How to Make Car Air Fresheners to Sell [Step-By-Step]

Everybody loves a fresh-smelling car. Making car air fresheners is a guaranteed way to earn a profit. The best part is that they’re not complicated to make.

Though you can mix essential oils to make a brand-new scent, you might be wondering how to make car air fresheners to sell and where you can sell them.

No worries! In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about this small business venture, so you can start your car air freshener business in no time.

Let’s dive in!

Why You Should Consider Making Car Air Fresheners to Sell

Starting a small business from home might seem hard, especially if you’re looking to create your products.

Still, making car air fresheners is pretty profitable due to the following:

• Affordable small business idea: Not only is selling air fresheners a great way to make money while being your boss, but it doesn’t require a hefty initial capital. Anyone can start this business if they have a talent and a nose!
• Safe all-natural ingredients: Many chemical air fresheners contain hormone disruptors, allergens, and sensitizing ingredients. Luckily, your customers will rest assured that homemade car air fresheners are safe since they’re made of natural ingredients.
• Customizable scents: Each brand of car air fresheners is unique. Since you can make your custom scent, you’ll have a one-of-a-kind product that customers can’t get anywhere else.
• Endless potential: A car air fresheners business can develop into almost anything. As long as you continue exploring new scents and products, you’ll be able to expand your venture.

Problems With Making Car Air Fresheners to Sell

Though car air fresheners are one of the best products you can make and sell from the comfort of your home, it takes a lot of effort to build a successful small business.

Here are some common problems you might run into when making car air fresheners to sell:

1. Competitive Industry

Everyone is eager to own their successful venture. In fact, 99.9% of businesses across the U.S. are small businesses.

This means you’ll have a lot of competition when you first start your air freshener business. You’ll need to create an exceptional product and compete with the leading car air fresheners to make some real profit.

2. Trial and Error

Unless you’ve been making scents for a while, making car air fresheners to sell will require plenty of trial and error.

For starters, you must experiment with scent combinations. Then, you need to formulate a product that’ll withstand weather conditions and distribute the scent over time.

Accordingly, don’t expect to create a phenomenal scent from your first patch!

3. Time-consuming

Making car air fresheners is more than a side hustle. You’ll need plenty of time to develop your brand, make the air fresheners, market them, fulfill orders, and follow up with customers.

Naturally, this small business will take up your whole day if you want to succeed. So, if you have a nine-to-five job, balancing both would be tricky.

4. Licensing

Every small business requires a license, even if you operate the business from your home. You should have a business license, an Employer Identification Number (EIN), and a tax code.

What You’ll Need to Start Making Car Air Fresheners to Sell

If you have a great sense of fragrances, then you can start making car air fresheners. The products are easy to make and require minimal supplies.

All you need is the following:

• Essential oils: To give your air fresheners their signature scent, you should try out different essential oils. You can either use one essential oil or make your blend using multiple oils.
• Rubbing alcohol: Making car air fresheners requires two parts, fragrance and base. To make the base, you’ll need rubbing alcohol and water.
• Scent carrier: You can get creative with the style of your air freshener. Typically, you can soak a piece of felt with your scent or use baking soda as a carrier.
• Molds: If you go for felt car air fresheners, you can mold them into any shape you like.
• Container: Other options for car air fresheners include adding the scented baking soda into a mason jar or using a spray bottle to spray the air freshener as needed.
• Workstation: Though car air fresheners typically smell pleasant, the scents of your products can mix, creating an off-putting smell. For this reason, you should have a workstation that’s separate from your living area.

Where to Make Car Air Fresheners to Sell

Making your homemade air fresheners is simple. The tricky part is marketing and selling your product.

Here are the best places for selling car air fresheners:

1. Etsy

Etsy is the go-to website for homemade products. It’s the best website that allows small businesses to reach a wide audience.

What Makes This Option Great

The reason Etsy is the ideal e-retailer for creatives and small businesses is that it’s flexible. You have complete freedom over your products, pricing, and pace.

Etsy is beginner-friendly. You don’t need to have a thousand products to start selling. Instead, you can start with a couple of samples, then make more car fresheners once the orders roll in.

• Commission/Fees: 6.5% transaction fee per order.
• Payment Method: PayPal or direct deposit to your bank account.

2. Farmer’s Market

The farmer’s market is an excellent way for small businesses to gain recognition and meet other professionals. The best part is that you have complete creative freedom over your brand.

What Makes This Option Great

Selling at a farmer’s market allows you to engage with your local community. So, you might expand your product and increase your profits.

Not only does having a booth allow customers to sample your products, leading to better satisfaction, but you’ll also get to hear their feedback. This way, you can improve your fragrances.

• Commission/Fees: Booth rental fees only.
• Payment Method: Cash.

3. Car Washes

The best place to reach car air fresheners customers is car washes! Partnering with local car washes to display your products will significantly expand your brand.

