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All natural and sneaky way to freshen a room

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When you have animals…that live with you…inside your house.

Like under the same roof as you are… things can get a little, well, shall we say,

Not So Fresh.

And when you live with them all the time, you tend to become accustomed to their delightful aroma.  Sometimes, I think I don’t even have a “dog” smell in my house.

And maybe I don’t, [insert laugh track here] but I don’t want to take any chances. Because when my house smells, life is just not the same.

I just want an easy way to freshen a room, yo.  I want the best home freshener I can find and I want it naturally.

But here’s the real rub… I have people in my house that don’t like scented candles… or anything that’s going to be too in your face when it comes to olfactory refreshment.

And those candles and scent thingies?  They are hard on one’s pink, ruffled change purse.  Besides, those sprays and stuff just feel toxic to me.  I want the best natural air freshener that will be safe and smell good and make my home feel clean and fresh.

I have some good news.  You don’t need any of that expensive, smelly stuff… just this:

What you need:

How to Freshen a Room Naturally

First, just pop your cotton balls in the cute little bowl.

Next, add your favorite essential oil.  I’d say enough so that is soaks the top layer at least.

The end.

Except if you want to be sneaky about it.

Just hide your cute little bowl behind something.

If you want, that is.  I mean it is a cute little bowl and all.

natural way to freshen a room-6

Sometimes, I like to sit it right up under my nose.  Ahhhh….

So much better than the scents, “dog” or “cat”.

What’s your favorite essential oil to use?  Let me know down in the comments below!

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What the BOLD ones say:

  1. Libby says

    Misspellings are understandable when one has been sniffing peppermint extract.

  2. Kate says

    This is such a good tip – seems a shame to be picky about spelling. Thanks for sharing this.

  3. sheila says

    I use ground coffee, about 1/4 cup, poured in my vacumn canister, then vacumn, it eliminates old house, or smoke/stale air smell. I believe the peppermint could also be added to the vacumn, to circulate this smell through the air when vacumning.

    • Shannon says

      I put peppermint onto a cotton ball and put that in my vacuum. It smells wonderful! Never thought of using coffee.

  4. Ashley says

    I love this, but you should be REALLY careful about having essential oils and kitties in the same house. Cats aren’t able to process EOs, and they can poison your kitty.

    • paulette says

      Great point. I haven’t used essential oils but was getting into this post. Love the upbeat writing style! It makes me feel like I’m visiting with a friend. However, we have Sugar Gliders so I guess I need to do a little more research on essential oils before purchasing.

    • Laurel Marble says

      That is true about essential oils and cats. I had just purchased a bunch of assorted essential oils and a diffuser, and a few weeks later was reading about using them with a cat in the same room. Very poisonous. And very disappointing. BUT…now I use them in my bedroom when the door is closed and the cat is on the other side of it. Ahhh :))

  6. Susan says

    Thanks for the great idea. I have some orange/clove essential oil that I boil in water. It is amazing!!! But this is so much easier! Love it!

    • Chloe Cox says

      I would recommend using a diffuser instead of boiling. You will get better results. (Love our doterra oils!) You can find some really nice priced diffusers on Amazon!

      • Gwen says

        I don’t actually boil it, Chole. I just pop a few drops on the cotton and it works great! I’m sure a diffuser works really well, but if you don’t have one or don’t want to spend the money, this is a great alternative!

        Gwen

  8. Lynn says

    Love this idea as we have a lot of animals (own a farm) I have tried so many things they either smell like flowery animals or the fresh smell doesn’t last long. I have sprayed fragrances in the vacuum before as the vacuum filter tends to start smelling doggy but never tried the coffee. I will be trying that also !
    On another note if some one has to be so picky about spelling when you are giving your precious time to write this blog for every one else maybe they should go to an educational site and give their opinion ! These “smart” phones/electronic devices most have spell correct and I can’t tell you how many times my phone has either misspelled or completely changed every thing I type out ! Not such a “smart” phone LOL Different countries do use different spellings and meanings also !! I love your blog thanks for sharing !!

  9. Amanda says

    Thanks for the great idea!!!! We just moved into a new apartment that is way smaller, and between the old apartment smell and the smaller space with two cats and a 5 year old boy, the smell is driving me CRAZY! 🙂 Totally going to try this out!

  10. Fran Williams says

    This is a great idea. Thank you for sharing. I am wondering how tea tree oil would work. I am told it repels head lice so maybe it will ward off mosquitoes, too

  12. ilene van der schyff says

    i love this idea, and use aromatherapy essential oils often in the spa where i work, just one note though… before you just take any essential oil, do some research first as to what its uses are and especially its contraindications!! peppermint for instance is one of my favorite essential oils, i use it often, it helps for nausea and relieves tension headaches. i like to use it in the steam room for my clients ( if they are not contraindicated it it) as an decongestant. it is also awesome in in a blend for massage in the hot summer months to cool the body, and stimulate blood circulation… but is not good to use if you have heart problems or before you go to bed…!! too stimulating!! …. you can check out http://www.aromaweb.com for info on the different essential oils. they are very concentrated so use with care… especially if you blend ylang ylang and rose together.. both are aphrodisiacs and blending those will make the blend an aphrodisiac blend even though they have other benefits too!! haha.. you might like the smell but not the bodily result! and remember… even though you wont be applying the oil to your skin, you still inhale it and they will have the same results as when it is applied to the skin! 🙂

    • Gwen says

      That is fabulous information, Ilene! Thank you so much for taking the time to share it with me and my readers!

