How Do you Keep Your Home Smelling Nice?

[Anonymous]

I love the smell of some homes and was wondering what people do to keep that fresh smell? Don't like too much chemical sprays.
Any recommendation would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

Do not fart!

[Anonymous]

Keep it clean.

[Anonymous]

If you don't have pets, it should smell pretty decent in general. But I do think the fact we keep our homes sealed up tight all year round does not help with indoor smells. Open those windows on days like this! Air it out and let the fresh outdoor scent in.

[Anonymous]

We use an outhouse.

[Anonymous]

I've wondered the same thing OP. You're getting a lot of smart ass comments from people who are obviously bored 12 yr old boys. I recently bought a plug in scent diffuser from Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day and it's OK, but like you am curious about how people with nice smelling homes keep them that way all the time. I do have cats which doesn't help, and when I vacuum I sometimes sprinkle the carpet with baking soda to absorb odors.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP to air out the house regularly.

[Anonymous]

10:42 here. I used to have pets, and what I did was clean any fabric in the house on a regular basis. I bought drapes that are machine washable and they got washed once a month. The carpet was steam cleaned about every two months using Nature's Miracle or Simple Solution. I put a waterproof blanket (one side was fleece) on the sofa where my dog liked to get up and sleep. That blanket got washed once a week. Closets can smell musty for some reason and depending on your closet doors, that odor can get into the rest of the house. I use hanging cedar blocks in there and try to make sure everything hanging there is clean (all coats/jackets get dry cleaned end of season).

Having hard wood floors helps a lot as well. And I do Febreze other upholstered chairs every so often as well. No odor in my house. When I had the dog, nobody even knew it.

[Anonymous]

I air it out frequently (windows open is marvelous, especially in spring or fall or after a heavy rain). I also bring in cut fragrant flowers (hyacinth in spring is my favorite) and, when all else fails, I will use a soy based candle scented with natural essential oils rather than chemicals. Another fantastic thing you can do is pour a bit of vanilla extract into a bit of water and simmer it for a half an hour. If you like vanilla, this is great! (use real, not faux, vanilla). Or bake a pie! Baking soda in the fridge helps. Giving your garbaage can a good cleaning on trash night goes a long way. Put lemon wedges in your disposal if that gets stinky.

[Anonymous]

14:30 here. In the winter, I also use dried lavendar from my garden as kindling in my fireplace. I also have cedar balls that I put in drawers. Dried (real) eucalyptus smells nice. i sometimes bring my basil plant in the house, which smells fantastic.

In short, there are some REALLY lovely things you can do to make the house smell great, without resorting to chemicals.

[Anonymous]

I just dumped 2 boxes of baking soda on my carpets and let it sit for about 20 minutes, then vacuumed it up. My house smelled much fresher than before I did it. I hate the strong smelling carpet powders so this worked out well.

[Anonymous]

Open the windows regularly - I open mine early every morning in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. In the Winter I grab any opportunity to open them (if it is over 50 degrees). Even a half hour a day helps. Not having wall to wall carpets helps too. Don't let dirty dishes sit in sink. Use vanilla in water in microwave to make microwave smell better.

[Anonymous]

Open your windows right now! Today is the perfect day!

[Anonymous]

Open windows + ceiling fans.

[Anonymous]

OP, do you have cats? Its tough to leave the windows open with the strong humidity. Maybe an air purifier?