Dollar Tree Craft: Gel Bead Air Freshener (re-usable). With only a couple of items from Dollar Tree you can make your own Gel Air Freshener. #airfreshener #gelairfreshener #homemadeairfreshener
My kids call me a nerd because I love walking around the Dollar Tree. I’ll walk up and down the isles and then back again looking at everything until I’m inspired.
Last week, as I was doing my weekly Dollar Tree trot, I found these Floral Hydration Beads. I was inspired thinking that I could use them to make gel air-fresheners.
My first thought was to purchase some of the Dollar Tree incense oils to add to the beads after they were hydrated, but the smell wasn’t strong enough. So I decided to go with the Liquid Potpourri, that way I could hydrate the beads while at the same time infusing them with the fragrance.
And of course, I had to have something pretty to put the gel beads into once they were hydrated, so I picked out a small Glass Vase from their huge selection.
I felt like a kid when I was doing this project. I’ve never worked with gel beads before, so it was kinda’ fun to watch them sprout.
I poured the the beads into a large jar, carefully. They bounce, so if you’re not careful, they’ll go everywhere. Trust me, it took awhile to pick them out of the carpeting.
Then I filled the jar with the liquid potpourri.
and waited,
and waited,
and waited,
and waited………
for about 6-8 hours. Until the little beads were fully hydrated.
Now you can transfer them into a decorative container. Again be care, these little buggers bounce, even more now that they are hydrated (the kids had fun).
The beads will eventually begin to dry out and lose their scent, when this happens just re-hydrated them with the liquid potpourri.
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That is so interesting! Most smelly things make me sneeze so I may experiment with various oils and see what happens. Thank you for the great idea!
Awesome idea!! When I just went to the Dollar Store to purchase the beads, they seemed already hydrated. Do you just allow them to dry out THEN rehydrate with the liquid potpourri? Thanks!!
The ones that I purchased were already dried out, but they do dry out over time and I just re-hydrate them with potpourri. I don't see why that wouldn't work for beads that are already hydrated. I'd let them dry out and try it, I'm sure it will work!
how long did the smell seem to last from the beads and how strong is it i am thinking this may be great for the dorm room
It’s not a real strong smell but it does last a couple of weeks. If you’re looking for a stronger scent you might want to try scented oils.
Could you use liquid fabric softener to hydrate the beads?
I don’t know, but it sounds like a good idea, I might have to give it a try.
The ones I bought today the fragrance is very strong, I bought lemon scent and clean linen scent,
I just put those beads into my wax warmers and my house smells wonderful, do you think that was a good idea I Had?
I had no idea that you could put them in a warmer.
I tried putting them into my wax warmers, fantastic idea but they dehydrated very fast, about an hour after putting them in the warmers they were completely dryer out, you have to bring very careful, I’ll say but again is there anything you did different before putting them in there, I really loved the smell that they gave to my house,
I never used a warmer. I just put them in a decorative jar and let them dehydrate naturally.
Can the liquid potpourri be purchased at Dollar Tree? I clicked the link that you have in this post for liquid potpourri and it doesn’t work. So I’m trying to find out is the link provided instructions on how to make the potpourri or if it was a link to show the actual potpourri that can be purchased at Dollar Tree.
Yes, the potpourri can be purchased at Dollar Tree. I’ve updated the links so that you can see what we used.
I’ve been doing this for the longest and I love it! For the holiday season I hydrate them with the apple cinnamon liquid potpourri (also found at the dollar tree). It gives the entire room a holiday smell!
i bought a bunch of the water bead from wish.com 50.000 for just the price of shipping and i got big bottle of warming oil from walmart mixed them up in a big bowl and gave them away as Xmas presents by putting them in parmesian cheese shaker (glass jars) with the ones with the metal lids with holes:) got a bunch from dollar tree.
What a great idea! I like the idea of using the Parmesan shakers.
I bought my own water beads to do this diy with essential oils. Just wondering do these beads require a preservative to stop molding?
I haven’t had a problem with them ever molding, but I have never used essential oils