It sneaks up on the best of us, our house looks beautiful and orderly but something is off. Perhaps the problem isn’t something you can see but something you can smell. Or there is this sense of something missing that would make your house feel more like a home. Luckily, a pleasant fragrance can mask persistent odors and add character to your spaces. And there are plenty of options to accomplish this that doesn’t just involve picking something up from the store. Here are seven simple ways to get your house to smell good: 

• Indoor plants
• DIY air fresheners
• Aromatherapy products
• Create airflow
• Baking soda
• Seasonal scents
• Cook something delicious

Indoor plants

Bringing fragrant plants from outside into your home is a natural way for your house to smell good. It might even become a new low-maintenance hobby to grow more environmentally friendly. One of the easier plants to try is indoor herbs, which you can grow in your kitchen. Not only do herbs like basil, mint, and parsley smell fresh but they can be used in common savory recipes. 

The other way to brighten a room and have natural scents indoors is to plant or collect flowers. A flower’s scent is actually vital to its survival as it attracts pollinators who also love floral scents. Just like herbs, the best time of day to gather herbs from outdoors (if you decide to plant outdoors) is in the morning when oils are most potent. Some favorite summer varieties include lavender, geraniums, coneflowers, and gardenias. 

DIY air fresheners

Making your home smell amazing doesn’t have to be a long-term project or something you can’t get creative with. Creating your own solution to get rid of unpleasant scents typically requires supplies easily found around the house. The first do-it-yourself project is creating linen sprays with essential oils to freshen the smell of areas that hold odors. This can be done with a combination of essential oil/s, distilled water, and a tablespoon of vodka kept in a reusable spray bottle. The second project is to cook an old-fashioned simmer pot on a stove-top or hot plate. Usually associated with winter weather, they also act as natural humidifiers for dry weather. All a simmer pot is are pots with water and fresh fruit and herbs to diffuse a warm, natural scent for hours. Check out a list of light, summer-inspired simmer pot recipes here!

Aromatherapy products

Admittingly, it’s much easier to skip the DIY products when you have convenient and trusted air freshening methods in stores. There are a variety of products that both cause your house to smell good but also bring you relaxation and well-being. This is exactly what aromatherapy products are made to do. The technique of using naturally derived scented products for physical and emotional healing purposes has been around for thousands of years.

The most popular aromatherapy product is essential oils. Essential oils like lavender, eucalyptus, and peppermint to name a few are highly concentrated and can be diffused or applied topically. Other popular products include incense wicks and naturally scented candles. These products are easy to use and natural alternatives for air fresheners and treatments for common ailments. 

Create airflow

The reason for a house lacking a fragrance could be that there isn’t enough flow between rooms. Static air doesn’t allow for any scents to travel to receptors in our noses giving us a sense of smell. Indoor air tends to have less oxygen than fresh, outdoor air (even though indoor plants can help). Having a breeze of fresh air lets more oxygen enter our system and counteracts poor ventilation. If opening a window or outside door isn’t possible, get air and good smells flowing with a room fan. 

Baking soda

Baking soda aka sodium bicarbonate is a cheap, tried and true method of eliminating odors. Even though we know it works, just how does it get a house to smell good? Well often pungent odors are acidic with low pH levels, and baking soda has a pH of around 8. Bases like baking soda neutralize and even absorb unwanted smells for a clean scent where it is used. It’s especially effective in kitchen areas when mixed with water to clean cooking surfaces or where food is kept. Another way to use baking soda is by sprinkling it in smelly areas like a trash can or litter box. Just remember to keep cleaning and cooking baking sodas separate. 

Seasonal scents

To set the mood of a season, it’s a great idea to embrace the fragrances that make it what it is. Multiple scientific studies have shown our sense of smell can trigger memories stronger than visual cues. Meaning the scent of Thanksgiving turkeys can bring back feelings of fall holidays more than seeing a picture. Seasonal scents have personalities of their own, so choose what you love most about each time of year for products like candles and wax melts. 

With the summer season upon us, just what scents are the best for summer? Consider what you love most about it: fresh fruit, drinks on the beach, or even clean, countryside air. Whether you have a preference for sweet, citrus, or woody there is a summer scent and product for everyone. 

Cook something delicious

The most fun way to have a great-smelling home is spending time in the kitchen cooking flavorful dishes. Scents of sweet desserts or savory dinners travel to each room impressing any house guests in more ways than one. As mentioned prior, the smell of food has the power to bring back positive memories. Like popcorn for movie nights or cake for a celebration big or small. If you are not the keenest on cooking, the easiest thing to prepare every day is a cup of coffee.  

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