Fizzy Fragrance Bomb Recipe

GREEN CLEANING RECIPE

Whip up your own shower steamers that double as toilet and bath bombs too! Fair warning: these are all about fragrance, not cleaning. Think of them as a treat for your nose rather than a workhorse for your grout.

I make a batch every winter, usually with Eucalyptus oil. When the whole household is run down, there's something lovely about stepping into a steamy shower filled with that fresh, crisp scent.

The fizz is pure pH chemistry. Bicarb soda is an amphoteric ingredient, which means it can act as either an acid or a base depending on what it's paired with. Team it up with citric acid and bicarb takes the alkaline role. As soon as water hits them, the two react and release bubbles of carbon dioxide, carrying your essential oil into the air with them.

It's the same reaction behind the classic bicarb and vinegar fizz. It's fun and fast, and it's over in seconds. Once the fizzing stops, the acid and the alkali have neutralised each other, and that's exactly why these smell amazing but won't clean a thing.

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The Recipe

Ingredient(s)

  • Bicarb Soda
    1/2 cup (125g)
  • Citric Acid
    1/4 cup (55g)
  • Essential Oils
    10–20 drops based on preference
  • Vegetable Glycerine
    1/2 tablespoon to start (approx. 10ml)

What to do

  1. In a bowl, add 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable glycerine, then your essential oils. I recommend at least 10 drops. Stir to combine.
  2. Add 1/4 cup of citric acid and 1/2 cup of bicarb soda, and mix really well. Small clumps will form where the powder meets the glycerine, so hunt them down and break them up until the mix is even.
  3. Squeeze a little in your hand. If it crumbles, add amore glycerine 1/4 teaspoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once it holds its shape, press it firmly into an ice cube tray or silicone mould.
  4. Leave to air dry for up to 24 hours. Pop them out, store in an airtight container, and they're ready to use in the shower, bath or toilet.

Good to know

These do not clean

They release fragrance only. Use proper cleaning products for cleaning or disinfecting.

Shelf life

Stored in an airtight container, they’ll keep for a ouple months. Moisture is their biggest enemy.

Why this works

Bicarb soda
Provides the alkaline half of the reaction and gives the fizzers their structure.

Citric acid
Reacts with the bicarb when it meets water, releasing carbon dioxide bubbles. This creates the fizz and helps disperse the fragrance.

Essential oils
Provide the scent released as the fizzer dissolves. Choose the oil and amount to suit where you plan to use them.

Water, alcohol, witch hazel or glycerine
Acts as a binder so the mixture can be shaped. Only a tiny amount is needed—too much moisture will activate the fizzing reaction before use.

Important: The fizz is an acid–alkaline reaction, not cleaning power. The bicarb and citric acid largely neutralise one another, so these are best treated as fragrance fizzers—not cleaners or disinfectants.

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