What Makes This Option Great

Making car air fresheners to sell to car washes can be time-efficient. That’s because you’ll only be making your product in bulk once every couple of weeks.

The car wash will do the marketing for you. They’ll also handle customers and transactions.

• Commission/Fees: Depends on your agreement with the car wash.
• Payment Method: Cash or bank transfer.

4. Amazon

There isn’t a product that you can’t get on Amazon. Yet, the e-retailer isn’t just for big brand names. It’s ideal for small businesses.

What Makes This Option Great

Amazon is home to millions of customers. So, it’s a great place for your brand to gain recognition.

Customers might be hesitant to buy directly from online retailers. However, Amazon gives small businesses credibility, thus increasing sales.

• Fees/Commission: $0.99 per item, or $39.99 a month regardless of sales, plus referral fees.
• Payment Method: Reflected in your bank on your preferred scheduled settlement date.

How to Make Car Air Fresheners to Sell: Step-By-Step Instructions

Other than the basic steps to take to start a small business, you need to do the following to start your car scent business:

1. Choose a Niche

First, you should choose a product type. There are numerous varieties of car air fresheners, and each one is different to make.

For example, you can make car air freshener sprays that get rid of any unpleasant odor, fragrant incense, or car scent pods.

Make a Unique Recipe

It’s crucial that your product is unique since there are numerous competitors in the car air freshener market.

A simple place to start when making your DIY air freshener is by adding your favorite essential oil as a fragrance. Then, you can mix and match to create a distinct smell.

Some great scents to start with include the following:

• New car odor
• Scented cactus car air freshener
• Musky car air freshener
• Odor-absorbing car air freshener
• Spring and fresh car-air freshener

2. Decide on a Business Model

Next, it’s time to decide on a business model. This will help you evaluate how you run the business.

If you’re selling your air fresheners online, you probably won’t need to create a huge inventory. In contrast, you’ll need plenty of samples, air fresheners, and other marketing supplies if you’re selling at a farmer’s market or a local store.

3. Get the Proper Licenses

You mustn’t start a business without having the proper due diligence. Even a homemade car air freshener business needs licensing. Luckily, you don’t need FDA approval to sell aromatic products.

If you’re starting a business at home as a sole proprietor, or without any employees. Only a business license is necessary. You won’t need an EIN or other tax licenses.

4. Market Your Products

Finally, it’s time to market and sell your products. Car air fresheners are perishable. This means you’ll need excellent marketing and customer service to build a loyal customer base.

Things to Consider When Making Car Air Fresheners to Sell

Making car air fresheners to sell is a great way to fill up your free time while earning extra cash. That said, if you want to transform your side hustle into a profitable business, you need to pay attention to the following:

Research Your Competitors

The first thing you must do before starting your small business is to do a competitive analysis. That’s because you want to introduce distinct products by identifying the market’s gaps.

Researching will also help you understand the customer’s needs, and learn from your competitors’ successes and failures.

Invest in Samples

Scented products can be hit-or-miss. You might adore a certain product, but your customers won’t like its smell as much as you do.

Free samples might minimize losses on new products. If you’re experimenting with a new scent, start by making small samples. Once customers react positively, you can produce more of the product.

Follow Up on Sales

Impeccable customer service is the key to the success of small businesses. By following up with customers, you build a positive relationship with them, so they’re more likely to become loyal, long-term customers.

Not only does reaching out to your customers ensure that their needs are met, but it also provides you with valuable feedback that’ll help you improve your product.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the ingredients of car air fresheners?

The ingredients of homemade car air fresheners depend on the product type. Usually, car air fresheners contain the following, regardless of their formulation. These include essential oils, rubbing alcohol, and water.

Is there a market for car air fresheners?

There’s a huge demand for car air fresheners, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping. The car air freshener market was estimated to be worth a whopping $810 million in 2022, and it continues to grow.

Similar Tutorials to Check Out

If car air fresheners aren’t for you, here are other DIY projects you can start at home and make some extra cash:

• How to make glitter to sell: Glitter is incredibly versatile. You can create a unique formula with hundreds of different shades. You’ll also have hundreds of customers, ranging from makeup gurus to teachers!
• How to sell candles from home: Making candles is pretty similar to making air fresheners. Yet, there’s plenty of room for creativity, from the candle’s smell to the design.
• How to sell essential oils online: So, you made a heavenly blend of essential oils, but you’re unsure what to use it for? You can just sell the fragrance as is. You can sell small packages as aromatherapy or in bulk to other small businesses!

Wrapping Up

Anybody can learn how to make car air fresheners to sell. However, you can turn the fun side hustle into a successful small business by considering a couple of aspects.

First, you should do your research, learn from your competitors, and understand your customers’ mindset.

Second, it’s crucial to have a solid plan regarding marketing and sales. Generally, we recommend investing in samples to introduce your customers to new products.

Are you ready to start your car air freshener business? Feel free to share this guide with your friends. If you have any additional tips, leave a comment!