Over the past couple of years my husband and I have been saving spice jars. We felt one day we would have a use for them and it felt so frivolous to throw away such nice little glass jars. We have an ever growing collection on a shelf downstairs, and other than using them for a few of our own custom spice blends, we really hadn’t found a use for them.
Well, in honor of Earth Day this week, I was inspired by Green Works to try and find a use for these cute little jars and create a GREEN WORK OF ART!
In my house, in addition to trying to recycle what we can, we also only use green cleaning products, so Green Works is a natural (see how I did that?) fit.
To create my “green work of art” I gathered up a couple of glass spice jars from my basement and cleaned them with the Green Works All-Purpose Cleaner.
I removed the shaker cap (set aside, you will need it later) then filled each jar with 1/4 cup of baking soda. Baking soda is a natural deodorizer which is why people put it in their fridge and freezer.
But in addition to removing odors, it’s nice to add some scent into the air so I then selected some essential oils that would smell great as an air freshener. You can use lavender, orange and cinnamon as a few examples but there are so many more possibilities. Choose your favorite and drop 5-6 drops into the baking soda.
Put the lid on the jar and shake it up.
Remove the lid, and replace the shaker cap.
Now, those are cute, but they aren’t overly pretty. You can place them inside your medicine cabinet or a kitchen cabinet or you can paint them or add some decorative ribbon so you can leave them out on display.
Cute, right? Mild scent comes up through the holes in the shaker top. I would save the cap and shake it up every once in awhile to release more scent. When the scent fades add more essential oils. I would replace the baking soda completely every month.
Green Works is the perfect partner for “green works of art” helping you clean up found and recycled objects to prepare them for DIY and upcycle use. Green Works is powerful enough to turn scrap into sculpture, check it out:
Fi Ní Neachtáin says
This is such a sweet little idea and these would be great to have in the bathroom and kitchen. Thanks for sharing this little DIY with us.
Life as a Convert says
What a great idea. I’ve never thought about adding EO to baking soda before!
Gabriel says
Nice use for these. We have boxes filled with glass we are trying to find uses for because no one near here takes glass for recycle anymore. The nearest place is over an hour away so we do lots of crafty stuff with glass and I’m looking at seeing if I can make a solar furnace for a greenhouse among other things.
Lynndee says
I love it when a home smells good, but I have never thought of that. I just always light up my scented candles. Thank you for the idea.
Raijean says
I love Green Works, they make the best products. This is such a cute idea.
touristmeetstraveler says
These look really cute, but I can see how someone may mistaken them for salt shakers or some sort? It could happen, I know I might make such a silly mistake. Though, I do love them!
Kelly Hutchinson says
What an adorable way to reuse those old spice jars that you never know what to do with! I love that you tied in the Green Works philosophy with recycling those jars.
Ricci says
This is a great idea!! I throw away so many things that I know I can up cycle, I just need to figure out what to do with them!
Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen says
I am keeping lots of spice jars here at home too. What a great way to upcycle them. Thanks for sharing.
Cherri Megasko says
I love Greenworks and I love this idea! We just put our house on the market and I’ve been looking for ways to deodorize our master closet – we keep our dog food in there. This idea is fantastic. It will absorb the odors and add a little freshness without overpowering like a plug-in air freshener does.
Bonnie @ wemake7 says
That is such a cool upcycle project. They look really nice. I’ll have to start saving my spice bottles from now on.
Krystal says
I need to try those ideas. I have essential oils ready to go! I love how you decorated them!
Michelle @ Dishes and Dust Bunnies says
This is such a great idea! I have some extra spice jars in the cupboard that I could use to make one! Thanks for the idea!
Rosey says
Those really did turn out cute. And they’re useful too. I’d love to have one in every room.
Theresa says
These are really awesome ideas. I especially like the way you photographed your project. What kind of camera and lens do you use?
Chubskulit Rose says
This is such a great idea, I have never tried this but would love to soon!
Lisa Bristol says
Green Works is a great product line. I have made these air freshers before. They work really good. I will have to make some up this weekend with the kids.
Ann Bacciaglia says
This is a great DIY project. I have a few rooms that could use this freshener.I will have to try it this weekend.
Jeanine says
This is such a great idea and one I can use. With our parrot we are limited to air fresheners and this is one I think I could get away with! I will have to try!
Aisha Kristine Chong says
Wonderful – very cute and creative too. I definitely would love this on my room.
rochkirstin says
These are really cute and a must-have in any home. Aside from baking soda, what other things can be used as a replacement for the scent?
chanelle says
What a clever idea! I like the idea of adding essential oils to add scent into a room.
Kristen says
I think I made something like this when I was in girl scouts. this is cute.
Choya says
Now that is very crafty. Would have never thought to do that. Thank you for sharing.
Amanda says
This was a cute idea. I love reusing the containers that flood our house, especially for crafts with the kiddos.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
That is just adorable! I can’t wait to try this. I love it so much!
Deb- It's me, debcb! says
I wish I had seen this last week when I cleaned out my spice cabinet! Great idea and I love essential oils.
Lynn says
Good idea! I love Young Living oils. 🙂
Coralie says
This is such a great idea. These would be perfect in my kids’ rooms! Going to put them together today. Thanks!
Shell Feis says
This would be SUCH a great way to sneak an air freshener in to my pantry! I love it! I need to pick up the supplies for this- I already have the oil so it should be really cheap!
Ellen ThatChicMom says
This is such a great idea as I put open boxes of baking soda place and my kids inevitably knock it over making a mess, this would be much less mess if they spilled it. I would probably add thieves, my fav oil!
Stefani Tolson says
I usually keep little jars too in hopes I can reuse them for something. I love your idea, clever!
Lynsey Jones says
Ah! Genius! I use baking soda for all KINDS of stuff – but never thought about an air freshener like that! I love it. AND I am gad to know I am not the only one that can’t stand the idea of throwing away the little glass spice jars. They are just too cute.
Jennifer H says
Hmm what an interesting idea! I would’ve never thought of that.
Chrysa says
That’s a great idea! I like the nice, simple design.
Krissy says
What a great idea! I totally need to make a dozen of these for my office – it is always funky smelling in there with soo many people. Thanks for sharing!
Valerie Remy-Milora says
What a fun project! I love that you can make a bunch of these in different scents and change them up according to the seasons. I’ve been recycling various glass jars to store my home made body butters and scrubs.
Jeannette says
This is so cute and I would have never come up with it! I’d love to have a few around my house to keep things smelling fresh!
Avry says
Interesting! I never would have thought to make that myself. Those would be darling with a little bling bling added to them!
Crystal says
I can’t part with glass jars either. I have a cabinet full of them! I have to try making one of these air fresheners out of them.
Dee @ Cocktails with Mom says
Clever clever. Another good tip Kim
Jeanette says
How creative. I have a ton of spice jars too! Upcycle is something that I am learning how to do. Thank you for the idea!
Alicia says
What a neat idea. I’ve not thought of how to create my own air freshener, but I am always up for trying new scents on things.
Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says
That is such a clever idea. I never would have thought to do that.
Jenn says
What a great idea! I love simple crafts like this – I am not very crafty but this one is totally up my alley!