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DIY Poo Pourri Spray

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I wanted to figure out how to make DIY Poo Pourri Spray after I shelled out almost $20 to restock the store-bought version for our guest bathroom. Not only is the original brand very cleverly named, the product itself is remarkable.

DIY Poo Pourri Spray in a plastic spray bottle on a white table with a wooden trivet, bottles of essential oils and a green cloth in the background

How to Use Poo Pourri

Simply spray a few spritzes into the toilet bowl before using it, and you effectively thwart any odors associated with bathroom activities. This is something I REALLY appreciate given how often we entertain dozens of people in our home and how many times we travel as a family and have to share a single bathroom.

DIY Poo Pourri Spray in a plastic spray bottle on a white table with a wooden trivet, bottles of essential oils and a green cloth in the background

How Does Poo Pourri Work?

After I discovered the magic of Poo Pourri I, of course, wanted to understand how it worked. How did this little miracle spray manage to do so much?

It’s really simple, actually. Poo Pourri is an all-natural blend of essential oils. When you spray the oils in your toilet bowl, they create a film that creates a barrier on the surface of the water. That barrier keeps yucky smells trapped below the surface so that all you smell are the pleasant scents of the oils.

How to Make DIY Poo Pourri Spray

As you may or may not know, I have a decent supply of essential oils in my effort to introduce more natural solutions in my non-crunchy home, like this Natural Homemade Bubble Bath. So, I realized I could make a DIY Poo Pourri spray with things I already had on hand. Not only would this save me money, but I am never at risk of running out of Poo Pourri again.

All you need to make your own DIY Poo Pourri spray are some essential oils, water, a little bit of vodka and some dish soap. Plus, you’ll need a spray bottle to keep it all in.

bottles of essential oils, metal cups, plastic spray bottle, measuring cup on a white table

First, you need to add the water to the spray bottle. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup, but use less if necessary to leave enough room for the remaining ingredients.

water being poured into a plastic spray bottle on a white table with bottles of essential oils and a metal cup in the background

Next, add one teaspoon of vodka to the water in the spray bottle. Don’t have vodka? Don’t worry, you can substitute rubbing alcohol.

After you’ve added the vodka, add one teaspoon of dish soap.

a hand pouring dish soap from a metal cup into a spray bottle on a white table with bottles of essential oils and another metal cup in the background

Now it’s time to add the oils. You’ll want to use about 30 total drops. For a pleasant floral scent, I used 10 drops each of jasmine, lavender and geranium oil.

a hand adding essential oil into a spray bottle of poo pourri on a white table.

After you’ve added the oils, place the sprayer in place and seal tightly. Then, shake to combine the ingredients.

That’s it! Your DIY Poo Pourri Spray is ready to use!

DIY Poo Pourri Spray in a plastic spray bottle on a white table with a wooden trivet, bottles of essential oils and a green cloth in the background

 

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4.43 from 397 votes

DIY Poo Pourri Spray

If you haven't tried this stuff, you need to!
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes

Materials

  • 4 oz. Spray bottle
  • ยฝ c. Water
  • 10 drops Jasmine essential oil
  • 10 drops Lavender essential oil
  • 10 drops Geranium essential oil
  • 1 teaspoon Vodka can substitute rubbing alcohol
  • 1 teaspoon Dish soap

Instructions

  • Fill a 4 ounce spray bottle mostly full with a ยฝ cup of water. You may not need to use the entire ยฝ cup of water, you want to leave enough space at the top of the bottle to put in the other ingredients.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of Vodka to the spray bottle. You can substitute this ingredient with rubbing alcohol if you prefer.
  • Pour in 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap.
  • Mix in 10 drops of jasmine essential oil.
  • Place 10 drops of lavender essential oil into the spray bottle.
  • Add in 10 drops of geranium essential oil.
  • Replace the lid on the spray bottle and shake well until the oil has been incorporated. You will need to shake the bottle before each use.
  • For best results, apply 5-10 sprays of the mixture to the water inside the toilet bowl before using the restroom. You can use several sprays on the surface of the water after flushing the toilet as well to freshen up the bathroom.

72 thoughts on “DIY Poo Pourri Spray”

  1. Thank you for sharing. Iโ€™m going to try this for sure. Question is..does it matter which dish soap?

    Reply
    • No, the brand of dish soap doesn’t significantly matter when making a DIY Poo Pourri spray. The dish soap is included for its grease-cutting and cleansing properties, which help disperse the essential oils in the water. However, you might want to choose one that has a neutral or pleasant scent so it doesnโ€™t clash with the essential oils you’re using; or is clear or lightly colored to keep the spray aesthetically clean and transparent.

