Let me tell you, I used to be the queen of artificial scents!
Scented candles, scented sprays, fragrance oils, and of course wax melts!
I was probably a bit obsessed.
BUT that all came to a sudden halt one day when I was struck with a very unexpected curse/blessing.
And that’s how I stumbled upon the benefits of using natural products!
My story of going “natural”
I started having a terrible reaction to any kind of synthetic scent.
Even just a scented candle burning in the house would give me the worst sinus pain along with a nasty headache that would last for hours!
I tried scent after scent, trying to find one that I wouldn’t react to.
At one point I even tried switching to soy based candles, but unfortunately that didn’t make any difference for me.
It was the scents themselves that were causing the reaction.
I probably spent a good few months wallowing over the loss of “pumkin pie” candles in the fall or coming home to the smell of my all time favorite vanilla wax melt.
But once I finally stopped the wallowing and did some research, I started to realize just how harmful the things I had been using are for your health!
Just to give a few examples, many man-made fragrances include phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors (meaning they can interfere with your hormonal systems), and benzene derivatives, aldehydes, and toluene, which are known carcinogens (substances capable of causing cancer)
Some fragrance compounds have even been linked with reproductive birth defects!
The more I read about the hidden dangers inside my favorite scents, the more I started to feel like my sudden “curse” might actually have been a blessing!
And now when I think back on it, I can’t believe that I was unknowingly being exposed to all of that for years (and my family as well!)
It’s such a relief to know that we won’t be risking it anymore!
I’ll admit that I was still a bit concerned about how I could make my house smell great without all of the products I had been using to cover up odors before, but after a living this way for several years now, I have learned some really helpful tips and tricks!
I can honestly say that my house smells SO much better now than it ever did before!
So without further adieu, let’s dive into the world of making your house smell amazing the “natural” way!
Open windows
I wanted to mention this first because I think opening up some windows seems like such a simple thing, but one that a lot of us usually forget about!
It can get stuffy in a room really quickly without you even realizing it!
And we keep our houses even more closed up during the winter months, so it’s especially important then.
Try to make it a habit to open up a few windows in your house every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes!
A little bit of fresh air can make such a difference!
Try it, and you might just be surprised!
And if you need another reason to want to go for it, it’s completely free, haha!
Essential oils
I have several essential oil diffusers in my house, and I have to say this has got to be one of the best ways to naturally make your house smell amazing!
There are SO many oil scents to choose from these days!
You can also create an infinite number of combinations by mixing several oils in your diffuser at once!
And you don’t have to miss out on all of your favorite holiday scents either!
Vanilla and cinnamon are one of my favorite essential oil combinations around Christmas time!
I even have a really great pumpkin pie essential oil that is perfect for fall!
Along with using oils in a diffuser, you can also use them in lots of other ways around the house!
You can put a few drops on your toilet paper roll or at the bottom of your trash can to keep your bathroom smelling fresh!
A few drops of lavender directly on your pillow will leave your bed smelling lovely and you feeling relaxed!
You can also mix some with water to use as a room spray that will make your room smell fantastic!
(And don’t worry if you’re sensitive to essential oils, or just don’t want to invest in them right now! I have another tip down below for filling your home with amazing (and essential oil free) scents!)
Air purifier
I spent so many years putting off buying a good air purifier, but finally broke down and invested in one after a particular bad allergy season last spring.
Now that I have it, I honestly wish I had gotten one so much sooner!
I was hoping that it would help improve the general air quality in my house, but I really wasn’t expecting how completely it would remove odors!
Have you ever noticed how your house always has a smell, but you usually don’t notice it until you get home after being gone all day??
The first time I came home at the end of the day after I started using my air purifier, I couldn’t smell anything.
Not the trash can, not the dog bed, not even the leftover bowl of toddler cereal I had forgotten on the table that morning (true story, haha)!
Since I started using my air purifier, I almost never smell any odors in the house at all!
Stovetop potpourri
Making a stovetop potpourri is another favorite trick of mine, and one I actually learned from my own mom!
Potpourri literally means “a mixture of things”, and that’s essentially all it is! You take a mixture of different ingredients, and combine them to make a cozy and inviting scent!
It’s super easy to make and only takes a few minutes from start to finish!
Just take your fresh ingredients (sliced oranges, cinnamon sticks and cloves are a classic combo that you can’t go wrong with!) and add them to a pot.
Now you can fill the pot with water until it’s about half way full (be sure to cover the ingredients completely), place it on the stovetop, and bring it to a boil.
After that you can turn the stovetop down to low, and continue to simmer your mixture for several hours!
(Just make sure to check that it doesn’t run out of water and start to burn!)
Imagine getting to enjoy the aroma of fresh baked apple pie, without doing any baking!
You can actually add essential oils to your stovetop mix, but you don’t have to, it’s completely up to you!
This is a great option if you don’t have or don’t want to use an essential oil diffuser!
As another neat bonus this also helps to humidify the air in your home as well!
You can do a quick Pinterest search for “stovetop potpourri” to find TONS of other amazing combinations to try out!
Lemons in garbage disposal
One of the smelliest places in the house has got to be the garbage disposal.
I don’t even use mine very often and it still gets smelly!
A quick way to take care of this problem naturally is to slice up some lemons, and run them through the garbage disposal!
You can even just use the peels if you want to use the rest of the lemon for something else.
This is also a great way to use up lemons that aren’t quite as fresh anymore, without wasting them!
It may not be quite as effective, but if you’re in a rush and don’t have any fresh lemons on hand, you can also try adding a few drops of lemon essential oil down the garbage disposal for a quick fix!
Baking soda in fridge
All you need is a container with a perforated lid (an old salt shaker, or a small mason jar with holes in the lid both work great here!) and some baking soda! It can’t get much easier!
Just take your container, add in a few tbsp of baking soda, and put on the preforated lid.
You can also add a few drops of essential oil as well if you want!
Now just place it inside your fridge, towards the back.
Be sure to place it in an open area that gets good air circulation since it probably won’t work as well placed inside a drawer!
That’s it! Pretty simple, right?!
Trash cans with lids/in cabinets
It may seem like a small thing, but switching your trash can out for one with a lid, or storing it inside a cabinet, can really help to cut down on odors in your home!
Taking your trash out more frequently is another way to do that as well!
When I personally noticed my trash can was the cause of a lot of odor in my kitchen, I switched to a smaller one (so that I would have to empty it more frequently) and started storing it in the cabinet underneath my kitchen sink.
I can’t even begin to tell you what a difference those two things have made!
Now it’s tucked neatly out of sight instead of being an eyesore in my kitchen, and any odor that does come from there is kept inside the cabinet!
I hope this guide helped inspire you to try using some natural alternatives to the candles and other artificially scented products we usually use!
You truly don’t need them to have a home that always smells great!
What tricks do you use to keep your house smelling amazing naturally? Be sure to share your tips in the comments section below!
