Pin Busters! D-I-Y Deodorizing Disks

I saw this on Pinterest and thought it would be great to try. Let's face it, garbage cans are stinky. Anything to make them smell a little better - or just smell a little less - would be awesome.


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The original recipe is from One Good Thing by Jillee. She has some great stuff over there! But the original recipe didn't work for me, so I made some adjustments to the ingredients.


The recipe is sooooo simple!


My measurements are a little different because I found that I didn't need nearly as much water as listed on the original recipe. I'm not sure why, but that's the way it worked out. I also used a little more essential oil.

First, you add the essential oil to 1/2 c. water. You could also use a fragrance oil, or you could just leave it unscented. It's up to you.

Add the water/oil mix to the 2 cups of baking soda. Mix until you have a thick paste, adding more water as needed (I didn't need more). The consistency reminds me of sand just after the waves have receded - it looks a little wet, but then when you touch it, it looks a little dry - then when it settles, it looks a little wet again. Hey, I love the beach, so everything reminds me of it!


Spoon the paste into a silicone mold (the easiest) or really any type of pan or mold that will make a shape and allow the paste to harden. If you don't have anything like that I bet you could even use a cookie sheet for the base and lay cookie cutters on it for the molds, spooning the paste into the cookie cutters. It's thick enough that I don't think it would leak out.


You'll need to leave this undisturbed for at least 24 hours, and 48 is better. I let mine dry in the mold (I had these weird looking cake pop molds that look like a boiled egg cut in half, so mine aren't as cute as Jillee's) for 24 hours, then popped them out onto a plate. I let them sit on the plate for another 24 hours before using them.


I've had mine in the kitchen garbage can for a couple of weeks now and I do think that it has made a difference. The weather has been unseasonably warm and I haven't noticed any of the usual odors when I open the cabinet that holds the garbage can. Gus put one out in the big can in the garage, and I think even that one has been less smelly. I didn't think that one through very well though because I imagine when they dump the cans tomorrow, they'll dump the deodorizer as well. I'll need to make something removable to hold it near the top of the can so I can take it out on garbage pick-up day.

The verdict: Pin-worthy! I think these work well, and I'm planning to make more, although next time, I'm going to make smaller ones. They won't last as long, but they'll be better for small garbage containers. I may try cinnamon or peppermint oil in them, too - maybe cinnamon for fall and peppermint for winter!

Let me know if you give these a try!