What does your house smell of?

[Crunchie14]

I'm after some tips on how to get my home smelling lovely, You know when you walk in to some peoples homes and they smell fresh and 'just cleaned'.
Everything is done regularly, mopping, a deep clean of the kitchen etc, but unless I have just mopped or used a product the house never really smells fresh, not stale but not that fresh clean smell I love.
My mum used to come and spray everything 3/4 times a day with air freshener when we were children, it was just up your nose all day and i'm not a fan of the stuff now.
Should I be using plug ins? Any tips would be great. x

Windows open as much as possible, even half an hour morning and evening, especially in the living room and bedrooms as they get stuffy and get that... Sleep smell. Sweaty bodies and dust. I then febreze the curtains so the breeze carries the smell through the house, and have two cotten fresh air Wick plug ins, one in the living room and one on the upstairs landing. I always try and have any scented products of the same or similar smells, so febreze, laundry detergent, fabric softener and plug ins are all cotton fresh at the moment. I also love citrus smells but fins they don't last as long.

Other than that, a fresh load of laundry most days makes everything smell nice, don't leave clothes lying around, hoover regularly, if you have pets then an anti-pet plug in is good, the airwick one is green. Try and track down the source of any bad smells if you notice them, and treat the cause, like soda crystals down the sink followed by essential oils, or a big one for us was our washing machine smelling damp and mouldy. I took the drawer out, washed that, and then started washing our bedding on a 90° long cycle (everything else is done lower and quicker). Keeps the machine fresh which has helped a lot. Shoes and pet bedding are also a culprit for spreading bad smells.

The important thing to remember though is that you get used to the smell of your own home, so whilst it may not smell fresh to you, as long as everything is clean and aired out well, it probably does to other people! Maybe ask someone you trust for their opinion? It will give you a fresh perspective.

Oil burners in the living room, I hid diffusers in all the rooms and windows open as often as possible

Mad I know, but our house smells like leather as we hang new brides in the hall. I love it. DH not so much. I"m not a fan of a house smelling too air freshenery (Is that a word?). It's hard to get a subtle one.

I have an old book that recommend a putting lavender on light bulbs so that they give a faint fragrance when they heat up.

Thank you MrsRuby

It's a new build so we have been airing it out as much as possible, especially while we've had this weather. No pets, it's not that i notice any bad/stale smells i just love the fresh/just cleaned smell.
Do you put fabric conditioner in as well as powder when you do the laundry?
Febreeze on the curtains is a good idea!
I have noticed our washing machine is smelling off when the door is left open so will try that too!

Mine smells like new puppy. Having been without a dog for the last year-and-a-half after our old girl died, it's a blissful smell.

Air freshenery is definitely a word, and it isn't a pleasant smell. just too artificial for me.
Love the light bulb idea!

Plug in air fresheners release naphthalene, a cancer causing chemical, into your house. Spray air fresheners include a cocktail of toxic chemicals, including formaldehyde. I wouldn’t give the revolting things house room.
Just keep the house clean, open the windows to air the rooms, and rely on nice natural smells like your own home cooking, coffee, fresh flowers etc. Much safer, and smells far nicer than artificial chemicals!

Pebblespony, I’m rather shocked that you “ hang new brides in the hall”! Are you some kind of weird specialist serial killer?!

I would second the windows open recommendation.

A few drops of essential oil (i like spearmint) on your hoover bag or on a bit of cotton wool inside the drum if you don't have one. Also put a few drops on a piece of kitchen towel at the bottom of your bin.

I tried ground coffee in a pop sock inside my fridge which worked but i got a wee bit overpowered by the coffee aroma.

If you want to make your own air freshner, mix about 3 parts water with a dash of vodka and a few drops of essential oil (the vodka acts as a fixer, i'm sure gin would work too).

I'd love to know! I'm getting better but there is still a musty dirty smell. I think it must be the rug with bits of old food ingrained as have two little kids. I have those ambi pur 3volution plugins, sprays and keep bedding/blankets/cushion covers washed.

Ha, ha. Never noticed that. Yes, I have a collection of the newly married hanging in my hall. It gives the house a certain something and is a great conversation starter. I meant bridles .

haha I'm picturing the bridal hallway.
Where do you all get your essential oils from?
We tend to use the liquid capsules for washing clothes, but should i move on to powder and fabric conditioner?

Love the coffee idea Auldspinster but DP hates the smell. kitchen towel at the bottom of the bin is a good one.

Definitely windows open as much as possible, airing rugs outside once a week. I pour some zoflora on a kitchen paper towel and stuff it behind radiators. Putting food bins outside and I mop the floors daily.
Also washing throws once a fortnight and draping them over the sofa makes my living room ameel lovely

You can get essential oils at bigger Boots or Holland and Barrett. Amazon too although some are fragrance oils rather than proper essential oils. Neroli and bergamot are nice and citrusy if mint isn't your thing.

I found a Zoflira that I love the smell of (Pink Grapefruit) and I put some undiluted in a spray bottle and when the kids and dog aren't about I fine mist it over the rugs and leave it for a few minutes then hoover them. A capful of Clean Linen Zoflora in with 60c towel washes and whenever I do 'dirty' washing (stained bibs, DH's sweaty work clothes). I use it diluted as a kitchen spray too. The trick is to use different ones, you become a bit nose blind to them otherwise. I don't like plug-ins, fire risk and baby touching risk but I love the Glade Sense and Spray in the bathroom, mine lives on the cistern and because it sprays up instead of out and a smaller puff than other ones it's not overpowering. I do have an Airwick Freshmatic in the living room but it's set to the lowest and very strategically placed so you don't get a faceful/ lungful if it catches you (looks sternly at dad and sister who have them placed at face height in doorways and they ALWAYS get me!). I change the scents regularly in those too.

I always choose my cleaning products for the smell and tend to stick to Method and essential oils as they help with my asthma.
I like to light scented candles in the evening, the wintery, apple spice and vanilla/gingerbread type, and I have an oil diffuser in the bedroom with lavender oil. I rub everything in the kitchen with diluted peppermint oil as I have a phobia of flies and they seem to hate it 😊

Hi OP after I have hoovered I use a carpet foam spray think its called 1001. It says on the can that you can leave and walk on it straight away. There are 2 fragrances. Just gives a hint if a smell and u can use it between hoovering too. Also in winter small piece if cotton wool on the radiator with some drops of essential oil on (not Boots as synthetic)

My “D”M always sprayed air freshener liberally too OP, even though my little sis has severe asthma

I can’t stand the smell of the stuff now. I much prefer a house that is clean, aired and has normal smells like cooking. I do quite like the idea of the essential oils though. Have you seen the electric diffusers?

Apart from having a very clean and well aired home, I put bowls of Santa Maria Novella pot pourri around the house. It smells lovely. Fresh flowers are good too.

Can’t stand cooking smells in the house, only acceptable cooking smells are of cakes or bread.

You’d love our house then Betty. DD has just baked a massive cake that took about an hour and a half to bake

Another one here agreeing that having windows open as much as possible helps.

I try to keep all doors close in the rest of the house closed when cooking to stop the smells/sticky grease traveling though. An fan on and windows open in the kitchen.

I have also been using Home made cleaning sprays of 50/50 water an white vinegar and a few drops of essential oils. The vinegar is a great natural deodoriser but the vinegar smell dissipates quickly and the essential oil smell seems to last a lot longer than other cleaning product smells. I love peppermint for a really fresh smell or thieves blend.

I also love Zoflora for the bathroom and litter trays.

It’s the best smell ever Jilted !

One word- Zoflora