What can I get to make my house smell nice?

[fishingforflies]

I have too many pets & my house is starting to smell.

The reason I have too many pets is that my Mum died and I inherited 2 of her cats and I already had a dog.
I can't rehome any of them elsewhere, please don't suggest that! The cats don't have a litter tray and there's nothing particularly smelly about any of the pets individually, they are youngish, healthy and regular vet checked.
But please suggest a way I can make my house smell pleasant again. I absolutely hate fragrances like Fabrezze etc, I'm hoping I can find some natural but strong scents, I can't bake bread and make coffee all day unfortunately.

Fabric softener in boiling water
essential oils on cotton wool on the radiators some can be used in light bulbs.

Please just be carful if wanting to use products. Many of the things that have been suggested could actually be really toxic to cats!

www.petmd.com/dog/care/air-fresheners-and-pets

www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/kittens-cats/cats-and-essential-oils

Hi Op, 2 smelly dogs here - I feel your pain!
What works for me:

Opening the windows when possible.

Always on a morning regardless of temperature and throughout the day if I'm home.

Plug in thing in the hallway so dog isn't the first thing you smell.

Fabric spray stuff. I put dogs in the garden whilst i spray it.

Wash blankets every day. I have a few to change over.

They have a 'part' of the couch they sit on. I stick a throw on it and they're only allowed on that part.

Agree with limiting use of zoflora and air fresheners and all that trash.

Just hoovering as much as possible, cleaning litter trays regularly and food areas. Can you switch the cats to meals at certain times rather than leaving food down all day?

Also wash soft furnishings as much as you can. Use throws on the sofa where the cats and dogs sit and wash these a lot too.

I had a cat a few years ago that smelt bad so I bought some bed head spray for pets and used to spray it with that, it smelt like blueberry muffins. Cats obviously don’t appreciate baths so it was an alternative to that.

I have Reed diffusers in most rooms from a website called Devon wick and light scented candles in the evening.

Open windows at least once per day, preferably more when warm.
Diffuser with essential oils, check safe for pets,
Method wood polish and floor cleaner smell lovely but a bit ££.
i also have a pendant thing that you hang up by litter tray that eliminates odours but no chemical smell. Moodify or something, But you don’t have litter tray. This one only works for dogs anyway.

Sorry meant to say, doesn’t work for dogs.

So sorry for your loss. I would suspect the rugs might be contributing. We’ve got hard floors through out our house and whilst I love rugs got rid of ours in the end. Massively improved the smell. I also throw all the doors and windows open daily - in winter just the doors for 5 mins or so. Doesn’t noticeably cool the house and makes the house feel lovely and fresh. Modern houses are so much more insulated that I think houses can get fuggy quickly without some air flow from outside. I also lie blankets on the parts of the furniture the dog likes to sleep on. I wash the dog beds whenever I get the wash basket empty. I suspect there is still an odour of pets but I can live with that.

It's also worth washing the pet's toys, I was struggling to find the source of the smell and realised all the dogs soft toys really needed a more regular machine wash, and I washed the balls/rubber ones in the sink.

I do think cat food absolutely stinks. Can you change them onto a different one, or more kibble and less wet food?

Also cat litter is awful if they're indoor cats. I regularly cat sit for a friend and the house absolutely reeks and I think it's the litter and the food.

Good for you taking on your mum's pets. I hope you are coping without her. It must be so tough OP.

Try adding soda crystals to the wash when you're washing the dogs bed, makes a huge difference.
In fact wash everything with soda crystals!