1.18.2020

How To Make Your Home Smell Amazing

8 Ways to make your home smell fantastic. Discover some of the best inexpensive and easy ways to make your entire home smell just lovely.

Home interiors sign saying home sweet home

I believe my obsession with a well-scented home started in childhood, I can remember walking into the ashy dead air in my chain-smoking grandparent’s house and feeling like utter filth, leaving and smelling like their house was so gross. I was determined to live in a place where people walk in, breath in, and feel invigorated. That feeling you get when walking through the bedroom door into a swanky hotel of fresh flowers, clean air and daily housekeeping. Its that time of year post-Christmas where you just want to make your home feel welcoming and bright - so time to spring clean your scents! Here are my 8 top tips for making your home smell better, without too much effort...

nice smelling home ingredients with green graphic text says 8 easy ways to make your home smell amazing

 Simmer potpourri on the stove

Dusty old potpourri in weird little crystal and metal bowls that haven’t been changed in about a thousand years is definitely not going to make your home smell great. I can remember one of these weird urns of potpourri in my grandparent’s house that was older than myself that had been there so long it had effectively become a cigarette smoke sponge and was just vile, the smell alone would put you off smoking for life. A much better alternative to potpourri is simmering some lovely things on the stove to make your house smell amazing. This will have your entire home smelling great in no time at all, all you need to do is simply take a saucepan to fill it halfway up with water and chuck in your favourite combination of great smelling ingredients such as herbs, fruits and spices.

stove top potpurri ingredients in a collage

Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat down to the lowest heat setting and simmer, with the lid slightly off, making sure to top up the water every now and then (you want to keep the magic going for as long as you can!). Bare in mind that you do need to keep an eye on the pot, so don’t do this when you plan to leave the house. I like to set a timer to check on the simmering potpourri roughly every 30 minutes to see if I need to add water or see if I need to turn it off.

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/AllTheseInteriors/cleaning/
 Top Tip - There are tons of great recipes for stovetop potpourri on Pinterest. Try experimenting lemon with vanilla and rosemary for that clean smell, or cinnamon, orange, and apples.

Clean Naturally

Method pink grapefruit cleaning spray link
 Cleaning products are what we use all around our homes, and they can make a real difference to how nice our home smells. Choose ones that you love to use and that have a great smell can really make a difference. Natural cleaning agents often have scents like mint, beeswax, orange, lemon and rosemary which creates a much fresher home than smelling of generic cleaning fluids. At the moment I am loving the Method range of cleaning products as they are all-natural – especially their grapefruit spray cleaner.
how to naturally clean your home book cover


TopTip -  Using fresh lemon is a great way to add a fresh citrusy scent to your home, as it is a natural deodorizer and cleaner you can find more natural cleaning tips in The Art of Natural Cleaning by Rebecca Sullivan.

Deodorize the plastic interior of your fridge

 Fridges can easily smell funky if you’re not careful about upkeep and there are few things grosser than opening a stinking fridge in someone else’s house and knowing that bacteria is infecting the food they’re going to feed you. Take a paper towel, dampen it with a little water and dip it in vanilla extract, then wipe down the surfaces of the fridge with the paper towel. This will help neutralize odours in the plastic and leave your fridge smelling amazing. I know it seems a little mad rubbing brown vanilla extract all over clear plastic but I promise this method won’t stain the fridge. If you want to stop the air from smelling the best thing to do absorb odours floating around the fridge, add a bowl of baking soda to absorb the bad smells and consider adding some vanilla balls.

Interior american style fridge

Add a few cotton balls to a small bowl, and soak them in a little vanilla extract. Place the balls in your fridge in the egg holder for a fresh waft of vanilla when you open the door, don’t forget to change out the cotton and vanilla every couple of weeks. You can also put a cup of bicarbonate soda in your fridge to absorb bad smells.

 Clear your carpets

Carpets are such a hard-working area of the home, not only do they get walked all over, they are constantly catching everything that falls to the floor. From hair to makeup to pet dander these things all add to the overall scent of your home

dirty rug how to clean it image


 To remove smells for from the carpet you really can’t go wrong with using baking soda. Baking soda is one of my top used cleaning products and for good reason. This really cheap and powerful powder works a charm to absorb odours in no time at all. Sprinkle it on your carpet or upholstery; leave it for around 30 minutes then vacuum it up. This will draw dirt out and remove odours.

 TOP TIP – One of the best ways to remove dirt from your carpets is to take a slightly damp squeegee, like the kind you use to clean your windows with, and scrape it across the surface of your carpet and you will discover all the nastiness that's lurking in even the cleanest of carpets.

white candle displayed with white pumpkins - interior design

 Candles

I know this may seem obvious but candles are perfect for making your home smell amazing but there is one caveat- don’t be cheap. Cheap candles smell like melted crayons and nobody wants a home to smell like the inside of a child’s pencil case. A good candle should smell beautiful and fragrant even when not lit, I keep searching for a replacement of a candle I had by Elise Som because I had a sample size one of these from London Design week, in a scent, I don’t know the name of, and I swear it kept my home smelling beautiful for over a year. You only needed to light it for about 10 minutes for it to make the whole house smell like an incredible high-end art gallery, I sat it on the window in my hallway where it would make the entire hallway smell gorgeous all the time even though I rarely lit it. Even though they might seem expensive, a high priced candle is definitely more cost-effective than one that’s cheap and cheerful.

