Imagine coming home from a busy day, and as soon as you enter the home, it hits you with super-clean fresh-smelling aromas that send your olfactory senses into high gear and makes you stop right there and just inhale for a few seconds as it is so hard to ignore the blissful captivating aromas flying around.
Imagine entering your house and seeing a fly or two, playing in the air but coming your way, and to top that off you are hit with a stink that is so foul that you feel like you can see the stink!
You open the door with a frown on your face trying to figure out where that could be coming from- then you come to the realization that you have a visitor right beside you who just got a hit with the same stink as you did! No no no no no!
This cannot be happening to me! That is all you could think up at the time.
What would you say to your visitor?
We all love a fresh-smelling home! Sometimes we never notice what we do until the place is smelling stale and stinky! So the question now is how do we get rid of the foul smell?
Following that, we want to find ways to make our home have fresh-smelling fragrances that make us feel cheerful. It is such a wonder what scent can do for humans.
I have learned over time that smell can change moods. A certain perfume can make you like or dislike a person somehow without knowing them. It is such a silent and mysterious phenomenon but to me, it seems to prove itself over and over in many instances.
In essence- scents are powerful!
The same care we take of our bodies to make them fresh and smell nice and attractive so that the person we like and is attracted to, will be attracted to us as well; is the same care we need to put into our homes so we will find it nice and attractive, even to ourselves.
With that said here are ………. ways to keep your home smelling amazing!
Note: This post does not cover much of the bathroom smell. Here is a post which have you covered 16 Amazingly easy ways to make your bathroom smell wonderful!
1. Let’s Clean Up
Get rid of the dirty stuff first! It makes no sense to sweeten a dirty environment now does it? So before we get ahead and start mixing good scents with the bad, let’s clean up.
Wash up all the dishes and put some of this frozen vinegar with lemon pieces in your garbage disposal to refresh it.
It is a mixture of just vinegar frozen with lemon pieces. When it is placed in the garbage disposal, it cleans and sharpens its blades. But best of all it eliminates odors that may be caused by spoiled food in the drainage system.
2. Get Rid Of Mildew Smell From Towels
There are two ways to make your towels really fresh. The first is to soak the towels in hot water and white vinegar overnight. Hot water kills off most of the germs and the vinegar will give a helping hand in both removing greasy goos, stripping dirt, and softening up the fibers of the fabric.
The next way is to make a towel spray with vodka and essential oil. Use 15 drops of essential oils in a cup of vodka. Open the towel, spray it all over and let it dry properly.
Putting the towel out in the sun to dry is really helpful in making it fresher than any other method of drying.
Note: Make sure all towels are dried properly before folding. Damped towels cause mildew to grow rapidly!
Speaking of Mold and mildew…
3. Make A Mold And Mildew Spray
This is a combination of vinegar, lemon essential oil, and tea tree essential oil.
Lemon essential oil is antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, and antifungal, thus making it a powerful cleaner for the home.
Tea Tree Essential oil contains powerful antifungal properties that can kill mold and prevent its growth.
Because mold is a fungus, this antifungal and antibacterial spray will keep mold and mildew away from prone areas in the house, especially the bathroom from getting mold and mildew.
Add one cup of vinegar to a spray bottle and place 25 drops of lemon essential oil and 35 drops of tea tree essential oil.
Cover, shake well, and apply to the mold and mildew-prone areas.
If you do have mold, wear a face mask and a protective glove before entering anywhere close because mold is toxic! Apply the spray to the area and scrub with a brush and rinse.
Then let the area dry and apply a fresh coat of the spray onto the area. Let the fresh coat air dry and stay there.
4. Freshen Your Shoes
It is natural that shoes develop odors over time, to freshen up, sprinkle some baking soda in the shoes and spread it all over. Leave it overnight or until you are ready to wear it again.
If you have really sweaty feet, you could leave about half of a teaspoon of the baking soda in the shoes and wear it with that. It will help a whole lot to destroy the bad scent!
5. Change Pillowcases Often
If we do not sleep with hair covering, the dust and grease from our hair will get on the pillowcase, plus we sweat during sleep so that can also contribute to our pillows smelling bad. This also protects your skin from developing bumps.
6. Change Beddings Often
Just like the pillows, we release sweat in the sheets and if we are not careful enough to change the sheet on time, the sweat odor will seep into the mattress and cause it to get smelly – then the entire room gets smelly as a result.
