Hi there, Whether you're needing aromatherapy, alternative medicine, skin care or perfume, essential oils can be mixed with vodka to create a variety of individualized scents that are not only fun to make, but cost effective as well. Use vodka to remove odours from mattresses, clothing and even shoes. I fEel so much wiser. While some microbes are beneficial, like normal gut bacteria (which help us to digest our food), I’m missing something. Just the information I needed. Because it has the ability to destroy microbes, it has been used in medicine and for sanitation purposes for hundreds of years. Thanks Ginger, great information! Not too concerned, I only disinfect occasionally, How to keep yourself, your loved ones and your home safe, Reimagined: Essential oils and vodka for cleaning. Hi, Paula. But that is a subject for another blogpost. Just as often, some form of alcohol is recommended in aromatherapy spray formulations.”. Polarity – a separation of electric charge that leads to a molecule having positive and/or a negative end which determines bonding capabilities. So while I’m *technically* adding more total water in this scenario, the percentage of ethanol in the final product would be equivalent since I started with a higher proof. These other homemade cleaners do the DIY trick, too. Suffice it to say the alcohol kills the spores, preventing their growth and reproduction. Vodka is a pretty effective way to disinfect your home. In my state, Everclear is banned, however, strangely, some liquors over 190 proof are allowed. No product can claim to kill 100% of germs and bacteria, but if you’re wondering, “is vodka a good disinfectant?” the answer is yes! (gram measurements have been rounded for ease of measuring). It’s much less expensive. offers a prime growing habitat for microbes, which are on and in everything in our environment. These other homemade cleaners do the DIY trick, too. The ideal aroma is going to be subjective based on the person diffusing. You could try: Lemongrass, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil (best as an antimicrobial combo), Eucalyptus and lavender (the perfect combo for sleep). Today, she is the founder/owner and professional formulator at Neos Skin Care™, where she hand produces premium products, teaches and consults. into the product, onto the bottle or sprayer. People often use these terms interchangeably when talking about formulating water and essential oil based products. Thank you so much for the info. A water soluble, volatile and flammable solution, ethanol (ETOH) is obtained through fermentation and distillation of starchy plant matter such as grains, beets, fruits, and sugars. To properly preserve your water-based spray: the alcohol used needs to have a minimum of 60% ethanol content. If you wish to learn more about her, you can visit her professional Facebook page or neosskincare.com. At minimum, you’d want to use 151 proof (75.5% ethanol) for solubilization purposes. Sometime ago I made a Sleep Pillow Spray and the recipe said to use Everclear and Lavendar. We offer an Aromatic Formulation course that will help you become more confident. Again using 4 oz. Ginger continues to expand her educational horizons with courses and study in aromatherapy, aromatic medicine, herbalism and product formulation. So just to make sure I understand your answer, you saying that the 25% calculation is based on using an alcohol that is 120proof. Thank you so much for the information. Just as often, some form of alcohol is recommended in aromatherapy spray formulations. Water and water-based mediums (such as aloe, witch hazel, hydrosols, etc.) I go on to say undiluted and barely diluted alcohol such as Everclear is hard on the skin and can cause dryness, especially with repeated or prolonged exposure. A combination of vegetable oil and alcohol would not be practical. I’ve been doing research desiring to make room sprays… which becomes very confusing/conflicting info at times…appreciate. Therefore, if we want them to “mix” and stay together, we need something to help us do that. In conclusion, ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is a ‘cidal’ agent capable of killing microorganisms. • Surfactants. A cheap vodka usually is 80 or 100 proof or only 40-50% ethanol content and therefore will not properly solubilize essential oils. Hi Rebecca, our formulations work with 900 drops per ounce, or 30 drops per ml, which more accurately reflects the average drop size (which varies between essential oils and droppers). However, at least 60% (120 proof) alcohol is needed for preservation, and at least 75% (150 proof) for solubizing essential oils. I will address these and a few basics of formulation with water bases in a form of a Q&A, guiding you through the creation of a water-based spray, one of the most commonly made DIY products. Can a mixture with Everclear be used on fabrics like clothes or furniture??? The last thing you’d want in your sanitation spray is for the preparation itself be full of the very same germs you wanted to get rid of in the first place. This is a great article! The finished product of a body spray will not contain undiluted alcohol. - Together Time Family. with 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol before formulating to reduce the amount of microbes right from the beginning. Final product would be 8 ounces. Just like cooking, some recipes are easy and fool-proof, while others need a bit of skill and extra knowledge (and some really cannot be done unless you have a cosmetic chemist on the line, but that is a story for another day). It depends on the essential oils used and safety protocols involved with each. All you’re going to need is: 30 drops of your chosen essential oil – our favourite combos are 15 drops each of grapefruit and lavender or 10 drops each of eucalyptus, peppermint, or wild orange. Great and very informative article. this was useful. We all know you can use essential oils for a number of purposes, but did you know there are a number of essential oils that kill germs? **This same base formula can be used for do-it-yourself body sprays and personal fragrances. thanx a lot. Dispersant – a material or substance that breaks up another substance into smaller particles, distributing them throughout a medium in a random fashion to create a suspension. The amount of ethanol alcohol added to your product matters as well as the alcohol concentration (percentage or ‘proof’). So, with answers to the important questions about vodka and essential oils like, “do essential oils kill bacteria” this article can help you understand how to use them for keeping • 0.12 oz (~3 grams) essential oil. I was wondering if you are making an essential oil hydrosol spray for face/body which preservatives should I use, because I know that blending it with alcohol would not be a good idea, is vegetable glycerin good for it?? Remember, it’s a solvent and so are many essential oils. The outside layer is the cell wall, which surrounds and protects the entire cell. So grab that cheap, bottom-shelf bottle that’s been collecting dust and try one of these cleaning tips.