10 Ways to Make Your Apartment Smell as Good as New

You’ve got a problem. And that problem is that your apartment doesn’t smell…quite as good as it used to. Maybe it’s time, maybe it’s your children or grandchildren, maybe it’s the fact that your significant other continues to use that atrocious wooden diffuser. And now, you’ve got an even bigger problem…People.

People will be coming to your apartment, smelling it, and you’ve got to fix it fast, and flowers just aren’t cutting the mustard today.

Well, my intrepid friend, get ready for ten quick ways to make your apartment smell new – or as good as new!

1. Air out the room(s): Here’s a table of common home odours and how to rid yourself of them:

Source of Home Odors and Their Easy Solutions:

Smelly Area
Chemical Cleaner
Natural or Homemade
Litter box
Pet odour neutralizing spray
Baking soda
Carpet
Scented carpet powders/Febreeze
Baking soda, borax, baby powder
Trashcan
Bleach
Vinegar
Drains
Bleach
Hot vinegar or lemon juice+baking soda
Mildew
Bleach
Tea tree oil
General
air freshener spray, potpourri
Essential oils, dryer sheets, homemade potpourri
Mattresses and pillows
Febreze
Homemade fabric refresher, diluted disinfected spray, etc

Candles are the sure-fire way to get your rooms smelling nice

2. Candles: Ah yes, our old friend, the candle. And what a versatile friend it is – citrusy scents for summer, cinnamon for autumn, foresty for winter, and daisies for spring. Candles are the simple and easy way to make your rooms smell good, and because there are so many options, you can make each room smell different, or change it up by the seasons.

Buckley & Phillips Room Sprays, $9.95

3. Sprays: The other well-known way to make your rooms smell good. But we’re not talking about any other spray. We mean nice room sprays, which, while they are usually a little pricier, make a world of difference. Some great ideas for room spray to use are: Rose Spray $33, Alpilles Room Spray $29, Ginger and Fig Spray $20, Citron Room & Body Spray $19, Shanti Spray $38, Seabreeze $9.95, and Japanese Plum Spray, $24.

Lemon, cinnamon and rosemary water

4. Water and herbs or citrus: Simmer water in a saucepan (preferably a small one), and add citrus slices and/or herbs like mint or lavender. The smell will spread through your apartment because of the heat, which makes this tip best for cooler days so you don’t get too warm. If you want something for summer, however, then it’s just as easy. Take the water you’ve simmered (with whatever you’ve got in it), and put it in small, open-top jars around your kitchen.

Scented Wax Bars

5. DIY Scented Wax Bars: there’s a wonderful tutorial here on how to make them, and once you have, they can be placed anywhere to provide a soft yet pleasing scent to your rooms.

Succulents are small and an easy way to bring the outdoors in

6. Plants: Bringing plants – no matter how small – inside your apartment is a surefire way to clean up the air. The plants will help bring the room back to a neutral smell, so even if you don’t have time to light some candles before your guests arrive, the house will still smell nice.

Croissants are an easy way to make your apartment smell good enough to eat!

7. Get Heating: if you want that nice, welcome home feeling, then we recommend grabbing some croissants and heating them up in your oven. Not only will it make your apartment reach new realms of smelling nice, but you’ve now got a great snack all ready to go for your guests!

Portable, easy to use, and creative, modern diffusers are a cute way to keep your rooms smelling nice

8. Essential Oils: Grab yourself an inexpensive diffuser off Amazon (we like this one), get a few different types of essential oils, and start mixing. Not only can you customise the scent by choosing how much of each type of essential oil you use, but a diffuser can also look really attractive and complete the accessorisation of a room.

Smell good, and keep the nasties away

9. Fabric Freshener: spray it on your couches (providing they’re made of fabric), curtains, cushions, and rugs. It’ll keep your rooms smelling pleasantly new for ages.

Take it outdoors for an adventurous get-together

10. If all else fails, take it outside: your balcony, or even a nearby park, are in the open air and are more likely to smell pleasing because of this. Make the get together a picnic, or enjoy watching the sunset with a wine in hand from your balcony.
These solutions are mostly quick fixes, so you know what you need to make sure your apartment smells good in the long-term.
Clean.
See you on the other side!

Written: 9 February 2018

We would love to hear your thoughts on this project.

Have you visited this project recently, or perhaps you live nearby or bought in a neighbouring building? Tell us what you love about this project, or perhaps what you don't.

guest
2 Comments
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Abraham Reifsteck
5 years ago

This site is absolutely fabulous!

lilo and stitch pajamas

Hey very interesting blog!