When trying to make your home feel more warm and inviting, it’s always a good idea to make sure it smells good. Fresh, clean scents give off a luxurious vibe, while something delicious and spiced makes the space feel instantly cozy. If you’d prefer to go the more natural route, there are plenty of creative ways to make your home smell good without chemicals. Spending a little bit of time DIY-ing something can result in a wonderful scent that lingers for hours.
For many, opting for no chemicals usually means ditching candles, which some believe burn off potentially harmful chemicals into the air. It’s worth noting that evidence on this is inconclusive: while one 2009 study found that paraffin wax (which is what most candles are made of) might release potentially dangerous chemicals, another 2014 study looked at the volatile organic compounds released from candles and found that they don’t pose a health risk to consumers.
Still, you might just feel better creating the perfect scent the more natural way, and there’s nothing wrong with that! Not only is it a good way to ensure you know exactly what you’re breathing in, but it also means you can save some money on buying candles. Here are a few ways to make your home smell good without any chemicals:
Zero-Effort Ways To Make Your Home Smell Good
Open A Window
This is definitely the easiest way to make your house smell less stale, and with the warmer weather upon us, it’s a great tip to try. Getting a nice breeze to flow through your house will not only feel amazing, but it also lets out any weird scent or that stale smell that often comes along with keeping the house as insulated as possible during the winter. And, honestly, it feels great! Open a window, take a picture, and serve it up for the ‘gram.
Buy Fresh Flowers
For many people, filling the house with bouquets of fresh flowers regularly is unrealistic. But if you’re having company and you want the house to smell fresh, a few floral arrangements isn’t a bad idea. Be sure to pick flowers that have a scent you enjoy (you might want to avoid anything too strong, like lilies), and just scatter them throughout the rooms you’ll be spending time in. As a bonus, they also make beautiful decor.
Use An Oil Diffuser
Another way to harness the powerful scent of essential oils is with an oil diffuser. They’re very simple to use, and they often emit scents for hours in a perfectly subtle way. You can mix up essential oils or just stick with one scent you really love. Oil diffusers are available in a range of prices and sizes, and some are so pretty that they’ll just look like a piece of decor rather than something meant to make your house smell better.
Put Out Some Eucalyptus
If fresh flowers aren’t going to work for you, but you love the idea, try fresh eucalyptus instead. Not only do the leaves smell lovely, but a vase full of eucalyptus is so beautiful and makes for a perfect sleek, modern bouquet. Stick the vase in your bathroom, kitchen, or living room for a subtle hint of the scent throughout the day. Some even recommend hanging sprigs of eucalyptus in the corner of your shower (don’t get them wet) so that the steam activates their oils and scent. You can even make a freshener on the stovetop with eucalyptus, and bonus: fresh eucalyptus is a bit easier to deal with than flowers and can last about three weeks.
Put Dryer Sheets In Your Garbage Can
Whether it’s full of trash or nearly empty, chances are good that your garbage can is probably emitting some kind of stench. Aside from taking the garbage out regularly, you can also stick some dryer sheets at the bottom of the pail. They’ll absorb some of the odors and make the stink go away a bit. As a side note, also make sure you’re cleaning the actual can regularly.
Deodorize Your Garbage Disposal
Like your garbage can, your garbage disposal could be contributing to any lingering nasty smells in your kitchen. Make those go away by taking old orange or lemon peels, putting them in an ice cube tray with vinegar, and freezing them, recommended Family Freezer. Then run them through your disposal — the ice cubes will help clean it, and the peels offer some fresh, natural scents.
DIY Ways To Make Your Home Smell Good
Make Stovetop Potpourri
Potpourri might have a distinctly grandmother vibe to it, but stovetop potpourri is on a different level. It’s super easy to make, it’s versatile, it smells great for hours, and it will make you feel like a little bit like Martha Stewart (in a very good way). There are tons of combinations you can do, depending on the scent and vibe you’re going for, and there are lots of recipes for this online to check out. One popular option is adding cinnamon sticks, cranberries, rosemary sprigs, and orange slices to pot of water, then simmering for as long as you want. That can smell more Christmas-like, so if you want a super spring scent, try lemon and rosemary, or lime, rosemary, and vanilla.
Make DIY Room Spray
Sometimes a room needs a little freshening up ASAP, and that’s where room spray comes in. Skip the ones filled with unpronounceable ingredients in the store and make your own — it’s surprisingly simple. Again, there are lots of recipes you can find for this online, but it’s also something you can easily create on your own.
The basic idea, according to Amy at Homey Oh My, is to fill a standard size spray bottle with 1/2 cup of distilled water, 1/2 cup of vodka or witch hazel, and then 20 to 30 drops of your favorite essential oils (this can be one or kind or a mix of a few). She has some great ideas, including sandalwood and rose, a citrus blend, and a green tea mixture. She even has some printable labels for you to put on your bottle and perfect your own scented potion.
Deodorize Your Carpets
If you haven’t given your carpets a serious deep clean lately, or if you have pets, then your carpet could be the culprit for any weird scents lingering in the air. Carpets can hold onto bacteria, mold, pollen, and dirt, all of which can create a bad smell after a while. Deodorizing them is so easy and could make a big difference, giving off a fresh and clean scent. Simply grab some baking soda and add a few drops of essential oils to it. Sprinkle it all over your carpet, let it sit for about an hour, and then vacuum it away. Huge difference!
Bake Something
Need a really good reason to make a batch of double chocolate chip cookies? It will make your house smell incredible. Baking something is a delicious way to make your house smell like the most inviting one on the block, and although it’s a temporary fix, who’s to say you can’t do this everyday?
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