How do you make your house smell nice?

[GymSloth]

Just that really. I know that airing it lots helps, but it's winter and we have a muddy, hairy dog! Ok, so we do wash the dog and air the house every day, but I'm still conscious the house smells of dog!

So what do you do? I dislike artificial scents and I'm conscious that some scented candles are bad for humans and animals. But if I buy the natural ones, are they good? Or is there another solution?

Our dog smells very nice after being washed and dried. Groomer is £60 a time.

Sadly as someone with a really good sense of smell I'd say there's not that much you can do. Dogs smell bad, that's just the way it is. Adding other scents on top (air fresheners, candles, oils) does not hide the smell for people with a good sense of smell, it just adds another layer of scent. Washing the dog bedding daily and washing the dog as much you can without harming them will be good too but if you have a dog, it just kind of goes with the territory a little.

I feel your pain @GymSloth
I’ve two dogs and regularly complain I feel like I’m living in a glorified dog kennel
So few tips I’ve found work are -
Zoflora mixed in an empty spray bottle with water and a capful of fabric softener. Spray curtains carpets dog beds or soft furnishings etc (this one really works)!
Dry towels or socks on radiator’s.
If you live in an old house like me and Windows get condensation, put a small bowl or cup of soap powder in corner of window sills. Absorbs moisture and freshens the air too.
We get used to smells pretty quickly so I still think the house smells of dog but my mum visited today and said what’s that lovely smell - I have no idea as I’m doing all of the above at times this time of year lol x

No riding boots in the house. Jodhpurs and breeches in the laundry room. Dogs get washed twice a month and sleep in the laundry room, its warm in there and plenty of room for their bedding. Bed linen gets changed once a week along with the towels.

ForeverWondering

Thank you for the diffuser link x

Electric wax burner is what I use

After walks, ours are towelled then blow dried (springers) before being allowed back in the lounge. They have a duvet cover on their bed-regularly changed.

Find a scent/candle you like and use it constantly. At school, I have the Airwick thing that puffs out scent every 10 mins-kids always say how nice the room smells. At home, I have Yankee candles.

Nooo! Getting rid of ddog is definitely not an option, to those who suggested it. We've only recently got her and she's already the best behaved member of the family!

Never thought of using a hair dryer on the dog! Will have to try it.

The ruff and tumble coat looks fab. The dog has just put it on her Christmas list.

I had wondered about taking her to the groomers. When she was smaller we put her in the bath and she always smelt lovely afterwards. But now she's too big to carry upstairs. But then thaw groomers would only solve the problem once a month. She's wet and muddy every day at the moment.

Luckily we don't have carpet and we wash the throws, towels, blankets etc regularly.

So wax melts, essential oils, reed diffusers have all been suggested. After reading an article once about how artificial scents /candles etc can be really bad for your health I've been a bit wary of using them, although they smell nice. Does anyone know which ones are the least harmful?

I use these which are soy wax and also their Reed diffusers are fab
https://www.thebotanicalcandleco.co.uk/pages/faqs

If you are using essential oils in a diffuser please make sure they are pet safe, so many essential oils are dangerous for cats and dogs to inhale, just because they are ‘natural’ does not make them ok.

Soy candles are fine for health.

I have an air purifier machine that I put on for a bit each day. I wash dog bedding weekly and take him to groomers monthly. I air the house regularly and burn a candle each night.

I think my house smells ok.

An accidental discovery - an old lavender plant, cut off some of the old woody stem and put on the hotplate of the range cooker/woodburner....for a deeply resiny and uplifting smell through the house.

Menthol crystals also a favourite, dissolved in water in a burner, or dry crystals inside pillow cases.

