I have something very cool to share with you today, but first I have a story to share about my friend Herta. It's been a few years now since she and her husband Al came to visit for a few days. In their graciously kind manner, they brought gifts. I thought I'd heard of every hostess gift, but one of these gifts left me wide-eyed and sputtering to find a good response, which I am not sure I did.

Privately, I concluded that this small, supremely elegant spray bottle that Herta was visibly so excited about must be something special in her country. To me, it was it was oddly foreign.

The name on the bottle left me stuttering: Poo-Pourri Before-You-Go Toilet Spray. Herta took me into the powder room to demonstrate. "Look, you just spritz the surface of the toilet water before you go. It stops bathroom odors before they ever begin!" Herta was so excited to show me this fabulous new product. Me? I was like, whaaat?

I have to admit that I couldn't wait to try it, and I did. You know what? It really works. The product is oily. When you spray Poo-Pourri in the toilet bowl (before — not during or after), it sits on the surface of the water and creates a kind of sealant against, well, let's just say it: fumes. It traps the odors, sending them down the drain, not out into the room. Get it?

I'm not sure if Herta made the first introduction of Poo-Pourri to America or not, but I like to think so. What I know is that it's here now. I see Poo-Pourri in the finest powder rooms around (my friends know who they are). Not long ago, I noticed a discreet supply of Poo-Pourri in the ladies room at church. Herta would be so pleased.

I do wonder about a couple of things: First, who came up with this? The idea itself is great, but the person who came up with the name is brilliant! Second, why is it so expensive? At about $5 for 1 ounce, that works out to about $640 per gallon. Don't laugh. I think about these things, and I'm sure there are plenty of households, dormitories and frat houses — to name a few — that could use it by the gallon. For those folks (and you), I have the best news: You can make it yourself. And you can use the same kind of discreet little spray bottle for dispensing.

MAKE-IT-YOURSELF POO SPRAY

—3 tablespoons vegetable glycerin

—2 tablespoons rubbing alcohol, 70 percent

—40 drops any essential oil

—1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients directly into a 4-ounce (or similar) spray bottle. Or mix in a bowl, and then, using a small funnel, dispense solution into smaller 1-ounce spray bottles. Recipe multiplies well. To use: Shake the bottle well. Spritz about 10 times to cover the surface of the toilet bowl water. Proceed. (Ingredients posted on the Everyday Cheapskate site.)

My late friend Rich Buhler taught me a very useful life principle to rely upon when dealing with challenging situations and difficult people. No matter how difficult that person or situation may be, always strive to leave a fragrance, never an odor.

Thanks to Herta and Rich, I'm leaving fewer odors than I would be if not for our friendships.

Mary invites questions, comments and tips at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.