Everyone wants to come home to a fresh-smelling house, but when there are fire hazards to worry about when the house is empty during the day, most people don’t want to leave a plug-in or candle burning unattended. Pets can knock them over, and plug-ins can overheat and use energy all day. Try these simple natural methods of leaving your house pleasantly scented when you’re not home without having to worry about dangers and fire hazards when you’re away.
Simply having a spray bottle with a few teaspoons of your favorite oiled scent can allow you to have a fresh-smelling home all day. Lavender, vanilla, citrus scents, or a combination of your favorite oils can be easily sprayed on your furniture, carpet, and bedding to waft through the house all day when you’re not home. If you leave your air conditioner running in the summer, home or not, take advantage of the circulating air by turning off the unit and spraying the vents with the scented water. When you turn your fan back on, the scented air will waft throughout the house all day. There are scents you can purchase too that can be placed inside your ac unit (like you would with a car freshener) and for swamp coolers just pour your favorite scents in the water in the back of your unit to keep a constant stream of pleasant scent flowing all day long, whether you’re home or not.
In the winter, clean out your heating vents (they get crammed full of animal hair and food products) and pour in a few drops of your favorite scented oils (nutmeg, apple, and cinnamon are warm, calming wintry scents) to provide clean-smelling and sweet air when your heat is on.
Put a car freshener up high but near your cat’s litter box so your cat can’t play with it or chew on it. This will mask your kitty’s odors and keep your house fresh.
Take advantage of baking soda. It’s a natural anti-bacterial and deodorizer, and if you pour in a few drops of your favorite scent into baking soda before applying it to your shoes or carpeting for vacuuming, the scent will fill the air and the odor-causing bacteria will be eradicated. Also, pour scented baking soda on the bottom of your cat’s litter box prior to adding litter every time you change the box to keep that smelling lovely and not like poo. Pour baking soda on your dog beds as well and vacuum them to eradicate the smell.
Run a lemon peel, grapefruit peel, or orange peel through your garbage disposal to naturally clean the unit and kill odors. The acids in the peels will kill bacteria. To get rid of wet dog or stinky kitty smell, you can rub these peels on your pets as well. Plus, fleas hate lemon, so it works to keep those bloodsuckers at bay.
Place dryer sheets in your folded laundry and stored guests’ towels, etc. This will keep cupboard areas from smelling musty.
Great tips for keeping your house clean and fresh at all times, without having to use candles and plug-ins that you can’t leave on when you’re not home.
