Ahaan… This Smells Good! I have a distinct memory of visiting my granny’s place – the smell of freshly prepared sweets. The moment I entered her kitchen, I used to get carried away by that peculiar fragrance and relived all the memories I had of that place. Sadly, the place is long sold out and I still miss that fragrance. It is strange right that every place is known just not by its decor but also by its fragrances.

For instance, a prayer room is known by the fragrance of incense sticks, a bakery smells good because of cakes and a coffee house, well for its coffee. I am fond of these natural fragrances. They make me feel good. However, nowadays, artificial fragrances are ruling the roost. But when it comes to home, I still prefer naturally. Even if I am not able to bake a cake, I make my home smell of cake by following simple tricks.

This is because everything should smell good for me – whether it is food, clothes – including woolens, car, home and even garbage for that matter. The last one is a little difficult, but I try to keep the odor away. My husband is a clean-cum-smell freak. To make sure that the thing is cleaned, he makes them smell good. He thinks that half of the germs are dead with the good smell (Do germs are scared of good smell?) He judges the cleanliness of the floor by its fresh smell. His visit to the superstore is not complete without going to the cleaning section.

Our home boasts of cleaning stuff that smells good as well. Everything with strong cleaning smell finds the way to our home, thanks to him. However, I agree with him to an extent. At times, when the home smells good, I get the feeling that it is super clean as well. If you are finding it difficult to keep odors away from your dwelling, here are some things that could be done. To make your home smelling good, the first step is to remove any kind of old or foul smell.

Open the Windows

Whenever you smell something bad, open the windows first. Let the natural air and sunshine in. Sunlight specializes in killing the bad odor, bad mood and even bad ambiance. When the fresh air knocks on your windows, do not hesitate it to let it in. cross ventilation is the best idea to get rid of funny smells in your home. The act of opening windows depends on the weather and even the time of the day. However, a few minutes of open windows will not do much harm.

Find the Source

Just opening the windows will not be enough if you want to end that smell for good. For this, you will need to find the source of the bad odor. This might consume a little time of yours but it will rid your home of that smell. Check the garbage, pantry, damp laundry for any problems. Even make sure that the kitchen sink, upholstery and corners of the house.

Use Household Cleaners

Get a strong smelling household cleaner. Wiping the floor with such cleaning agents makes your entire home smell good instantly. Even if you are feeling low on some days, such cleaners will light up your mood. Clean your kitchen, refrigerator or furniture using them and let the smell waft through the house. If your bathroom smells foul because of mist, drop such cleaners in the bowl. The bathroom will start smelling good.

The Washing Machine Trick

Usually doing a load of laundry with a fragrant detergent is good enough to make the home smell good. The smell of fresh clothes hanging on the dryer sheet is enough to make the house inviting at times. In case there is no load of laundry, just add detergent or even shampoo and water to the washing machine. Switch it on for a couple of minutes. The house will start smelling good.

DIY Room Spray

The easiest way to make the home smell good is spraying. However, the chemical sprays are a big no-no for me. Instead, I prepared a room spray on my own. Take an empty spray bottle – that of Coleen or a Perfume Bottle. Add some lime juice, baking soda and water to this. Baking soda helps in neutralizing bad odor and the citrus smell of lime works wonder. Just spray this to corners of the house, near the garbage bin and other places.

Cotton Balls

My mother taught this trick to me. Every quarter, she dips some cotton balls in her favourite perfumes and hides them in the house – between the cushions, under the sofa, behind the curtain rods. Whenever we open the windows, the breeze carries the fragrance from the cotton balls and makes our home smell lovely.

Herb Sachets

There are small net bags available at stores. If you do not get these, hunt for reusable tiny bags in your home. Fill such bags with dried flowers or even your favourite spices. Place these bags in your drawers. Your clothes will start smelling good even without applying any store-bought perfumes. These scents are natural and stay good for long. I prefer keeping clove or carom seeds filled bags in the handkerchief section of my husband. As he is prone to cough and cold, clove smelling hankies help keep infection away.

