I’m head over heels in love with these homemade garbage deodorizing disks.  They smell fantastic and are the perfect addition to your garbage can, diaper pail, or pet’s litter box.  And, with only three ingredients, they come together in a flash!

My inspiration for making garbage deodorizing disks was the diaper pail that we keep upstairs by our bedrooms.  Sometimes it gets, well, stinky and I figured there had to be a simple solution.

I searched online for DIY deodorizing disk tutorials, but couldn’t find one that fit the bill.  (My favorites were from One Good Thing by Jillee and Diapers, Dirt, Donuts, Doodling and Digital, but I couldn’t get my disks to dry using either one.)  In fact, I experimented so much that I had to make these garbage deodorizing disks SIX times before I mastered them!

The good news is that I worked out all the kinks, so yours will turn out perfectly the first time around.  (You can thank me later.)

Like everything else that I make, these homemade garbage deodorizing disks are super simple and quick to make.  All you need is baking soda, water, and a little bit of essential oil.

If you’re new to essential oils, they’re all-natural, highly concentrated extracts from the aromatic parts of plants.  I buy all of my essential oils from Wyndmere Naturals.  (Wyndmere Naturals sells their essential oils online and in many local health food stores.)

In previous blog posts, I shared how I’ve eased into the world of essential oils by making super simple cleaners, lotions, and sugar scrubs.

I’m thrilled to add these garbage deodorizing disks to my homemade repertoire.

Homemade Garbage Deodorizing Disks

Yields: 12 garbage deodorizing disks

Materials

• 2 cups baking soda
• 1/2 cup water
• 12 drops essential oil of your choice (I used certified organic peppermint essential oil from Wyndmere Naturals.  Lemon, lavender, a citrus blend, or a homemade combination of lavender-mint would also be awesome! Each 10ml bottle of essential oil contains approximately 200 drops, so it will last you a long time.)
• A cupcake baking pan and 12 silicone baking cups (If you don’t already own silicone baking cups, I recommend picking up a set like these from Amazon.  I love using reusable silicone baking cups when I make muffins and cupcakes, too.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line cupcake pan with 12 silicone baking cups.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine baking soda and water and mix into a paste.
4. Spoon paste evenly into prepared pan and smooth the top of each cup with your fingers.
5. Place pan in oven, and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.
7. Add one drop of essential oil to each cup.
8. Remove silicone baking cups from pan and cool completely on wire cooling rack.  (This takes about 15 minutes.)
9. Remove garbage deodorizing disks from silicone cups and use!

Storage

Store in a gallon-sized plastic freezer bag in your freezer or in an airtight glass jar.  (I like these airtight glass jars from Amazon.)

To Use

Add one homemade garbage deodorizing disk to each of your garbage cans and diaper pails.  (If your cans/pails don’t have slots to store the disks, you can place one at the bottom of the container in a plastic bag poked with holes.)  If you use the disks near your pet’s litter box, make sure they’re somewhere that your pet can’t eat them.  (Essential oils aren’t meant to be ingested.)

Each disk’s scent should last 2-4 weeks.  When the smell fades, simply crumble the disk in your washing machine with your next load of laundry.  (Baking soda is great for removing stains and odors in the laundry –  an extra bonus for making these disks!)