Talk to me about lovely smelling houses

[lolbrador]

We are now the proud owners of a very very old dog and a puppy and I've become paranoid about the house being stinky.

I love when you walk into someones house and it smells gorgeous. How do you do it?

I hoover and mop daily. I have reed diffusers dotted around and a plug in in the kitchen.

I've been looking at an aromatherapy mist diffuser, are they good?!

Let me know all your lovely smelling secrets please

[ChicChicChicChiclana]

I find it seriously odd that this is one of the most frequently started topics of conversation on Mumsnet! You'd almost think there was some sort of shenanigans going on.

[Gottobesome]

I used to have an old smelly dog and I recently asked my mum is my house smells better now he's gone. She said she could only ever smell him when he was in the house and close to her and that my house itself didn't smell.
We don't have any carpets.

[CoolcoolcoolcoolcoolNoDoubt]

@ChicChicChicChiclana - very interesting point!

Please make sure you use zoflora safely around pets if you absolutely must use it..

[userxx]

@Shortfeet Its not a smell i want to get used to and it does matter to me :)

[Shortfeet]

@normalouisebates I can tell from your comment you are a dog owner.
All dogs smell.

Some more than others.

All houses with dogs smell
But if it is your dog you will be immune to the smell.

Visitors to your house will smell a dog smell but it’s up to you whether that bothers you or not.

I work in a traditionally smelly job ( would rather not say as its identifying ). I can not smell my workplace at all but when I come home my partner gets me to change clothes immediately as the smell, to him, is so strong. I genuinely am immune to the smell as are all my colleagues.
It’s the same with dog owners. Either you don’t smell your own dog at all, or you don’t smell it as much as visitors do.

My best friend has a very clean house. She also has a Labrador and her house STINKS of dog. She can’t smell it at all.

[NormaLouiseBates]

@Shortfeet ha, what gave it away?

Labradors, adorable as they are, are well known for being quite smelly. It really does depend on the dog. I'm not saying mine smells of flowers and sunshine but he really doesn't "stink". He smells of biscuits actually! My mum, Queen of Clean that she is, would certainly enjoy telling me if my house smelt doggy but even she admits that it doesn't because I open windows every day, no matter the weather, brush him regularly and wash all his bedding, blankets etc every few days. I don't have any carpets downstairs at all (and he isn't allowed upstairs) so I think that probably helps as there is nothing for any dog smells to cling to.

[IAmcuriousyellow]

I’ve got a holiday let and on days like today I can’t open all doors and windows to air so I have a little device called an ozone generator. I won’t get all sciencey but if you want the science there is a Scottish chap on YouTube taking apart an enormous (size of a tool box) and talking through the process. As I understand it the ozone latches on to ‘smell particles’ in the air and oxidises the.

It absolutely works. Clears dog smells, kitchen smells, toilet smells, cigarette smells, the lot, and usually only needs to run for an hour. I’m certain hotels use them - often in a hotel you can’t even open the windows and they always smell very neutral.

So I just got a little plug in one - no bigger than one of those plug in air fresheners - cost 25 quid. If you were to look on amazon and search ozone generators there are several which are clearly the same device just different suppliers and prices. The cheapest one, 25 quid, is from a ‘growers’ site. This is the one I got. I’ve recommended them to other holiday let owners, and they’ve been very pleased with them.

In my house, as I’m a dirty smoker, I run it overnight so we don’t sit in the room when it’s on. Daisy fresh in the morning.

[user1471523870]

I always leave at least a small window open when I leave the house in the morning, and that gets rid of the cooking smells from the evening before and the 'stale' smell in a bedroom after the night.
I also make sure to wash the soft furnishing as often as I can (which recently is not very!) as they tend to absorb the odors:

• curtains, cushions and throws probably 4-5 times a year, plus the sofa covers 2-3 times a year
• bedding every other week

There is a reed diffuser in the entrance. No pets.

