8 Great Ideas for How To Make Your Home Smell Good Naturally

Do you love fresh, inviting, clean-smelling air in your home, but don’t love all the chemical sprays and fragrances? If you’re anything like me, you are always looking for fresh ideas on how to make your home smell good naturally. Keep reading, because you’re in luck! Here are 8+ ways to freshen your home’s air naturally, and easily.

Okay! I confess! I’m a sucker for scented candles, wall plug-ins, scented soaps, and all things that smell delicious! Just ask my husband. He has joked me quite a few times about this issue. Little did he know that he’d soon be my inspiration for finding ways to make our home (and yours) smell good naturally.

There is something comforting about walking into our home and being greeted by the warmth of cinnamon or the decadence of buttercream. What are your favorite, most welcoming scents?

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What I didn’t know was how many people react negatively to scented items in the home. 4 or 5 family members immediately come to mind whose sinuses revolt when they are around anything with an odor.

Whether you are trying to figure out how to make your home smell good naturally due to allergies, or a desire to reduce the toxic load in your home – read on! I’ve got inspiration for you ahead.

Be sure to subscribe to our email list. As I learn of new tips, tricks and favorite methods for naturally freshening our home, I’ll be updating this list to share them with you.

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let the fresh air in

This one might be plain ol’ common sense, but it’s arguably the most important!

Few things can accomplish making your home smell good naturally better than a crisp, fresh breeze. Open those windows and door screens to increase the circulation effect throughout the whole home.

Daily living pollutes our indoor air quality. We have dander from us and our pets, moisture accumulation, dust and tracked in bacteria. All of these contaminants hang out in the air we breathe, threatening our health and air quality.

That’s why the American Lung Association recommends letting your building breathe at least once per day. During the colder, winter months, even just a few minutes of fresh air lowers the risk of mold growth and other odor-causing bacteria.

change your HVAC air filters regularly

Most HVAC professionals will recommend changing your home’s air filters every 30-90 days. Some filter types last a little longer and cost a little more on average.

Considerations for more frequent filter changes would be: pets in the home, highly polluted outdoor air, you are an allergy sufferer or are in a large home.

If you are already changing your filters regularly but still noticing lingering odors in your home – it might be time to reconsider your HVAC [Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning] filter choice.

Odor control filters are specially designed for the purpose of neutralizing offensive smells from your indoor air. They are not all created equal, however. While there are many choices available – it is important to look at all of your options to consider the best fit for you and your home.

It is remarkable the difference in your home when you swap out your old, funky filters for fresh ones. Your indoor air will be cleaner, healthier and odor-free.

smell the difference an air purifier can make

Let me tell you – I swear by this odor remedy in our home! Our home has had many occupants since it was built in the 1920’s.

As a result, there are the inevitable smells an older home has. Sometimes no matter how clean you are, there are just some trapped odors you can’t control.

Using an air purifier has eliminated so much of what I couldn’t. Our ionic air purifier is so old you can’t even find them anymore. Yet it still works miracles.

All we have to do is clean the plates when the ‘clean light’ comes on and voila! It’s back to scrubbing our air once more.

I cannot highly enough recommend this method of freshening your home without chemicals and artificial scents. Outside of bringing fresh air into your home – this is by far the most effective way of eliminating stubborn smells.

Best of all? A quality air purifier will last you many years. Your home will not only smell cleaner – it will actually be cleaner.

diy all natural room sprays

Do you love the scent of cinnamon and vanilla? Or the soothing smell of lavender? Maybe you prefer the energizing aroma of citrus?

Whatever your preference, you can make an all natural homemade spray to suit your taste! You’ll know exactly what’s in it and how much. No more worries about harmful chemical additives being sprayed in your air.

DIY room spray recipe:

1. Pick out your favorite scents of essential oils. You can combine complementary scents or stick with just one flavor.
2. Have some multi-purpose witch hazel on hand
3. Distilled water
4. Small glass spray bottles (I like these for UV protection of essential oils)

Simple next steps:

This easy and fun recipe calls for 25 to 30 drops of your chosen essential oils into your spray bottle.

After that, fill your bottle half full with your witch hazel.

Next, fill your bottle the rest of the way with your distilled water.

Place your cap on the spray bottle and shake up all of your ingredients.

If you’d like, you can even add your favorite herbs or dried flowers for that extra little ‘something special.’

That’s it! Isn’t that simple? Using this formula leaves no doubt you are chemical and toxin free. Earth and asthma friendly. How much better can it get?

What’s your favorite scent?

plants are your new best friends

Most plants won’t give off a noticeable scent, although some do. But adding plants to your space are one of the best ways to make your home smell good naturally.

How do they do it? Plants absorb gases and other toxins from the air you breathe and trap them through their leaves.

