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How does your house smell? When you awaken in the morning, do you still smell that onion you cut up for last night’s stew? Or… are you greeted with a sweet, pleasant fragrance? I often wondered: how can I make my house smell fresh? I LOVE it when I walk into then house and I’m welcomed by a good smelling aroma.
If you’re trying to sell your home, you’re probably aware that specific smells during the showings enhance your chances of selling your house faster.
But, what about when your house isn’t for sale? Are you just as aware of its scent when you aren’t trying to attract buyers? Besides commercial plug-in fresheners (which I hate with a passion: they give me terrible headaches) and all the other obvious products you already know to buy, how can you use ordinary household items to keep your house smelling as fresh as the day you first moved into it?
Table of Contents
How To Make Your House Smell Fresh
1. Open up windows
When weather permits, open up your windows and air out your house, placing baking soda in troubled spots. Sometimes, just having your house closed up during the winter makes your house not smell as good as it does in the spring and summer.
2. Use an essential oil room spray
Essential oils are natural, and can freshen up a room in no time. They also have lots of health benefits.
I make a couple room sprays and keep the bottles in my kitchen. then, every time I feel my house needs a bit of freshening up, I walk around the house and spray withe every few steps.
May favorite spray is make of just water and peppermint oil: this smell is soo fresh and invigorating! I have a 2 oz blue glass bottle, to which I add 30 drops of peppermint oil and then fill with water. I shake the bottle before each time I spray around, to make sure the water and oil are mixed well.
If I’d rather have a relaxing scent, I mix lavender and citrus oils.
And if I expect guests, I don’t just spray the room: I then add a few drops in my favorite essential oils diffuser and let it run throughout the day. Makes the house smell so good!
Lavender Essential Oil
Essential Oil Diffuser Peppermint Oil
3. Natural fragrances
Cinnamon – Nothing beats the smell of cinnamon in the air. Maybe that’s why realtors suggest that sellers simmer it on their stove just before potential buyers inspect their homes.
Just because your house isn’t on the market doesn’t mean you can’t use the same tricks. Simmer a pot of water with a dash of cinnamon powder, sprinkled with a few cloves. The smell of cinnamon and cloves can travel beyond your kitchen to every room.
What’s more, add some cinnamon to your coffee grounds for an added fragrance.
Or when peeling apples, add a few peels to your cinnamon brew for the smell of freshly baked apple pie trailing throughout your home.
Grated fruit peel – If you love the smell of tangerines, lemons, or oranges, toss in some grated fruit peel to boiling water and simmer.
Lemon Zest & Thyme Scented Potpourri Potpourri – It doesn’t have to be the holiday season to enjoy the smell of potpourri. Add some of that potpourri you got for Christmas to a pot of boiling water to air out a closed-in winter house, as well relive pleasant memories of past Christmases.
Or, make your own potpourri. Add a few of the following:
- herbs you grow in your garden (I grow lavender and LOVE adding it to my potpourri)
- some dried fruit peels, like citrus, apple, etc.
- spices: cinnamon, cloves, etc.
Scented Pine Cones – All it takes is a basketful of pine trees to make your house smell like the country. Instead of throwing out pine cones when you rake the yard, use them to bring the smell of a mountain cabin into your house.
4. Dryer sheets
Who doesn’t love the fresh smell from dryer sheets, steaming from the clothes dryer? Besides being used for drying clothes, place dryer sheets in front of your air conditioning filters for an instant air freshener. This is an especially useful idea for smokers and pet owners.
5. Replace old carpet with hardwood floor
No matter what you do, sometimes you still smell bad odors if you have an old, moldy carpet that’s beyond repair. Just by pulling up your carpet and replacing it with vinyl, hardwood, laminate, or tile flooring, you can make a huge difference in improving the fragrance of your house.
6. For stubborn odors
Place a bowl of white vinegar in area of the room where the stench is the strongest (making sure it’s in a safe place). Rather than covering up the odor, this will totally eliminate it. After 24 hours the odor will be almost unnoticeable and within another 24 hours, it will be entirely gone.
These are just a few suggestions to improve the smell of your house. Besides experimenting with these ideas, also ask others what works for them. Once your house smells good, you’ll want to spend more time at home. And, you’ll probably also want to be more hospitable, sharing your home with others.
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