10 ways to make your home smell better

If you’re looking to make your home smell a little better after some holiday excesses, here are 10 things that can help.

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1. Essential oil diffusers

Essential oils have become a health care catch phrase, but the oils – which are concentrated versions of natural plant oils – do have many uses. That includes helping improve the smell in a room.

With a diffuser, you just fill it with water, pour a few drops of essential oil in, and turn it on. The diffuser creates a fine mist that carries the scent of the essential oils throughout your house.

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2. Scented cleaning vinegar

Covering up scents with other scents can create a worse scent. It’s important to dig in and clean out the source of the bad smell.

A scented cleaning vinegar can help you both clean out the stink and leave a pleasant after-odor. Mixing hot vinegar with citrus peels and letting sit for 24 hours can create a naturally sweet smelling cleaner.

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3. Fabric spray

If you don’t have a diffuser, you can still improve the smell of your home – especially any kind of fabric. Just fill a small spray bottle with water, a bit of baking soda, and your favorite oil. Shake well and use as a fabric refreshing spray.

Lavender smells can be calming, while citrus oils such as lemon, tangerine, wild orange, and grapefruit can help provide energy.

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4. Garbage disposal cubes

If your kitchen has some odd odors coming from the sink, the guilty party might be the garbage disposal. However, there’s an easy way to clean it.

Add small pieces of lemon to an ice cube tray filled with white vinegar. Put them in a bag (to keep the vinegar smell down in your freezer). Once they are frozen, run a few at a time through the disposal to ward off the stench.

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5. Deodorizing carpet powder

Carpets can be the ghost of smells past – and not ones you want to keep. However, you can make your own carpet deodorizer to sprinkle around your home.

Mix a cup of baking soda and 30-40 drops of essential oils. Sit overnight, sprinkle lightly over spot, sit for 15 minutes and vacuum.

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6. Wax melts

Candles on their own can be something of a fire hazard, but a small lamp that houses a candle can be a nice addition to a home.

Some lamps house scented wax cubes, which are a fun DIY project and a great way to fill your home with the scent of your choice, and you don’t have to worry about having an open flame somewhere.

7. Car air freshener

How much time do you spend in your car? I’m betting it is more than in most of the rooms in your house. A nice scent in your car can help you contain that road rage.

Put about 10 drops of essential oils into a piece of felt, and you’ve got an easy air freshener.

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8. Air purifying plants

Potted plants can help warm a room’s look up, and it can purify the air in it as well. Some of the best are garden mums, spider plants and dracaena – great air purifiers which are also notoriously hard to kill.

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9. Stovetop potpourri

This is a great option for these cold days. Fill a saucepan with water, add sliced lemon and your favorite herbs and simmer on low heat.

If you need something even stronger, try filling the bathtub with hot water and adding your essential oil of choice.

10. Cotton ball perfume bombs

If you’ve got stubborn spots you can’t clean, try spraying cotton balls with your favorite scent and tucking them in hidden spots around the house, such as between cushions, in silk flower arrangements (the flowers really smell!) and behind furniture.

Do make a list of where you put them all, though – when it comes time to refresh them, you don’t want to get frustrated searching for them.

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