TOP TIP – Always use candles that are made from natural wax as they burn with less soot so create far less dust and give off a much more natural scent.

 Banish the dust bunnies!

I know a lot of these tips are basically just clean and have nice smelling things in your home but it really is that simple. Dust is made up of skin flakes, hair, fabric dust, pollen, ash, faeces plaster, sand and all sorts of other grossness, so it's hardly surprising that the more dust you have about your home the more likely it is going to smell well musty.

 There will be some places of hidden horror in your house I guarantee it, every single home I’ve ever moved into has had a thick layer of grease and filth on top of their kitchen cupboards. It’s one of the first places I clean when moving into a home because I hate the idea of decomposing grease wafting out into the air. Other areas that are all too neglected are the stairs, baseboards and around your bed.

TOP TIP – Mix some fabric conditioner and water in the sink and then wet a cloth with the mixture. Wring the cloth as dry as possible and then use this to wipe all your skirting boards, door frames and radiator. The fragrance is lovely and the static created by the fabric conditioner will collect dust like nobodies business.

letting fresh air into an interior home

 Let in the air

Short and simple - the fastest way to a fresh-smelling room is by cracking open your windows and letting fresh air in. Rather surprisingly unless you live near a busy road or some sort of grim industrial area, the air inside your home is actually far more likely more polluted than the air outside. I know gross right but this is due to things like mould and pollen just hanging about in the enclosed space of your home. Make it a priority, whenever possible, to open your windows.

interior inspiration image of sunflowers, bread and coffee

 Make it feel like home - don’t over sterilise

 I know I’ve basically spent an entire article explaining how to clean so that your home doesn’t smell bad but, unless you’re like me and go mad for the smell of bleach, most people don’t like the smell of an overly clean home. If you want to make your home smell stunning without cleaning you can simply make it smell of food. Try your hand at baking bread which is one of the most welcoming smells in the world, or why not try putting the slow cooker on before you leave in the morning so it is full of something delicious when you come in from work and your home you will smell delicious from the moment you open the front door.

Another way to make your home smell great without cleaning is to bake things in the oven, this doesn't just mean cookies it can be something decorative, one thing I love to do is dry slices of oranges in the oven to make the entire house smell like Christmas and you can use them as beautiful decorations over the festive period.


 Check out the Cleaning Pinterest Board to get some cleaning inspiration

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* Post contains affiliate links - full affiliate disclosure on my about me page

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13 comments


  1. The Yankee Candles are my guilty pleasure just lately I have bought some in various different fragrances!

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  2. Now that spring is here, I love letting the air in. These are tips that I need to try.

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  3. I love all of these ideas. Those candles are pretty pricey, but they do look amazing. And I love simmering spices and fruits on the stove.

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  4. Going to try some of this on my new home soon!

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  5. This post is a great reminder to start room cleaning now, especially it's weekend! I love the smell of coffee beans inside my room. I hope it will be realized soon.

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  6. I like the tips on making the house smell good. I have a dog. I cook with garlic and curry. So I really could use some of your suggested tips.

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  7. I'm going to have to utilize this information while I'm on lock down!
    Thank you for sharing.

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  8. I'm a big fan of essential oils - I can choose what scents to use and they always seem to linger in the area after I'm done diffusing.

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  9. I'm OBSESSED with a yummy smelling house. and I LOVE boiling potpurri on the stove!

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  10. I love it when I enter a place that smells so fresh, and I always wondered how big hotels manage to do this, even on the hallways. One thing that I do every morning in my home is to open the windows all around the house, to let the fresh air get in.

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  11. I love natural cleaning! I use alot of lemon, white vinegar and baking soda for cleaning. I also love the stove top potpourri. My mom used to do this when I was young so it also brings back fond memories.

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  12. Banishing the dust bunnies is a constant, ongoing practice in our house. With 4 pets, we are constantly cleaning up little hairballs around the house lol They have a habit of hiding under the couches/chairs, on the stairs and behind doors that are rarely closed (like our bedroom door). A high-quality vacuum is key!

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  13. Some great, simple ideas here, thank you. I love a good scented candle, but nothing beats that Christmas scent of spiced wine gently mulling...
    I also love the smell of wood burning. My youngest collects pine cones for us to add to the fire, as they smell divine.

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Interior Design blogging from a Country girl in the city. Trying to learn all I can about interior design, social media and making the best of this life.
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