Alongside keeping my living spaces clean, I also love a fresh-smelling home.
Whether using fragrance diffusers, scented candles, or essential oils, I am constantly seeking new ways to give every room a lasting aroma.
However, while these are common ways to refresh your spaces, I discovered a few bizarre tricks that will leave your home smelling heavenly, without spending a fortune.
According to an expert, these will take zero effort and can be done while you’re cleaning or decluttering at the same time — win-win!
Here’s what happened when I tried these three cleaning hacks to freshen my home — and do they actually work?
Scent your vacuum
Though it sounds odd, your vacuum cleaner can actually spread a lovely aroma throughout the entire home while you clean.
Simply add several drops of essential oil onto cotton balls, then place them directly inside your vacuum filter or dust container.
Once you turn it on to clean, the warm air rushes through the canister, which essentially helps the scents evaporate into the air.
“Just add a couple of drops of essential oil to your vacuum filter before you start cleaning,” says Yousof Fazelpoor, fragrance expert from Royal Oud Leicester.
“As you vacuum, the scent gets carried around the room, so you’re basically freshening the air while you clean.”
I decided to opt for peppermint oil for its fresh scent, but lavender is also a great choice. Since the scents are quite strong, be mindful not to soak or oversaturate the cotton.
Next, simply throw the scented cotton balls into your dust canister and start vacuuming around your house. As I did so, I could immediately smell the peppermint fragrance in the room.
Afterwards, I emptied out the canister, along with the cotton balls, to return to a fresh-smelling room. A quick and impressive way to clean your floor and freshen the air at the same time!
Put a bar of soap in your closet
Closets are prone to trapping unwanted odors, particularly when storing footwear. But this simple tip can banish lingering smells and keep it fresh all year round.
If you have travel-sized soaps or spare gift bars lying around, don’t throw them out! In fact, when tucked inside wardrobes, they instantly make great natural fresheners.
“One of my favorite little tricks is putting a scented bar of soap in your closet,” explains Fazelpoor. “Just keep it wrapped or pop it in a little fabric bag and tuck it in with your clothes or bedding.
"It’s a really easy way to keep everything smelling fresh when you open the cupboard.”
To test this out in my closet, it literally took seconds to hang the tiny pouch on the rail. And after a day or two, my closet had a pleasant aroma each time I opened the doors — smelling more like a bathroom than a bedroom.
Perhaps the only downside is that the smell starts to lessen after a week, but this could all depend on the fragrance itself. I’d probably opt for lavender next time as it offers a far stronger aroma than a typical soap bar.
Infuse your toilet paper roll
If you want a fresh-smelling bathroom, this bizarre hack does the trick.
“This is a bit of an odd one, but it actually works,” adds Fazelpoor. “Just put a couple of drops of essential oil on the cardboard tube inside your toilet roll, rather than the paper itself. It gives the bathroom a subtle hit of fragrance every time you use it.”
The idea is that each time the toilet paper is used, the spinning of the roll will help to release that hidden fragrance into the air.
“You don't need to go overboard with fragrance to make your home smell nice. Of course, you want to deal with the source of any bad smells first. Keeping things clean and well ventilated is the most important thing, but once that's sorted, these little tricks can give your home that extra bit of freshness.”
To my surprise, this easy trick kept my bathroom smelling fresh all week long — outlasting any store-bought air freshener. And when the scent began to fade, I reapplied a few drops. Best of all, a lovely fragrance greeted me the moment I opened the door.
Just bear in mind to take caution when using it around pets and kids to prevent any accidental ingestion or adverse reactions.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
More from Tom's Guide
