Think about your favorite place on earth. Is it a cozy reading nook in a cabin in the woods? A shady lounge on an island beach? Or perhaps you prefer more of life’s simple pleasures, and your favorite spot is in your own bed after throwing on a fresh set of sheets. Wherever you choose, begin to narrow in on the details of your favorite space. How does it look; what does it feel like, and, most importantly, what does it smell like?
If just the smell alone of your favorite place brings a smile to your face, you’re not alone. Smell evokes emotion. If you’ve ever walked by a shop that wafts the familiar scents of your favorite place (like that of a crackling fire, or a coconut-infused drink, for example), your mind can instantly take you back, replaying some of your favorite memories and sparking sudden joy. Shouldn’t our homes be a reflection of this joy? Thanks to the sense of smell, it certainly can be.
When paired with the other four senses (sight, sound, touch, and taste), a house that smells like our favorite spaces has been scientifically proven to spark happy thoughts and tap into positive emotional reactions and memories. To learn how to incorporate your favorite joy-sparking scents into your home, the House Hacks Tips team compiled a few of our favorite tips, tricks, and hacks to help.
Pick Up a Couple of Plants
Houseplants serve more of a purpose than sitting pretty on your windowsill. While they aren’t technically air purifiers (despite popular belief), foliage serves a multitude of health benefits, and can make your home smell better. Because house plants absorb excess moisture and dust in the air, they can help halt the growth of mold, mildew, and accumulating dust, and the smells that come along with them.
Place a plant in each room of your home for maximum impact, or just in areas where mold, mildew, and dust are common (like the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room).
Banish Bad Odors
Who knew that one of the best-kept secrets to deodorizing your space comes from a box in the pantry? That’s right – we’re talking about baking soda. Instead of being designed to mask odors (like air fresheners), baking soda is designed to absorb them. By neutralizing scents on the spot, baking soda can help you say “bye-bye-bye” to bad odors in your home once and for all.
To see baking soda’s magic in action, add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to a cup of baking soda and sprinkle it on your carpets and furniture. Let it sit for about twenty minutes then vacuum it up for a fresh, clean scent.
For smelly drains, add 1 cup of baking soda followed by 1 cup of white vinegar down your drain. Let it sit for 30 minutes then rinse it down with a pot of hot boiling water for stink-free, squeaky clean drains.
Make Essential Oils a Home Essential
One of the secret spells for a spectacularly smelling home comes in a small bottle – of essential oils, that is! And thankfully, when it comes to essential oils, a little goes a long way.
Choose your favorite scent and sprinkle a few drops throughout your home to instantly freshen the air. To keep commonly-smelly areas – like bathrooms and garbage bins – smelling fresh, soak a cotton ball in your favorite essential oil and place it at the bottom of the trash bins (under the bag liners) in your home to keep the bin and the room around it smelling fresh.
Have you tried a trick or two mentioned above to keep your space smelling spectacular? Share your experience with us in the comments!
