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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Lovely smelling homes

191 replies

ToysRus56 · 26/04/2025 23:38

How do some homes smell so nice! Sort of across between clean laundry and freshly baked cakes?! I hate anything scented so don't like buying diffusers etc. We do washing several times a week and our home never smells like this!

OP posts:
DobbyTheHouseElk · 27/04/2025 18:16

It’s open windows that make a difference. We have our windows open every day even for a short time. Today we’ve had every window and the back door open all day.

I can smell when people don’t open their windows. It’s a stale air smell.

ShockedandStunnedRepeatedly · 27/04/2025 18:17

Live somewhere windy - airing out takes about 20 seconds!! Unfortunately you have to hold the door open to stop it slamming but by god your air is definitely fresh after !!

Jellycatspyjamas · 27/04/2025 18:17

I have a dog and a cat and two kids. Floors get cleaned daily down stairs, hard wood floors so easy to do, blankets etc cleaned weekly with bedding, kitchen surfaces kept clean and clear. Carpets upstairs are cleaned monthly - again easy enough with a domestic carpet cleaner. Mostly though I keep windows open for at least half an hour every day, bedding folded back so the bed airs too. Towels changed regularly too. I find fabrics hold smells most so try to keep on top of things, I try to avoid strongly scented cleaning products that just mask smells and use essential oil dabbed behind radiators if I want something scented.

fiorentina · 27/04/2025 18:31

If you don’t open windows then that will make a huge difference. Especially to remove cooking smells, condensation from bathrooms etc.

In terms of washing, airing beds etc and changing pillow and mattress protectors as well as getting curtains or blinds cleaner too. Basically anything that absorbs smells/sweat.

cuppaonce · 27/04/2025 18:36

someone told me putting tumble dry sheets behind radiators in winter makes the room smell nice !

fresh air is definitely a help. i have window boxes so can’t open windows but i open the kitchen door and french doors.

SmallBox · 27/04/2025 19:08

bibliotek · 27/04/2025 01:52

I really wish there was an upmarket plug in diffuser which diffused essential oil aromas. I find the water/steam diffusers draw too much attention and the aroma doesn’t persist.

Get an oil burner and use essential oils diluted in water. A few drops of rosemary oil is such fresh and clean smell. My oil burner was about £3 in Asda.

sunnydayz43 · 27/04/2025 19:10

I've found that on damp days the house doesn't smell as nice, nothing is different it's just that I think the dampness makes the air heavy somehow, and it just doesn't smell as fresh.
In the good weather we keep the windows open and that makes a huge difference.
Of course keeping the floors washed and surfaces cleaned and regularly laundering throws and cushion covers, bedding of course, curtains if you use them, helps a lot too.
One thing I will not use is scented candles or diffusers or sprays and I don't like heavily scented laundry products either.
Baking always helps!
Just finished making banana chocolate chip cookies and the house smells sweet and cinnamony!

intrepidpanda · 27/04/2025 19:15

mackawhack · 27/04/2025 17:04

We clean ourselves and change into clean clothes a couple of times a day. I never keep on the same clothes I cook in on, then sit around in our furniture in smelly clothes

this isn't normal surely

Shows you how subjective it is.
One person needs to do all this palaver to call her home fresh whereas others insist their house smells great despite cats and dogs.

I think both a lying TBH.

mackawhack · 27/04/2025 19:49

Who has time to change into new clothes a couple of times a day though!

Arancia · 27/04/2025 20:09

mackawhack · 27/04/2025 19:49

Who has time to change into new clothes a couple of times a day though!

What do you mean? It literally takes 2 minutes to change clothes.

Arancia · 27/04/2025 20:14

mackawhack · 27/04/2025 17:04

We clean ourselves and change into clean clothes a couple of times a day. I never keep on the same clothes I cook in on, then sit around in our furniture in smelly clothes

this isn't normal surely

I don't care what's "normal" - I think it's gross to wear the same clothes you cook in after you've cooked and cleaned. Everyone else can do what they want...

faerietales · 27/04/2025 20:15

Arancia · 27/04/2025 20:14

I don't care what's "normal" - I think it's gross to wear the same clothes you cook in after you've cooked and cleaned. Everyone else can do what they want...

What do you think is gross about it?

chamberay · 27/04/2025 20:19

Echoing what other posters have said, I always open the windows and let fresh air in. I think that’s probably the biggest one. I don’t like really scented products either but I’ve found the M&S products to be really good. I wipe the surfaces down twice a day so the kitchen always smells good. Bleach the downstairs toilet regularly and also pour hot water down the toilet and kitchen sink regularly which sounds basic but it makes a real difference. Obviously wash towels and bed linen regularly, same with tea towels and dish cloths. I also dry washing on the rads and this does create that nice, fresh laundry smell. Never leave plates or pots and pans around for too long to avoid horrible cooking smells. Empty the bin regularly and also spritz it with a disinfectant spray to get rid of any smells. Fresh flowers. Carpets and sofas cleaned twice a year professionally

mackawhack · 27/04/2025 21:09

What do you mean? It literally takes 2 minutes to change clothes.

