My house doesn't smell fresh!

[nilbyname]

And it is clean, what can I do?

I vacuum everyday. I sweep and mop hard floors almost everyday. I clean the loo every other day and give the lavatory a deep clean once a week.

I have windows open. I dust. I polish.

I do not smoke, and we do not have pets. Why does it smell foosty??

Can anyone help me?

[Salamanger]

Same here! (Except with much less cleaning!)

Have you checked for damp? After such a wet summer we've had mould on sofa, curtains, walls, bed and backs of wooden furniture. It had a smell that gradually got worse. Was a lot of work to deal with it but lots fresher now.

Do you cook from scratch a lot? We find our cooking smells hang around on curtains and clothes if we keep the kitchen door open.

I have an oil burner that I put on after dinner but I don't think it lingers after it's off. Would love to have a nice smelling home, but don't like the idea of artificial air fresheners or fabric softener (use ecover).

I'd like to replace my oven trays, as they're covered in baked-on grease that smells when hot.

I like lilies when I can afford them, as the smell fills the house (DP dislikes though!).

[ethelb]

Air it. Mine gets aired for half an hour in the mornign and half an hour in the evening even in the cold I'm afraid. I try to leave the windows open when drying clothes and often dry them in the bathroom to contain damp.

I cook a lot from scratch though so I have to.

Essential oils are good. I use castille soap to clean which STINKS of lavendar.

[Llareggub]

How often do you open your windows? I open mine daily and don't clean anywhere near as often as you do. Do you have pets?

[TheMightyMojoceratops]

How often do you empty bins? Has someone spilled something on the sofa/carpets/rug/curtains that's going off...?

[nilbyname]

I am going to have a real root around to see if there is something I am overlooking.

I have windows open...I might get an oil burner though too...

[newpup]

At this time of year, I polish the radiators, then when the heating is on, the smell is lovely. Also, put a few drops of lavender oil on cotton wool/ cloth and rub on radiator or drop on carpet below smellls lovely. Mr Sheen have a camomile and lavender polish that is lovely.

A vanilla pod gently warmed in microwave smells lovely. Other than that candles are great. Flowers in the Summer and dried cloves in a pot in Winter.

[newpup]

Whoops overuse of word lovely! Sorry!

[Bubblemoon]

Your house sounds lovely newpup

[newpup]

Thanks Bubblemoon, I have to counteract the fact we have a gorgeous labrador! I can't stand the smell of dog even if I love her!

[newpup]

did I mention the fact my house is lovely!

[nilbyname]

newpup that all sounds really good. I have some oils that I can rub about! I will do that. Thank you. And your lovely house. Sounds lovely. Lovely.

[educatingarti]

nilbyname. Something I sometimes do is put a few drops of an essential oil on a little bit of tissue or cotton wool and put it in the vacuum cleaner bag. then whenever you vacuum, it smells of the (lovely) essential oil rather than that (unlovely) slightly dusty smell that vacuums usually smell of!

[mamij]

Love the tip about oils on a tissue in the vacuum! Will have to give that a try! And rubbing lovely smelling polish on the radiator!

[Nottigermum]

lovely...

Does anyone know if you can put a few drops of lavendar oil on light bulb so that when it warms up you get a nice smell? My mum used to do that on the old fashion lightbulbs, but I've never tried it on long life halogen bulbs....

[dikkertjedap]

It looks that you may have a damp problem. I would check behind sofas/cupboards/wardrobes and generally all visible walls. Also check the guttering, whether there are water marks on the walls and whether any air vents (lower down on the walls) are blocked. You may need to get a builder to look at it.

Don't put oil directly on light bulb as it really reduces the life span from the bulb. You can buy terracotta rings to put around light bulb or an aroma therapy thing in which you put a tea light.

Alternatively, air for longer and if you have carpets then clean the carpets with a Rug Doctor.