10 Ways to Make Your Home Smell Amazing Naturally!

10 Ways to Make Your Home Smell Amazing Naturally!

Every home has its own unique signature scent. Still, some homes just smell better than others. Nobody really likes to talk about unpleasant odors in the home, but it’s important to deal with them. No matter how clean you keep your place, many types of odors develop naturally. Sometimes, keeping your home in great-smelling condition means preventing the odors that don’t smell good from taking over in the first place. Rather than plugging room deodorizers into your electrical outlets or lighting scented candles, try using a few all-natural household staples like baking soda, distilled white vinegar, used coffee grounds, vanilla extract, and lemons to get rid of unpleasant odors. Here are 10 ways to make your home smell amazing:

1).  Absorb household odors with baking soda 

Baking soda does a really good job of absorbing odors, not masking them. Not to mention that it’s easy to find and super cheap to buy. Most folks know that keeping an open box of plain baking soda in the refrigerator will neutralize bad odors. Sprinkle some into the bottom of the trash can and into the trash bag itself for similar results. Refresh carpets and rugs by sprinkling baking soda all over them. Let the baking soda sit for a few hours to absorb odors before vacuuming. The same method works for pet beds and mattresses. Soak a piece of bread in vinegar and set it overnight in a lunchbox or wastebasket to remove built-up food odors.

2).  Get rid of bad kitchen odors with distilled white vinegar

You may already use vinegar to clean, but did you know it can also be used to deodorize your kitchen. After cooking, especially with a greasy dish, try simmering white vinegar on the stove to help remove the smell quicker.  You can also just leave an open cup of vinegar on the counter before going to bed and wake up with a fresher-smelling kitchen.  To remove bad smells from your microwave, boil two parts of water with one part vinegar in a microwave-safe container.   Vinegar is acetic acid that binds with malodorous molecules. The smell of the vinegar won’t last; it’ll just absorb underlying odors.

Over time, bacteria attack the little bits of food that collect in your dishwasher’s filter, causing it to smell. To get rid of the odor, first remove all food particles or scum from the bottom of the machine, making sure to remove and rinse the filter. Then pour two cups of distilled white vinegar into the machine (not into the detergent holder, but rather directly into the drum). Run the machine through a hot water cycle. Pause the cycle for about 20 minutes midway so that the water-and-vinegar mixture has a chance to break down detergent residue. Restart and finish the cycle.

3). Use lemon and salt to remove garbage disposal odor  

If you notice a lingering stink in your kitchen sink, it’s probably coming from the garbage disposal. To get rid of the odor, drop a cut-up lemon, a couple of tablespoons of salt, and a few ice cubes into your disposal. Turn on the disposal and run it until the lemon and ice are pulverized. The lemon deodorizes and the ice and salt clean away scummy residue. Another great trick is simmering leftover lemon peels on the stovetop. Place the rinds in a giant stockpot filled with water and let them simmer on low on the stove for hours. You’ll be able to enjoy a fresh, lemony smell for something that might otherwise have gone to waste.  

4). Repurpose used coffee grounds as a natural air freshener 

Used coffee grounds can serve as a natural air freshener, absorbing unwanted odors. Place a dish of coffee grounds (dried first) to freshen your fridge; Neutralize smells in the microwave by combining 2 tbsp. of grounds with 1/2 cup of water, then heat for less than a minute; Absorb unpleasant smells in a shoe or garbage closet by hanging an old stocking or cheesecloth filled with grounds (dried first). Another trick is to place about ⅛ cup of coffee beans in the oven at 400 degrees for about seven to 10 minutes. Then, leave the oven door open afterward for a wonderful coffee house smell.

5). Refresh your home instantly with DIY room spray  

Room sprays instantly refresh your environment. However, most over-the-counter room sprays are full of chemicals. Forget the Febreze and instead create a natural DIY concentrate of botanicals such as eucalyptus, lavender, and lemon myrtle. You’ll want to first steep the herbs in hot water as if you were making tea, then transfer the mix to a spray bottle for freshening up the kitchen. Tea is also a natural odor absorber. You can actually use old dried tea leaves to eliminate funky smells in your fridge instead of baking soda.

