How to make my home smell lovely and lasting?

[Verbena91]

Does anyone have any tips for making my home smell lovely please? I use candles and burn oil but it really only lasts while I'm using it and doesn't linger. I am after something that hits me (in a nice way) as soon as I come inside the home. Perhaps a spray polish or carpet thing? I recently bought a shake and vac type product and it was so awful - it smelled sickly. Now every time I use my vacuum I can smell it and I wish I could have sampled it first! So any recommendations for shake and vac type products that actually smell nice would also be helpful.

One other thing - we are getting a rescue cat soon so I need to factor that in in terms of safety for the kitty.

Thank you!

Open the windows every day to ventilate, keep it clean and tidy, shut the kitchen door when you're cooking.
Don't cover up with artificial fragrances. They are terrible for your lungs and the environment. Fresh air smells the best!!

Beware of anything including essential oils. https://www.cats.org.uk/cats-blog/cats-and-essential-oils

We don’t have a door on our kitchen as it’s an open plan. Of course I will open windows but that doesn’t make the place smell lovely, and they will be closed in winter. I am very happy to use natural products as long as they are cat safe.

At Xmas I set a pot of simmering water on the stove with orange peel and cloves. You could do something similar. Set a timer so the pot does not boil dry.

And make sure the cat can’t jump up to investigate the pot - although cats don’t like citrus smells so she / he probably won’t. That does sound like a lovely idea though.

I open windows every morning,

I have just one plug in, in the lobby. It can get quite hot in there and the coats are there, just a not too invasive plug in there makes a big difference

Switch it up. You are likely going nose blind to the products you are using.

I use essential oils, a few drops on the duster before wiping surfaces, including the kitchen bin lid inside and out. I mop with a rose hand wash (bought in a large refill, don't need much of that either) and a drop of oil on a swiffer for the living room floor. We also have a cat, so I'm careful about where I use the oils, and you really don't need much of it.

Shake and Vac smells awful imho and isn't great around animals either. We burn incense but it's not everyone's thing. And as others have said, open windows, get the breeze in, empty bins daily preferably, especially used litter bins if you have them. I notice the smell when I re-enter the house but agree, you do get nose-blind very quickly.

It used to be the thing about using orange peel on your borders to repel cats, but mine (only got the one now) both went mad for my Lush Karma perfume, to the point where I had to fight them off. It has an overly orange scent so goodness knows what they saw in it!

Of course I will open windows but ... they will be closed in winter.

You should still open your windows in winter, just 10-15 mins each day.

This. And keep the drains clean and empty the bins regularly.

I am constantly trying different things but it’s a constant battle with two young boys, a dog and cats!

My girl’s obsessed with the smell of my 100% cocoa chocolate - makes no sense whatsoever!

Open windows every day for at least 10 minutes even in winter. It helps air out any co2, germs, farts, moisture, and circulate fresh air into your house.

I use orange oil on wood surfaces to polish, it smells lovely and lasts for days.

Windows open daily.

Natural material throws on the sofa that can be removed and washed easily - synthetics hold the oils and therefore smells from the pets fur, apparently.

Pet deodorising furniture spray & Pet deordirising spray- some like febreeze mask smells, others use enzymes or other means to break down odour molecules - I use Skout's Honor.

Vacuum regularly

Get a spot cleaner carpet shampooer, they are really hand with pets.

Keep on top of bin, especially food waste and drains.

Keep shoes shut away in porch or cupboard (I can't at the moment as not been in the house very long and not built shoe cupboard yet, it annoys me).

I assume you're going to use a litter tray and not inflict your cats poo on your neighbours so you'll need a robust plan for that if you are very sensitive to odours as they stink.

A tip I read years ago - put a few drops of essential oil onto a cotton wool ball and put it in your vacuum cleaner. then when you vaccum the air fils up with the scent. You can also rub a little bit of essential oil or even fabric conditioner along the tops of radiators, so when they warm up in winter they release a fresh smell.

Keeping floors and surfaces clean matters most. Our house smells musty when I have been working away, as DH hoovers but never mops the floors. Freshly mopped floors, with boiling water, a clean mop and a bit of pet safe cleaning product keep the house smelling fresh.

Also if you haven't for a while - wash rugs and curtains and any loose covers on chairs. I only do curtains every few years as it is a faff but they smell fantastic for months afterwards.

I love my home to smell of fresh air with hints of nice things that are signs of the life lived there: fresh coffee, home baking, the bath oils or perfumes I use. But in winter, with windows closed more often, I do rub oils on the radiator and sometimes use and M&S room spray on the soft furnishings.

Skip vacuum powders complete they clog filters and ruin suction!
For a cat-safe, lasting scent, place reed diffusers on high entryway shelves away from curious paws, or spritz curtains with a simple water-and-lavender spray.
As often highlighted on MCH, the best way to get a lasting fresh smell is to deep-clean soft furnishings and improve ventilation first, rather than masking trapped odours with heavy artificial sprays.

What is MCH?

I bought a noem diffuser and it actually works!

I bought an expensive reed diffuser£30+. Over a year ago - portobello oud - it’s still going strong and the bottle only added to once - the smell is a bit old fashioned for most tastes but my house is Edwardian - sits on a shelf in the hall -that’s all that’s needed