matches or anything that starts a fire is NOT a good idea in the bathroom, especially if you keep a lot of towels, cleaners and beauty products.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I can’t seem to get the essential oil needed for No 2 spray delivered to New Zealand. What to use instead?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You can use any essential oil in the recipe and it will work the same.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Been using Jillee’s recipe to refill my bottles. It works great.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Why is the witch hazel necessary?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The essential oils mix into it much better than they do with water :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was also taught to use a few grains of epsom salts in the bottle first, then add essential oils and swish for a few minutes, finish by using warm water and the eo’s stay mixed in. Thank you for the recipe.
I buy Thayer’s witch hazel from WalMart for under $4.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Jilee, if I were to add 1/2 teaspoon of glycerine in the mix, should I reduce the amount of witch hazel?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.No, you don’t need to change the recipe – just go ahead and add the glycerine! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.what is the glycerine for Asha?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.1/2 teaspoon. Its in Asha’s post
She asked what for not how much. I am interested in what the glycerine is for as well.
Any 1 inch label will fit – here are some options: http://amzn.to/2uSuSXa
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Chemical air fresheners aren’t healthy to breath into your lungs. These natural essential oil sprays might be a welcomed change for you, plus they work great. Just remember to shake well to disperse the oils before spraying.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use Dollar Store plastic bottles. The spray nozzles work better, also.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is such a great DIY product!! I have tried Poo-Pouri and this sounds even better. Have you tried any other essential oil mixtures at all? Thanks again.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just love this scent, but you can absolutely experiment with other essential oils :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The spray doesn’t leave any residue behind :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You can use vegetable glycerine or Castile soap. I’ve made a version with the Castile soap because now that our Costco carries Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap I have a ton! But I’ve also seen a version using a bit of dish soap. Witch hazel is fabulous but the alcohol versions are expensive and since this isn’t going on the skin I prefer to use something cheaper. Use whatever essential oils you like! The stuff works amazingly well!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I can’t wait to go poo at someone’s house now!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We’ve been doing something like this for a couple of years now, changing the oils up seasonally to keep it fresh. Works amazing well! We call it Pre-Poo :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I make this item and call it “P ew Dew”. I add vodka with water 50/50, then essential oils. The alcohol evaporates as its sprayed into the air above the toilet. This works better for me. As it allowes for a bit higher concentration of oil falling through the air and hitting the toilet water.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This could be very handy. As always, thank you, Jillee! Another keeper!
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