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Top 12 Amazing Ideas for Making Your Home Smell Great Naturally
Photo credit: bigstock
Everyone wants their home or apartment to smell super fresh, clean, and nice. If you’ve thought about buying some of those chemical filled, toxic plug in type air fresheners or the gel discs that are sold in most supermarkets, think again. Yes, they smell nice, but they are simply loaded with toxic chemicals and wax. This only adds to the toxic load that our bodies are trying to deal with already. Besides, with so many great ways to make your home smell great naturally, you have plenty of options besides adding more dangerous chemicals to your home.
Check out our top 12 ideas that will make your house or apartment smell great naturally.
1. Make Your Own Spray
Fill a spray bottle with about 8 ounces (1 cup) of water then add about 30 drops of your favorite essential oil. Shake well, and then use as a room spray! Lavender is a natural choice but you can use any scent that you like. If you want, try citrus oils such as wild orange, grapefruit, lemon, or tangerine. If you prefer flowers, try rose, lilac, or jasmine. For the man in your life, try cedarwood or lemongrass.
2. Automatic Bathroom Freshener
If you want a cheap, all natural bathroom freshener, simply take a cotton swab and dip each end into your favorite essential oil, or put one end in one oil and one end in a different scented oil, such as one end in rose and the other in geranium. Place that swab behind the toilet or attach it to the inside of the toilet paper roll with a piece of tape. You can also put two or three drops of essential oil on the inside of the cardboard paper roll. Read more about essential oils benefits for our health.
3. Garbage Disposal Deodorizer
If your garbage disposal smells sour, or it still smells of last night’s liver and onions, simply put a few lemon, orange, grapefruit, or lime peels and run those through the disposal for a cleaning smell.
4. Sweet Dreams
To make your bedroom smell nice and give you sweet dreams, take a cotton ball and dip it in some chamomile or lavender essential oil, then put it inside your pillowcase. This is a subtle fragrance that will help you fall asleep faster and should give you pleasant dreams.
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5. Make Your Own Reed Diffuser
These popular room diffusers are great for gently perfuming the air but they can be expensive and they are often made with toxic chemical fragrances. They are so easy to make, and cost only a few dollars.
Buy a reed diffuser bottle, which is available at almost any craft store for less than 3 dollars. Pick out your favorite essential oil(s). Use some bamboo skewers or reeds, which are also sold at craft stores for about a dollar. Now, fill your bottle about half way full with plain water. Add two tablespoons of plain vodka (don’t use flavored ones like lemon unless you want a lemon smell). Now put about 12 drops of essential oil into the bottle and shake. Place one end of the reed into the bottle and allow it to soak up the solution. Reverse the reeds and you have your own personalized reed diffuser. Rotate the reeds about twice a week and refill your diffuser as needed. Yes, it’s that simple! Place all the ingredients in a pretty box or bag and you have a great gift for your friends and family!
6. Make Your Own Potpourri
If you have a garden with flowers, you can make your own potpourri yourself. Collect your flowers and herbs and dry them a few days in the sun. Place them in a shallow decorative bowl and in no time at all, your house can be filled with scent of these beautiful, natural flowers. If you don’t have a garden, you can always buy pre-mixed bags of potpourri.
SEE ALSO: Natural Ways to Control Body Odor
7. Make an Herbal Wreath
Wreaths aren’t just for the outside of your door, they are a great way to make your home smell seasonably fresh by using whatever plants, trees, flowers, and herbs are available at that time of the year. Buy a straw or wire wreath at your local craft store and then attach herbs, flowers, pine branches, acorns, or whatever you find with some floral wire. Replace as needed. If you like you can “freshen” up the smell by spritzing your wreath with a mixture of water and essential oils.
8. Olive Oil Candles
These are a fantastic way to scent your home and enjoy the warmth of candle light anytime. These types of candles are sold almost everywhere. They are great for emergency lights as well!
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Photo credit: bigstock
9. Stovetop Potpourri
This is a great way to add the scents of the season any time of year in a matter of minutes! Fill a small saucepan with water, add a few slices of any citrus fruit you like, such as lemon, grapefruit, or orange, and then add your favorite herbs. You can add some fresh pine cones, some dried cranberries, and old roses from your garden, try a pot of rosemary, cinnamon, vanilla, or cedar bark. Simmer your mixture on very low heat and this will fill your home with scent!
10. Cat Box Cleaner
If you love your kitty, but hate that litter box, mix some tea leaves in with the cat litter. It will really help to neutralize those odors!
11. Stubborn Stinky Odor Remover
If you have some really stubborn odors that just won’t seem to go away, try this method. Take a small crockpot, or slow cooker, and put it in the offending room. Fill the crockpot about ¾ full with plain water and about three heaping tablespoons of baking soda. Mix well, and then set your crockpot to low and leave the lid off. After about 6 hours, the warm baking soda should pull all those offending odors from the air. Repeat if necessary. Find out other uses of baking soda.
12. Lights On, Smell On
Put two drops of any essential oil scent you like on the top of a light bulb. Be sure the bulb is off and cool when you do this. Allow the oil to dry. Now, whenever you turn on a light, a gentle, but wonderful scent will filter into the room.
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