How to Keep Your Home Smelling Fresh

Homes are full of things that create an unpleasant odor over time. It happens no matter how well you vacuum and keep surfaces clean. The fact is, cooking smells, clothing, pollution, and even our own bodies contribute to the overall air quality in the home. And if the home is sealed most of the year to keep temperatures steady, that means there's little in the way of fresh air to clear out the atmosphere.

You may spray air fresheners, light candles, vacuum the carpets, but it doesn't seem enough. Here are three easy ways to refresh the air quality in your home without going overboard.

Homemade Air Deodorizers

Image via Flickr by Mark Morgan

Washing the carpeting and furniture is a chore that's not taken on lightly. Which means you might wind up cleaning them once or twice a year. Deodorizing them on a regular basis becomes important if you want to keep air quality up and smells down. One easy way to deodorize is to make your own spray. A mixture of baking soda, a favorite essential oil, and distilled water is a great place to start.

Baking soda absorbs odor, and essential oils are highly concentrated which means they spread further when used in a spray. There's an added bonus when using natural ingredients in that they dissipate and break down without harming you, your family, or the environment.

Check Your HVAC System

The HVAC system in your home tends to pick up dust and lint in its corners, curves, and crevices. The same goes for the air filters attached to the units. While you can usually change the filters on your own, you'll have a harder time getting into the ducting. This kind of job is best done with the help of a qualified HVAC technician.

An HVAC tech has all of the proper tools to get into the system and get out the dust. He also changes your filters, including ones you may not know about. There's an immediate improvement in air quality once the dust gets removed. 

Keep Clothes Fresh While in Closets or in Drawers

Clothes are one of the biggest culprits of odor. When not in use, they collect odors from their surroundings, then release them when a drawer or closet door is opened. Get proactive with scents by putting items like dryer sheets, sachets, cedar blocks, or scented drawer paper in your drawers to keep clothes fresh. When clothes smell good, so does the air. 

Closets are a little trickier, but not impossible to keep fresh. Pomander balls make for an excellent air deodorizer and give clothing a unique scent that air fresheners can't imitate. Making a pomander is quick and easy. Once finished, simply hang it in the closet and let it do its job. 


These are just some of the ways to keep air in the home fresh without having to resort to sprays with a chemical edge. The DIY nature of making your own fresheners adds a a new level of satisfaction to the whole cleaning process. It saves money, reduces waste, and lets you control what goes into the air in your home.