We all know that dreaded feeling when an unexpected guest knocks on the door and the house isn’t prepared. It’s one thing to have to toss a few clothes in a basket or tuck toys under the beds. But it’s another thing when your house has that stale odor smell that settles in between cleanings. To keep your home smelling great and naturally purified, try these 6 essential oil hacks.
1. DIFFUSE YOUR VENTS
The next time you replace air filters in your home, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil scent onto the new air filters. Try Frankincense essential oil! If you have floor vents, dab a few drops onto wooden clothespins and clip them to the underside your vents. The wood will soak up the oil. When your a/c runs, air will flow over the clothespins and through your filters, circulating the delightful scent throughout your entire house! Refresh with more drops of essential oil as needed. This works great for your car air vents, too!
2. FRESHEN WHILE YOU VACUUM
Does your vacuum cleaner smell when you are running it? Here’s a simple tip. Add 2-3 droplets of lavender oil to a cotton ball. Place the cotton ball in the clean canister or fresh vacuum cleaner bag. If your vacuum has a washable filter, put some essential oil on the filter. As you vacuum each space of your home, the fresh scent will spread along with you!
3. NO MORE TRASH CAN FUNK
Add two droplets of tea tree and lemon essential oil to a cotton ball and place it at the bottom of any wastebasket. The lemon and tea tree oils will work as a disinfectant and deodorize trashcan odor, keeping your bins fresh and clean!
4. WARD OFF CREEPY CRAWLIES
You want your house to be inviting to your guests, but not for tiny pests. To keep spiders and ants from moving in, use this peppermint oil mixture! Combine 15 drops of peppermint essential oil and a cup of water in a spray bottle. Shake, then spray! That’s it! You can spray around your doors, baseboards, windows, and in the corners of each room. Spiders and ants hate the smell of peppermint, so this repellent works great!
Be careful! The goal is to get the smell of peppermint into the areas that you spray. Be aware of oversaturating your surfaces. You don’t want them to be wet. A sheer mist is just fine.
5. DIY MOTHBALLS
Speaking of repellents, you can prevent your clothes from becoming moth chow with these DIY natural mothballs. Just place a few drops of cedarwood oil on a few cotton balls and put them in your closets, drawers and any other areas around your clothes. If you’re not a fan of cedarwood, an alternative method is to use 2-3 drops of rosemary and clove bud essential oils. Bye bye, moths, and tops full of holes!
Bonus: This will also keep your clothes smelling fresh!
6. TOILET PAPER DIFFUSER
Add a few drops of your favorite fragrance of essential oil on the cardboard tube of your toilet paper roll. Each time the paper is used, the scent of the oil will disperse into the air. It’s simple, yet effective! Now everyone in the house can participate in refreshing your home.