I cannot say how often to change the sheets but if you sleep on it every night, it may be good to do this weekly.
7. Use A Cleaning Powder
Make a nice cleaning powder to kill dust mites and bacteria that cause bad scents. In a blender add the following ingredients to make the most awesome cleaning powder ever:
1 Cup Baking Soda
1/4 Cup Cornstarch
6 Bay Leaves
2 Teaspoons Clove Powder
2 Teaspoon Cinnamon powder
10 drops Peppermint Essential Oil (optional)
Instruction
Combine all the ingredients in your blender and cover tightly.
Blend until all is combined and the bay leaf is really refined.
Store in a tightly covered jar in a cool dry place.
Use on mattresses, carpets, microfiber sofas, and so on. Just spread it on and leave for about four hours before vacuuming. I leave the powder on my mattress, spread it on the sheets, and let it stay overnight.
8. Make A Mattress Spray
Make a mattress spray to eliminate odors and refresh the entire room with fresh-smelling fragrances. Here’s how;
Mattress Spray Ingredients
1 cup Vodka or (white vinegar optional)
1 cup boiled cooled water
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
15 drops of lavender essential oil
12 drops peppermint essential oil
500 ml spray bottle does not have to be exact.
Instructions
- Pour the water and vodka or vinegar whichever one you chose into the 500 ml bottle. Vodka will evaporate faster.
- Count the drops of each essential oil into the mix. Let none be wasted.
- Cover the top with your spray top and shake well.
- Mist on the mattress and allow it to stay about two to four hours before covering the back with sheets. Works like a charm.
9. Take Out The Trash
The garbage can accounts for bad scent a lot of times. It is sort of a silent but sure way to make the house smell stink. It contains waste and the things placed in it sometimes mutate from an ok to smell form to an awful unbearable stench. Emptying your garbage regularly is one way to keep the house fresh!
10. Add An Odor Absorber To The Bin
To the bottom of the bin, you may place a sponge, a folded rag, or a piece of cloth to both absorb liquids and keep odor under control. For odor control, add some baking soda to the rag or sponge.
You may also place a few drops of your favorite essential oils on the rag or sponge to spruce up the good aroma of the area.
30 Unexpected Ways To Use Dryer Sheets
Instructions
Use dryer sheets to remove soap scum
Use dryer sheets as a lint remover
Keep suitcases fresh with dryer sheets
Use dryer sheets to clean up dry spills
Use to dust ceiling fans and other things that accumulate dust
Clean your clethes iron with dryer sheets
Erase deodorant marks using dryer sheets
Clean your eyeglasses
Freshen up old books that carry that dusty and old musty smell
Use dryer sheets to freshen up an entire room
You can use dryer sheets as a mosquito rpellent
Use dryer sheets to remove static cling from eletronic devices
Use dryersheets to prevent fly away hair
Freshen up stuffed animals
Prevent tangles in thread for sewing using dryer sheets
Clean you car bonnet and hood
Sharpen scissors
Clean a burnt pot
Clean oven racks
Freshen up avacuum
Start a fire using used dryer sheets
Usr dryer sheets to remove glitter nail polish
Deodorize used diapers
Clean paint brushes
Prevent shoes from squeaking
Make a textures card using dryersheets
Use dryer sheets to line the bottom of your plsnt pots
Freshen up yiur bahtroom with dryer sheets
Freshen up your car
Protect decorative ornaments
11. Make A Natural Healthy Air Refresher
This air freshener contains water, vodka, and essential oil. All these ingredients have positive effects when used. It leaves no residue like those made with baking soda.
If sprayed on fabric, it will dry fast killing odors, mildew, and mold. This mixture is antibacterial, antifungal, and a deodorizer.
To make it use these ingredients:
1 cup distilled water
1/2 cup vodka (cheap one)
2 stems of mint (optional)
15 drops of essential oil of your choice (lavender and vanilla are good for bedtime to help induce sleep)
Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. The vodka will emulsify with the oil and everything becomes one mixture.
Spray in rooms you want to freshen up.
12. Make A Simmer Pot
Make a simmer pot which is sometimes called potpourri using just the following ingredients:
1 Apple
1 Orange
4 Cinnamon Sticks
1/4 cup vanilla
2 Teaspoon whole cloves
2 cups of water
Instructions
Slice the apples, lime, and orange into thin slices.
