Want scented fog for a party or Halloween? Before you mix anything, here is the important part.
Don’t add essential oils or fragrance oils to homemade fog juice. Oils don’t mix with the water and glycerin in fog juice, and in a heater-based fog machine they can scorch, clog the heater and void your warranty. For scented fog, use pre-scented fog fluid or a scent additive made by your fluid’s maker, or scent the room separately.
If you still want to make your own fog juice, keep it unscented: distilled water and food-grade glycerin. Below I’ll show you the safe ways to get scented fog, then a simple DIY recipe.
Why You Shouldn’t Put Oils in Fog Juice
Fog juice is mostly distilled water with glycerin or glycol mixed in. Oils don’t dissolve in it, so they float on top and go through the machine’s heater in concentrated drops.
On the hot heat exchanger, oils can burn, leave a sticky residue and clog the machine. Many essential oils are also flammable, and breathing heated oil mist can irritate your airways.
Fog machine makers tell you to use only approved fluid, and adding oils is a quick way to void the warranty. Perfume and other alcohol-based sprays are even worse, because alcohol is flammable.
The Safe Ways to Get Scented Fog
Buy pre-scented fog fluid. Several fog-fluid makers sell scented fluids for water-based fog machines, often in seasonal scents. Pick one labeled for your type of machine.
Use a scent additive made for your fog fluid. Some makers sell concentrated scents meant to be mixed into their own fluid. Use only that brand’s additive, at the amount on the label.
Scent the room separately. Run plain fog fluid in the machine and put a plug-in, reed or ultrasonic diffuser a few feet away, where the air carries the scent across the fog. Our guide on how to add scent to your fog machine covers all three options.
If you have pets, go easy on essential oils, even in a diffuser. The ASPCA warns that many oils, such as peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree and citrus oils, can be toxic to cats and dogs, and birds are very sensitive to anything in the air.
How to Make Homemade Fog Juice (Unscented)
If you want to mix your own fluid, keep it simple and unscented. First check your fog machine’s manual, because many makers say homemade fluid can clog the heater and void the warranty.
You will need:
- Distilled water (not tap or mineral water)
- Food-grade (USP) vegetable glycerin
- A clean 1-liter bottle with a cap
- A measuring cup
Mix the glycerin and water
Most DIY recipes use about 15% to 30% glycerin, with distilled water for the rest. More glycerin gives thicker, longer-lasting fog, but too much can make the machine sputter and leave residue.
For light fog, pour about 150-200ml of glycerin into the bottle. For thicker fog, use about 250-300ml, then top the bottle up to 1 liter with distilled water.
Shake and test
Cap the bottle and shake until the mix looks even and clear. Fill the machine the way the manual says, let it heat up fully and test with short bursts.
If it sputters or spits liquid, thin the mix with a little more distilled water. Store leftovers in a capped, labeled bottle in a cool, dark place, and check how long fog juice lasts.
Never use antifreeze or anything containing ethylene glycol, which is toxic. If you’d rather use glycol than glycerin, use only USP-grade propylene glycol.
A Glycerin-Free Option: Dry Ice
Dry ice is a different way to make fog, not a fog juice. You drop it into warm water in an open container, and it makes thick, low fog with no fog machine at all.
Dry ice fog doesn’t carry scent well, so place a diffuser nearby instead of adding oils to the water. See how to make fog without glycerin and how much dry ice you need for fog for the details.
Always handle dry ice with insulated gloves and eye protection, and never seal it in a closed container. Use it in a ventilated room, because the carbon dioxide sinks to the floor where kids and pets breathe.
Safety Tips for Scented Fog at Home
- Ventilate: Open a door or window and avoid heavy fog in small rooms.
- Mind smoke detectors: Fog can set them off, so keep the machine away from them and use short bursts, but never disable a detector.
- Protect your warranty: Homemade fluid can void it, so store-bought fluid is the safer choice for a new machine.
- Keep kids and pets away from the machine, the fluid and any dry ice.
- Clean the machine after use: See how to clean a fog machine.
Homemade Scented Fog Juice FAQs
Can I add essential oils to fog juice?
No. Essential oils don’t mix with fog juice and can burn on the heater, clog the machine and void the warranty. Use scented fog fluid, or a diffuser elsewhere in the room.
Can I add fragrance oil or perfume to fog juice?
No. Fragrance oils have the same problems as essential oils, and perfume usually contains flammable alcohol.
Can I make fog juice without glycerin?
Yes, with USP-grade propylene glycol and distilled water, or you can use dry ice for fog without a machine. Never use antifreeze.
Is it safe to breathe fog from a fog machine?
With proper fog fluid and good ventilation, light use is generally considered safe for most people. If you have asthma or another breathing problem, avoid heavy fog; see are fog machines safe to breathe?
Will fog juice damage my furniture?
Heavy use can leave a light film on nearby surfaces. Keep the machine back from furniture and avoid heavy fog over hard floors people walk on.
Final Thoughts
Scented fog is a fun way to add atmosphere, but the scent should come from fluid made for fog machines or from a separate diffuser. Keep oils, perfume and fragrance out of your fog juice.
If you make your own fluid, stick to distilled water and food-grade glycerin, and check your manual first. Another common question we hear is can I put perfume in my diffuser?
Please be careful and use at your own risk
None of the authors, contributors, administrators, or anyone else connected with Wild Fog, in any way whatsoever, can be responsible for your use of the information contained in or linked from these web pages.
