How to make your house smell amaaazing (on a budget!!)

[Rory786]

We recently had a leak so have a horrible damp smell in the house, any tips for making the house smell nice. TIA

Haven’t done it myself but there is the tip to rub a bit of fabric softener on radiators and then turn them on .

One of those mist diffusers as you can just keep getting new oils and they never run out? Amazon do good ones for £20 plus they look relaxing

Buy oils and rub on radiators and light bulbs

Open windows if its as windy at yours as here today.

Windows open as much as you can.

Depends what you mean by nice. I like it to smell of nothing but fresh air, so have the windows open a lot.

You can make your own reed diffusers with essential oils and a carrier oil pretty cheaply.

Not that cheap but the best thing we have is a Yankee Candle electric wax melt warmer. Buy one of their wax melt pots then when it's done empty it out and use cheaper wax melts in it! I buy mine from Etsy.

This happened to us recently. The key is to get rid of the damp first. We already owned a dehumidifier and ran it all day every day for several days. We then enjoyed a lot of warm, dry weather so had the door and window open a lot. I put a reed diffuser in the kitchen to cover up the smell as well.

Happily the floor has dried out now and the smell has gone.

Definitely Open Windows.
Every morning its the first thing I do.
I also like reef diffusers from next.

You know those huge bars of soap you get in TK Maxx? There’s one tucked behind every radiator in our house. Works a treat.

Open the windows. We have our bedroom windows open all year round. Downstairs windows are usually open when we're at home.

Thanks everyone, great ideas. I'm leaving for a short break so will try a few ideas (not the open windows!) and hopefully will come home to a tidy and fragrant house!

Buy oils and rub on radiators and light bulbs

Putting essential oils on naked light bulbs is a really good way of starting a fire.

What’s your budget? You can get nice scent/stick diffusers in John Lewis for about £15. I’d also focus on killing the damp. Get the industrial bleach spray from a hardware store and spray that directly on to the affected surfaces 5 min before before you leave. Shut the door to the room and block the bottom with towels if you can so the bleach can work its way into the walls, etc.

You need to dry the damp out rather than trying to mask the smell. I'd second getting a dehumidifier. With the weather we are having at the moment, the air is unusually humid even when it's hot.
I'd suggest putting a lavender plant in your house, or lavender essential oil on kitchen roll around the house whilst you're away. Don't use manufactured smells.

Put fabric softener in a spray bottle with water (2/3 fabric softener, 1/3 water) and spray al soft furnishings.

My fave is Lenor gold 😊

I think you can also add bicarbonate of soda to the idea above. So fabric softener, water and BOS. Helps eliminate bad odours. My favourite is the blue Lenor, but the Lenor Gold is also lovely

I really love my diffuser and essential oils. There are lots of recipes on pinterest for different smelling blends.

Agree use natural oils

windows open and dehumidifier are the best ideas but a bath bomb hidden about smells amazing.

Dehumidifier.
Then put a few drops of essential oil (I use lemongrass) on the air filter of your vacuum cleaner. Prevents the horrible vacuum smell and makes the house smell so fresh every time you clean.

Zoflora is my bestie

About the bicarbonate idea is it okay for ALL soft furnishings? Rugs, carpets, fabric sofa etc? x

Pop a couple of tsp of vanilla essence in the oven and turn it on. Don't get it wrong, though...