I’m sure you’ve heard of photosynthesis – the process plants use to convert light and carbon dioxide into what they need to grow. It is this same process that enables them to trap and use our air pollutants too.

Certain plants are more adept at cleaning air than others. No matter which plant you choose, your home will be all the better and livelier for it.

Here are some of the air purifying pros of the plant world to consider:

Phalaenopsis Orchids

Peace Lilies

Spider Plants

Snake Plants

English Ivy

Bromeliads

And Many More…

When choosing houseplants, do be mindful of pets and children. Many plants are toxic to pets and should be kept out of their reach. If you are interested in toxic vs. non-toxic plants for pets, have a look at this list from the ASPCA.

A bouquet of fresh cut flowers is also the perfect way to make your home smell good naturally. Remember the saying, “Take time to smell the roses?” My, what wise advice that is! 🙂

powerful bamboo charcoal bags

Are you familiar with the benefits of charcoal? If you aren’t, let me introduce you to this powerhouse.

Charcoal is highly porous. Because of this, it can hold thousands of times its own weight in toxins. What this means for us is we have been blessed with one of nature’s many miracles.

Charcoal is not only a powerful, all natural odor killer. It is used for a wide variety of wellness purposes including gut health, teeth whitening and skin health.

If you are seeing charcoal pop up in a lot of products here lately, there is a reason. Some of it is just trendy crap we don’t need. While others can be life changing.

Activated bamboo charcoal bags naturally and safely eliminate odor. Pet lovers are going crazy over these due to how well they absorb odors from litter boxes. Musty smells in closets are a thing of the past. Mildew smells in bathrooms – gone.

These little genius bags trap odors and toxins for up to 2 years! Once a month, leave the bags in direct sunlight for a few hours. Whatever has been trapped in the pores of the activated charcoal will release.

If you’d like to know more, you can read about activated charcoal and bamboo bags here. I think you’ll be amazed how well they work.

clean and deodorize your carpets without chemicals

Carpet can feel absolutely amazing under your feet. I must admit, it’s one of my weaknesses. Plush, super soft carpet.

Problem is – we all know how unhealthy carpet can become over time. Not only does it trap unwanted odors – it harbors bacteria too that can make you and your family very sick.

Thankfully, if you are a carpet lover like me who also loves a clean home – there’s a solution…

…Baking soda! Yep, that’s right. While some of those store bought carpet fresheners smell nice – the chemicals in it aren’t nice.

Baking soda is all natural and highly effective. That’s why you find it soaking up smells in so many refrigerators around the world!

So how do you use it? Simply sprinkle the baking soda on to your carpets and let it sit for a few hours or overnight if possible. Once done, vacuum up and breathe in your clean, fresh air.

A lot of people are now adding essential oils into their baking soda. If you ask me, it’s a brilliant idea. Not only do you add a wonderful scent to your home naturally. You also get the benefits that oil provides.

A good example would be the many benefits of lavender oil. I use it often for its antibacterial, antimicrobial and calming benefits. Although I must admit that my favorite scent is probably cinnamon. Yum!! 😀

DIY Natural has my personal favorite recipe for this DIY carpet cleaner.

deodorize with diffusers

Essential oil diffusers have steadily gained in popularity with good reason. Our sense of smell has a profound impact on how we feel emotionally and physically.

“In traditional medicine as well as in aromatherapy and herbal medicine, essential oils and fragrance compounds have been used for the treatments of various psychological and physical disorders such as headaches, pain, insomnia, eczema, stress-induced anxiety, depression and digestive problems”

Influence of Fragrances on Human Psychophysiological Activity

It’s no wonder then why essential oil diffusers have become almost an addiction for some. Their effectiveness at not only eliminating odors but also providing health benefits are well documented.

It is worth noting a word of caution here, however. Research has also shown that essential oil diffusers should not remain on throughout the day.

In one study, the European Society of Cardiology found after 1 hour or more of continuous exposure to essential oils being inhaled – negative physical effects were seen such as elevated blood pressure and heart rate.

Further studies are being performed on prolonged exposure to the inhalation of essential oils. For now, what we do know is that in moderation – the health benefits of these oils are innumerable.

It’s Easy To Make Your Home Smell Good Naturally

It may seem to be too good to be true – being able to ditch the unhealthy chemical laden scents for your home once and for all. Thankfully though, it isn’t! You don’t have to settle for unhealthy choices when it comes to deodorizing and cleaning your home.

What’s more is these natural options are far more budget friendly than their commercially sold counterpart! I don’t know about you, but we look to save money in any way we can.

I’d love to hear from you. What are your favorite methods, recipes and scents to fill your home with holistic goodness? Share your thoughts with me in the comments section below.

Sending My Best To You & Yours,