      Reply
  2. 5 stars
    As a person who lives with 2 males and has bought the original of this, I can say that this recipe is fantastic. Works exactly as promised, and the thing is, the commercial version is, shall we say, slightly expensive. Well worth trying.

    Reply
    • I’m glad it works for your family, and that you found it to be less expensive than the commercial version. Thanks for commenting and letting us know.

      Reply
  3. Thank you for sharing ,i am going to try all that i have learned here

    Reply
    • I hope you like using the DIY Poo Pourri Spray. Thanks for commenting.

      Reply
    • The dish soap helps the oil and water combine because otherwise they separate in the bottle. That separation will also keep the spray mechanism from clogging. The dish soap also provides additional odor absorption. You could swap it out for liquid castile soap or vegetable glycerin.

      Reply
      • The rubbing alcohol or vodka (high proof) is what keeps the essential oil and water combined and sprayable – no need to the soap

        Reply
  4. 5 stars
    Eucalyptus oil is good in this. Also for a spray bottle, buy the real stuff once & refill with homemade when you run out.

    Reply
    • Thanks for the great tips! I appreciate your comment.

      Reply
    • Thanks for the tip! Can you use plastic spray bottle or glass?

      Reply
  5. Is the mixture supposed to look milky? I substituted with fragrance oil but the mixture is not milky like the yours.

    Reply
    • It’s not milky. I think it just appears that way in the image because of the bottle.

      Reply
      • Iโ€™m new to essential oils and first time hearing of fragrance oils. Where can they be purchased?

        Reply
  6. 5 stars
    Thank you!! This recipe is perfect. I used jasmine, lavender, lemongrass, and tee tree oils. It smells great! The jasmine was a fragrance oil, not essential oil and it still worked great. I wouldn’t want to use fragrance oil in anything for my body so I’m glad to be able to use it up this way ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Thanks for sharing what oils you used. I’m sure our readers will be happy to know that a fragrance oil can work too. Thanks for commenting.

      Reply
  7. I use a solid dish soap bar, is it possible to sub with shampoo?

    Reply
    • Since many shampoos work on eliminating oil from your hair, they should work just as well here with the oils. Haven’t tried it myself so can’t attest to the result, but I think it would work.

      Reply
  8. 5 stars
    Thanks so much for your post!
    1. I was wondering if I can use unscented liquid castille soap instead of dish detergent in this recipe.
    2. I also wanted to know, since the oil is what is creating the barrier, if I can use fragrance oil instead of essential oils.

    I am really looking forward to your response and trying this out. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Hi Jessie, I think you could sub in the liquid castile soap and fragrance oils. I haven’t tried it with castile soap but it is a common dish detergent swap so should work the same in this recipe.

      Reply
  9. 5 stars
    The skeptics about this working were very pleasantly surprised to find that it works great! Making some for the marrieds for Christmas! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Well, I’m glad even the skeptics found out this works great. Thanks for commenting and letting me know.

      Reply
    • The alcohol is a stabilizer, but you can substitute rubbing alcohol or witch hazel instead.

      Reply
  10. 5 stars
    Is the alcohol/vodka absolutely necessary? I have none at home.
    The only available alcoholic beverage I have is dark Rum.

    Reply
    • The alcohol is a stabilizer, but you can substitute rubbing alcohol or witch hazel instead.

      Reply
  11. Hello, will the smell be altered by the scent of the dishwashing soap?

    Reply
    • If you use a scented dish soap then the smell will be altered. I use the regular Dawn dishwashing soap, and it doesn’t alter the scent.

      Reply
  12. Thank you. Iโ€™ll be using Bergamot Lemongrass and Lemon I hope my combo works. Iโ€™ll be saving a lot of money

    Reply
    • That sounds like a good combination. I’m glad it will help you save money. Thanks for commenting.

      Reply
  13. Thanks soo much for the recipe. Can anyone help with a recipe to make it non-scented. The scent is too tough for me. Just a natural odor eliminator. Would be highly appreciated.

    Reply
    • If you scroll through the comments, you’ll see that Kay asked the same question, and she actually has a solution.

      Reply
    • I got mine on Amazon in bulk, but you can also find inexpensive ones individually in the travel size section at Walmart and Target.

      Reply
      • When using essential oils you should always use colored (amber,green or blue) glass containers or in this case spray bottles. You can get them at Ebay or Amazon.

