Sometimes, all it takes to turn your house into a home is by improving its scent. Your home should be a place where you can relax and feel comfortable so that you’ll be relieved of all the day’s stresses. A foul-smelling home will only make you feel irritable, down, and uninspired. In comparison, think of the times when you step into your home with the scent freshly baked cookies wafting through the room. Doesn’t it lift up your mood and make you feel more stress-free? Luckily, you don’t always have to have baking cookies in the oven to make your home smell great, and you don’t have to spend a lot either. A couple of fresh, natural ingredients is all you need to make your home smell great without filling the air with chemicals like those found in commercial air-fresheners. Here are six home air fresheners you can DIY to make your home smell infinitely better.
- Lemon-Rosemary Stovetop Potpourri
The smell of lemon and rosemary coupled together makes a heavenly scent that will surely make your home smell like spring. To make this, add 1 lemon, sliced, a couple sprigs of rosemary, and half a teaspoon of vanilla in a stockpot 2/3 full of water. Let the concoction simmer the entire day to allow the scent to fill your rooms. Reuse the mixture for as much as two days but afterwards, replace it with a new one.
- Vodka
Vodka, as well as other spirits, contains one of the main ingredients of most commercial air fresheners—ethyl alcohol. You can deodorize any musty odours in your home by simply spraying some vodka directly into the air. Doing so will remove any foul smell but will not leave a new one. For a pleasant scent afterwards, add 20-30 drops of your favourite essential oil in a spray bottle of vodka.
- Liquid Fabric Softener
If you just love the smell of your liquid fabric softener then use it to deodorize any musty odours in your home especially in the bathroom and laundry room. To do so, simmer a capful of fabric softener and two capfuls of water in an old pan which you don’t necessarily have to use again. Alternatively, you can add the fabric softener in your potpourri pot.
- Orange Peel Candles
The citrus-y scent of orange is definitely something you’d want your home to smell like. To get the refreshing scent, use the peel of an orange to make a lovely homemade candle. If DIY-ing candles is not your thing, you can add small pieces of orange peel on top of your candle and let it burn off. Add more once the peels are gone. You can also add some orange zest in your potpourri pot.
- Scented Wood Blocks
To scent some wooden blocks, coat the entire thing with your favourite essential oil or perfume by either painting the scent on or using a spray. Afterwards, place the wooden blocks in a closed container with some of the scent you added. Shake the container to make sure all the blocks are properly scented then let it sit overnight to make sure that the wood has absorbed the scent. Place the wooden blocks in a bowl or any open container to let the smell waft through the rooms. You can repeat the process on the same wooden blocks to refresh the scent.
- Cat Litter
The purpose of cat litter is to deodorize the smell of your pet’s urine and waste. Similarly, cat litter can deodorize any foul smell in the room. However, to make sure that the cat litter will be effective, use one with Diatomaceous earth as the main ingredient. Diatomaceous earth is a natural mineral that is very good at absorbing odours. To utilize the benefits of this ingredient, place the cat litter in a bowl then place it in the corner of a musty, smelly room.
