February 1, 2024

How to Keep Your House Smelling Fresh & Clean

There’s nothing quite like a pleasant smell, whether it’s clean laundry fresh out of the dryer or warm chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. Unpleasant smells, on the other hand, can taint your experience in a space. Even if your home appears clean, bad odors can leave you and your guests heading for the door. If your home isn’t smelling great, there could be several factors at play. Thankfully, it doesn’t take much time or effort to have your abode smelling fresh again.

Common Causes of Household Odors

It’s likely not surprising, but trash is one of the most common causes of odors in the home, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms. Scented trash bags can help hide minor odors, but the longer that trash sits in your house, the more likely it is to smell. One of the easiest ways to keep your home smelling fresh is to take out your trash regularly.

There are plenty of New Yorkers with furry friends in their homes, but all that puppy love can come with unsavory scents. Pets can cause odors by bringing dirt and grime inside or simply by getting wet. If you have a cat, the litter box is an obvious source of odor, and any pet can cause odors through their beds or blankets. Even if you’re not able to detect your pets’ scents, guests probably are.

Your home may also start to smell because of lingering dirty laundry or the frequent use of odorous ingredients in your meals. Life is busy, and you may not have the chance to do laundry as often as you’d like. Still, you should try to keep up with laundry to prevent odors from building. A laundry basket with a lid can help contain smells in the meantime. In the kitchen, take out the trash at least twice a week, and if you’re cooking with smelly ingredients like onions or garlic, try to get rid of the trash after the meal.

Benefits of a Sanitized and Clean-Smelling Home

There are quite a few benefits to keeping your home fresh. First and foremost, a clean and fresh home allows people with allergies and sensitivities to breathe easier. Even if you or your family members don’t suffer from these conditions, you’ll likely find that you breathe better in a clean and disinfected home. Particularly in the cold New York winters when we’re inside as much as possible, you’re sure to appreciate having fresh air in the house.

But the benefits of a clean-smelling abode extend to more people than just your family. You will be more willing to bring guests into your home if you know it looks and smells nice. Whether you’re planning for visitors or have people drop in at a moment’s notice, you can be more confident and comfortable in your space if you know your guests aren’t wrinkling their noses.

Keep Your Home Fresh: What to Add

To keep your home smelling its best, you can bring in one of several solutions. For instance, air fresheners are great for adding pleasant smells to your home, whether you opt for a spray or plug-in variety. If you aren’t a fan of harsh scents (even pleasant ones!), you can find air fresheners in relatively neutral options like “clean laundry.” Try to find an air freshener that reduces or eliminates odors instead of simply covering them up.

Candles or essential oils can provide pleasant scents while also adding a calm ambiance to your space. This strategy is ideal for smaller spaces, whether you want to freshen your whole apartment or improve the smell of one room in a larger home. If you opt for essential oils, you’ll likely find that a diffuser is the easiest method for making your space smell nice. Alternatively, you can make a fabric spray by combining about 20 drops of your chosen oil with a teaspoon of cornstarch and half a cup each of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar.

Floral arrangements add greenery to your home and provide subtle scents in any room. You can find beautiful and fragrant arrangements in any season, and they don’t have to break the bank. Consider light scents you might find in candles or perfumes, such as jasmine, lavender, or lilac. If you don’t want to bring in fresh flowers, scented potpourri has the same effect and can last several days if you spritz them.

If you don’t mind spending some time in the kitchen, you can make a quick simmer pot to keep on your stove. Fill a pot with water and add your favorite herbs and spices like clove, cinnamon, bay leaves, or rosemary. You can also toss in slices of lemon, orange, apple, or lime. Then, simply bring the mixture to a simmer and let the ingredients do the rest.

Speaking of the kitchen, there’s one simple ingredient that can help eliminate odors all over the house: lemons. Citric acid is great for getting rid of all kinds of smells. Toss some lemon slices down the drain and run the garbage disposal to make your kitchen smell fresh in moments. You can also put some lemon slices in your dishwasher for the same effect. If you add some lemon juice to a cup each of water and vinegar, you’ll have a simple yet effective microwave cleaner!

Finally, consider odor neutralizers like activated charcoal filters. You can find small filters to use in your bathroom, for instance, which is perfect for getting rid of trash odors. If you’re looking to make your home simply smell like nothing, odor neutralizers fit the bill.

Keep Your Home Fresh: What to Take Away

When there are odors in your home, the most obvious thing to do is take away the cause. Consider removing a few things from your house or apartment to reduce those nasty smells with ease.

Moisture is a big factor in household odors, which is why you may consider using a dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers remove excess moisture from the air in your home, which is particularly helpful in humid conditions. Consider getting a hygrometer to test your home’s humidity levels; you want to keep your humidity to 60% or lower.

Here’s another tip that may seem obvious: take out the trash and clean out the fridge regularly to prevent odors from building in your kitchen. It’s easy to forget about last week’s leftovers when they get pushed to the back of the fridge! Take a few minutes to throw out any old or expired food, and if needed, wipe down the shelves of your refrigerator to get rid of moisture or spills.

When you’re thinking about eliminating odors, you might not think about vacuuming. But pulling dirt and dust out of your carpets and rugs can help get rid of lingering smells you may have gotten used to. For an added scent boost, consider adding a bit of scented oil to your vacuum filter. Rose or lavender oils are great options, as they smell pleasant but aren’t overpowering, even in a large space.

Last but not least, it’s important to take away the odors of your four-legged friends. If you have pets, groom them regularly to reduce odors and keep them looking their best. Even if you can’t bathe them as often as you’d like, regular brushing can work wonders. Wash pet beds, blankets, and pillows at least once per week, and empty litter boxes daily.

White Glove Cleaner Can Help

Keeping your home smelling nice is just one way to feel better about your space. Your everyday cleaning tasks can build up fast, but it’s quick and easy to keep your home smelling fresh. If you need help keeping up with the rest of your cleaning to-dos, White Glove Cleaner is here.

White Glove Cleaner is proud to be one of the most trusted cleaning companies in NYC. We employ a passionate team of professionals, each of whom is individually vetted and background checked. Our staff will provide a top-to-bottom clean for any special event or on a regular basis, whether you prefer weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly services.

Working with a cleaning service can save you valuable time, money, and energy compared to cleaning by yourself. We use our own cleaning equipment and solutions, so you don’t have to purchase expensive products. Our team can also accommodate those with allergies or sensitivities thanks to our “green cleaning” service, which utilizes hypoallergenic products that are safe for use around kids and pets. Let White Glove Cleaner help you love your space again. Contact us today for more information!