How to Make Your Home Smell Great
As we all know, there are a few different elements that go into having a well-kept and welcoming home. Besides the aspect of keeping our places tidy, we also want our house to smell as fresh and clean as it looks. Today I am sharing how to make your home smell great, all of the time!
When you have guests over, you want to be sure you welcome them with an inviting aroma. You don’t want your house to smell stale or offensive in any way. Even if we are just relaxing at home, we all want to breathe in a fresh scent without any unpleasant odors.
How do you make your home smell great? By using these 3 simple steps:
- Get rid of the odors in your home
- Freshen up the air in your home
- Add scents to your home
With this simple process, you will be relaxing in your wonderfully fresh-smelling home in no time. Below I will go into the details as well as some options for each of these steps, so let’s get started!
Step 1: Get Rid of Odors
Before you start adding extra scents to your home, you want to be sure you eliminate those odors first. We want to add scents to a fresh environment, not mask unpleasant smells. That never works out well for anyone.
Take out the Trash
Honestly, this is number one and key to making your home smell great. We put everything in our garbage cans, from packaging for raw meat to fridge outcasts and leftovers we made who-knows-when. This makes your trash can the biggest contributor to household odors.
So, if your home has a bit of an unpleasant smell, the likely culprit is the garbage. Always be sure to take out the trash (bathroom included) well before guest arrive.
Clean that Fridge
Like our trash, our fridge can collect odors. I go shopping once a week, and I have made it a habit to clean out the fridge on that very same day. Old leftovers and spoiling fruits or veggies all have to go before the new food gets stocked. New groceries in, old groceries out.
This habit will help ensure that you never have to worry about any food rotting away in the refrigerator. Any spills or grime should be cleaned up during this time as well. And of course, after cleaning the fridge, be sure to take out that trash.
Many people recommend keeping a box of baking soda in your fridge for added odor control. This is a great odor absorber, but if you keep to a good weekly fridge cleaning routine, you might not find this to be necessary.
I have had no need for any odor reducers since I started my weekly fridge cleaning habit. When you keep a clean fridge to begin with, you do not need to mask or absorb foul odors. Instead, you are finding the source and eliminating it.
Run Your Garbage Disposal
Another potential source of odors is our garbage disposal. All kinds of food are deposited here and begin to decay, making for quite an unpleasant smell. It’s good to grind everything up on a regular basis. I briefly run the disposal every time after I wash up dishes, just to flush everything out.
This last year I started drinking lemon water in the mornings (it’s supposed to help boost your metabolism if you drink it before breakfast. Who doesn’t like that idea?) When I remember to, I like to grind the leftover lemon wedge in the disposal instead of tossing it into the trash. This can help freshen up your disposal.
If you use pot simmers, think about pouring it all down your disposal after use, including the citrus slices or herb sprigs.
You can also pour 1 c. baking soda and then 1 c. vinegar down the disposal to freshen it up. This is a more common option that does the trick. Although if you are like me and really do not care for the smell of vinegar, you might want to try one of the more pleasantly scented options first.
Step 2: Freshen the Air
There are a few very simple ways to freshen up the air in your home. Once you have eliminated the odor sources, you want to get some clean air flowing through your home to get rid of any lingering smell.
Open Those Windows
The best way to freshen up your home is to let in that outside air! If you can do this every day, even for 10 minutes, it will be beneficial for you and your home. If that’s asking too much, consider making it part of your weekend routine. This habit will also help wake you up, giving you a bit of an energy boost with some fresh oxygen flowing through your home.
You should do this regularly, during each season. Of course, fall and spring are easier to accommodate for with their more comfortable temperatures. In the summer we open up our home in the evenings, once it starts to cool down. Keep them open all night if you live in a neighbor where you are comfortable doing so.
Even on winter days, if it’s a warmer sunny afternoon, try to get a bit of fresh air flowing through your house. Just a few minutes can make a big difference.
Use an Air Purifier
If you can’t open up those windows, another way to improve the air quality within your home is with an air purifier. They come in all shapes and sizes so be sure to purchase one that fits the needs of the room you are intending it for. Consider purchasing one with a scent pad, which I will address in the next section.