        Reply
        • Another great place to buy the miniature spray bottles is at any dollar store. I just bought a little travel kit with four spray bottles, and three other little bottles for just to $2.49.

          Reply
        • It is my understanding that the only time one needs to use glass containers with essential oils is when you are specifically using citrus oils which break down the plastic. But overall glass is better to use.

          Reply
        • I thought so, when I saw everyone was using plastic. I didnโ€™t think that was a good idea. Thanks for your post.

          Reply
        • Glass is definitely the preferred way to store mixtures with EO’s, but I carry a small plastic spray bottle of this in my purse for when I’m out and it has held up well for several years now! I found small ones on Amazon that I used to make as gifts.

          Reply
    • Hobby lobby has spray bottle of all kinds and some are pretty too. They probably sell stickers, decals or even paint pens to decorate bottle.

      Health four stores also sell bottles to make sprays from essential oils.

      Reply
  14. Hi!

    Great recipe? Is there any chance of making the recipe without vodka/rubbing alcohol? Can I replace it with something else?

    Thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Hi Dashka! You can use witch hazel instead if you don’t want to use alcohol.

      Reply
    • Try using distilled water, fragrance oil or essential oils, polysorbate 20 . That will make an emulsion thatโ€™s a lot more stable. It will be milky but the poly 20 binds the oil and water together. Itโ€™s only 3 ingredients and super simple to make. Itโ€™s called room spray and linen spray but you may also use as a body spray. Since everything is natural if using essential oilโ€™s. You can find all of the ingredients on Amazon. Super inexpensive too! Hope this helps!

      Reply
  15. 5 stars
    never realized how easy this was! it’s awesome to be able to customize your own scents for very cheap in comparison to the real bottle at the store. thank you!!

    Reply
  16. Is there a way to make this UNSCENTED? Could I just use a carrier oil (Almond) rather than the highly-scented essential oils?

    Reply
    • I haven’t tried it that way, but I would think the effect would be similar since the oil’s primary role is to create the layer that blocks the smell.

      Reply
    • Did you try making it with less fragrance? That’s my problem with the original Poo-Pouri, the fragrance smell is just too overpowering for me!

      Reply
  17. 5 stars
    I use distilled water, and I add it last so that all the best ingredients have plenty of room!

    Reply
  18. 4 stars
    Hello, love the help to learn how to make this. Question though, why the dish soap added?! Thanks

    Reply
    • A couple of reasons — it helps the oil and water combine because otherwise they separate in the bottle. That separation will also keep the spray mechanism from clogging. The dish soap also provides additional odor absorption.

      Reply
  19. Can I substitute Cinnamon Oil? I am allergic to most floral essential oils

    Reply
    • Absolutely! It’s the oil that creates the barrier that makes the solution work. Choose any that you like to get a scent you enjoy.

      Reply
    • Because this formula contains alcohol, some of that cinnamon oil may aerosolize, which could cause some irritation to your more tender bits… I’d start with a reduced amount and a very small batch, just in case… Or you could try a citrus oil like lemon, and some vanilla.

      Reply
      • Could you please share a Cinnamon Blend that would work? I tried one with cinnamon because I love the smell of it but as you mentioned above there is a sight irritation and when i reduce the number of drops it doesn’t seem to cover the odour.

        Reply
  20. Hi Corrine. I use the poo pourri regularly in my home and when I’m traveling. I would love to able to make my own. Your recipe sounds great. I love my Bloody Mary, so I’ll be substituting the rubbing alcohol. Thanks for sharing on Sunday’s Best.

    Reply
  21. thanks for saving me some money! I have never bought the real Poo-Pourri because it’s too expensive and I’d rather just turn on the fan and crack window. However, I do buy essential oils because we use them around the house. Thanks for the recipe! Thank you for sharing this post with us at #OMHGWW!

    Reply
  22. That Poo Pourri spray is indeed expensive. It was a very popular stocking stuffer at Christmas. Your recipe is handy and a money saver! Pinning. Thanks for sharing with us at Merry Monday. Hope to see ya back next week.

    Reply
  23. This is awesome!!! Pinning to try when I run out of the Poo Pourri in my guest bathroom, and I sent it to my daughter – her sweetie is totally hooked on this stuff!

    Reply
  24. 5 stars
    As someone who writes instructions for a living, I really appreciate how concise yours are. I’ve been looking for a simple receipt for this and you nailed it. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Thank you for saying this! I am not always very clear and I’ve been working on it to make sure readers’ results are more reliable. I’m glad you found this one helpful!

      Reply
4.43 from 397 votes (385 ratings without comment)

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