Do you ever get tired of having your clothes smelling like your drawer? You can try making your own scented dresser drawer liners. Making your own makes it unique, so you can give your drawers the scent you like while keeping them smelling freshly laundered for longer. Plus, it can give your drawers a whole new look.
Learn here how to make your own scented drawer liner.
Scented Paper Drawer Liner
Drawer liners are usually made of paper, and if you want to make your own scented blend with the pattern you want, here’s how you can do it.
1. Gather all your materials.
For a scented drawer liner made of paper, here’s what you need:
- Wrapping paper, decorative copy paper, or wallpaper
- One small glass dish
- Spray bottle or cotton balls
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Essential oil
- Water
When choosing the paper, you would like to use as a drawer liner. The key criteria are that the paper must be porous or absorbent to ensure that the fragrance can be absorbed and then released slowly. Papers that are coated, lacquered, or painted are usually not porous enough. Wallpaper, a nice wrapping paper, or a decorative copy paper are the most ideal.
When looking for an essential oil to use, make sure to buy only high-quality, pure, and concentrated essential oils to ensure you get a long-lasting, enjoyable scent.
Also, steer away from oils that can cause stains on your clothes, like cinnamon, vanilla, and other spices, as well as all types of citrus oil. Before using any oil, it’s advisable to test the oil first using an old piece of cotton fabric to check if the essential oil you’d like to use can cause a stain. Simply apply a little oil to the material and leave it sitting in the sun.
For the same reason, avoid buying essential oil mixtures, such as “Christmas Scent,” since these might contain ingredients that can stain your clothes.
2. Measure the dimensions.
Measure the inside of the drawer bottom you want to line with the scented paper. Measure both the width and the length, then cut your paper according to these measurements.
3. Mix your essential oils.
Create a mixture of essential oils and water. Aim for a ratio of using 40 drops or 2 mL of oil to 50 mL of water. If you’re making a larger solution, make adjustments accordingly. For example, if you need a liter of water, you must add 40 mL of essential oil. Make sure to mix it well.
4. Add the mixture to a spray bottle.
Pour your mixture into a clean spray bottle. It’s best to use a new one instead of reusing an old one because if other products have been used in the bottle before, there’s a chance that those scents can also be sprayed onto the paper.
If you don’t have a spray bottle, pour the mixture into a small dish. Dip and slightly drain it with a cotton ball.
5. Apply the fragrance to the drawer lining paper.
Spray a mist of the mixture over until it’s damp but not yet wet. Be careful not to saturate the paper because it will cause it to take longer to dry, and it also gives the paper an oily residue.
If you don’t have a spray bottle, gently brush the cotton ball over the backside of the paper. The more of the paper you cover, the stronger the scent will be.
6. Hang your paper to dry.
Hang your paper to dry on a clothesline or a drying rack. If neither are available for any reason, put a towel on a flat surface and lay the papers on top of it to dry. Drying time will depend on how many solutions were sprayed unto the paper.
7. Assemble.
Once the drawer liners are fully dry, you can now place them in your dresser drawer.
Scented Fabric Drawer Liner
Dresser drawers can also be made of fabric. If you have extra upholstery fabric in a pattern that you love, you can use some of them as drawer liners. In this method, you can make them easy to cut like paper, stain-resistant, and easily removable if you want to change them out later.
1. Gather all your materials.
For a fabric drawer liner, here are the things you will need:
- Upholstery fabric
- Fabric stiffener and draping liquid
- Stain-resistance starch
- Loctite Adhesive 100
- Scissors
- Tape measure
- Paper cutter or scissors
- Essential oil
You can pick any kind of upholstery fabric, and there are always plenty of designs and options to choose from.
2. Measure the inside of your drawers.
Measure the insides of your drawers and take note of the width and length. Then, cut the fabric 1-3 inches larger than your drawers. For now, you can be free to make messy cuts to save you time.
3. Stiffen the fabric.
Soak the cut pieces of fabric in the fabric stiffener. Follow the directions on the packaging, and make sure you use enough solution so you can soak the fabric.
4. Let it dry.
Ring out the fabric a little, then lay it flat over a waterproof surface. You can lay out a plastic trash bag on a table or use flexible cutting boards. Flatten the wet fabric with your hands. You’ll notice that the fabric colors will look a little muted, but the starch will dry out.
5. Create a fragrance mixture.
Add a couple of drops of the essential oil of your choice to a spray bottle, and fill it with water. Spray it to the fabric. Let it dry.
6. Cut it out.
Once the fabric is completely dry, you will notice that it’s stiff. Use a paper cutter or scissors to cut the fabric to its proper size.
7. Use a spray adhesive.
To make it removable, spray a repositionable adhesive like the Loctite Adhesive 100. This adhesive is great for drawer liners that you want to remove one day. After spraying it to the backs of the drawer liners, you can make it stick to the bottom of the drawers.