You’d want your home to be cosy and comfortable for your family. But more importantly, you’d wish your house visitors to feel the same way, even if they take you by surprise with unannounced visits. More than keeping your home organised and clean, nothing beats the feeling of coming inside a house that smells nice and inviting.
The smell of a home gives a lasting impression and imprints a memory on anyone, and if it’s not a nice smell, your home will be associated with something unpleasant. And nobody wants that.
But having pets, cooking, and the smell of sweaty but happy kids from the playground are everyday occurrences that make it challenging to maintain a good-smelling home. You’d never want these scenarios replaced with another because these are happy memories that make your family a joy to manage.
Fortunately, there are ways to achieve a good-smelling home. This post will explore ten secrets, including using reed diffusers to help you create a welcoming, inviting, fragrant space you’d love to come home to. Read on.
1. Open The Windows
Often, the unpleasant smell is due to lingering stagnant and musty air inside a room. You release that terrible smell by allowing fresh air to circulate the space. Moreover, you’re reducing indoor air pollution and improving the overall air quality inside your home when you open the windows.
To keep unwanted visitors like insects from coming in, you may install screens so you can open your windows at any time of the day. Fresh air will also help create a healthier living environment since you’re flushing out toxins and pollutants like cooking fumes, pet dander, and cleaning products in the air.
2. Use Essential Oils
Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds extracted from plants. You can use them in various ways to freshen up your home, such as:
- Diffusing – Disperse the fragrance of the oil in a diffuser.
- Room Spray – Create your own spray by mixing a few drops of oil in water and placing it in a spray bottle. A few spritzes in the air around your home will instantly create a pleasant fragrance.
- Adding It To Cleaning Products – Homemade cleaning products like vinegar and baking soda can be made more fragrant with essential oils. A few drops in the mixture will make cleaning more enjoyable. The best oils to use are rosemary, peppermint, and eucalyptus.
Use high-quality essential oils and use them safely. More importantly, keep them away from children’s reach and don’t use them near your pets. It may be toxic if ingested or applied directly to the skin.
3. Clean Regularly
Regular cleaning eliminates the source of unpleasant smells. Often, the scent stays and builds up on critical areas like floors, carpet, upholstery, bedding, kitchen, and bathroom. Here’s a routine you can follow:
- Regularly sweep and mop hard floors.
- Vacuum rugs and carpets
- Wash beddings weekly
- Clean your kitchen daily. Wipe counters, clean appliances like microwave and coffeemakers after every use, and don’t let dishes sit for too long on the sink.
- Clean the bathroom at least once a week, but if anyone in your family is sick, it’s essential to clean it daily.
- Pet areas – As a rule of thumb, cleaning pet areas at least once a week and their toys once a month is essential.
A cleaning routine will help maintain your home’s organisation and keep your space smelling good.
4. Use Scented Candles
Scented candles will not just make your home smell great, but they will also create a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere. Choose a scent that you love and let it permeate your space. Lavender will help you relax, while citrus scents invigorate and energise you.
Remember not to overdo it because too many candles scented at a time can be intoxicating. It can also be a fire hazard. Follow safety practices when using scented candles, such as trimming the wick to prevent excessive smoke and ensure a clean burn.
Today, candle warmers are available, so you don’t have to light the wick with fire. The warmer will melt the wax and disperse the pleasant smell safely inside the home.
5. Invest In An Air Purifier
Air purifiers filter out pollutants, allergens, and other airborne particles from the air, leaving you with cleaner and fresher air to breathe. It can also help to eliminate odours from cooking, pets, or other sources. It would be best to ensure the filters are cleaned or replaced regularly to enjoy the full benefits of an air purifier.
6. Add Plants To Your Living Space
Plants are natural air purifiers. They absorb carbon dioxide and other pollutants in the air and release oxygen. Aside from beautifying your home, they also reduce the stress levels of any home’s occupants. Place them strategically in your home and choose fragrant ones like jasmine and lavender.
7. Avoid Smoking Indoors
Smoke from cigarettes and tobacco products clings to fabrics and surfaces, leaving an unpleasant and stale odour. It’s not only unhealthy for the smoker but especially for those who can smell second-hand smoke. If quitting is not an option, you may designate a smoking area outside the home.
8. Keep Your Trash Cans Clean
Trash cans can quickly accumulate lousy odour, especially from food waste. The food substances can stick to the inner portion of the receptacle and, if not removed, will worsen in time. That’s why it’s crucial to place trash bags to prevent food waste from sticking to the bin and to wash your trash cans every so often. You may also use a deodoriser to help absorb and eliminate foul odours.
9. Use A Reed Diffuser
A reed diffuser is a safe and effective way to make your home smell good. It consists of a bottle filled with scented oil and reed sticks that absorb and diffuse the fragrance into the air. Remember to adjust the number of reed sticks to your preference; more sticks create a more potent scent, while fewer make the smell subtler.
10. Simmer Potpourri In The Stove
A quick and easy way to release a pleasant aroma in your home is to simmer a combination of herbs, fruits and spices in a pot of water on the stove. You may choose cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, rosemary, and citrus fruits. The fragrance from the simmering potpourri will permeate your home and create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Make sure to add more water to keep the pot from drying out.
Conclusion
Making your home pleasant, smelling and inviting takes only a few small steps. Follow the tips in this post, and your home can become the most relaxing, pleasant-smelling and cosy home in your block.