Buy some Plants
As nature’s air purifiers, plants will bring more life to your home. A potted plant will add both oxygen and added décor to any room. Consider adding at least one plant to each room in your house.
Step 3: Add Scents to Your Home
Now that your house is odor free, we can get to the fun part. Here are some tips to get your home smelling amazing for you and your guests. Remember that a pleasant-smelling home is an inviting home!
Display Preserved Plants
For those of us without a green thumb, preserved plants, such as eucalyptus, can be surprisingly fragrant and will last a very long time with minimal care. Display these as branches in a tall vase, or as a wreath on a door or wall. Dried eucalyptus can even be hung in the bathroom to give a fresh aroma and help clear sinus congestion.
Wipe Down Furniture
Everyone relates that fresh laundry scent to a clean home. Besides running a load of actual laundry, which often leads to a clean warm scent permeating throughout your home, there’s another option.
Take your dryer sheets and lightly rub them along your furniture. Your couch and chairs will get that light and fresh laundry scent without having to run a load. Blankets and pillows can be freshened up with these sheets as well, and this is a great quick task you can do right before guests arrive.
Use Scent Pads
If you have an air purifier or humidifier in your living area, adding a few drops of essential oils will add a light scent to your home. Many models have a “scent pad” included. I recommend purchasing one with this option so you can purify and scent your home all at once.
This is also a great way to make your room more relaxing before bed. Just add a few drops of lavender to the pad for a calming nighttime aroma.
Pine Sol Those Floors
My favorite cleaner of all time is Pine Sol. My mom used it to clean our floors growing up, so it’s always a scent that brings back fond holiday memories. I feel like it does a fantastic job cleaning the floors and it smells like Christmas in a bottle! They also offer other scents that are great for spring and summer so you can use it year-round.
I often use this as my all-purpose cleaner. Aside from cleaning the floors I also clean out the sink, wipe down the countertops, and scrub the faucets. You can use it to clean your toilet too.
Pine Sol helps give your home that universal clean scent that flows through the whole house without mixing too many fragrances. It also does a good job of creating a lasting scent without being overpowering.
Pick a Universal Scent
I love having a set of cleaning products that provide matching scents for each season. A hand soap, all-purpose cleaner, and a room spray all in the same scent are a win for sure. I personally love the Mrs. Meyer geranium scented collection; it smells like fresh flowers!
Of course, your cleaning product scents don’t need to match, but it’s a fun way to have a universal fragrance throughout the home. Whether you choose to do this or not, just be sure to have some scents you enjoy that make you home smell like, well, home!
Tried & True Favorites
Scented Candles
Candles are the preferred way to add an amazing smell to our home. They even add a nice touch of décor! With an unlimited number of scents out there, it’s hard to not collect these aromas in a jar.
HomeGoods is my number one stop for affordable candles. They always have a great variety and cute designs on their jars.
Plugins & Simmers
If you prefer flame-free options, diffusers and candle warmers are great alternatives. Bath and Body Works has great plugins that are identical to their beloved candle scents.
Pot simmers are a good way to get more natural scents in your home by using fresh fruit, citrus, herbs and spices. They have all kind of recipes out there for all seasons. If you don’t mind having your stove on for extended periods of time, pot simmers are a good option.
Cook or Bake
You can’t top the warm delicious aroma of something cooking or baking in the oven. This is also a great way to get your guests excited for a meal! Whether it’s appetizers in the oven, a fresh batch of cookies, or a stew in the crockpot. Whatever you make, it’s a wonderful way to create a scent that carries through your house and makes everyone’s mouth water in anticipation! Nothing smells as inviting as a homecooked meal.
Summary
As you can see, there are many simple ways to eliminate the odors in your home. By taking a few small steps, you can make your home smell great. With all of the options for scents, you can easily tailor to your preferences and to each season as well. I always support scenting your homes according to the time of year, it really helps add an extra element to embracing the changing of the seasons!
