To ask how you get your house to smell nice?

[SomeOtherUser]

Posting here for traffic!

As you all probably know, every house has a certain smell. It's hard to perceive your own home's signature scent, but I suspect ours isn't great. We're not the cleanest or tidiest; we have kids and a cat; we have (not very clean!) carpets; we have a washing machine that insists on smelling like stale bog when running for some reason. I'm making it my mission this spring to get our house smelling nice.

Aside from the obvious (i.e. regular and thorough cleaning), I would welcome any tips to give a house (and laundry) a long-lasting pleasant smell.

Laundry has to dry quickly and fully, use heat in the winter and if you can’t hang them outside in the sun.

Run a dettol cleaner through an empty cycle on a high temperature and always leave the door open to dry the machine out

Cleaning and open windows.

Anything else is just masking the smell.

Why are your carpets dirty? Why does your washing machine smell? Not trying to be rude but your house sounds awful by your own words.

Fairy softner has a great smell and lingers around the house, you can give the radiators a wipe with it too. X

I have a carper shampooer that we use periodically work from home so windows and patio door open all day and wax melts on. Our house smells of oud cos that the signature scent

There’s no cheat or quick fix - you just need to keep a clean house. Everything else just masks the smell and you end up with artificial smelling dirt.

Open windows and doors for as long as you can each day. Again after cooking. Carpets and fabric sofas cleaned every few months. Boring but only way!

Drains can smell sulphurous, particularly if they aren't in constant use, so I put a dot of Zoflora down plugholes and through the washing machine every now and then. I have rugs rather than carpets which I take outside to air for a couple of days when the weather is good. I open my windows at least once a day, wash sofa throws and cushion covers regularly and the dog's bed lives upstairs where nobody needs to go - because it stinks.

I prefer the smell of natural things, flowers and clean washing, rather than fake smells like fabric softener, but i do admit to using essential oil on a cloth to dust around and wipe surfaces. Anything lemony seems to help.

Start with shampooing the carpets and cleaning the washing machine (run on a hot cycle empty with a cleaner and clean all the filters, seals and drawer). Then top to bottom the house cleaning windows, skirting boards, sorting cupboards and polishing furniture. Then maintain it 🤷🏽‍♀️

Windows and doors open as much as possible. We don’t have trickle vents, but if we did, they’d be permanently open.

We just keep everything very clean. We have 2 dogs, so I’m paranoid, even though they’re not shiny coated so aren’t smelly. Floors mopped with Zoflora. Cushion covers washed once a month. Dog bedding washed weekly. Grilles in extractor hood put in the dishwasher regularly (I noticed they smell greasy if smelly food cooked).

Fresh air

Anything but chemicals pumped into the air. I don’t understand why people buy that cr*p!

How old is the washing machine?

Have you cleaned the filters? Look in instruction manual.

The drain hose at the back, and drain it runs into, might need cleaning, you can’t do this with chemicals it needs to be done manually so all the swamp gunk gets removed - it’s a grim job

.Then run the machine at 90c with white vinegar in the detergent tray

You need to have the carpets cleaned first of all, you can hire a machine to do it. The washing machine you can do today, you need to take out the drawer and clean it properly in hot soapy water, then look into the machine, it’s probably mouldy where the drawer sits so you need to clean that and also right in the rubber seal and then run a very hot wash with some washing machine cleanser.
The best thing is opening windows, you need fresh air so open windows every morning, and leave the back door open as well.

Old stale carpets - buy a big bag of bicarbonate of soda - it won’t harm pets - sprinkle it all over carpet - leave for at least an hour and hoover it up - should help with the smell

Then hire a carpet washer machine and wash them

I love the smell of my house when I walk into it after a few days away, which makes me confident it smells ok day to day!

Agree that annoyingly the only way to have a nice smelling house is for it to be regularly cleaned and aired. Soft furnishings, carpets and pet beds regularly washed / cleaned too.

I hate plug ins and air fresheners in general, but do think Neom candles are lovely and have them dotted about. They smell nice even when unlit.

Very hot water with a squirt of bleach, clean cloths, wash down almost everything. Skirting boards, walls, hard furniture, doors, shelving, window frames. There really isn't any getting away from the fact that if you run a dirty home, buying some peach air fragrance sticks just isn't going to cut it. I can recommend a lot af add ins once everything is clean, but it'd just mask the niff.

I also have half an hour open windows time every day, even if it's freezing. Rain does tend to keep them closed though.

Oh, and not wearing clothes and putting them away dirty a few times for just one more wear. And regularly putting trainers through the wash.

I have been wanting to know this for years.

I fear the answer is doing more housework than I want to, living with different people and not having pets

Well it obviously starts with cleaning. Your house won’t smell fresh and pleasant if your carpets are dirty, stuff is scattered meaning surfaces and floors aren’t cleaned regularly enough and it’s not aired out.

Ignoring the importance of clean carpets and upholstery, you need scents in every space. I have a downstairs smell which is the same reeds in the hallway and toilet and a candle in lounge. All same floral range.

Hallway upstairs has a diffuser. Neom energy. Diffusers in the bedroom are all lavender and put on for an hour before bed.

Always close the kitchen door when cooking.

Don't forget to hoover the upholstery and wash your cushions.

A good tip for bathrooms is after washing showers, throw in some essential oils while the shower runs for a burst of spa scent. Don't use scented cleaning products either!

Oh and use complimentary scented handwash if you can. I use amber glass bottles rather than any particular brand and go for fresh orange scents.

Basically lighylt, complimentary smells everywhere so you move through the mood of the house (sorry, I know I sound like a wanker, but making your nose smell different things without it being clashy or overwhelming seems to be what makes me notice and enjoy my house smell)

Do a really hot wash on your machine with soda crystals and some lavender Dettol 💙

Start with the carpets, give them a good clean. Have windows open often (we do 10 mins in the morning, added bonus of waking you right up). Obviously litter tray clean daily, but also hoover/mop the area around it.

I used to use incense to make the house smell nice and I loved it, then my dad came in and told me my house smelled like a headshop so now I just have oil burners. Up high away from small children.

As others have said, it really is about the cleaning. And opening windows. I’m lucky in a way that I don’t work due to chronic illness which means I can keep on top of it. I loosely follow The Organised Mum method but tweak it for me.

I have Neom candles now, and also some wax melts from a place I buy online, though I only use them sparingly.

I dry clothes in the house (with a dehumidifier as it needs to dry fully) and you can smell that as well. I don’t use fabric softener, just Bold as that is the only one my husband doesn’t react to.

If you clean your washing machine, you’ll possibly need to do a few empty loads because sometimes doing just one only dislodges any build up and can make it smell more. A few more should rinse things through fully. Obviously YMMV.

I like St Eval reed diffusers