Ways to Keep Your Home Smelling Great

Posted by Jenni Barnett on Friday, November 5th, 2021 at 11:38am.

One of the best things someone can say as they enter your home is, “It smells wonderful in here!” We all know how powerfully smells influence our perception of a place, so it feels good to know our home is making a good first impression. Today, we’re sharing ways to keep your home smelling great, from preventive measures to a variety of tips for sending delicious scents wafting through each room. 


Eliminate Sources of Bad Smells

Before you can add pleasant smells to your home, it’s essential that you get rid of anything stinky. Masking bad odors isn’t really possible, so roll up your sleeves, and let’s get started. 

1.) Scrub Out Your Trash Receptacle

We all know we have to empty our trash often in order to avoid a pervasive stench, but it’s equally important to ensure that your garbage pail itself hasn’t picked up that smell! A thorough scrub-down twice a month should be enough to banish any odors.

2.) Keep Up on Laundry

As any gym-goer or parent of a teen knows, laundry can really stink. By doing laundry promptly, you can swap the BO for the sweet scent of freshly-washed whites.

If your laundry is harboring a musty smell, a borax soak will banish mildew spores, remove hard water build-up, and eliminate detergent residue in one easy step.

3.) Look to the Litter Box

We love our cats, but no one loves the smell kitty leaves behind. Take a few minutes twice per day to scoop out used litter, then add fresh material as needed. If your cat’s litter isn’t helping with smells between your frequent scooping, ask your vet for recommendations for a new formulation that will. 

4.) Use Enzyme-Based Cleaners on Pet Accidents

Ideally, we never have to clean up pet messes—but accidents do happen! To keep pet smells from lingering—and spreading—clean up promptly, then follow up with an enzyme-based pet odor eliminator. Products without enzymes often leave hard-to-clean particles behind while relying on added perfumes to cover up the smells. This fix is only temporary, though, so we recommend skipping non-enzyme-based methods altogether.

5.) Keep Your Kitchen Drain Clean

After doing the dishes, make sure to run your garbage disposal. Then, add white vinegar, wait a few minutes, and run the disposal again. Make sure to continue to flush the disposal with cool water for a bit after you’ve turned off your disposal.

This simple method will drastically reduce off smells emanating from your kitchen sink!

6.) Clean Out Your Refrigerator

Even a small container of food or one single spoiled item of produce can really affect your home’s overall smell profile, so make it a habit to sort through your refrigerator’s contents before you add new groceries. 

Placing an open box of baking soda in the back of the fridge is a great way to ensure off smells are quickly absorbed.

At the beginning of each season, empty out your fridge and carefully clean and scrub it out. This step is important for your health, of course, but the same bacteria that can make you sick also produce quite a stink!

7.) Use a Daily Shower Spray

In addition to making your weekly shower scrubbing easier, daily shower sprays will keep your bathroom smelling better.


Fill Your Home with Pleasing Scents

1.) Use Aromatic Wax Melts

Candles can be risky for homeowners, especially those with pets or children, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on seasonal wax-based scents. Instead, consider using a wax warmer and aromatic wax to add delightful smells to your home. 

This type of diffuser is safer than a lit candle, especially because most wax warmers come with an auto-off function that eliminates risk of overheating or fire.

2.) Simmer Delicious Botanical Blends

Perfect for fall and winter, homemade potpourri is a frugal, effective way to ensure that your home smells divine. Orange peels, lemon peels, cinnamon sticks, cloves, whole cranberries, apple wedges, rosemary sprigs, fresh sage, dried lavender, sliced ginger, vanilla, and ground coffee can be mixed and matched to create custom aromas.

Once you’ve decided on your botanical items, simmer them in a pot of water on your stove, or use your slow cooker instead for an all-day spiced air infusion.

3.) Decorate with House Plants

It’s no secret that house plants are great for keeping the air inside our homes fresh. English ivy, spider plant, dragon tree, peace lily, ferns, pothos, rubber tree, palm, and philodendron are all easy-to-care-for plants that will beautify your space while reducing stale air and offering fresh, oxygenated air instead.

4.) Strategically Stash Sachets

Tuck sachets of dried botanicals into drawers, hang them in your closets(remember to include your entry and coat closets), and stash them in the back of your linen cabinets. Replace them about every six months, or as soon as they lose their sweet scents.

5.) Use Linen Sprays

In between washing your bedding weekly, make use of linen sprays to refresh your sheets and pillowcases. Simply spritz a few minutes before you make your bed, giving the carrier liquid time to dry, and you’ll climb into fresh-smelling linens at the end of your long day.


Thank you for visiting Parks. What are your favorite tricks for making your home smell incredible? We would love to hear from you in the comments below.   

If you are searching for the perfect Middle Tennessee home for you, Parks Realty is here to help. Our knowledge of this beautiful region is unparalleled. Whether you wish to settle within Nashville proper or within any of the surrounding counties, we will be the first to show you exactly what you’ve been looking for. Contact us today!

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