Reed diffusers and make up a spray bottle with water and your favourite fabric softener, spray on curtains, cushions and sofa. Smells amazing, I love reed diffusers but they're subtle, I need to find a really nice strong one if anyone has any suggestions

@HappyBumbleBee

I feel your pain *@GymSloth* I’ve two dogs and regularly complain I feel like I’m living in a glorified dog kennel So few tips I’ve found work are - Zoflora mixed in an empty spray bottle with water and a capful of fabric softener. Spray curtains carpets dog beds or soft furnishings etc (this one really works)! Dry towels or socks on radiator’s. If you live in an old house like me and Windows get condensation, put a small bowl or cup of soap powder in corner of window sills. Absorbs moisture and freshens the air too. We get used to smells pretty quickly so I still think the house smells of dog but my mum visited today and said what’s that lovely smell - I have no idea as I’m doing all of the above at times this time of year lol x

Please stop with the spraying of diluted Zoflora! It's pretty toxic stuff used inappropriately. Please read the instructions, not just what Hinching Facebook groups suggest.

I would recommend a hasty spray of furniture polish on your radiators before people arrive.

It fools them into thinking you've dusted...😘

I have a cat rather than a dog so I'm not dealing with the same isuue re smell. Although I'm still conscious of it. We have a aroma diffuser in each main room. I use essential oils from a company called calmer solutions. They're a good price and great customer service. I tend to just experiment with mixing 2 oils in the diffuser. At the moment I have a orange or mandarin one with something like cinnamon, clove or nutmeg to give a nice winter smell. But the place I get them from also do blends like Christmas blend or whatever if you don't want to start buying lots of different oils.

As you're putting in maybe 10 /20 drops per 500ml which lasts for many hours I've never been worried about the impact of the essential oils on the cats and its always been fine.

Chopped up branches of real Christnas tree or any pine on open fire or down the back of central heating radiators

My friend had a house that stank of dog, which she of course no longer noticed.

Once she removed carpets and had natural wooden floors which she steam cleans the smell has almost gone.

Don’t put Camembert in your fridge for more than a day!

Oil (with water) burners, way up out of reach.

Only use pure 100% essential oils (not fragrance oils). I buy the ones I like in bulk. Coriander, basil, nutmeg. No need to fuss around mixing oils, just dump one you like and move on.

Tea light candles from ikea (box of 100), tiny jug to keep the water up to it. Eventually it seems to seep into the furnishings and help even when not lit.

And otherwise, you just have to air the house. Rug everyone up, or send them all out for 2hrs. Open every window & door, let the wind whistle through. As often as you can. Every 2-3 days at least. Beat the cushions and any soft furnishings outside.

I make up water+oil sprays (very simply) in tea tree or eucalyptus for killing smells & germs, or with lavender oil for bedding.

I have no sense of smell so I have no idea what my house smells like unless it's really strong like bacon or coffee. It's annoying tbh.

Zoflora is toxic for pets isn't it? I've never used it.

Same I have a big wet dog

1. It’s the bedding that snarls not the dog. That needs washing / throwing out regularly.

1. Whit company Seychelles. Reed diffuser and candle. Covers a multitude of sins. And doesn’t smell like chemicals.

1. Synthetic soft furnishings also retain the small of dog. Try and keep it to cotton and wool.

@skankingpiglet

Swap the dog for a cat? Ours rarely leaves the spare bed, let alone goes out in the rain and mud...

I work in lots of other people's houses and the ones which noticeably smell nice (rather than no or bad smell) are a result of reed diffusers or laundry powder.

My house smelt when we had a cat!! Have a little short haired dog now, she's much cleaner and less smellier than a cat.

If you don’t have carpet I would get either a lemon general floor cleaner or soapy wood cleaner and mop or steam clean your floors regularly. This will make everywhere smell fresh. Also limit dogs to certain rooms.

Robot vacuum that runs round every day helps. I open windows every day for an hour or so in each room, even if it's very cold outside. I wash soft furnishing like sofa throws and cushion covers regularly. I also get the dog groomed so her fur is never very long, she's close clipped, so doesn't bring in too much mud.