Austin Babies

natural ways to make your house smell pretty - essential oils?

so i posted last week for ideas on house smells (selling our house with a giant dog= pain in my ....)

 well i put a lovely smelling carpet deodorizer all over the carpets and now the house smells great but every member of our family has had either headaches or goopy eyes this week.  we never use artificial scents in cleaning or laundry so this just overwhelmed all of us in a bad way.

so for those of you that use essential oils, how do you/can you use them to scent the house?   will this have the same negative potential effects as artificial smells on us?

 have i mentioned i hate the home selling process?  haha

Re: natural ways to make your house smell pretty - essential oils?

  • It depends on the scent but I will tell you that Lavender Oil triggers a wicked migraine in my noggin =(
    Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers Lilypie Third Birthday tickers
  • Loading the player...
  • We don't use artificial scents at all, just essential oils.  I have a diffuser that blow it out in the air for after we cook fish, etc.  Otherwise I just use a water bottle with a few drops around the house every other day or so.  I also save citrus peels and throw them in a pot of water on the stove once a month or so.  I love the lemon scent it creates in our house - don't let them burn on the bottom of the pot though because it stinks bad. 

    This is a good idea for the bathrooms:  https://pinterest.com/pin/97320041917543778/

    I think it also helps that we use essential oils for all our cleaning.  It helps the house smell fresh every time we wipe down the counters, etc.

  • I had a realtor tell me one time putting a drop of essential oil on the air filters makes the house smell great. The house we were in when he told me did smell pretty but I've never tried it:)
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Image and video hosting by TinyPic
  • Another citrus idea--cut lemons in half (or small oranges) and run them in your garbage disposal.  It makes the whole room smell good and cleans out the drains. 

    Also, when I cook something smelly, like salmon, I'll boil some mulling spices (you can buy packets in the spice aisle) and let it simmer on the stove for a while.  

     

  • I think I read somewhere you can add a drop on top of a light bulb and turn the lamp on to diffuse the scent.  I hope I'm not totally making this up.
    No siggy pic until TB gets rid of Twitter and FB links Daisypath Happy Birthday tickers
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
  • I quarter oranges and simmer them on the stove with cinnamon and cloves.  I don't think anything using food is likely to trigger a reaction, and EO's are definitely more benign than chemical stuff but they can still cause issues for sensitive people.
    .
  • thanks ladies.  i have some cinnamon sticks and i'll grab some oranges this week.  i'll try out some oils after our trip.

     

     

  • This isn't exactly what you were asking, but our house was on the market for over a year and we have 2 goldens, so I feel your pain :(

    What I did (eventually), was put the dogs outside as we were finishing up breakfast. As soon as they were out, I'd vacuum the house so that it was done for the day. This made showings easier because it was one less thing I had to worry about (my husband works long hours, so getting the house ready was usually 100% my job). We'd let them in after 7 or 8 pm when we were sure no one would be calling. 

    No one has ever commented on a dog smell in our house, but for me it was a hair issue. I wanted our house to look like a non-pet house because I know they stress that when it comes to staging. Actually, lots of people commented that they were surprised to go in the backyard and see two big dogs because our house didn't smell or look like a pet house. Our dogs aren't ever allowed in bedrooms, so maybe that helped, too??

    It sucks if you/your dog are used to being inside all day, but for me, it was necessary to maintain my sanity. Maybe if your dog is outside more, that will help eliminate the smell. Good luck! I know how hard this process is!!

    Lilypie Third Birthday tickers


    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"