Home Fresh Tips for Whole Year
Oftentimes, it is hard for many to maintain the freshness of their house especially the kitchen part, when the ghost of yesterday’s menu is hunting you all over the house. There are smells which we cannot easily remove from our house. The smell of food while you are cooking may be inviting but after cooking, the smell becomes unpleasant.
It is so nice to have pets in the house but some of them also bring their nasty smells especially when you skip bathing them or you skip cleaning their urines. Another part in the house that seems so disgusting is the laundry area where our dirty clothes are there.
Another sickening smell that may live in your house is when someone in the family is a smoker. That tobacco smell sinks deep into your carpets, furniture, walls and in curtains. Then someone visited you in your house unexpectedly or worse, a company meeting will be held in your house in a few minutes and you cannot remove that unexplainable disgusting smell all over your house. Oh no! Stressful! Lesson learned: your home sweet home must always be fresh and clean! You must always be ready!
It must always be a home sweet home and not a home bitter home. But how will you maintain a fresh and a clean house every day? Don’t worry. This is the best time that we come into the picture. We are here to save you from this stressful problem. Here are a few tips to help you on how to keep your house smells good:
1. Get rid of the culprits
There are many sources of bad odors in our house. Getting rid of those sources might consume so much of your time but do you want them to stay and feel at home? Of course not! Then eliminate those culprits before the disgusting smells sink deep all over your house. Act before it’s too late! Look for those culprits because some of them maybe from:
- Garbage/Trash Cans
- Damp laundry
- Leftovers in the refrigerator
- Dirty rugs
- Stale pillows and bed sheets
- Decaying vegetables and fruits
- Kitchen and bathroom sinks drains
- Stinky pet beds
- Unclean upholstery
- Dead crickets or insects
- Carpets
There are some chemical cleaners which you can use to get rid of some of the sources of home odors. If you run out of budget to purchase those chemical cleaners, there are alternative solutions through the natural or homemade cleaners which are also effective like the chemical ones.
2. Burn, spray and smoke out the smell
Scented candles, air freshener sprays or incenses can be your effective weapons against the disgusting smell in your house. They are the fastest way to get your home some lovely fragrances. You just purchase them in the supermarkets or in the online store then your house will be home sweet home.
Scented candles are said to be effective for getting rid of the fleeting odors that comes from cooking, toilet use and even tobacco smoke. On the other hand, air freshener sprays are good in every part of the house. Let’s bring back the incenses! Some may don’t like its smell but for some, they find it as a way to get rid of the bad smells inside their house.
Incenses are one of the most effective odor removal and effective way of creating lasting scents inside the house because their scents stay for days. The same way those stinky smells stick to you is the same way incenses stick to the wall, curtains, carpets and furniture.
Take note that if you don’t want to become stifled by too much perfume, make sure that all the scents are the same, or at least complementary because not all scents just go well together especially when two strong scents are mixed together.
3. Do a ‘Do it yourself’ natural room scents
Making your ‘do it yourself’ natural scents could be the simple, all natural and truly lovely solution to have your home smells pleasant. All you have to do is simmer some sweet smelling ingredients in water then the steam will fill the air with a lovely, sweet scent.
The good thing here is there is no chemical involved. Just all natural. This is good for couples who have little children. There are no harmful effects for they are naturally made. As we go on, we will give you some of the natural room scent recipes. Aren’t you excited? But before that, let we tell you its procedures.
1st- Combine the ingredients in a 2-cup jar or container or in a pan on the stove top.2nd- Put some water.3rd- Cover them then heat.
Simple, isn’t it? Now, let’s talked about the natural room scents you can personally make in your home. I assure you that you will love this! It not only helps you to freshen up your home but it also gives you an enjoyment as you make your own natural room scents. You might get addicted in making some!
Scent No. 1: First on the list is the combination of pine or cedar twigs, nutmeg and bay leaves. The result of this combination is a complex aroma. Use a micro plane to grate off the outer surface of the nutmeg, if you have a whole nutmeg. Through this, the scent of the nutmeg will be release. Do not throw the gratings from the nutmeg. Combine them also along with the other ingredients.
Scent No. 2: Second combination is the orange, almond extract and ginger. You can buy almond extract in the supermarkets. Ginger can be fresh or powdered. This combination will give you a sweet, delicious scent.
Scent No. 3: Lime, mint, thyme and vanilla extract is our third on the list. This combination will give you a fresh, pleasant scent. The mint will really kicks up the aroma.
Scent No. 4: Fourth on the list is the combination of lemon, rosemary and vanilla extract. This one will give a scent that you would always long for.