But multiple changes of new clothes a day involves a ton of washing, drying & putting away more clothes! It's not just the physical action of putting on clothes.

mackawhack · 27/04/2025 21:10

I don't care what's "normal" - I think it's gross to wear the same clothes you cook in after you've cooked and cleaned.

they walk amongst us! 😆

HopscotchBanana · 27/04/2025 21:12

I like the White Company room sprays. The Christmas ones are really nice.

CarefulN0w · 27/04/2025 21:18

I agree with the fresh air comments, and also think not having damp washing or towels is important, as is putting the washing machine on a hot wash regularly to get rid of any lingering bacteria.

ShockedandStunnedRepeatedly · 27/04/2025 21:32

Big one for me is: a v small bin under the sink that I empty and clean regularly. Compost emptied daily, Fridge kept clear of yukky stuff.

Leafy3 · 27/04/2025 21:39

Another one to extol the virtues of daily airing with open windows. It is the single biggest difference you can make.

I sleep with the bedroom window open on all but the very coldest nights, the bathroom window is opened with every shower /bath and I encourage others to open it when using the loo (which are cleaned daily - as is the kitchen sink).

As soon as we get the first signs of spring then the back door is opened daily, too, for at least a couple of hours and at the weekends or if working from home I open as many windows as the temperature allows to get a cross breeze through the house. Any bedroom in use should have the window open for at least 10 minutes a day all year round.

I bake my own bread and laundry is dried outside as much of the year as possible. Even in the winter, if its dry hang it outside for an hour - it picks up a beautiful clean scent before it's dried indoors. Laundry is my favourite domestic chore because of how it makes the house smell.

For polishing wood, use beeswax. White vinegar for glass etc. Drains (plugholes) freshened regularly with soda crystals. If you have a stainless steel sink or draining board, polish out any rust marks with a little lemon juice and bicarb.

I like a cheap bunch of flowers with my weekly shop.

On the rare occasion I use a fabric conditioner, I choose wiltons which gives a lovely, gentle scent.

Bicarb of soda in a dish alongside half a lemon keeps the fridge smelling fresh. I'll also sprinkle a little bicarb in sweaty shoes before airing, and you can also use on carpets or rugs before hoovering.

Cotton mattress, duvet and pillow protectors all help prevent bedding getting smelly. Duvets & pillows are aired weekly. In the middle of winter, all blankets, throws, cushions, duvets, get left on the line outside for at least a few hours but preferably overnight, when there's a hard frost. This helps kill any dust mites and keep them fresh. I do this once or twice a winter, depending on ability.

I tend to leave candles and incense to the winter months these days but opt for the most expensive I can afford and choose a gentle scent.

In the kitchen I keep pots of fresh herbs which always smell wonderful - especially mint & basil.

Everyone gets fresh towels at least once a week - more often if they get dirty quickly or don't dry properly between use. They need to be left open to dry, no good folding them up and hanging on the heated towel rail - they end up smelling funky.

Aim to clean wood work (such as skirting boards) at least twice a year. Definitely a chore to enlist your kids for! I loathe hoovering under sofa and chair cushions so I don't do it weekly but often enough to prevent crumbs and stuff building up.

I'm not great at things like dusting but it makes a difference if you keep on top of dust too.

ChocolateCinderToffee · 27/04/2025 21:40

Lots of fresh air and Fragonard diffusers in my house, except in the bathroom where it's a lavender one from John Lewis. Also I use This Works pillow spray in the bedroom and it's lovely.

Leafy3 · 27/04/2025 21:42

If you have pets, be careful about burning essential oils as these can be very toxic for them. Check what you want to burn is OK first and don't overdo it

Gingernaut · 27/04/2025 21:42

Sorry, your post reminded me of this

Arcane Grande on SNL, going into captures over the smell of her best friend's house...

Eldermillennialmum · 27/04/2025 21:44

I kind of get what you mean as I wouldn't cook or eat in pyjamas and then wear them to bed as I'd think they were dirty or smell but I would still sit on the sofa. Then again we have leather sofas and I wipe them clean regularly.

Screamingabdabz · 27/04/2025 21:46

If people have told you your house smells nice and you have a dog, I promise you, they’re lying. Or they’re a minger and don’t know the difference.

Anewdawnanewname · 27/04/2025 21:49

I keep buying diffusers and I can’t smell them in my house. I could smell a M&S apothecary one in a friend’s house and so bought a couple for mine, but just can’t smell them.