[WhateverHappenedToBathPearls]

Febreze on carpets (not sure whether that's safe for pets though)

Don't use it anymore, but zoflora down plug holes and on a bit of kitchen roll in the kitchen bin both work well.

Opening the windows/vents a lot is key for us - DP has a sensitive nose and struggles with air fresheners, reed diffusers, zoflora etc so we are a bit more limited with options.

[wondering7777]

I’ve found the single most effective way to keep my house smelling fresh is to open a window or two for at least an hour every morning. It’s a simple solution but really works - I’ve found it makes a huge difference!

The other thing is Method almond floor cleaner - it smells absolutely gorgeous and actually makes me look forward to mopping the floors just because I love the smell so much

I’ve read some tips on MN about fabric conditioner on radiators but I’m really sceptical about it. I love the smell of fabric conditioner, but it’s not meant to be used that way and I don’t like the thought of all those toxic chemicals floating around my house, especially as I have a cat.

[ivykaty44]

Open windows
Wash radiators with a solution of lenor and water
Wash out bins with hot water and a disinfectant
( I have two bins and food caddy) empty regular as only small)
Kitchen cloths washed regular (as these smell and harbour germs) rinse with Lenore and leave to dry on radiator

[ivykaty44]

wondering7777 What toxic chemicals are produced from fabric conditioner?

[BillywilliamV]

Can’t bear smell of air fresheners, rather smell the dog!

[Chouxalacreme]

The hoover is probably sending all the doggy smells into the air again so start with that and put essential oils on the filter part and keep it clean

[prampushingdownthehighst]

I am an open windows, Hoover and mop person and it seems to keep the house smelling fairly fresh
I really really wish this craze with Zoflora would end as it is absolutely lethal to aquatic life, all those gallons going down the drain every day.

[Icepinkeskimo]

I have a houseful of animals and am very very conscious of any lingering furface odours that may be around.

I used Zaflora in the kitchen and bathroom and the rest of the house is given over to the american brand Scentsy, who seem to have it nailed on the home fragrance front. They do a massive range of wax melts, which do actually smell amazing and not artificial. I even have these plug in wax warmers that I just drop a cube of wax in and within an hour wow!

My house now smells great!

[userxx]

Wash radiators with a solution of lenor and water

Won't the radiator go rusty ?

[Paperdolly]

You can buy charcoal to put on fatty dogs’ dinner. It says you can use it for cats ( yes...they do it too) and birds 😳. We bought it from a equine supplier, tried it on the dogs and it’s been worth it’s weight in gold. 👍🏻

[Paperdolly]

Fatty. X. Farty it should have said.

[Notso]

Hyacinths. I've got a few bowls of them and my house smells lovely.

[ThunderPython]

House Doctor (remember her?) said she washed her dog weekly.

Please don't anyone wash their dog weekly, unless they're covered in mud regularly of course. It's not very good for them to have a wash so regularly.

Also be very careful with Zoflora around pets - don't use it on floors or near bowls of water/food bowls.

[MadamShazam]

I zoflora everywhere, the lime and mandarin scent is my favorite. But i make sure my dog and cats are well out the way until the floors dry. Also, I wipe down my radiators with a damp cloth and a bit of fabric softner, makes the rooms smell amazing.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

My dear cats don't smell (of course) unless they've just used their tray (which we scoop several times a day) but they are devils for leaving muddy footprints on the hard floors .
I bought a flat mop spray with water and mop up.
But I like the idea of the Almond Floor.


Lavender is a "No" for me , I;d rather have Farty Wet Dog

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Hyacinths

Ohhh I love the smell .


Cannot have candles with the cats and I don;t want to risk a vase of flowers (some are toxic) as my female cat knocks things over (deliberate)

But hyacinths in a bowl......might work. .

[LittleSweet]

Zoflora is poisonous to dogs. My dog licks spilt food off the floor. There was a case where someone's dog died after accidentally being poisoned by zoflora.
Open windows, I wash my curtains, net curtains, cushions, throws and sofas between a year and every few months. Clean floors. I think a clean house smells nice iyswim.