The Art of Frugal Homemaking That Makes Scents

 

Don’t you just love walking into a house that smells fresh? It evokes feelings of warmth, caring and cosiness which makes you feel instantly relaxed.

There are many ways to freshen up the scent of your home. In the past, I have used plug-in air fresheners and room sprays, but the fake perfume pervaded the house and gave me a headache. It’s been ages since I’ve bought those now, thanks to my now frugal lifestyle, but that hasn’t stopped me from keeping my house having a fresh aroma!

Natural & Frugal Ways to Freshen Your Home

Clean up the smelly zones - The worst offenders in my house are my rubbish bin which I empty on a daily basis even though no food scraps end up there as the hens get those and dishcloths which I put in the wash daily if not more often, depending what I have been doing in the kitchen. So really they don’t get the opportunity to begin to stink.
Vacuum and Mop - A home that is clean will usually smell that way. I always mop my floors with a simple mixture of vinegar and warm water- you could even add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to freshen the scent. But even with only the plain vinegar solution, the air always seems fresher when I’m finished.

Open a window- Open several windows to create a cross

breeze and allow things to air out. There is nothing nicer than fresh air in the house. This can be a little tricky in cold weather, but even in the winter I usually can find a day here or there that is pleasant enough to allow for some “airing out time”.

Candles -  always add atmosphere to any room.  The addition of a drop of lavender oil on the top of the candle wafts through the room as it burns. Relaxing!

Bake - Who doesn’t love the aroma of freshly cooked bickies wafting from the oven? I think many of us have good memories connected to those scents. Remember the smell of Nanna’s jam cooking on the stove or the smell of freshly baked bread

Make your own air fresheners - Forget the expensive bought varieties, you can make your own. There are loads of different ideas and recipes online. Most of them are incredibly simple and frugal.

• Remember: Bicarb Soda is good for absorbing smells
• Simmer some spices (cinnamon, cloves, etc) or a bit of vanilla extract in a cup of water on your stove.
• Here is a recipe for homemade gel fresheners. These would make great gifts, too!

Super Smelly Jelly 

3/4 cup boiling water
1 packet of 4-serving jelly)
1 Tablespoon vodka
1/4 teaspoon dishwashing liquid
Essential Oil

Combine & set in a jar with holes poked in the top. The vodka is to help prevent the jelly become mouldy.

• Reed diffusers: Make your own, here's how 
• Fragrant room spray like this one. There are 3 ingredients for this. Orange Essential Oil (50 drops or about 2 tsp), Vodka (1 tbsp) and Water (a couple of ounces to fill the bottle). Put in a small spray bottle use to freshen up.
• Flowers - These can NOT be forgotten as not only do they look wonderful but some have the most divine scents. Look for Boronia, Daphne, Freesias (I just picked a bunch of the old fashioned fragrant freesias that were growing on the roadside)