The best way to make your home smell great, in my humble opinion, is to throw open the windows and doors and let some fresh air in! Fresh air not only whisks away stale air and lingering smells, but it also has its own clean and fresh scent that I just love. Unfortunately, opening our doors and windows is not a very attractive option when it’s still 90+ degrees outside. :-( Cooler weather may be on its way, but it’s not here yet!
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So in the mean time, I thought I’d put together a list of some other great ways to make your house smell great. Not only are these methods easy to use or easy to make, but they’re also all-natural. No synthetic scents or chemicals here! So if your house could use some freshening up, give one or two (or more!) of these ideas a try!
10 Natural Ways To Make Your House Smell Great
1. Essential Oil Diffusers
I love my diffuser because it’s so easy to use! 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. And if you’re as excited about fall as I am, why not embrace it a bit early? Follow the link below for some of my favorite fall-themed essential oil blends that are perfect for your home diffuser.
Related: Favorite Fall Essential Oil Blends For Your Diffuser
2. Scented Cleaning Vinegar
When getting rid of unpleasant smells in your home, it’s not enough to just cover them up. A good cleaning session is usually enough to eliminate the source of bad smells. And if you’re using a cleaner that leaves behind a fresh scent – well, that’s even better! Check out the link below to learn how to make a scented cleaning vinegar that not only cleans effectively, but leaves behind a lemon-y fresh scent.
Related: How To Make Scented Cleaning Vinegar
3. Fabric Spray
If you don’t have a diffuser, here is another quick and easy way to improve the smells in your home with essential oils. Just fill a small spray bottle with water, a bit of baking soda, and your favorite essential oil. Shake well, and use as a fabric refreshing spray! Lavender is a natural choice because of it’s calming properties, but citrus oils like lemon, tangerine, sweet orange, and grapefruit are a great way to get a natural energy boost! Get the full recipe by following the link below.
Related: How To Make An All-Natural Fabric Refreshing Spray
4. Garbage Disposal Cubes
If your garbage disposal is a source of some weird food smells, there’s an easy way to clean it. Follow the link below to learn how to make frozen disposal cleaning cubes using white vinegar and citrus. You won’t believe the difference it makes!
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Related: How To Naturally Clean And Sanitize Your Garbage Disposal
5. Deodorizing Carpet Powder
One of the most overlooked spots for unwanted smells is the fibers in your carpet. Eliminate those odors by making your own deodorizing carpet powder! Sprinkle the powder on your carpets, wait for a few minutes, and vacuum as usual. Not only does the powder help pick up dirt and hair, it also leaves behind a light, fresh scent. Get all the details below!
Related: How To Make A Cheap & Natural Deodorizing Carpet Powder
6. Wax Melts
Anyone have one of those little lamps for scented wax cubes? They’re 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. You can save yourself a lot of money on those scented wax cubes by making your own! It’s surprisingly easy, and you have full creative control to create a scent that is uniquely you. :-)
Related: How To Make Homemade Wax Melts With Safe & Natural Ingredients
7. Car Air Freshener
Okay, you car isn’t exactly a room in your home. But since most of us spend quite a bit of time in our cars, I thought I’d include it in the list anyway. ;-) Freshen up the air in your car by making a homemade car-sized air freshener! Read the post below to learn how to make 3 simple car air fresheners.
Related: How To Make 3 Naturally Scented Air Fresheners For Your Car
8. Gel Air Fresheners
Making a gel air freshener is another great way to put essential oils to work. It’s surprisingly easy, and they make great gifts, too!
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Related: How To Make Your Own Gel Air Fresheners
9. Air Purifying Plants
Potted plants aren’t just for looks; they’re also natural air purifiers. Some of the best are different kinds of palm trees, orchids and peace lilies. For more information on houseplants, check out the link below!
Related: The Breathtaking Benefits Of Houseplants
10. Stovetop Potpourri
I usually only think about stovetop potpourri during the holidays, but it’s a great way to freshen the air any time of year! Fill a saucepan with water, add sliced lemon and your favorite herbs, simmer on low heat. Or you can use a mini crockpot as your heat source! (Follow the link below for a detailed post with my favorite potpourri “recipes.”)
Related: My Favorite Simmering Potpourri Recipes
Try some of these tips when your house could use a little freshening. (And really, whose house doesn’t need that once in awhile!?)
How to get smoking smell out of house
The smell of cigarette smoke might be one of the trickiest smells to deal with, because it really adheres to fabrics and surfaces. Here’s some tips for getting rid of the smell of cigarette smoke, depending on what you’re dealing with: Clothing and fabric – Machine wash item(s) on a cold water cycle with 2 cups of white vinegar. Carpets, mattresses, and furniture – Sprinkle baking soda on the item, let it sit there overnight, then vacuum it up in the morning. Repeat if necessary. Walls – Clean walls with a rag soaked in equal parts water and white vinegar.… Read more »
I love ogt! Can you please give me a solution for creating a natural Lysol type spray that has a pleasant scent, will kill mold and mildew, and get rid of the odors? I brought the Christmas decorations up from the basement and had to spray the garlands, silk flowers & poinsettia’s, etc with Lysol to try to get rid of the awful smell. Lysol has a bad chemical smell though, and it gave me a headache. I’d really appreciate any ideas on a safe, natural alternative.
I’ll have to get working on one, thanks for the idea Melinda!
I really like and love those creative ideas its nice i will try these ideas, thanks a lot.
Great list you got here! I really love to have Fabric Spray because I think its smell is very impressive. Thanks for sharing!
I like all of your hints, Bob & Ann
The natural wax melts and the garbage disposal cubes definitely got my creative thoughts going. All 10 tips are useful and I will try them all, except the carpet cleaner as my home no longer has carpet due to my allergies. Thank you for sharing! :)
Great ideas!! I wanna try all of them, really, but guess I’ll start with the stovetop potpourri, that one really got my attention!
Amen to this request.
Love these ways to make your home smell good Thank you and God bless Please remember Texas in your prayers
My two favorite ways to make the house smell great aren’t on here:
1. Put a couple drops of the essential oil of your choice on your air filter. The scent is pushed through the whole house!
2. Clean the microwave! A lot of sites recommend the “trick” of microwaving a bowl of water with some lemon or vinegar to clean it, but I use water with a little bit of vanilla extract. This works just as well, and makes the house smell like you are baking cookies as a bonus!