Natural air fresheners for your home

Most of us aren't even aware of it, but each house has it's own unique smell. It's a combination of our day to day lives, which includes the food we cook, the beauty products we use, the cleaning products clean our houses with, the pets we have etc. That combination means the smell can be anything from a light, fresh smell, to a musty dog kind of smell. The problem is that we get so used to the smell of our own house that we don't even notice it when we walk in the door. Unfortunately, our guests do!

In last week's post I brought up the issue of commercial air fresheners and just how toxic they are for you and your family (that includes furry children too!) The problem is, a lot of us have pets, and some of you are smokers as well. (I hope I don't need to tell you the dangers of THAT but, just in case, I blogged about how it affects your loved ones a short while ago) Pets and smoke make for a potentially, odorously offensive house. You certainly DON'T want to make it worse by adding chemicals to the mix, so what can you do to make sure your guests aren't looking for an excuse to leave shortly after they arrive?

You have a few options actually, and they are all natural options. Ideally, you don't want to just mask a smell, you want it to disappear. That means you need some kind of odour absorber. Here are a few weird and wonderful ones:

• Diatomaceous earth - This stuff has many, many uses. Aside from being an effective, healthy and natural solution to de-fleaing and de-worming your pets, it also absorbs odours. Diatomaceous earth absorbs moisture in the air which often contains germs and pests and smells. You can place a small container of it in your fridge, or leave small bowls in unobtrusive places around the house. Replace them once a week. You can sprinkle it at the bottom of your rubbish bin and it will get rid of the smells in there. It even works for smelly shoes;) Place some in a old stocking and tie a knot to keep the Diatomaceous earth in. Place the stocking in the offending shoes and leave overnight. If you sprinkle it into your cat's litter box it will help a lot with offensive smells. With 6 cats in our house, we are constantly paranoid about that.
• Coffee grounds - There are few better smells than the smell of coffee brewing but I'm actually talking about the coffee grounds themselves absorbing odours, much like Diatomaceous earth does. Place small bowls around the house in unobtrusive places and let it do its work. Used coffee grounds works just as well once they're dry so, instead of chucking them away, put them to work around your house!
• Plain old elbow grease - Air pollutants actually get trapped in house dust so a good vacuum and dusting with a damp cloth will go a long way to getting rid of odours. To avoid adding more chemicals to the mix, stick with natural cleaners or make your own with white vinegar, lemon juice and bicarb, all of which are also natural odour removers.
• Palms trees - I don't mean the kind lining a beautiful beachfront (although that would be a good way to escape odours;) I mean the small palm plants that a lot of people have in their gardens and houses. Palms are very effective air purifiers. They remove formaldehyde, which you'll find in paints, furniture varnish, and the glues used to hold laminate flooring together. (bet you didn't even think of that kind of stuff did you?) If you don't like palms, try one of these:

Aloe Vera

Gerbera Daisy

Dragon Tree

English Ivy

Boston Fern

Peace Lily

The beauty of using plants is that, not only do they absorb toxic chemicals and smells in your house, but they also add an element of beauty and peace to a house. I love walking into a house full of plants. I immediately feel peaceful and it's not just because they are beautiful, it's because they emanate health and vitality.

A lot of homes have what I call "signature scents". The minute I walk in the door the familiar smell awakens memories and associations and, depending on how much I like the smell, I will either feel immediately comfortable, or I'll be planning my escape route. The same applies to people. Everyone has a signature scent too. That's why perfume companies make so much money. Scents are powerful. They can take you back in time in a flash and they can influence your moods and your thoughts and emotions. Most people find bad body odour offensive. Bad house odour is no less offensive and, like body odour, it can be avoided, naturally.

Here is one way to make your house smell good enough to eat if you are expecting guests:

• 3/4 fill a pot with water and place on the stove on high heat
• Add a sliced up orange, a sliced up apple, a sliced up lemon, a few cinnamon sticks, (or a teaspoon of ground cinnamon) some fresh rosemary and a vanilla pod if you have one on hand
• Bring to the boil then turn down to simmer
• Leave it there for as long as you need to send a beautiful spicy, fruity scent travelling through your house, topping up water now and then when necessary to avoid a burnt fruit smell!

When you are done, turn it off and leave to cool, then pour all of it into a large jar and refrigerate. You can re-use it several times during the course of a week and then throw it into your compost heap when the week is up. Uncooked jars will last for about 2 weeks in the fridge.

You can make these jars beforehand and keep them in the fridge so they're ready to go in an emergency. Don't they look yummy!

Some other examples of spices that you can use are:

• Peppercorns
• Nutmeg
• Whole cloves

And herbs:

• Thyme
• Lemongrass
• Mint leaves
• Fresh basil
• Earl grey teabags
• Bay leaves

And fruits (citrus fruits will keep for longer):

• Apples
• Limes
• Cranberries
• Ginger

If you love the smell of pine trees, like I do, you can even get really adventurous and add pine needles to the pot, or whatever tree smells you like! Keep it REALLY natural;) Play around with combinations until you find some that work for you. You don't have to cut up whole fruits either. You can use the off cuts from your morning smoothie. Skins of fruits will smell just as good:)

Another option is to use a slow cooker instead of a pot on the stove. That way you can leave it on all day without worrying about it running out of water or using lots of electricity.

Make your own room spray

If you live a busy life and prefer to just keep a bottle of room spray on hand for emergencies, it's very easy to make your own:

• Find a clean spray bottle
• Fill with 3 parts water and 1 part vodka (just the cheap, plain kind) It helps break down the oils a bit so they travel easier.
• Add 10-20 drops of your favourite essential oil (or a combination of your favourites like lavender, eucalyptus, geranium, tea tree oil, sweet almond, cinnamon or orange)
• Shake and spray

Sometimes people are so busy trying to mask smells that they forget there is often a very effective, simple way to get rid of them. Never underestimate the power of fresh air. Often all it takes to get rid of an offensive odour is a good through-draft! Open the doors and windows and let mother nature dissipate the smell for you. Then add some of your homemade room spray to make it smell even better!

If you own an oil burner you can add your favourite essential oil to a little water, light a tealight candle underneath it and put them in bedrooms to make them smell good. If you have a large enough one you can even put some of your fruit and spice mix in instead. The heat from the candle will be enough to spread the scent through a bedroom.

There you have it! Simple and easy, effective ways to make your home smell good, naturally!