Funky smells can make a home or a room feel dirty and unwelcoming, even if it's spotless to the sight. If that's your case, you may immediately think about getting some store-bought air fresheners on the next trip to the store.
However, if you want your home to smell as fresh and clean as possible, you'll want to try some more natural options. Don't worry about buying anything! Here, you'll find some recipes for homemade air fresheners with items you might have in your pantry.
Is the odor limited to small spaces, or does it fill a whole room?
The ideal thing to do when trying to get rid of any bad smell in your home is to identify if the odor has seeped through the room or is enclosed in a trash bin, microwave, drawer, etc. This way, you'll have a better idea of what air freshener you can use and make the most out of it.
Plus, by making sure where the smell is located, you might realize you can take the source out (for example, a smelly trash bag or food that has gone bad) so it's easier to eliminate the odor.
Air fresheners for small spaces
While effective, these DIY air fresheners can't cover large areas. However, they work better for deodorizing small areas like fridges, trash cans, drawers, and even closets, as they're more practical and simple to make. Here are the most effective ones:
Vinegar and water
Vinegar is a great deodorizer you can find in your pantry. White, balsamic, and apple cider vinegar are the most effective ones!
While vinegar will successfully absorb many bad odors, its smell can be quite strong. So, pour equal amounts of vinegar and water into a container with a holed lid to dilute the vinegar. It will reduce the vinegar's smell but still get rid of the stench.
Pour the solution into a plastic container with a lid and poke some holes so it can fulfill its odor-absorbing objective without making a mess! This mixture works great to neutralize bad odors in your fridge, microwave, or dishwasher quickly.
Baking soda and essential oils
Baking soda doesn't work as quickly as vinegar, but its effects last for longer! Mix in a small bowl ⅓ cup of baking soda and 15 drops of your preferred essential oil (cinnamon, peppermint, or lemon are perfect for the kitchen). Whisk it until there are no clumps left.
Then, fill a spice container with the mixture (and label it to identify it) so you can place it inside appliances or drawers easily—and replace bad odors with fresh ones.
Pro-tip: You can pour this mixture onto the bottom of your trash can to trap odors, too!
Teabag mix
As surprising as it seems, teabags work well to keep small spaces smelling fresh and even absorb moisture—which makes them perfect for closets, drawers, and even shoes!
Just place from five to ten teabags (depending on the size of the space you want to deodorize) inside a small bowl and put it in the target area. Replace them every week so new ones can keep absorbing moisture—you can place a teabag in every shoe to keep musty smells away!
Air fresheners for whole rooms
Due to their constant and prolonged effect, these air fresheners help deodorize and freshen the air in larger zones inside your home. Check them out:
Pomander balls
These air fresheners will give your living rooms and bedrooms a pleasant smell without much effort.
Grab at least two oranges and stick cloves (enough to notice the smell) around the fruit's surface. You can even make designs with the cloves, like stars, spirals, or whatever you imagine. Once done, put the pomander balls on a shallow plate, and that's it!
Note: Roll the oranges on ground cinnamon or nutmeg before sticking the cloves for added scent.
Potpourri
If you've never heard about potpourri, it basically is a soup of scents that can quickly fill the air in your home. Here's how to do it:
For this recipe, we recommend cranberries, orange slices, rosemary, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise. However, you can mix any scents you like to give your home a personalized smell.
Half-fill a small saucepan with water and bring it to a boil to start. Then, put all the ingredients into it and let them boil for around three minutes. After time's up, reduce the heat and let it simmer so the smell spreads through your home. Add more water as it lowers.
Note: After you finish using the ingredients, you can store them in the fridge for five to seven days to use them again later.
Dried flowers and citrus zest
This air freshener not only permeates the air with a nice fragrance but also serves as a beautiful decoration in your rooms.
Assembling this freshener is the easiest part. However, you first need to get some dried herbs, flowers, and citrus peels. Once you have your favorite ingredients ready, toss them in little mesh bags or a shallow plate to decorate and freshen your rooms.
Note: You can use orris root powder in your combination to make the scent last longer.
Coffee and cinnamon mix
Coffee and cinnamon will give your home a cozy scent that's perfect for cold months.
Fill a pot with six cups of water, ⅔ cup of coffee beans, three cinnamon sticks, and bring the mix to a simmer (just to bubble a little). Leave it like that as long as you want the smell to last—just like with the potpourri, add more water every now and then to keep the smell active.
Can you use store-bought products instead?
While you can get store-bought air fresheners to get rid of bad odors in your home (and they do their job really well), more and more homeowners are shifting to natural alternatives. Why? Because store-bought products could contain chemicals that are harmful over time.
We recommend homemade, natural air fresheners as they're free from dangerous chemicals and more friendly to your wallet!
Keep your place smelling great with Rain City Maids!
One of the best ways to keep bad odors away is to ensure your house is constantly clean. While you take care of making homemade air fresheners, we'll take care of the cleaning! We'll clean your home from top to bottom on the basis you prefer—weekly, bi-weekly, or every four weeks!
