There’s a reason real estate agents recommend home-sellers bake something the morning of an open home – homes that smell great, feel great. They’re home.
1. The first step is to keep bad smells out. Place dried coffee grounds (or bicarb soda) at the bottom of your bin to absorb nasty odours. You can also place a bowl of coffee grounds in your fridge, to pick up any yucky food smells. Replace it once a month or so.
2. Treat your sink. Think of everything that goes in your sink – roasting trays, blender attachments, even just those gunky dinner plates. Every. Single. Night. It’s no wonder it sometimes gets a little whiffy down there. So from time to time (once a week is ideal), your sink needs a thorough detox. Pour a cup of bicarb soda down the drain, followed by a cup of white vinegar. Leave for five minutes, and then pour a kettle’s worth of boiling water down the drain, too. For bonus points, cut a lemon into a segment the size of your sink, place it over the hole and pour the boiling water over it.
3. For instant fragrance (say, when guests are on their way), simmer a pot of boiling water with cinnamon sticks, orange or lemon peel, or a few drops of vanilla essence. Or make like a real estate agent, and bake some choc-chip cookies. Two birds, etc.
4. Whip up a batch of linen spray and go nuts spritzing it all over the place. It’ll freshen up the smell of sheets, blankets, cushions and lounges.
5. Keep rugs and carpets smelling fresh. Mix a cup of bicarb soda with a tablespoon of ground cinnamon, and sprinkle over carpets (omit the cinnamon on very white carpets). Leave this for an hour, then vacuum thoroughly.
6. Defunk your shoes. Think of how much better your home would smell without the scent of your kids’ grotty shoes. Amazing, right? If you can, keep them outside. If you’ve gotta have them on the inside, you’ve gotta clean them from time to time. Freezing them works (really! Just pop them in a plastic bag, seal tightly and freeze overnight; the bacteria will be killed and you’ll have lovely neutral-smelling shoes) but if you’d like to do a lot at once, mix two teaspoons of any essential oil with two cups of water, and spray shoes liberally. Leave to dry.
7. Candles are an obvious way to make your home smell great, but there’s more to them than simply lighting up. Place fragrant candles – unlit – in closets and drawers for great-smelling clothes.
8. Plants purify the air naturally, and they often smell great, too. A row of herbs along your windowsill – or just a pot of rosemary – will work wonders.
9. Air it out. Got a whole room that just reeks, but you can’t pinpoint the source? Throw open the windows and place a bowl of white vinegar in the centre of the room. Leave for a few hours and the vinegar will soak the stench right up.
Related gallery: Fragrant pale pink flowers
