Our home is our sanctuary. It’s a place to unwind, recharge, and enjoy our favorite hobbies. I often ask myself: What can I do to make our space feel clean, welcoming, uplifting, and healthy? After a long winter, a little refresh can go a long way. The scent of a clean, fresh home not only creates an inviting atmosphere but also brings a sense of energy and comfort to our everyday life.
Each room comes with its own set of challenges. With a few simple homemade solutions, I can keep everything fresh and inviting. I like using ingredients I already have—vinegar, baking soda, and essential oils. These help me keep things clean and add to a cozy atmosphere to the home.
I’ll walk you through my favorite cleaning recipes and strategies. Tackling those tricky areas that trap smells gets a lot easier this way. With less clutter and more effective methods, my home feels brighter. Our home works as a three dimension vision board. Our surrounding creates emotions and feelings. It impacts the mood and motivation for the day.
Homemade Cleaners
Homemade cleaners help my home feel clean and fresh. Every room seems to need something a little different, but making these cleaners is usually quick and easy.
For odor-busting cleaner strategies, I use three basic cleaners in each room of the house, plus an air freshener for places that need an extra odor buster.
- All Purpose Cleaner
- Herb Infused Water
- baking soda and citrus paste
- baking soda drawer and refrigerator air freshener
If you’re curious about using natural cleaners, check out Using Homemade cleaners to clean your kitchen. It’s got some good info on ditching harsh chemicals for homemade options.
Room-By-Room Cleaning Strategies
Kitchen Cleaning Methods
Because the kitchen is a high traffic area where food prep and waste management exist in one space, cleaning and odor control are essential. Major smell spots in the kitchen include, counter surfaces, sinks, trash, and the refrigerator.
A quick solution for kitchen odor is to clean counter surfaces with a home-made refresher. For a natural fresh herbal scent that comes straight from the garden, I like to use herb infused water. This scent brings your outdoor garden inside, and creates a non-toxic fresh overall scent in the kitchen.
Because sink surfaces and trash bins can house odor creating bacteria, I use a stronger vinegar based cleaner. For this simple all-purpose cleaner, I mix vinegar, dish soap, and essential oils. Sometimes I add orange slices and herbs to the mix sit for a week or two—those oranges really help with the strong vinegar smell.
If I’m deep cleaning the kitchen sink, I’ll use a mixture of baking soda and some orange zest. This combination is a bacteria buster and will leave any stubborn sink looking and smelling it’s best. You can also swap out the zest for your favorite essential oil.
Dropping a few ice cubes and lemon slices, parsley stems, herbs while I run the garbage disposal will eliminate any lingering odor. Another tip for the garbage disposal is to never run the garbage disposal with very hot water. Always use warm water because if you run it with a hot water it can ruin the motor and reduce its life span.
The inside of a refrigerator can house all sorts of smells. This is a great place for my baking soda air freshener. Simply mix baking soda and dried orange zest in a small glass jar, add a paper top secured with a rubber band and poke holes in the paper. Baking soda naturally absorbs scents inside the fridge, and the orange peel I add to the mixture gives the fridge a nice citrus smell.
Bathroom Deep Cleaning
When I clean the bathroom, I focus on spots that trap odors. The major hot spots here will be the sink, drain, and toilet where odors linger. Everything to do with water drainage or fabric.
Solutions to have a clean healthy and fresh smelling bathroom
I use this shower curtain because it’s better for our health since it’s VOC free, washable and dries fast. I like the white because it allows the light to go trough. I don’t need any additional liner, it protects everything from the water outside of the tub yet it’s very light and easy to take off and throw it in the washing machine. The shower curtain takes up a lot’s of surface and if it doesn’t get dry properly it can harbor bacteria and produce an unpleasant smell.
Taking towels and drying them out of the bathroom after a shower can also greatly reduce the smell and mold. Leaving the bathroom door open when it’s not in use allows better air flow to dry the room.
Another big surface that can make the bathroom smell musty is the shower. I have a great solution to speed up this not so fun cleaning process. Using a car wash brush due to it’s size speeds up the cleaning process. I add dish soap to the brush and quickly scrub the grime away with it.
My other tip on washing the shower easier is to add a shower handle kit with a hose for an easier rinse. I like to rinse the tub with water before I even start to wash off the lint.
Cleaning the Toilets
For toilets, I use a foaming cleaner with mixing citric acid with soap, it will foam up so use about 1 tbsp of each. As soon as it contacts the water it will create lot’s of foam. I like to use hydrogen peroxide for porcelain surfaces.
A drop or two of essential oil on the inside of the toilet roll is another secret to keep the bathroom smelling fresh. Sometimes I use vinegar in the toilet bowl or bar keeper’s friend cleaner.
