Last updated on July 28th, 2023 at 08:11 am
There’s nothing better than having a home that smells nice all the time. If you are concerned about an unpleasant odor in your house or are about to have some guests over, you can use vanilla extract to change it up, which also helps you feel more comfortable and relaxed. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started.
Get an Oven-Safe Pan
To get started, find an oven-safe dish, coffee mug, or pan to use for this process. Then turn your oven to about 275-300ºF/140-150ºC. This temperature is just enough to warm your vanilla; therefore, you should adjust it if it becomes too hot. The dish or pan should be made of preferably ceramic, glass or terracotta materials, which allow the aroma to seep through.
Arrange Your Oven Racks
For the vanilla extract to work, you’ll need to rearrange the oven racks so that you can place the pan with the vanilla on the middle rack. By doing this, the extract won’t burn or scorch.
Pour The Vanilla Into The Cup or Dish
When the racks are ready, pour two tablespoons of vanilla into the cup or pan. Make sure you use quality vanilla extract to bring out more aroma. You can also add some extra vanilla bean pods to enhance the scent and give it a more sugary aroma.
Place The Vanilla Pan In The Oven
Have the vanilla in the oven for up to 20 minutes until you smell a change in odor. Set the kitchen timer to remind you to remove the pan from the oven and turn off the heat. The 20 minutes should be enough to refresh the air in your home. However, if you feel that the vanilla smell is overwhelming, you can open the windows and let the breeze in.
How to Make Your House Smell Like Cinnamon and Vanilla
According to research, vanilla elevates the mood, and the cinnamon scent sharpens your mind and boosts brainpower. Not only do cinnamon and vanilla taste good, but they can also invoke a comforting, relaxing, and warm feeling. Because of these elements, you can use these scents to get rid of bad odor or a musty smell in your apartment.
Fortunately, changing the smell of your home using vanilla and cinnamon is not expensive. You don’t need to go an extra step to bake cookies or cakes or use chemical deodorizers to achieve this smell. You can follow these easy steps.
Cinnamon and Vanilla Essential Oils
- Saturate some cotton balls with vanilla or cinnamon essential oil.
- Place these cotton balls on saucers or open jars throughout your house, especially the smelly areas.
- Once the fragrance wears off, replace the old cotton balls with new ones.
Boiling Cinnamon
While cinnamon is used in aromatherapy to help improve mood and boost energy, it’s an important scent that you can use if you want to make your house smell good. If you just cooked food with more pungent odors such as fish and you can’t seem to get rid of the smell, the cinnamon in your spice rack might be your best hack. Here’s how to do it.
- Place some cinnamon sticks in a pan of water on your stovetop.
- Boil the water with the sticks inside.
- After the water boils, turn off the stove. The heat releases the spiced scent throughout your house.
- When the fragrance goes down, you can reheat the water and repeat the process above until you are satisfied with the smell in your house.
Should You Put Vanilla Extract In a Microwave to Make Your House Smell Good?
While there are tons of strong aromatic candles or scents that you can buy to improve the smell in your house, you can also use your microwave to achieve the same. The microwave scent recipes are also a good alternative when you don’t have time to cook aromatic meals.
To get started, you’ll need to add half a cup of water to a microwave-safe bowl. Then add about 2 to 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Place the bowl in the microwave and heat it to your microwave’s highest setting for about 30 to 60 seconds. Within one minute, the vanilla scent will spread out throughout your house and get rid of any foul odors.
Best Vanilla Home Fragrance
Essential oils such as vanilla can transform the smell in your house. The best vanilla home fragrance you can use in your home ensures that you keep the bad odors away for much longer. The duration of the scent may vary depending on how humid your house is and the temperatures.
How to Make Your House Smell Good Naturally
Each home has a unique scent; therefore, some will always have a better smell than others. Cleaning your house regularly can get rid of dust and other contaminants; however, the scent needs more than the standard cleaning. Here are some of the ways you can make your house smell good naturally.
Open The Windows
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends ventilation as one of the ways to improve indoor air quality. Therefore, the fastest way to have your house smelling good is by opening the windows to let in fresh air and sunlight. As long as the weather outside is perfect and the air quality outside is not dusty, have the windows open for a better smelling home.
Empty and Clean The Garbage Can
Keeping your garbage in the house until it stinks will make your home smelly. If you notice a lingering smell in your kitchen, you should immediately empty and clean your garbage disposal. Additionally, ensure that you do this regularly to avoid having bad odors.
Clean Your Carpets and Rugs
The carpets and rugs in your house affect the scent and air quality. Unlike hard floors, carpets trap dust and absorb stench from your pet or even food spills. Use some baking soda on the carpet and vacuum to get rid of the odor. If you have pets, you need to pay special attention to the hidden areas where they might have been used as a litter tray alternative.
Realtor Tricks to Make House Smell Good
When selling a house, you need it to be in the best shape and scent if you want to attract any buyers. An unpleasant smell can throw off potential tenants, even if the house meets all their needs. Realtors have the best tricks that you can use to make sure your home smells good. Let’s look at some of them.
Avoid Cooking Odors
If you have any lingering smells from the food you had recently cooked, boil a bowl of water with vanilla extracts, vinegar, or lemon to absorb all the bad odor. You can also leave a bowl of baking soda in your fridge to remove these unpleasant smells.
Add A Coat Of Fresh Paint
If your house has musty odors from the mold on the walls, it’s time for a fresh coat of paint. Instead of targeting only the places where the mold has grown, you should repaint the entire house for a clean slate. This should improve the air quality as well as the appearance of the home.
Use High-Quality Diffusers
Diffusers and essential oils are the best options for getting rid of bad odors. Realtors use high-quality diffusers, which are more natural when attracting buyers to their properties. Go for fresh, neutral scents such as lemon or lavender because they are less harsh than commercial air sprayers. Additionally, you should use fragrances that are not too flowery or exotic.
How to Make a House Smell Good Fast
If your friends are stopping by for a surprise visit, how do you make the house smell good fast? Here are some tips.
Eliminate The Source Of The Odor
Start with the problem areas that might be causing a bad odor in your house. This includes garbage cans, smelly sinks, refrigerators, cabinets, and pet areas. Before you start cleaning the entire house, you should first deal with these areas to clear out the stench quickly.
Bring in Some Natural Scents
If you have oranges or lemons, you can throw them in the water with some lavender or mint and bring them to a boil. You can place the scented liquid in different rooms in the house for better results. This gives your home a lovely subtle scent and eliminates any bad odor.
Use Scented Products
You can also use scented candles or incense sticks. They come in different scents and flavors, which will freshen your house fast. These products diffuse the bad odor fast enough before your guests arrive.
Summary
Your apartment might have an unpleasant smell due to different reasons. While these smells can be persistent and irritating, especially if you are about to have guests, there are ways to get rid of them instantly. Vanilla extracts, cinnamon, and other natural diffusers come in handy when you need to change the air quality in your home.