Eradicating Household Aromas
Often one of the reasons that a home does not sell has nothing to do with its appearance at all, but rather the impact it has upon a buyer's sense of smell.
To ensure your home passes the "odor test", here are some tips:
- Try sprinkling a bit of baby powder on the pillow covers before putting the case back on.
- For persistent smells, try lemon oil or spray on the carpet, curtains, sofas, and even mattresses.
- Use a waterlogged sponge for bad kitchen odors such as those created from fried foods. On a plate, place a big sponge (natural or loofah) in very hot water. The vapor will replace the molecules responsible for the annoyance. Repeat as necessary.
- Place a few cubes of charcoal in a container and put the container in the closet. It removes that damp, musty smell. Blackboard chalk will work, too.
- Before throwing away orange or lemon rinds, toss them into a pot of simmering water on the stove to make the kitchen smell inviting and lift the cook's spirits. Combining them with cloves or cinnamon sticks is also very pleasing.
- Use all of those candle stubs after burning the bulk of the candle. Melt the stub in an old pan over water (like a double broiler). Pour the melted wax over pinecones and use as fragrant fire starters.
- To remove cigarette odors, put a saucer of white vinegar in the room. When the vinegar evaporates, the smell will be gone.
- Sprinkle a few lavender bath beads into water waste receptacles in the bathroom and kitchen. The scent is more subtle than that of "air fresheners", but still quite pleasant.
- Put a dab of vanilla on the tops of your light bulbs. Your home will smell delightful without agitating allergies with potpourri.
- Rose water, when put in a steam iron, gives your linens a fantastic, fresh scent - just like they hung outside next to a rose bush.