7 Divine DIY Ways To Make Your House Smell Incredible

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Face it, your house smells, but we’ve got you covered. There are many things that contribute to your smelly house. Maybe it’s the dog’s blanket, or your kids’ smelly shoes, or the fact that you forgot to take the garbage out last night.

Here are 7 fool-proof DIY projects to make your house smell incredible again!

Easy Simmering Potpourri

2 oranges, sliced up
1 Tbsp. cloves
3 sticks of cinnamon + a sprinkling of ground cinnamon

Cover the above with water. Let simmer all day. Check often to replenish water. At the end of the day, you can put it in the refrigerator to use it again the next day.

Fruit Rind Air Fresheners

Sea salt is going to do most of the work with this DIY since it has the ability to soak up bad odors.

You’ll also need:

Fresh citrus fruit (orange, lemon or lime will work)
Fresh herbs or spices
Knife
Spoon.

To use, place the salt filled rinds in various places where bad smells tend to linger

DIY Gel Home Air Fresheners

These smell AMAZING without all of the unhealthy chemicals that come from store bought gel air fresheners.

You’ll need:

1 ounce granulated or powdered gelatin
2 cups cold water, divided
20-30 drops of your choice of essential oil
1 Tablespoon salt
optional, food coloring to tint the air freshener
Also needed:
heat-proof jars to hold the hot gelatin liquid
a disposable chopstick or skewer to use as a stir stick
Bring one cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the boiling water and whisk until smooth and all the gelatin is dissolved. Add the salt and the second cup of cold water and whisk. Set aside.
Add the desired amount of essential oil and food coloring, if using, to the jar(s). Quickly pour the hot liquid gelatin over the essential oil and food coloring. Stir until evenly colored.

Allow to cool, uncovered on a heat-proof surface. When it reaches room temperature, place wherever you want a lovely scent. Should last about four weeks if you used enough salt in the recipe to hold off the mold.

DIY Reed Diffuser Oil

Reed diffusers look great and smell great, but I hate spending so much money on them when I can just make them at home!

You’ll need:
Scrap cardboard
Bottles
Spray paint meant for glass
Ruler
Fine-tipped marker or pen
1/8-inch wooden dowel rod, 36 inches long, 1 for each diffuser
Scissors
Essential oils
Plastic plate

Paint your bottles, mark the wooden dowels and cut them so they are 9 inches long, mix up your scented oils and slip the wooden dowels into your bottle. The scent might take a day or 2 to start emanating, but when it does it will be worth it!

Oven Beeswax Candles

Maybe you’re more of a candle person. You can make candles out of beeswax in your very own oven!

You’ll need:
Glass jars
Beeswax
Wicks
Baking sheet
Oven

Place the wicks in the jar and fill with beeswax. Add more beeswax than you think you need. Heat oven to 200 degree F. Place the jars on a cookie sheet and stick them in the oven. Remove candles when all of the wax has melted 45 minutes to an hour. Position wick upright if needed by rolling the end around a pencil. Let cool until wax has hardened. Then trim the wick.

DIY Lavender Linen Spray

This will not only make your bedroom smell like a spa, it will also help you sleep. Lavender is a herb that is widely known to help with nervousness, anxiety, stress and sleeplessness. Spritz a little of this spray on your linens to help take the edge off of sleeplessness.

You’ll need:

Small jar with tight-fitting lid
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) witch hazel or vodka
10 drops lavender essential oil
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) water
Small funnel
Spray bottle

Combine your witch hazel or vodka with your essential oils first inside the jar and shake. This needs to be done separately or else the essential oil won’t distribute into the water unless it’s diluted. Add the water, shake for 15-20 more seconds.

Dried Potpourri (great for gifts!)

With the holidays coming up, it’s always nice to have a homemade option to gift. I love this potpourri recipe, because it’s one of those “set it and forget it” kind of things. This potpourri can be placed in a dish for up to a few months or boil 2 cups water, add potpourri and reduce to a simmer for one-time use.

You’ll need:
Cloves
Cinnamon sticks
Star anise
Oranges
Apples

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Slice apples and oranges thin, like really thin. Place in a single layer on cookie sheets and bake for an hour and a half, check every half hour thereafter until they’re dry. Mix with your spices. Allow your potpourri to “marinate” for a day before gifting.