by Decorating Den/Jen Pysnack| April 13th, 2020 | Sharing
On a personal level, we are washing our hands and keeping our physical distance to flatten the curve. But what about our homes? Keeping your home clean and fresh can be challenging in the best of times. Currently, we are in our homes more than ever before and with this constant populace comes certain issues. Are you finding it difficult to keep your home smelling fresh? Here are 7 ways to make your home smell good.
- Let the fresh air in
The best way to get old air out is to open the windows. Try to open windows in multiple rooms to get a cross breeze. If it’s too chilly to do that, try opening the windows a crack in areas that most need a refresh for a few minutes. Any new air is going to help freshen your space.
- Declutter
Yes, really. Dust stinks and having too much stuff makes it far more difficult to clean your home. Get rid of anything that you don’t find beautiful, useful, or sentimental. And here’s the thing – if everything is sentimental, then nothing is. This philosophy is a bit of a riff on both William Morris’ and Patrick Lencioni’s famous quotes, but accept it as truth.
- Eliminate the obvious issues
Check pet beds, garbage cans & disposals, damp laundry, ruined produce, mildew in corners or windowsills, drains, dirty throw rugs and other musty smelling items.
- For garbage cans – sprinkle in some baking soda.
- Lemon quarters and ice cubes work well for the disposal – just grind them up to clean the blades and help freshen.
- Damp laundry and washable throw rugs can simply be laundered.
- Check for and throw out any ruined produce – on the counter, in cupboards or in the fridge.
- Drains sometimes simply need water in the traps to solve odor issues, let water run a few seconds and see if the situation is resolved.
- Baking soda to the rescue again for a stinky hamper, carpet, pet bed, or other musty smelling items that cannot be laundered. Vacuum up the excess after a few hours.
- For mildew, tea tree oil solutions are a natural alternative to bleach.
- Candles and incense
Burning a candle or incense helps to eliminate odors. Two things to keep in mind –
- never leave open flames or burning incense unattended and
- try to keep scents similar or mix in some unscented options to keep the overall scent created from being overwhelming.
- Cook something delicious
It’s no coincidence that realtors encourage sellers to bake an apple pie or some chocolate chip cookies prior to an open house. Certain foods just smell delicious and bring about positive emotions. On the other hand, if you’re preparing food that doesn’t smell so great, run the exhaust or open a window.
- Do a quick wipe down with a great smelling household cleaner
Citrus scented Lysol smells great or make your own with essential oil (most essential oil sites offer recipes and ideas for their products). Wipe down durable surfaces to sanitize and refresh.
- Cotton ball perfume bombs
This is an old trick, but it really works to make your house smell good. Soak cotton balls in your favorite scented oil or cologne and tuck them around the house, out of sight.
Taking a few moments each day to air out and resolve any scent issues in your home will make living there so much more pleasurable. Get everyone in your household on board. Make it a game (or maybe a science project?) to address and then maintain your new freshly scented home.
For more ideas visit: dengarden.com/interior-design/10-Ways-To-Make-Your-House-Smell-Good
