7 Ways to Keep Your Home Smelling Great
Looking for easy ways to keep your home smelling fresh? Take items you already have in your pantry and produce a bin to naturally eliminate odor from various areas around the house. These natural ingredients are the key to a great-smelling home!
1. CLEAN UP SPILLS & FRESHEN UP THE FRIDGE
First, track down and dispose of whatever’s causing the smell. Wipe up any spills with a paper towel dampened with white vinegar. Now, make a food-friendly sachet to tuck onto a shelf with a cotton ball doused in vanilla or a Sparkle® paper towel twist-tied around a couple of scoops of baking soda.
2. DEODORIZE THE TRASH CAN
Make your own super-simple deodorizing discs with 4 parts baking soda to 1 part hot water. Combine into a thick paste, adding more water if necessary, then press into parchment-lined muffin tins or silicone molds and bake at 350° for about 20 minutes. Top with a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil, if desired. Leave in the bottom of your trash cans or diaper pail for up to a month.
3. USE ESSENTIAL OILS TO REFRESH THE BATHROOM
Add a few drops of pure essential oil to the inside of your toilet paper roll—the scent releases as the paper’s used. Lemon, eucalyptus and peppermint are all fresh choices.
4. REFRESH THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL WITH CITRUS PEELS
Pour half a cup of baking soda into the disposal, followed by about a cup of vinegar. Let sit for ten minutes, then flush with boiling water. Now, toss citrus peels and a few ice cubes into the disposal and turn it on. Consider freezing citrus slices in ice cubes to keep on hand for regular quick disposal refreshers.
5. LAVENDER & CHAMOMILE: AROMATIZE THE BEDROOM
To freshen your mattress, sprinkle with ¼ cup baking soda that’s been mixed with a few drops of lavender pure essential oil. Let sit for about half an hour. Vacuum. Keep your personal dreamland smelling fresh with a calming homemade pillow and linen spray made from distilled water, a little vodka and 10 drops each of lavender and chamomile oils.
6. DIY: AIR FRESHENER
Freshen the rooms in your house with this do-it-yourself natural air freshener. In a small glass spray bottle, combine distilled water, a little rubbing alcohol, and 10 to 20 drops of your favorite pure essential oil or oils. Some of our favorite combos? Orange & clove, lavender & vanilla, or peppermint & rosemary.
7. FRESHEN THE CARPET
Use this DIY carpet freshener to get rid of any lingering carpet odors in the main rooms of your home. Empty a box of baking soda into a large bowl. Add 10 to 20 drops of your favorite essential oils, mix, then, using a funnel, return to the container. Sprinkle on the carpet and let sit for 10 minutes before vacuuming.
*Article originally appeared on Better Homes and Gardens
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