Scent No. 5: Last but definitely not the least is oranges, cinnamon and cloves combination. This combination has a wonderful aroma and it has a staying power. You can carry it into multiple rooms and can be reheated so you can scent your rooms for several days.
4. Have some air purifying plants
Potted plants are not just for displays. They help contribute to clean and freshen the air. They are also natural air purifiers.
Not only fresh air do indoor plants bring into your house but they also give more oxygen. But take note, you must get rid of the dead leaves or flowers as those can also create some stinky smell of their own. You should consider this tip. It will surely help you in bad home odors. Isn’t it amazing that your indoor plants are cleaning the air while beautifying your home?
Some of the best air purifying plants are: peace lilies, palm trees, geraniums, Arabian jasmine, Cuban oregano, gardenias, eucalyptus and corsage orchids.
In addition to using plants to purify the air, you can also make use of an air purifier with humidifier, we invite you to read our very complete guide on air purifiers and humidifiers.
5. Use essential oils inside your house
Essential oils not only get rid of the bad smell that is into your house but it also gives you a light mood and a good vibe. So what are essential oils? They are simply oils that come from plants. They are oils of the plant from which they are extracted. They contain the essence of the plant’s fragrance.
There are lots of kinds of essential oils out there in the market in which you can purchase. Below are some of the essential oils you must keep in your home:
8 Essential Oils for your Home
1. Lavender – This type of essential oil is very mainstream in the market. Lavender essential oil is widely known as the calming oil. Why? This is because of three reasons. First, it calms you from a stressful day thus giving you a soothing feeling. Second, it can calm down your naughty children. And lastly, it gives you a calm and better sleep.
But did you know that it is also great for burns? Yes it is! You can apply it to burns, scrapes and other parts to soothe pain and speed healing. In addition, lavender essential oil can even takes the sting out of a bug bites and makes for some a relief from headaches and neck tensions. Just add 5 to 8 drops to 2 oz. of water in a mini spray bottle and spritz on pillows and bed sheets. 2. Frankincense – Frankincense is an immune system booster and pain reliever. This type of essential oil is a pricier oil but very effective. Frankincense essential oil is better use when taking a bath, giving you a super relaxing experience.
3. Wild Orange – Wild orange essential does not only gives you an amazing scent but it also has a lot of great properties it can boast of. It is antibacterial which made it usable as homemade cleaners, sedative, anti-inflammatory and used for upset stomachs. To create an amazing smell, diffuse 3 drops of wild orange and 2 drops of lavender in your diffuser.
4. Eucalyptus – This type of essential oil is antimicrobial which can be used as homemade cleaners just like wild orange. It can be helpful not only to give your home a lasting fragrance but also to help people with respiratory issues.Add 5 drops to your diffuser to clean and freshen the air inside your home.
5. Lemon – Lemon essential oil is known as the ultimate degunkifier because it does not only get the gunk off of your dishes and surfaces, it also takes care of your congested chest or gunky throat. To kill nasty odors so your mood will be lifted up, add 5 drops to your diffuser.
6. Peppermint – Peppermint essential oil can be a useful oil for relieving nausea and headaches. It is also an energy booster.
7. Oregano – Oregano essential oil will help your body fight infection. It has a powerful antibacterial properties.
8. Tea treeTea tree essential oil is a germ-destroying oil. It has purifying properties which makes it powerful to clean and disinfect surfaces. It also soothes earaches and irritated skin. These essential oils can be quickly set up in your home.
How to use Essential Oils to Scent a Room
- Use an ultrasonic diffuser
- Apply to a cotton ball and place at some area in your house
- Mix oils in a spray bottle with water and mist over your furniture, carpet, mattresses and pillows
- Add essential oils to a batch of laundry or to dryer sheets
- Use as household cleaners to add a pleasant scent inside the house
6. Ventilate: Air it all out
Sometimes, we forget the simplest way of getting things work or solved. Start with the simplest for by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. But why did I listed last the supposed-to-be first on the list? It is because to make you realize that this thing should come first before the other five tips we have listed. And make you say, ‘Oh yeah! It’s true! Never realized that earlier huh.’
Oftentimes, we haven’t notice that we cannot solve a certain problem because we forgot the simplest and first one. Ventilate which means let us open our windows. Let the old air go out and let the new air comes inside the house. We sometimes feel that we need a breath of fresh air so as our homes feel that also. If we keep our windows closed the whole day, it keeps all the smells in and even compounds more the bad smells.
If you don’t want to experience again or experience the first time what happened earlier when someone visited you in your home unexpectedly and your home smells stinky, then do those tips above. Keep on top of bad home odors and have a home that smells great, a home sweet home and not a home bitter home.
