Cleaning Experts Reveal 7 Bargain Tips For Removing Lingering Smells
- Members of LatestDeals.co.uk revealed their hacks for removing lingering smells
- Tips include putting laundry pearls in the kitchen bin and soaking sofas in bicarbonate of soda
- Money-saving expert Tom Church provides his tips on where to buy cheap products
It’s embarrassing when you can’t get a smell out of your home, especially if you’re expecting visitors. Regardless of the cause - whether it’s dogs, children, the kitchen bin or something else - it can feel impossible to make the house feel fresh and clean.
Cleaning experts from money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk have joined forces to create a guide on how any smell can be removed on a budget.
Keep rooms smelling fresh
Carol Street recommends filling a room with sweet scents. ‘I like to use a diffuser with aromatherapy oils.’ Another approach is to keep the space ventilated. ‘Air the place by opening doors and windows,’ Jacqueline Martin recommends. Ellen Humphries agreed, saying that people should tackle any smells by opening all of their doors and windows. Nikita Clarke also uses this method: ‘I love the freshness an open window brings.’ Dominique Scott shared a quick hack to freshen up your bin. ‘Use Lenor laundry pearls in the bottom of the kitchen bin - smells amazing.’
Focus on your soft furnishings
Amy Walls likes to give her home a spritz. ‘I put fabric softener and water in a spray bottle and spray my soft furniture.’ Louise Forecast asked if it makes floors slippery, and Eshal Khan recommended keeping it away from the ground. ‘Try and spray away from the floors - even carpet I found to be a bit slippery afterward.’ Another tip came from Ellen Humphries, who recommends dry shampoo. ‘Use it on carpets, rugs and sofas, and wash all of your curtains. All these soft furnishings keep the smells in.’ Claire Bear recommended alcohol: ‘Use vodka in a spray bottle. It’s a good deodoriser for fabrics such as sofas, curtains and mattresses.
Get cleaning
Darren Metcalfe has come up with the ultimate cleaning cocktail. ‘I wipe all surfaces with a cap of disinfectant in warm water, mixed with 10 to 12 drops of essential or fragrance oil. Lemon Flash and lemon verbena oil smells lush!’ Melissa Connelly had a similar tip: ‘Clean the area with white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda.’ Lynsey Davis focused on vacuuming. ‘Put Unstoppables in your filter. It leaves a lovely scent whenever you vacuum.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Most of us will have supplies such as disinfectant, Flash and bicarbonate of soda in the house, so creating mixes like this to clean surfaces is both easy and cheap.’
Radiator tricks
Karen Kelly suggested using radiators to create fresh scents. ‘I wipe my radiators down with fabric softener when they’re on - the smell goes all around the house.’ Amy Louise took a similar approach: ‘I put Zoflora on tumble dryer sheets, then place them on warm radiators.’ Sue Cheeseman agreed: ‘I put fabric softener in water 50/50 and wipe it over the radiators. When they are on it makes the house smell fabulous.’
Tom said: ‘I’ve got some Zoflora under the kitchen sink, it was a bargain buy from Poundland. I’ll give the radiator trick a go tonight and see if my partner notices!’
Make the most of stain-removing hacks
Phoe Panda swears by bicarbonate of soda. ‘It’s not only got abrasive qualities, making it a good material to remove marks and crusty stuff, but it’s super good at deodorising. If you’ve got a stinky carpet, coat it in bicarb and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then hoover it up. I had a second hand leather sofa that reeked of cigarette smoke. Two overnight ‘soaks’ in bicarb got rid of the smell entirely.’
Phoe provided a warning: ‘It won’t smell NICE afterwards, just a neutral smell. But that’s a good base for any perfume sprays, candles or wax melts.’ Catherine Healy added: ‘It’s good after the kids are sick on carpets,’ to which Phoe replied: ‘Or the dog!’
Use some witchy magic
Marie Lykewakewitch recommends sage smudging sticks. ‘It cleans and purifies the air with a little witchy magic.’
Tom said: ‘Smudging is a practice with plenty of history attached to it. It is traditionally associated with preventing negativity from entering the home, which could have an adverse effect on sleep. There is also some research which indicates sage could help with insomnia. Those who have classic garden sage may burn it, as it has been reported to help with both sleep and anxiety.
‘To smudge a house with sage, hold it at a 45 degree angle and then light it. Let it burn for approximately 20 seconds, then blow out the flame. The ritual is complete when you see orange embers on one end. At this point, you can begin cleaning the room.’
Keep a wax melt schedule
Plenty of people praised wax melts. Katie Kielkowski said: ‘I deep clean all rooms once a week and make my own soya wax melts. I burn one in the morning and one in the evening.’ Clare Sagar uses a similar method: ‘I use carpet freshener, wax melts and room spray.’ Rebecca Royston shared her weekly routine: ‘I have wax melts on and a reed diffuser in each room once a week. Everyone always says the house smells nice.’
Tom added: ‘Wax melts are always cheap buys, especially from stores such as B&M and Poundland. You can buy them in bulk for just a couple of pounds and easily keep your home smelling fragrant.’
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