How To Make Your Home Smell Naturally Fresh
A fresh-smelling house means a clean house, which in turn means a healthy house. No one wants to live with lingering odors or a musty environment. There are lots of artificial air fresheners and cleaners out there that claim to do the job, but they can have dangerous side effects. It’s better for everyone to go natural. It’s also often more affordable!
The first step to having a fresh house is to get rid of bad smells. You don’t want to just mask them. Taking out the trash, throwing out old food from the fridge, wiping down your counters, and keeping your carpet vacuumed is a great way to start. What else can you do?
Open the Windows
The easiest and cheapest way to make your home smell fresh: open up your windows. Assuming you don’t live in a smog-filled city where opening your windows isn’t advised, fresh outside air is an instantaneous way to drive out musty, cobwebby smells.
Smelly Sink
The kitchen sink is a prime spot for bad smells, even after you’ve run it a few times. To make that area fresh, get some citrus fruit peels like orange, lemon, lime, or even grapefruit. Stick them down the disposal and run hot water over them. Hit the disposal switch. You can use pour a half cup or so of apple cider vinegar down the drain. It will dissolve any stuck-on food particles without hurting your plumbing.
Smelly Trash Area
You can’t take out the trash every time someone throws something away. To combat smells from building up, toss a dryer sheet into the bin. It will absorb smells and prevent them from getting too strong.
Smelly Carpet
Carpets absorb smells like sponges, especially if you have pets. To clean your carpet without harsh chemicals and expensive equipment, sprinkle especially smelly areas with baking soda. Make sure those areas are off-limits for a few hours, and then vacuum up the soda, which has absorbed a lot of odor.
Smelly Fridge/Freezer
If your fridge and freezer are harboring food odors, you can use a refrigerator odor eliminator or pour two ounces of vanilla extract into a bowl and stick it in the fridge or freezer. Imitation vanilla is fine, so you don’t have to worry about using your expensive baking extract. After a few days, the fridge/freezer should be smelling sweeter.
Once you’ve gotten rid of odor, how to keep your home fresh and clean? The best way is to get a plant that actually purifies the air. Ficuses, peace lilies, and Boston ferns all remove toxins from the air and are fairly easy to care for. For plants that are more fragrant, lavender, mint, and honeysuckle all have beautiful fragrances. What are some other ways to bring spring-ready scents in your home?
How To Make Your Home Smell Naturally Fresh
DIY Air Freshener
Instead of store-bought spray fresheners, fill a water bottle with distilled water, fresh herbs like rosemary or sage, and fresh lemon juice. Spray away!
Homemade Candles
Candles are great, but the really good ones are expensive. To make your own, you can use beeswax, citrus fruit peels, essential oils, and even coffee beans to produce all-natural candles. If you have a wax warmer, you can even use those remnants of wax at the bottom of your favorite old candles that won’t burn anymore, so no ounce of wax gets wasted.
Simmer Pots
Simmer pots are super easy, and just involve water, a big pot, and a recipe you find online. By boiling water with fragrant stuff like orange peel, cinnamon sticks, vanilla, dried lavender, and so on, you create a giant air freshener that fills your home with amazing smells. You can keep reusing the pot for 7 days, storing it in the fridge in between simmering sessions, and add more water as needed.
