Have you ever noticed how every home smells different? Think about the last three to five houses you’ve visited and try to remember what smell greeted you as you entered each one. Your house has a unique scent, too, that you may be unaware of but other people certainly notice as they walk through the door.
While almost every homeowner on the planet aims to have their home smelling fresh and clean all the time, it’s no secret that some houses just smell better than others. It’s also a given fact that some homes just don’t have a very welcoming smell. Scents of musk, dust, mold, and other unpleasant aromas waft throughout some houses that homeowners often avoid having people over because, no matter how many bottles of Febreze they use, the ugly odor just keeps coming back.
So, how do you get rid of these unwanted smells in your home? Well, you could hire a really good cleaner to do a deep clean on every nook and cranny of your home, but that would cost you. Thankfully, there are plenty of things that you can do by yourself to refresh your home and make it smell amazing again. The best part? They won’t even cost you nearly half as much as hiring cleaners.
1. Clean your garbage disposal - there’s something stinking up your kitchen, you just couldn’t figure out what it is. After mopping and vacuuming the floors at least twice and wiping down every surface with your favorite cleaning solution, the stink is still there. Before you get frustrated and have the wallpaper ripped out to check if there’s something rotting inside your walls (very unlikely but not impossible, btw), try cleaning your garbage disposal first. You could use one of those foaming cleaners that you just spray and leave for a couple of minutes or you could go all-natural and try grinding up slices of lemon or lime through the disposal instead. For stronger smells, pouring a half cup of baking soda and letting warm water run through can be quite helpful, too.
2. Clean and refresh your carpets and rugs - despite vacuuming regularly, your carpets and rugs can still accumulate an impressive amount of dust and dirt that, when left on for too long, can emit foul smells. Luckily, all you need are some baking soda, a brush and your vacuum to get rid of them. Sprinkle baking soda on your carpets and rugs, making sure to work the powder in with a brush. Leave it on for 30 minutes to an hour and then vacuum it all up. If you’re an EO fan, you can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oils there!
3. Simmer your own stove-top scent bomb - this has got to be one of our favorite ways to make the house smell great. It’s cheap and easy to make, it’s natural, and the smell wafts through the entire house! To do this, simply dump your fruits and herbs of choice in a small saucepan, add water, and let it simmer. Not sure what fruits go well with what herbs? Check out these recipes from The Spruce Crafts.
4. Strategically place candles throughout your home - don’t you just love how the candle displays in stores always look and smell great when you pass by the area? You can achieve the same effect at home without turning your home into a candle shop, you know. You just need to strategically place your favorite scented candles throughout your home so their sweet smell can fill the air. If done well, you wouldn’t even need to light them up every time you want your house to smell great. The scent they emit will cling to fabrics like linens and curtains so the scents stay on much longer.
5. Get an indoor plant or two in every room - plants are natural air cleaners that can help purify the air and get rid of any unwanted smells. There are tons of plants that thrive on low-light, are very low-maintenance, and are easy to take care of. Even if you’re not an experienced plant parent, these types of plants will survive.
6. Make the most out of your dryer sheets - clothes, linens, and other fabrics that have been stored for a long time tend to have that musty smell. To prevent this, you can place laundry sheets in cabinets and cupboards where you store these fabrics. You can also place a sheet or two in your air vents so the air that comes out of them smell like fresh laundry, making your whole house smell great.