Instant Fragrance Hacks for the Guests

When the home stops smelling bad, it is time to make it smell good. Many of my friends believe in giving me surprise visits. I love such visits but I want them to enter a ‘fragrant’ home. While there are number of options available in the market to make your smell good, I prefer home remedies or natural fragrances. There are so many things that could be done to make your home smell of delicious food.

Onions – If the guests are ‘biryani’ fans, then just fry some onions before they arrive. Even if you have ordered a biryani, your home will smell as if you were cooking all day.

Cinnamon – If bakery lovers are going to knock at the door, simply boil some cinnamon sticks in water before they arrive. Fresh cinnamon-bread like smell will light up their mood.

Coffee – Brew some coffee in a little water and add cinnamon and cardamom to it. Voila! Is this a cafe or what?

Flowers – Use fragrant flowers like hibiscus and others for this. Boil the leaves or the entire flower including the stem, just before the guests arrive. The floral smell will make them feel inviting.

Citrus – Take some lemon rinds or orange peels and add them to a pot of boiling water. Let it brew for some time. Your guests will be welcomed to a fruity fragrance.

Ginger – Leftover ginger peels or dried ginger comes in handy too. Boil them and let it stew on a low flame for some time. It will certainly make people invite themselves to your place for a cup of tea.

Shampoo – I love the smell of some shampoos and bathing gels. If you have a big house, then instead of boiling water in a pot, you can try this option. Fill a bathtub with warm water and add some shampoo or bathing gel to it. You can even add flowers to this. The volume of water in the bathtub is more and hence, the results will be instant. Make sure that the door of the bathroom is ajar.

Potpourri – If you are not able to decide the fragrance, mix all the above ingredients like orange peels, lemon rinds, hibiscus, cinnamon sticks and even cloves and let them simmer on a low flame on the stove in a pot of boiling water. Add essential oil of your choice and you have a nice smelling home, instantly.

Oven – Put some vanilla extract or any essential oil of your choice in a mug. Place it in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for an hour. Your home will smell good for a few hours at least.

Natural Fragrances for Your Home

While there are so many natural fragrances around the world, these are some of the popular and easily available ones to make your home smell good.

Extracts – Vanilla is something that makes me smile. I add some drops of vanilla essence to the candle warmer at our place. Other popular extracts are mint and rose.

Spices – If you can make the effort, then grind some whole spices in your kitchen to make your place smell good. Other option is to make a potpourri out of the spices. Common examples are cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. The benefit of using spices is that they can be reused for a couple of times.

Citrus – The fruity smell has become so much popular these days. You have fruity shower gels, face washes, candles and even hair oils. I love the citrus fruits more than the other varieties. The reason of them being popular is that they seem so fresh and natural. The smell even lasts long.

Herbs – Nothing can beat the smell of herbs, then be it chamomile, thyme or rosemary. You can even plant mint or basil indoors for making your home smell good all day long.

How to Use Fragrances

Now that you have a number of natural ingredients to use to make your home smell good, here are some heating methods to use these fragrances.

Stove Top – Boil some water in the pot and let the chosen ingredients simmer it in for some time. This method is quick and simple. It even gives instant results. Keep a check on the level of water in the pot to avoid burning.

Fondue Pot – Besides using it to prepare cheese fondue, use it for making your home smell good. Prepare a mix of some scents and water and let it simmer on the fondue pot.

Electric Cooker – Add your favourite fragrances to the electric cooker along with water. It is inexpensive and does not take much of your time to start the process.

Candle Warmer – They are easily available at home decor stores. Use scented candles to make your home smell good. Alternatively, you can use scented water in the jar.

It is quite easy to make your home smell good without using any artificial fragrances. The benefit of using natural fragrances is that they last for long and at times, are not very expensive. I like welcoming my guests with such fragrances. They actually become conversation starters. Friends and family are getting inspired and it is a good idea, right! Let’s make our home healthy, happy and naturally fragrant.