How to keep your house smelling beautiful

[ballsdeep]

Just what the title says really!
How do I keep my house smelling fresh? I open the windows daily to let air in etc but how do I keep it smelling beautiful?

Bad grammar I was distracted.

My upstairs windows are open 24/7 we onky shut them when it was minus 17. Downstairs are open till bedtime but they are shut every night at bedtime and in the winter they are closed when it gets dark. Just the small windows at the top.

I have drumstick lolly wax melts. Not for everyone but they smell amazing 😂

DO NOT USE ZOFLORA IF YOU HAVE DOGS!!!! HIGHLY DANGEROUS

www.zoflora.co.uk/pet-hub/pet-safety-faqs

Yes to keeping houses well cleaned/aired.
Extractor can every time you cook. Don’t leave washing up lying about
Hoover regularly and use 1001 carpet freshener after
Nice reed diffusers in bathroom
Scented candles in living room
I have a plug in on the landing

Open windows, heating down, and clean your bin regularly.

Crikey. Stop spraying all those chemicals around. Just open windows and clean. And NEVER cook kippers.

It really depends on your definition of 'smelling beautifully' as a house full of artificial air freshener type smells does not smell beautiful to me. I'm another vote for opening windows, washing soft furnishings and lots of house plants.

Keep it clean, air out musty throws and cushions, reed diffusers and scented candles and the odd plug in (we have one in the hallway set to minimum and its not overpowering at all)

I like the white company for reed diffusers, and an australian company called Palm beach.

TBH tho if its clean and aired then you cant really go wrong.

No children or pets. No cooking apart from baking cakes. Windows open daily. Get a cleaner. The Thomas Coles reed diffusers everywhere. 😁

Is Zoflora dangerous to dogs? I didn't know that. Everyone at work loves zoflora but I find I can't smell it.
I try not to dry clothes inside but without a tumble dryer thats hard at this time of year. I sometimes spray very diluted fabric softener on the sofa and cushions. I have two plug in air fresheners and I use a yankee burner and also their candles too.

Leaving windows open all day when it's cold outside is not a good idea, it can lead to mould. It's better to open windows wide for five minutes and then close them again to stop the walls from getting damp.

I don't like going into houses that smell artificial. Reed diffusers etc. smell rank imo. I am curious about the house plants reducing smells - what kind of plants do you recommend Buzzzzzzz?

Zoflora is only dangerous to animals if you don't let it dry & use too high a concentrate. Like all other disinfectants.

I mop with hot soapy water with a few drops of lemon & tea tree oil added. It smells amazing. Also vacuuming carpets daily & soft furnishings once a week.

Also wondering about plants.... I am a plant killer, I’ve got some small succulents but I can’t even keep orchids alive

No shoes in the house is another one, I didn’t mop my floors for a few days before Christmas, They didn’t look dirty but when I bent down to pick something up they were definitely whiffy, it had not even been a week since I’d last cleaned them

Indoor plant wise - I like my Jasmin the most, there are indoor varieties and mine is a Polyanthum. When it flowers you get lots of sweet scented blooms that smell lovely. I keep the Jasmin in the bedroom with a small lavender plant. They seem to like the cooler air in there. I find the lavender a bit tricky to keep going inside so sometimes I put it out for the summer which revives it a little.

My kitchen seems to grow orchids very well so I have 6 different varieties in there along with a poinsettia and a dragon tree. Obviously the last two don’t release fragrance but they still use the air.

I have heard you can grow gardenias indoors so might try that soon.

I have a spider plant family in the hallway on top of the electric cupboard as well. Constantly having to give those away as they are so prolific but have heard they are great at keeping air quality good.

I did try miniature roses but have rotten luck keeping those alive indoors for some reason. I think they become pot bound very quickly as the just fail to thrive, I might get a couple of blooming periods out of them then they die off unfortunately.

Wonder if this is a generational thing. My mother protests about air freshener and so on. She doesn't have a dog!!!!

Buzzzzzzz I give my spider plant babies to the school, for the classrooms & to sell at the winter & summer fair! They're very popular.

I agree with pps about "smelling beautiful" meaning not tonnes of chemicals. I hate artificial smells, especially those plug ins. MIL has one by the front door and I choke every time on the stench.

Agree with kikipost you just need to clean your home and air it well.

All these chemical artificial scents and "fresheners" are vile.

Lots of house plants helps too.

Opening windows daily, even in winter. Washing up, keeping kitchen clean and bins emptied.
I don't do artificial smells, don't think they are good for you.

I can't stand synthetic fragrances.

I agree about keeping everything clean mand line dry as much as you can

I have just washed the "snuggle blankets" we used over the festive period, they have been outside for 4 or 5 hours today.
Frost has not left my garden today, and they were stiff ( but surprisingly quite dry) when I took them in 20 minutes ago, but more importantly they smell amazing ( frost also kills bugs).

Open windows as much as I can.
I put a hadful of fresh herbs in a pan and boil up on the stove to infuse the house, rosemary or thyme, lemongrass, mint.
I keep orange and lemon peel and throw that in too.

I use essential oils- grapefruit, lavender, peppermint. I don't use in a burner, too much faff and if water goes dry they will catch and burn, I just put a few drops on a tissue in a smal bowl on a radiator.

Agree zoflora is vile.

All these synthetic fragrances are made in industrial chemical plants from petrochemicals.

Grim.

I would need everyone to move out as live with 3 people who fart a lot ☹️ but I do my best with scented candles and open windows. Zoflora is the worst 🤢

Fresh air - lots of it
Good quality scented candles. DS1 gave me a White Company scented candle two Christmasses ago. It scented whichever room it was in beautifully without being overpowering before it was even lit, for a whole year. I started lighting it this December and the scent has come back. I just wlak into the room and get this lovely waft.
Also wash curtains, soft covers, blankets, duvet covers and use fabric conditioner on them.
Mop floors regularly with a drop of zoflora
Cotton pads soaked in essential oil or fabric conditioner in the vaccuum cleaner bag make a big difference too.
I alos love normal homely smells: baking bread and cakes fresh coffee, casseroles in the oven, fresh laundry drying, bathroom steam and aftershave.

IME you need to have a clean and relatively good soft furnishings in the first place. I am in rental accommodation and the carpets must be circa 1990. I can use Shake n Vac, that foamy stuff, a million plug ins etc but it never has a clean smell if that makes sense. I love Zoflora and ouring a bit down the sink makes it smell lovely for about 10 minutes, I honestly don't understand when it seems to keep other people going for a week.