  13. Dee says

    PLEASE be careful w/the essential oils. There are “essential oils” and then there are therapeutic essential oils. For general fragrances and stuff in candles most additives are NOT therapeutic, they are chemical replications, the “junk” that’s left over after processing etc. As someone noted, do your research and be careful especiallyy what you put in bedrooms.

    I note that in the picture it shows peppermint flavoring but says essential oil in the directions. The flavoring won’t hurt you; also won’t help except for making things smell better. Essential oils are therapeutic–that’s why they have been used for hundreds of years, even referenced in the Bible. Peppermint is great! for stomach upset.

    As to the caution about cats, before I knew better I sat in a room with tons of essential oils and my cats never got sick, but cats have died because they have a unique system that can’t tolerate essential oils, especially if they are taken internally. Totally support the idea that you must check with a qualified aromatherapist before using the essential oils on the cat, n bedding, or anyway they can get into it internally.

  14. sara says

    Be careful!! I dont know about other animals but peppermint oil is dangerous for cats

    • Gwen says

      I’ve heard that, too, Sara. I keep them away from my kitty.

      Gwen

  15. Rebecca says

    After reading this article, I went to my local Sprouts and purchased Peppermint essential oil. I followed your directions exactly. I put the small bowl on my bedroom dresser, which is upstairs. Within an hour or so, you could smell it all the way downstairs! I was bewildered that the peppermint aroma carried all throughout the whole entire 1900 sq. ft house! I have three dogs. So you can imagine what people must smell when they enter my house. But the Peppermint works wonders and smells so clean. It lasted about a week before I had to reapply some more oil. I wonder if there are other oils that can be used besides Peppermint that work just as wonderful? Thank you for this awesome tip! You have save me a lot of money buying scentsys.

    • Gwen says

      Yay! That is fantastic, Rebecca! I’m so glad it worked for you. I love this method of freshening things up. I say try any oil you like. Lavender is another one of my very favorites and I use it all the time!

  16. Cassie says

    I love this idea! I thought you might enjoy knowing that as an RN we used this exact idea in the hospital to help with unimaginable smells! We had to get the peppermint oil from the pharmacy. We used medicine cups and gauze to put drops of the oil on then put them in the hallway. Nothing else ever helped.

    • Gwen says

      Cassie-

      I guess if it works in a hospital, it will work in a private home too! Thanks for sharing.

      Gwen

  17. Candy says

    all rodents are allergic to peppermint oil ( rats ,mice moles ect) so the peppermint oil inside the house serves 2 purposes wonderful way to freshen the air in the house and it will also keep the mice out the y want nothing to do with it ! You can also put it onto a cotton ball then roll the cotton ball in red pepper and put it into an active mole run and they will clear out pronto ! Gotta love that peppermint oil!!!

  18. Michele says

    I put a few drops in a cotton ball and then either hang or sit it in the air/heating vents. This way the smell or oil can be customized for each room. If I want a whole house smell, I put it on the grate side of my return air vent.

  19. Mac says

    You are saying essential oils, but you are showing extract. A lot of difference, in product and price. Oils would definitely last longer, since most extracts are alcohol based, thus evaporate.

    • Gwen says

      Actually, I posted an UPDATE to this article several months ago about how I switched to essential oils. Perhaps you missed it! 🙂

  20. Rebecca says

    As well as deterring rodents, it will run off spiders and fruit flies.

  21. Ellen Davis says

    One more comment about peppermint essential oil: it “can” cause breathing problems in babies, even children up to age two. This method is probably safe, but I wouldn’t put a baby down in the same room just to be safe. Diffusing is more likely to cause a problem, so it’s best to keep babies away from it.

    Now I’m off to try your suggestion.

  22. Amanda says

    Hi I just found this from Pinterest and agree it’s a fabulous idea! It’s not only cheaper than the smelly things in stores, but such a safer alternative to that garbage! Lots of insects don’t like peppermint as well, so it works as a natural insect repellant too. 🙂

  23. Leann says

    I think this would also be great to use at an outdoor gathering to ward off mosquitoes using fragrances like tea tree oil and citronella. I may have to try that next time to see if it works. Right now I am using peppermint in one room and lavender with vanilla in another. So far, they are smelling really good.

  24. Laurie says

    I recently used the eucalyptus on those same cotton pads next to my bed (the kids won’t give up the diffuser with lavender for sleeping). I got rid of my cold overnight. Went to bed with a stuffy nose and beginning to cough. Nose cleared within 10 minutes and I was fine the next morning. It wasn’t a coincidence or the cold running its course because it was just starting!

  25. Linda Robles says

    We have 4 dogs and 3 cats… so you can imagine how AMAZING this post is for me!!! I just went and did it. I put Peppermint Oil on a little cotton ball and can’t wait to smell the results!

    I put a few drops of Tea Tree Oil near our beds every few days to help us sleep and also keep bed bugs away. It’s really been helping and is SO easy!

    Thanks for your awesome (and hilarious) post!

  26. Anne says

    You are hilarious Gwen. Your writing style had me smiling. Thanks for the laugh.
    Great idea to stop “smells” in the house. I always vacuum up a teaspoon of cinnamon whenever I clean the floors, it smells delicious. Cheers 🙂

  27. jeanette says

    hi ! how many pads are you putting in those adorable little bowls ?

    thanks

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