Use the Right Cleaner on Sinks
Bathroom sinks can be effectively cleaned with dish soap or a gentle scrub like Bar Keepers Friend Soft Cleanser. If you have a porcelain sink, avoid using harsh, dry abrasives like baking soda as it can scratch the surface, creating tiny grooves where bacteria can grow. Over time, this can dull the shine and even cause unpleasant odors.
The only time I use baking soda in the sink is for clearing clogs and eliminating drain smells. I sprinkle baking soda directly over the drain, pour vinegar on top to create a foaming reaction, then rinse with hot water. It’s a simple and effective way to freshen and unclog drains.
For mirrors and countertops, I use the same all-purpose cleaner that I use in the kitchen. It works great in the bathroom too!
Making hand soap from scratch is a fun little project that will also add fresh scents to the bathroom. For hand soap I mix liquid soap, water, and a few drops of essential oil. Picking out your favorite scents makes washing up feel like a treat.
Laundry Room Maintenance
In the laundry room, I try to run a load every day. This keeps dirt and smells from building up in the clothes and I’m less overwhelmed with folding.
I always leave the washing machine door open after use. For a deeper clean, I add baking soda to a machine cleaning cycle, clean the filter at bottom of the front of the washing machine, and I make sure to clear lint from the dryer regularly. If lint piles up in there that can be a fire hazard. The fabric softener can clog the mesh on the filter which again can lead to fire if you have too much lint in there. Cleaning the lint also helps to dry the cloths faster and reduce the energy usage so you save money by keeping it clean.
The laundry basket can also hold onto smells, I have a wicker basket so I give it a quick spray with my all-purpose cleaner that has vinegar in there and I put it outside for the breeze to air it out. Staying on top of these little things keeps my home comfortable and smelling great!
Living Areas and Bedroom Care
In the living room and bedrooms, I tidy up daily. My homemade all-purpose cleaner works for dusting surfaces and windows. For odors, I make a simple air freshener with baking soda and essential oils. It’s an easy way to keep things smelling inviting.
If you want to have a fresh smelling home, cleaning fabric material is key. For the couch I have seen so many suggestions to use baking soda. While it can help with the odor it can quickly ruin your vacuum cleaner. Fine dust like baking soda can ruin the motor in your vacuum cleaner especially if you have a canister kind without the bag. Instead I use lavender buds to rub it on the sofa let it sit there for a while then vacuum it up. Another benefit of this method is that every time you vacuum you fill up the house with the fresh summer scent of lavender.
Tackling Odor Hot Spots
Odors can pop up in places like shoe storage and clothes drawers. For these places, I stash my baking soda and zest jars in drawers, closets, and cabinets to soak up smells. Mix a cup of baking soda with 20 drops of essential oil mix it and fill it in a jar.
Creating a Cozy and Healthy Home Atmosphere
Daily Homemaking Routines
I kick off each day with a few simple chores to keep things organized. Making breakfast and tidying up while everyone gets ready makes things easier later.
Running a load of laundry in the morning helps me stay ahead of the mess. I don’t like feeling rushed, so knocking it out early really helps.
Use Fresh Air!
Opening the windows to let in fresh air is one of the simplest ways to create a healthier home. Indoor air can actually be more polluted than outdoor air due to poor ventilation and the buildup of toxins. Pollutants like dust, mold, VOCs, and chemical residues from cleaning products tend to settle indoors, especially near the floor, where children are most affected.
Unlike outdoor air, which circulates naturally and dilutes these contaminants, indoor air can become stagnant. Simply opening a window helps move the air, reduce pollutants, and bring in a clean, fresh scent that makes the whole home feel renewed.
Incorporating Natural Scents
I love using natural scents to refresh my space. Making a cleaner with vinegar and orange slices and letting it sit for a bit takes the edge off the vinegar smell.
Essential oils add a nice scent too. Sometimes I mix baking soda and essential oils in a jar to absorb odors and spread a fresh scent throughout the house.
I add 20 drops of essential oil to 1 cup of baking soda.
Filling up the little jars with the baking soda essential oil mixture, cover it with some paper and secure it with the metal ring that comes with the canning jar.
Poking some holes in the paper will let the baking soda essential oil do the work to freshen up a drawer or closet.
Maintaining a Bright and Welcoming Home
Keeping my home bright and welcoming makes my family feel happier, more relaxed and productive.
I stay on top of cleaning my laundry baskets and drains so bad odors don’t take over. I open the windows every day, for some fresh air. In summer the windows are open longer. In the winter I aim for a quick 5-10 minutes of air out. Having a good work flow under the kitchen sink cabinet for the garbage and compost so they can emptied every night. I keep that area clutter free so the daily task can be done without frustration.
Non-toxic cleaners and sunlight really liven up the space. There’s just something about natural light that makes everything feel more cheerful.