Most of us have struggled with our home’s scent at some point or another. Whether mold has caused a funky odor or your pets are constantly fighting your efforts to keep the house smelling fresh, there comes a time when we need to remedy a bad odor.
Although strong-smelling store-bought products are often the go-to in these situations, there’s not always a need to spray chemicals into the air.
In fact, there are plenty of natural methods that work just as well for getting rid of a stench.
Why Use Natural Methods?
Why use natural methods if it’s quicker to just spritz the room with that beachy scent you bought months ago and be done with it?
For one, they give your home a fresher smell. Artificial products can make it obvious you’re trying to cover something up and make the house smell stronger than you anticipated.
Studies have also shown that synthetic products can cause problems for those with asthma or who are otherwise sensitive to the chemicals in them. While these products can work well in the right environment, you should use them lightly until you’ve made sure they won’t cause problems for anyone—and when in doubt, natural products are the way to go.
You can also feel good about your efforts since natural methods are more sustainable and eco-friendly.
If you’re unsure how to make your home smell good naturally, the following DIYs and quick tips all work wonders. There’s no substitute for prevention (so make sure you still clean regularly and attack the source of the smells), but they can certainly aid you.
The Best Ways to Make Your House Smell Good Naturally
There are countless natural ways to make your house smell good. These methods all create different scents, from fresh to sweet, and their effectiveness rivals even the best all-purpose cleaner.
The only challenge you’ll face is ensuring that everyone in the household appreciates the scent you’ve chosen.
DIY Essential Oils Diffuser
Thinking about buying a diffuser? You can make your own using all-natural products! Simply put a few drops of your favorite essential oil into a container, add a generous amount of baby oil, and stick in a rattan diffuser stick.
The great thing about this lifehack is that you can choose any scent you want from the wide variety of essential oils available. It’s also easy and takes seconds to put together. No need to take too much time out of your day to make your room smell good naturally!
DIY Air Freshener
You can also use your favorite essential oil, rubbing alcohol, and distilled water to create an air freshener. Distilled water is water collected from steam that’s returned to a liquid state by being cooled. You can buy a device to do this or buy your own distilled water at the store.
To create your air freshener, add a cup of distilled water to a third of a cup of rubbing alcohol. If you don’t have any rubbing alcohol, you can substitute plain vodka. Once you’ve done that, add 10 to 20 drops of essential oil, depending on how intense you want the smell to be. Not sure? Start slow and add more drops if the scent isn’t strong enough for you.
Add this mixture to a pretty container and place it near the source of the smell in your home or anywhere else you’d like to smell particularly great.
Baking Soda Mixes
One of the best things to absorb bad smells is baking soda, and you can use it in a wide variety of mixtures.
Combine it with water and white vinegar to make a powerful natural cleaning solution for scrubbing the scent from walls—or leave the water out of the mixture and place bowls around the house to function as a deodorizer.
Baking soda even works on its own if you don’t like the smell of vinegar and want to avoid making your house smell like a salad bar.
Homemade Orange Peel Candles
The orange peel candle is a popular and natural way to get your house smelling divine—as long as you love the smell of oranges, of course.
Cut your orange in half and scoop the inside out of it, but leave the stem. Fill it halfway with vegetable oil and then light the stem. It will burn for up to five hours, making it a perfect and easy natural odor eliminator!
Homemade Lavender Lemon Candles
For those who aren’t a fan of oranges, another easy and natural room deodorizer is a lavender lemon candle.
Cut the lemon the same way you would the orange, scoop out the inside, and follow the same instructions—only add some lavender to the mixture. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how amazing it smells.
Fresh Flowers
Another quick way to create a natural home fragrance is by placing vases or jars of new flowers around. Who says someone else has to buy them for you?
As a bonus, they help your house look great too.
Important: Be careful to choose pet-friendly plants if you have any fur babies. Many flowers, such as lilies, can be toxic to our furry friends when consumed, and pets tend to have an insatiable curiosity.
Eucalyptus
You can also arrange dried eucalyptus leaves around your home to look nice and create a scent that masks anything less pleasant. This natural deodorizer is also very relaxing and said to relieve any fatigue, so it’s the perfect scent to come home to after a long day of work.
DIY Potpourri
There are some amazing recipes available to make your own potpourri, but the great thing about potpourri is that you can customize it to suit your needs and tastes.
You can go about making your DIY potpourri one of two ways:
- Bake a mixture of flower leaves, fruits, and essential oils in the oven
- Make a stovetop potpourri by simmering them instead
Feel free to experiment as much as you like with what you put in your potpourri. If you’re just starting out, it’s best to use limited ingredients and expand from there.
Boil Cinnamon
Suppose you want your house to smell like a bakery. In that case, there’s an easy solution that doesn’t involve throwing a lot of ingredients together—and, best of all, it doesn’t involve actually baking anything. Simply boil some cinnamon sticks on the stovetop, and before you know it, that sweet and somewhat spicy smell will waft throughout your house.
Vanilla Extract
Love the bakery smell but not a fan of cinnamon? Try some vanilla extract instead. Put a few drops into an oven-safe container, and place it in the oven at 300 degrees. Once it’s been in there for around an hour, open the door and let that sweet vanilla aroma travel through the house.
The only downside to this tip is that if you have guests visiting, they might expect a delicious treat after smelling the vanilla.
Coffee
If people are more likely to find you in a coffeehouse than a bakery, consider roasting some coffee in the oven. Before long, your house will smell like a Starbucks or your local coffee shop—and when has one of those ever smelt anything less than delicious? This smell is a little strong, though, so it may not be the one for you if you’re not a fan of coffee.
Sometimes, You Don’t Need Harsh Chemicals
Many of us use chemicals often, picking up synthetic products to get rid of any undesirable substances and smells in our house. While harsh cleaners have their place, they’re not always the best way to fragrance your home. Instead, you can deal with the source, and then try one of these natural methods to get your house smelling like a garden or a coffee shop in no time—your choice!
When it comes to how to make your house smell good naturally, don’t be afraid to experiment to find out what you like, and always ask the other members of the house what their preferences are. Make sure you also consider allergies and sensitivities in case anyone is opposed to certain ingredients for health reasons.
Ultimately, as long as you consider everyone in the house and open yourself up to trying new things, you can’t go wrong.