You scrub and scrub, and scrub! Still, there’s a lingering bad smell that you simply can’t get rid of. Whether it’s your home or your office, getting the place to have a fresh scent can make all the difference in the world.
Poor ventilation, mold, drain problems and smoking inside can all contribute to lingering bad smells. Even if you have such an issue, there’s nothing to worry about. We’ve created a list of several great strategies for making your home or office smell fresh. We promise you that you’ll find it difficult to recognize the place, once you try one of the following suggestions.
Make a Deodorizing Spray
To neutralize some of the common bad odors, you can rely on a DIY spray. It’s simple and very effective. The ingredients you’re going to need include one tablespoon of baking soda, distilled water and a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Mint, lemon and orange are all fresh options that will create a great atmosphere.
Pour the water in a spray bottle. Separately, combine a few drops of the essential oil with the baking soda. Add to the bottle through a funnel and shake. Give a smelly room a few quick sprays of this solution. You’ll notice the difference almost immediately.
Use Scented Candles and Place Them Strategically
Scented candles come with a range of benefits – they are mood enhancers, they can create a romantic atmosphere in your home and they can even sharpen your focus for the completion of challenging tasks at the office.
Make sure that you have a couple of candles available in your home or your work space all the time.
To get good results, you need a thoroughly cleaned home or office. Once the source of a bad scent has been dealt with, you can light a few candles to freshen the air or make it smell sweeter. Look for candles that feature natural fragrances rather than synthetics. Their scent will be much more enjoyable.
You can also use the unlit candles. Place them strategically in your wardrobe or in the laundry room. By keeping the candles in proximity to your clothes, for example, you’ll always have items that smell fresh and exciting.
Deodorize Carpets
This tip is particularly important for pet owners. Sometimes, it will be impossible to get rid of the pet stains from the carpet unless you put extra effort in dealing with the problem.
You’ll find numerous carpet deodorizing recipes to try at home. Baking soda is one of the most powerful essentials. If you have stains on the carpet, treat them immediately. Allowing them to soak in the fiber will make it much more difficult to get rid of the bad smell.
Always try to bloat up as much of the liquid as you can with paper towels. Don’t scrub the stain – you’ll get it deeper in the carpet and make it impossible to clean. Baking soda and salt are great for extracting the remaining liquid. Rinse with clean water when done.
It’s a good idea to have your carpets cleaned professionally every now and then. This is the best option for getting rid of deeper stains and impurities. The colors will be brightened and the carpets will regain their original fresh scent.
Dried Herbs and Flowers = Homemade Potpourri
Making potpourri at home or the office is far from a challenging task. You simply need an idea about the best herbal and plant combinations to try.
Dried lavender is one of the most exciting plants to use for home and office deodorizing purposes. You may want to add a bit of baking soda to your potpourri – it will absorb bad scents and leave only the floral freshness behind.
Some of the other plants for making potpourri include basil, mint, lemon balm, rosemary, patchouli, marigolds, jasmine, roses, peonies and honeysuckle.
Use a Diffuser
A diffuser is also great for freshening up the air and getting rid of bad smells. The fact that it’s so easy to use is an added bonus.
All that you have to do is fill the diffuser with water and get a few drops of essential oil inside. Turn the diffuser on. It will create a scented mist that will float through the air and spread the perfume throughout the house.
On top of that, diffusers bring a number of health benefits to the table. They purify the air, make it more humid, reduce the amounts of dust that you breathe in and distribute the scent evenly throughout the room or house.
Remember that cleaning your home or office before looking for an air freshener is the first and the most important step. You can’t mask a bad smell. Once you get rid of its source, you can rely on deodorizing options. Otherwise, you’ll keep on experiencing the same problem. No natural perfume is going to be strong enough to get rid of the bad odor, until you get to the heart of the problem.
About the author:
By Cliff Derksen, owner of First Impressions Janitorial, a Winnipeg cleaning company (www.firstimpressionsjanitorial.ca)