November Nose

“Watch a cat when it enters a room for the first time. It searches and smells about, it is not quiet for a moment, it trusts nothing until it has examined and made acquaintance with everything.”

This time of the year we find ourselves closing things up for the winter…at least here in North Dakota we do. We might be surprised how many scents we trap inside our homes. They say that the amount of pollutants we “house” may be more than the smog in a major city. What can we do?

First – Get Rid of the Bad

Only 65% of people can actually smell the odors in their own home. Ask a friend or relative to give a sniff
test and to be honest with you. Ask them what your home smells like and still love them afterwards. We
get used to our own odors. If you want your house to smell good you have to eliminate any source of
bad odors. “Thou that smells least smells best.”

Empty the garbage, litter box, keep an eye on your potatoes, onions and rotting fruits are simple suggestions. Keep your bathrooms free of mold and mildew.

Second - Let Some Fresh In

Once you take the bad odors out, let a little fresh air in. I know it doesn’t seem practical, but it is okay to
open a door or window when it is cold outside, you just don’t need to keep it open long.

Neutralize Odors

Sometimes bad odors hang around despite removal of the offenders and the presence of fresh air. Your
best bet then is to actually neutralize the odors rather than masking them with those so-called “air fresheners.”

Buy a big box of baking soda and sprinkle it on the carpet, wait a few minutes to a few hours and then vacuum. This works wonderfully and cost very little. We use an empty parmesan cheese shaker – the kind that has a green lid and clear container. Be sure to label it. It could wreck your next Italian dish!

Vinegar, by misting it in the air, is another great odor neutralizer. Fill a spray bottle with one part water and one part white vinegar. The vinegar smell fades quickly, leaving unscented air behind. This can also be used for odor removal on just about any surface, including upholstery (check an inconspicuous section first for colorfastness).

Make Your Own Fresh Air!

Plants are nature's own air purifiers! And keeping live plants in your home helps keep the air clean.  We brings just about every potted plant in the house when it gets cold. It smells good and looks marvelous. Be careful, not all outside plants smell nice. Check the Internet for the best houseplants for clean air.

Not only do plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, they can actually take other toxic chemicals out of the air, leaving it cleaner than before.

Sweeten the Air

Sometimes you want a little more than just an absence of bad odors. For those times when you want your house to smell really good, there are several quick and easy ways to sweeten the air. Try some of the following:

Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (Lavender, Mint, etc.) to a cotton ball and leave in inconspicuous places. I’ve placed some inside the bottom vent of our fridge. You just pop off the front and put them on a small lid. You get a constant flow of cool air that brings your scent into the room.

Simmer something that smells wonderful in some water on the stove or in a plug-in pot. Consider using a lemon or orange cut in fourths, fresh cut or crushed ginger, spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, or herbs such as rosemary or basil.

Burn a natural beeswax candle to scent the air like honey and clean the air at the same time. Burn soy candles scented with essential oils. They are much cleaner than paraffin candles and have no artificial fragrances.

Add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to a spray bottle of water or the vinegar-water mixture mentioned above, or to some baking soda. Mist or sprinkle on the carpet accordingly to neutralize odors
and sweeten the air at the same time.

Odors can be nourishing to your thoughts and stir memories that can move you through time. You and your guests deserve to have this sense bathed with something refreshing and welcoming….always.