7 Tricks to Keep Your Home Smelling Fresh

Say no to the stink. Use these easy ideas to concoct delicious aromas in your home

Shristi Nangalia 2 February 2017

Houzz India Contributor, Architect, Architectural Writer and Content Writer. Painting, craft work, pets and good food are my getaways. Cultures and colours always inspire me. Email: shristi012@gmail.com, Business profile: @decoretteindia.

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Fragrance can make us feel good, it can even set our mood right. Why not pay the same attention to the odours of your house as you do about the scent of your perfume? The way your home smells is indicative of how clean it is. Here are some simple housekeeping tricks to keep those bad odours at bay.

Studio Nirvana

1. Sunlight and fresh air
The best and the simplest way to stimulate and revive fresh indoor air is to open the windows and the doors. UV rays of the Sun not only kills harmful micro-organisms but also evaporates the moisture locked in your furniture, carpets and drapes. Stagnant environment promotes building up of air pollutants. Allow the exchange of foul air with fresh outdoor air with sufficient ventilation. Take full advantage of it, it’s free of cost!

Shibanee & Kamal Architects

2. Indoor plants and flowers work like sanitisers
Indoor plants are not just meant for looking good. This house in Bangalore, designed by Shibanee & Kamal Architects, uses peace lily – an easy to grow, natural air-cleaner. You can also choose from garden mum, fern, ficus, snake plant, bamboo, aloe vera, spider plant etc., which are excellent options for removing pollutants from the air as well as for creating lively indoors.

How to Live With Plants

Eclectic Utility Room the unadorned laundry room

3. Clean those special corners
Sometimes, the daily morning mopping and cleaning by your bai is not sufficient. Instil the habit in your home staff or in yourself to clean kitchen tops, surfaces and the dining table with lightly fragrant, eco-friendly cleansers, especially after some heavy-duty usage.

Make sure the areas in the kitchen like the cooktop, the sink, the trash can, the exhaust, and the corners behind the fridge are dry and cleaned often. These are the areas that tend to stay damp and can accumulate muck quickly. Same goes for bathrooms as well. Get the floor tiles cleaned often, and make sure you clean the sink, the floor and the sink drain periodically too. I am also a great believer in using mothballs for these places.

4. Use odour absorbers
For furniture, upholstery and carpets, sprinkle a bit of baking soda fifteen minutes before brushing or vacuuming. You may also use vinegar in place of baking soda especially for removing strong odours.

DIY: Baking soda is a great odour absorber. Mix it with a little essential oil and place in open pots around your home to neutralise smells. Or you may place charcoal in a perforated container or pouch. Charcoal absorbs unwanted dampness and cures moisture-related odours.

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

5. Make air-freshners at home
Perk up your interiors with homemade air-freshners, and don’t worry about the harmful chemicals.

DIY: Products of the citrus family have anti-bacterial properties. Put lemon, orange, basil, mint in mason jars and place around the home for crispy freshness.
You could also take food essence like vanilla or orange and mix some drops in 10 ml of water. Put in a small spraybottle and spray away for instant effect.

Arete Culture

Essential oils are extracted from herbs and spices, hence are 100% natural. You may use them with scent diffusers and cotton balls. You could even mix a few drops of the oil in water and spray like the food essence.

Chris Dorsey Architects, Inc

Incense sticks work wonders. Choose from hundred of scents to impart the smoky tinge of incense sticks. Used all over India in temples and homes after religious ceremonies, these are great for all-through-the day fragrance. I personally love the lemongrass ones but there are just so many to choose from.

User

Scented candles create their magic best in small spaces like bathrooms and bedrooms. They also double up as accent lights in addition to making your interiors aromatic.

DIY: Melt wax on the boiler. Before the wax cools, add an essential oil of your choice and then pour into a glass to set. Attach a wicker and voila – your own handmade scented candle is ready!

Ashley Camper Photography

Eucalyptus, lavender and more – another great way to go about it. Flowers and plants like eucalyptus, lavender, rose etc. are highly scented and aesthetic. You can directly hang a bunch in the portico, kitchen and dining room for fresh, soothing smells.

KEIORA

Potpourri is a unique art. You can make it at home or you can be like me and just buy it from the store. Dried buds, seeds and flowers not only add to the rustic look but they also induce the desired scent of flora to your indoors. These work great anywhere – from the centre table to the bathrooms to the bookshelf.

Tip:
Keep an essential oil handy to sprinkle over the potpourri once it starts losing its smell.

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center

6. Simmer pots
The guests are coming and your home stinks? Oh no! The fastest way to change the odour equation in your home is to simmer. Combine selected herbs, spices, fruits etc. in a saucepan with a tiny bit water and let them cook and simmer. The heat will make the gorgeous smells permeate your home in no time.

DIY: Mix lemon, rosemary and vanilla essence and simmer for a home filled with smells of spring. Simmering vinegar, cinnamon and cloves gives a very temple-like aroma.

Claire Jefford, Inc.

7. Say it with a cookie or a coffee
If you like the smell of coffee or freshly baked goods then bring it in your home too. Now it’s another thing that you will actually have to cook here. But coffee should be easy.

Read more:
10 Bad Habits That Are Making Your Home Messier…
DIY: Make Your Own Winter-Scented Potpourri

Tell us:
Share tips of your own DIYs that help combat home odours for you. Share in Comments.