6). Infuse your home with the fragrance of simmering potpourri 

A potpourri simmer pot, sometimes also called stovetop potpourri or simmering potpourri, is a great all-natural alternative to burning a candle. A potpourri simmer pot will infuse your house with wonderful fragrance for hours. The aroma is often reminiscent of baked goods or your favorite comfort foods. Stovetop potpourri is especially popular in the cooler months, but you can mix make a batch any time of year with seasonally appropriate ingredients. Try simmering a pot on low with apple slices, orange peels, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. You can also include other aromatics such as vanilla beans, anise, nutmeg, and rosemary, just to name a few. 

7). Purify and deodorize the air with bamboo charcoal 

One of the most effective and affordable odor busters is bamboo charcoal. Also known as activated charcoal, bamboo charcoal is odorless and highly absorptive. Bamboo charcoal can have the same effect on air purification by removing toxins and odor in the atmosphere. Packaged in a linen bag, bamboo charcoal works to absorb unpleasant odors, remove bacteria, harmful pollutants, and allergens, and dehumidify the air. For a quick fix in a smelly kitchen, hang activated charcoal in a porous bag by the kitchen window. You can also put bamboo charcoal in a few bowls around your kitchen near potential odor sources such as the garbage disposal or trash can. Bamboo Charcoal can rejuvenate itself if placed in sunlight once a month and can be reused for up to two years.

8).  Add a delicious, subtle scent with drops of vanilla extract 

Vanilla smells amazing. Try adding some vanilla extract droplets to a cotton ball or pad and tucking them into hidden spots throughout your home. Or, try rubbing a small amount of vanilla extract on a lightbulb or two. When you turn these lights on, the vanilla will heat up, and the scent will permeate throughout the room. Or, simply put a few drops of vanilla extract in a dish and bake it for half an hour in the oven. The vanilla will release a subtle scent that almost smells like someone just baked a delicious cake. Another trick is to add lemon zest and a capful of vanilla extract to a ramekin filled with water. Set the ramekin on a baking sheet and put it in a 300-degree oven.   

9). Eliminate musty smelling drawers in old furniture

That musty furniture smell that is particular to old furniture and cabinetry can make anything you put inside smell as well. Before you fill your drawers or closets, deodorize them first. Use one of the following four furniture deodorizers.

• Baking soda — same as with the borax, sprinkle baking soda evenly over the surfaces of the drawers. However, this time, leave the baking soda in for several days before removing it with the vacuum.
• Charcoal — place several pieces of activated charcoal in a container and put them in each drawer. Leave this in for several days. However, do not use the charcoal briquettes you use in your grill.
• Kitty litter — place some unscented kitty litter in disposable containers and place it in each drawer for several days.

10). Diffuse essential oils or hang dried herbs for a fresh scent

Essential oils, or concentrated plants and herbs, are a common way to add a fresh smell to your space. You can use essential oil diffusers throughout your home, and keep it natural and simple with oils such as rosemary, grapefruit, lemon, mint, and cinnamon orange. You can also try hanging dried herbs like sage, olive branches, rosemary, and bay leaf. Just tie a bunch of them and hang them at face-level somewhere in the kitchen. Your space will have a beautiful natural aroma and look amazing too!

Avoid air fresheners, scented candles, and “fresh scent” cleaning products containing chemicals

In many homes today, the fresh scent of pine, cedar, lemon, or flowers has been replaced with fragrances designed to replicate those scents.  Scented candles are popular products for adding a supposedly clean-smelling scent at home. Air freshener scents, cleaning products, and scented candles can also contain chemicals such as limonene, a volatile organic compound (VOC) that produces a pleasant and familiar smell. Limonene gives candles and spray-cleaners a lemony smell. A pine scent often comes from pinene, a similar chemical.

Indoors, limonene becomes aerosolized. The chemical combines with other airborne pollutants to form formaldehyde. Limonene is not associated with adverse health effects, but formaldehyde is. Formaldehyde exposure can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat, coughing and wheezing, nausea, and or skin irritation. At sufficient levels, formaldehyde is carcinogenic. Other “clean” household scents can contain additional chemicals that are equally or even more dangerous than formaldehyde. For example, many detergents and other “fresh scent” detergents contain phthalates, a class of chemicals linked to health problems such as asthma, obesity, breast cancer, infertility, affected thyroid hormone production, and reproductive problems.  

The takeaway

If possible, avoid using air fresheners, scented cleaning products, and candles containing chemicals. By addressing household odors naturally and before they take over, the result will be a cleaner, healthier, and more enjoyable living space for you and your loved ones.   

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