Getting your home to smell as wonderful as it looks is one of the biggest challenges of maintaining a home. We don’t have to tell you: you’ve definitely gone through this: You walk into your home after work, and aarrgh… something smells off! But where is it coming from? You just cleaned the house yesterday. You sniff. You search. You’re confused.
Our homes can be filled with musty, dusty or just plain stinky air. When this happens, you might be tempted to reach for a candle, a wall plug-in or reed diffusers, but these are only temporary solutions. You’ve really got to get to the root of the problem to get rid of that horrible stench from your home.
Read also: How To Make Air Freshener Last Longer
Today, we’re going to share with you 9 useful remedies of how to make your home smell nice naturally, using ingredients that are readily available in your home.
1. Get Rid of The Obvious Culprits
If your home is to smell any good, you’ve got to start by ridding it of the obvious culprits. It goes without saying that no house is going to smell great if there are piles of dirty dishes in the sink or reeking clothes overflowing in the laundry basket. Nor is a home going to be fresh and fragrant if your pet’s bed is right next to your living room.
It’s no joke-dirt stinks. What do you expect from particles that are made primarily from decomposing cells? To help cut down on dirt and dust, try de-cluttering before you start thorough cleaning. It is much easier to keep clutter-free rooms free of dust and smelling wonderful all the time.
2. Air The Rooms Out And Enjoy Some Breeze
The fastest way to get rid of old, musty, dusty air out of a room is to open the windows and allow clean, fresh air to flow in. It’s proven scientifically that old air and fresh air don’t mix, and fresh air always wins. For maximum results, open all the windows in all rooms to create a cross-breeze. This might be impractical if it’s cold or raining outside, but just 5 minutes of fresh air can eliminate bad odour and leave the house smelling fresh and airy.
3. Get Clever With Cotton Ball Perfume Diffusers
This is an old trick that still works perfect! All you have to do is soak cotton balls in your favorite cologne and tuck them out of sight all around the house. You can put them in between cushions, in the A/C panel, inside flower arrangements or in your vacuum canister. They will act like wonderful whiffs of pleasure to be stumbled upon by anyone who roams around your home.
4. Create Your Own Potpourri
This should be a breeze. In fact, you don’t even need to have dry flowers. Simply boil a pan of water and add some items that smell great like cinnamon sticks, cloves, essential oils or lemon peels. You can use one item or combine all the items for a better scent. The steam will circulate the smell throughout the house and leave it smelling fresh and yummy. If you have a big house, you can carry the pan around to different rooms and let the steam evaporate in the room for a while.
5. Use An Air Freshener To Smoke Out Bad Smells
Air fresheners are excellent weapons against bad odours. These products are one of the fastest ways to fill some lovely fragrances in your house. However, since we are all about natural, we’re going to show you how to make your own DIY air freshener from natural ingredients.
You will need a spray bottle, three tablespoons of vodka, a small amount of distilled water and at least 15 drops of your favorite essential oils. You can use a single scent or a combination of scents including lavender, vanilla, chamomile or rose. Just mix the ingredients together in the bottle and spray!
6. Bake Something Nice
Get into the kitchen and bake some cookies, cake or brownies. In fact, I have a friend who uses this trick to her advantage every time she has guests. She bakes a cake before guests arrive, so everyone is greeted by the delicious smells of freshly cooked food at the door. Your house will not only smell superb but you also get the bonus of having a cake to eat!
7. Buy A Bouquet of Flowers
Buy a bouquet of flowers and place them on the coffee table, in the dining room or at the counter- not only are they refreshing to look at, but they will also leave your house smelling nice!
8. Grind Coffee Beans
Buy coffee beans, preferably the organic ones, and grind them yourself- not only will it take your coffee experience a notch higher, but it will also leave your house smelling fantastic.
9. DIY Herb Sachets
Look for some tiny muslin bags and fill them up with your favorite dried spices, flowers and herbs, and place them in strategic places like inside the drawers to make your clothes smell great.
