13 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR HOME SMELL GORGEOUS

SO LAST NIGHT, I MADE CURRY FOR DINNER.

Amazingly good, mouth wateringly fragrant curry.

And it's still fragrant this morning.

'Pungent' may be a better term for it...

Ok. The house stinks. Badly.

And since this morning I was drafting up some new articles, we now have today's 13 Ways to Make Your Home Smell Gorgeous.

Mainly because that was the only thing I could think about!




Now, I was intending to introduce this post with something delightful about the link between our sense of smell and emotions.

Or how back in the 90's, someone started a perfume range with 'Fresh Baked Bread', 'New Mown Grass' and 'Cake Batter' because they're such universally loved scents....

But instead, we have the much less romantic 'stinky house' intro.

So whether you made curry for dinner last night too, have a weekly mountain of kid's smelly sports gear, or a dog that loves being wet, here are the tricks I use to get my home smelling gorgeous again!


1. Flowers and Herbs – one of the simplest ways to make your home smell fresh is by placing pots on the windowsill to catch the breeze.

2. Reed Diffusers – these will absorb into the air slowly, and rarely become overpowering. You can easily make them up yourself too – just check out DIY reed diffusers on Pinterest - there are heaps of recipes.

3. Eucalyptus Leaves – A big bunch of eucalyptus stems – the round leaf varieties are the best – will freshen up a kitchen or bathroom beautifully as the heat helps evaporate the oils into the air.

4. Perfume the Linen Closet – I like to sprinkle the last drops of my old perfume bottles on the exposed wood in my linen closet. Perfumes get stronger as they get older, and this is a great way to use up any old ones you’ve forgotten about. I just pop a little bit right at the back, where it won’t mark anything, close the door, and whenever I want any new linens, they smell amazing.

5. Room Boil Ups – a tried and true method for quickly scenting the house! A few of my favorites are:

~ Coffee – especially grounds too stale for drinking – add a little vanilla
~ Fir tree clippings in winter
~ Big bunch of mint in summer
~ Lemon peel, a little rosemary and vanilla
~ Cinnamon, cloves and orange peel in autumn

6. Essential Oil – is great put in a few different places round the home – just dab a few drops straight onto heating vents, air conditioning vents, light bulbs, the top blades of fans and hot metal pipes in cupboards. Obviously though, please be careful and don’t put it anywhere near a heating element.

7. Scented Cushions – I also like to pop a drop of essential oil on cushion inserts before replacing the cover. You can also do this with pillows and eucalyptus oil or Vicks to help stuffy noses in the winter – only use a very little though, and only put it on the very corners so it won’t irritate the skin.

8. Carpet Freshener – I like to occasionally sprinkle carpets with Bicarb soda to absorb any odors. Just leave it on for 30m then vacuum it up.

9. Fresh Cupboards – Bicarb soda is also great for freshening musty cupboards, just place a bowl of it in the cupboard, close the door and it will take care of itself.


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10. Washing Liquid – You may be different, but I love it when my washing smells clean! After a while (a bit like deodorant and house cleaners), your nose gets used to the smell and doesn’t notice it anymore. So I like to change up my washing liquid every so often, just to make sure things are smelling nice and fresh.

11. Fresh Clothes - You can also wet a face washer until it’s damp, add a few drops of essential oil and add this to the dryer with your washing – your clothes and house will smell fabulous.

12. Spice Bags – Instead of potpourri or lavender, try making up some spice bags to scent your wardrobe and drawers. You can get big bags of cloves, star anise and cinnamon quills from the Asian Grocery Stores and spices are great for scenting guys clothes.

13. Drawer Scents - And last but not least, check out my post on Pretty Soap Drawer Scents – you can choose whatever scented soap you like most, and they make great gifts too!


So after opening every single window in the house, and running around (slightly crazed), with essential oil in one hand, and Bicarb soda in the other, and dabbing and pouring them wherever I could, my house no longer smells like curry!

Hurrah!

I hope these tips can help you make your house smell amazing again too :)

What are your favourite ways to make your home smell gorgeous? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below!

All the best,

Eliza.