Place all ingredients in a pot and pour the water on them.
Place on the stove and bring to a boil, then turn down the fire to a lower temperature and let it simmer for a while causing the whole house to be filled with all the sweet aromas of all those ingredients.
13. Make An Orange Pomander
An orange pomander is simply orange with some cloves poked into its skin. Because the skin is punctured to insert the cloves, it will release oil into the dried clove causing a mixture of both clove and orange scents to rise into the air.
This will make the home smell really good and in the process, it will get rid of your fly problems. Flies hate the scent of cloves and citrus so when both are combined, they stay far from that area.
14. Create Mason Jar Luminaries
Mason Jar Luminaries are used for both decorations and for giving the environment a nice splash of aroma. Make this easy one for your front porch or place a few of them anywhere they can be supervised with the open tea light.
You Will Need
10-ounce Mason Jar
1 Tea light
1 Red apple
1 orange
1 green lime
1 cup of water – or enough to fill the jar
1 Tablespoons whole cloves
25 drops vanilla essential oil- Mosquitoes hate vanilla!
Instructions
Slice off a few pieces of red apples, oranges, and limes to about a quarter of an inch thick.
Arrange them in the mason jar so the colors alternate.
Fill the mason jar with water and add the cloves, spreading them all over the water to decorate it.
Add the essential oil and then place your tealight on top.
Place it carefully where you want it. Light it up when you are ready.
15. Make All-purpose Minty Cleaning Spray
Make a good cleaning spray with this new solution that I tested and found to be really good! I like creating new recipes! This one kills bacteria and leaves the area with a nice refreshing clean minty smell.
Ingredients
1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide
2 teaspoons toothpaste
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 small drop of dish soap
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a spray bottle. Increase the recipe if you want because I know you are going to like this a lot.
Shake well till all the ingredients are well combined. Use to deodorize drains, toilet bowls, and countertops.
It is even good for granite and marble counters. Just spray three or four times in the drains and it will refresh it in no time. You may add essential oil if you so desire but I enjoy the fresh peppermint scent from the toothpaste, it’s like fresh breath!
16. Use Coffee Beans With Tealights
Place some coffee beans in a jar small jar or a tiny bowl. Put a tealight in the middle of the coffee beans and light it up. When the heat hits the beans, your home gets the awesome scent.
17. Use An Essential Oil Plug-In Defuser
If you have one of these and want to go chemical-free, you can empty the content of it and pour in your favorite essential oil. Fill the oil container to halfway with essential oil and add some vodka or water to fill it up.
Fit it back together and give it a nice shake. Plug it in and you are good to go!
18. Light Some Scented Candles
Scented candles can give you a sense of warmth and comfort in your home. It feels so good to light one or a few in the early evenings after finishing your day’s work and you are ready to chillax.
Or a good tip is also to light one in the bathroom when you go to sit on the throne. It helps eliminate the scent.
19. Baking Soda Air Freshener
This air freshener is pretty easy to make. It is just the mixture of one cup of baking soda, grated zest from two limes, some essential oil for the scent, and sprinkles for added decoration.
Use about twenty (20) to thirty (30) drops of your preferred essential oil. Combine all ingredients together but save some of the lime zest to decorate the top.
The lime zest has a good aroma as well when it is still fresh. I place this mixture into small jars and place them in different areas of the house. Bathroom and living room especially.
20. Burn Some Incense Sticks
This tip might not be for everyone, but I really like the feeling that I get when a tiny bit of smoke is flowing around, and the nice aroma is oozing into the living room while I chill and read on my carpet. It also gets rid of mosquitoes, so that’s a plus for me!
Besides, smoke kills airborne microorganisms and works wonders in destroying the scent of feces. So whether during or after the toilet is used, burning incense sticks in the bathroom, will give the bathroom a refreshing smell.
21. Make Some DIY Tealight Companion Or Tealight Cookies
This one is my own invention, it is not patented so you can steal it with my permission! Haha!
It is simply dough made with spices to give an aroma when a tealight is lit on it. It is just like baking a cookie, only the smell of spices is much stronger!
I call it tealight companion or tealight cookies. Both names sound good to me. Which one do you like more?
