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Top 5 Ways to Improve the Smell of Your House

No one likes walking into a home and being met with an unpleasant stench. The scent of your house is often the first thing guests notice when visiting. When we spend a lot of time in one area, it can be hard for us to tell if it smells bad or not.

This is thanks to something called sensory adaptation, also known as nose blindness. If you’ve ever come home after being gone for an extended period of time and noticed a stench, that’s likely what your house smells like to guests.

Whether you live in a small studio apartment by yourself or you have a huge farmhouse with your family and a gaggle of animals, there are easy things you can do to improve the scent of your home.

We’ve included an in-depth guide on how to prepare your house, natural tips, and tricks, plus bonus smell-good techniques to make it enjoyable to spend time in any room.

How To Prepare For A Better Smelling House

While some people just light a candle and call it a day, that will only mask the stench. There are a few things you’ll need to do first to ensure that anything causing the smell is taken care of before making the air smell pleasant.

Clean Up Each Room

Starting us off is picking up each room in your home. This includes getting rid of any garbage that may have accumulated and taking out the trash bags in the bathroom and kitchen. This is also a good time to throw a cut-up lemon in your garbage disposal and run it.

While you’re cleaning, check for dishes in bedrooms, offices, and living rooms. Leftover dishes can quickly stink up a room. If you find any, wash them immediately or pop them in the dishwasher to begin clearing the air.

Check Popular Pet Places

If you have a furry friend under your roof, they could be the cause of the stink. For example, a cat’s litter box can quickly bring a strong scent of ammonia to a room. Change the litter regularly to prevent this from happening.

In addition, wash dog beds, blankets, and bedding of small critters like hamsters or guinea pigs. Don’t forget to regularly bathe your pooch to keep his hygiene in tip-top shape.

Natural Ways To Improve The Smell Of Your House

You don’t have to add unnecessary chemicals to the air to get rid of any unpleasant smell. These can be harmful to your respiratory system, your pets, and often just mask the smell temporarily. Here are a handful of natural ways to improve the smell of your house that won’t harm you or your furry friends.

Utilize Your Kitchen

One of the best spots to create delightful, and might we say delicious smells, is in the kitchen. If you feel like getting creative, you can easily create your own potpourri. We like this one because you can customize it for the season!

To make stovetop potpourri, follow these steps:

  1. Get a pot and fill it ¾ full with water
  2. Add in ingredients of your choice
  3. Place over heat and bring to a boil
  4. Turn it off the burner and allow it to simmer
  5. Drain water and let the mixture dry before placing it in any room

If you’re wanting a fresh scent, mix together lemon, rosemary, and vanilla. For a cozy autumn smell, cut up apples, oranges, cranberries, and cinnamon sticks.

Another thing you can do in your kitchen to get an amazing aroma is bake extracts. While vanilla extract is the most popular in baking, there are several other flavors, including mint and almond.

Take two capfuls of the extract of your choice and pour it into a mug. Place the mug into the oven and bake for one hour at 300 degrees. Open your oven and breath in the scrumptious smells.

Baking Soda Cleaner

Baking soda is a natural deodorizer, making it perfect for this task. There are a couple of things you can do with this cooking ingredient to combat stinky smells. Take a box of baking soda and sprinkle it over rugs and carpets.

This is great for homes that have a lot of foot traffic or furry friends. Let the baking soda sit for 15 to 30 minutes before vacuuming it up.

Homemade Room Freshener

Popular commercial air fresheners are a waste of money when you can easily make your own at home. These are great for those who don’t want to expose their house to potentially harmful chemicals.

You can get a cheap spray bottle and fill it with water, alcohol, and your choice of essential oil. Spray it around your room and on furniture! It’s important to ensure that the oil you choose is pet-safe. Many essential oils are harmful to pets.

Some of the most harmful essential oils for dogs are:

  • Tea tree
  • Peppermint
  • Cinnamon
  • Wintergreen
  • Yarrow
  • Clove
  • Citrus
  • Pine
  • Pennyroyal
  • Juniper
  • Ylang ylang
  • Sweet birch
  • Anise
  • Thyme

Crack Open A Window

Sometimes all you need to refresh the air in your home is to open a few windows! Nothing beats a cool summer breeze. The fresh air is not only good for the stench in your house, but it also has plenty of physical benefits, including:

  • Increasing oxygen to your digestive system
  • Improves blood pressure and lowers heart rate
  • More oxygen can lead to an increase in serotonin (a chemical produced in the brain to make you feel happy)
  • Strengthens your immune system
  • Fresh air cleans your lungs
  • Can increase energy level and cognitive ability

You can also bring the outside indoors during cold winter months when you can’t open the windows. There are plenty of air-purifying plants that get the job done while sprucing up the look of your space.

Some of the most popular air purifying plants are:

  • Jasmine
  • Gardenias
  • Eucalyptus
  • English ivy
  • Dragon tree
  • Aloe vera
  • Spider plant
  • Broad lady palm
  • Snake plant / Mother-in-law's tongue
  • Barberton daisy
  • Chrysanthemum


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