The appearance of your home isn’t the only thing that affects how livable it is and how welcoming it feels. Smell also has a big impact on mood and overall well-being. Unpleasant odors can interfere with your ability to fully enjoy your home and to feel comfortable entertaining guests in your house. Knowing how to keep your house smelling good all the time can benefit you and your family, and we’ll share tips on how to achieve that goal in this post.
Eliminating Odors around the House
Part of learning how to make your house smell good all the time is identifying the specific odors that are present in your home. Some common household odors include:
- Cooking odors
- Bathroom smells
- Trash smells
- Mold and mildew
- Pet odors
- Cigarette smoke
- Sewer gas and septic systems
- Pests like cockroaches and mice
Regardless of the type of odors you experience in your home, there are some general methods that you can employ as you develop a plan for how to keep the house smelling good. These include:
- Ventilation: Proper airflow helps to dilute odor-causing molecules to make the air smell fresher. You can improve ventilation with the use of fans and by opening windows as well as by keeping your heating and cooling system well-maintained.
- Cleaning: Odor-causing molecules can stick to surfaces in your home. A regular cleaning routine can minimize these residues to improve the smell of your home.
- Odor-absorbing materials: Some materials like activated charcoal and baking soda draw in odor-causing molecules to freshen the air. Fresh Wave products also absorb and neutralize odors with plant-based ingredients powered by Fresh Air Technology.
- Adding scent: If you’re hoping to learn how to make your house smell good fast while waiting for other methods to work, using scented candles, essential oil diffusers and room sprays can be an effective solution because they add more pleasant scents to the air to mask unpleasant ones.
Freshening Up Specific Areas
Now, you’re probably thinking about how to make your house smell good but wondering what you can do about particular areas. To give you some ideas, let’s explore how to address odors in specific places:
Kitchen
To get your kitchen smelling great:
- Clean appliances like your refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave and dishwasher regularly
- Wipe out your sink and deep clean your garbage disposal regularly
- Use a covered trash can in the kitchen and empty it a few times per week
- Try natural deodorizers like lemon and vinegar to remove odors from specific places
Bathroom
To reduce the risk of bathroom odors:
- Use a mold and mildew cleaner periodically to maintain the tub and shower
- Clean your toilet at least once a week
- Wipe out the sink daily
- Periodically clean out drains in the sink, tub and shower
- Run an exhaust fan to help control humidity and lower the likelihood of mold and mildew growth
- Place an odor-eliminating gel or reed diffuser in the space
Living Areas
To help your family room, living room and other spaces smell better, do the following:
- Vacuum regularly and try using vacuum beads that absorb odors while you clean
- Wipe down surfaces twice per month to remove dust and debris
- Address spills and stains on carpeting and upholstery promptly
- Regularly clean all soft furnishings like curtains, rugs and upholstery
- Use a fabric refresher to address lingering odors
- Place potpourri in a decorative container and put it in a prominent place
Bedrooms
Make the place you sleep smell better by following these tips:
- Wash your bedding weekly or every other week
- Install screens so that you can open the windows and let in fresh air
- Use a linen or pillow mist to add a pleasant fragrance to your bedding
Natural Remedies and DIY Solutions
You don’t have to resort to using chemical air fresheners to have a better-smelling home. Home remedies and natural solutions like the following can help:
- Make homemade air fresheners out of herbs, citrus pills and water
- Use essential oils in diffusers or dilute them with water to make your own room sprays
- Boil cinnamon and cloves in water on the stove to reduce odors
- Place baking soda or activated charcoal in areas prone to smells
Fresh Wave products can complement your DIY efforts with ingredients that are plant-based. Our odor-eliminating candles, gels, pods, sprays and other products are free of toxins and harsh chemicals but highly effective at neutralizing tough smells.
Maintaining a Good-Smelling Home
Once you’ve successfully addressed odors in your home, you’ll want to know how to keep your house smelling good going forward. Maintaining a pleasant-smelling home will require some ongoing effort. Here are some things you can do to reduce the risk of odors returning:
- Establish a regular cleaning schedule, breaking down the tasks you need to complete on a daily, weekly and monthly basis and deciding when you’ll do them
- Tackle odors when you notice them, as most smells are easier to treat when they’re not allowed to linger
- Improve your indoor air quality by running an air purifier and placing houseplants throughout your home
- Run fans and open windows when you’re cooking strong-smelling foods or someone is smoking in your home
- Bathe your pets regularly with a gentle pet shampoo
Through a combination of ventilation, cleaning and using home remedies, you can address unpleasant odors and help your home smell better. By making odor control an ongoing effort, you can help maintain results and promote a better-smelling home going forward. Fresh Wave products can help with their plant-derived ingredients that neutralize odors without adding chemicals to the air. Shop the Fresh Wave collection to discover all the ways you can fight odors in your home.
